Post by royden on Feb 15, 2010 21:57:11 GMT -5
The last few weeks I have been working in a semi-rural outlying area here in NW Montana. I have been slashing, thinning, burning and developing a small subdivision of 80 acres ... the local whitetail deer have just loved it 
. Two years ago when I was in here I had a herd of close to 100 whitetails (mostly does) that were feeding all winter off of my slash piles due to the road clearing. Now, there are at the most 3 doz. At any one time the most I have seen this year is 13 deer. There is a house with horses, dogs and kids 300 yards from this kill site and at least 30 houses with-in a half mile.
Here's one reason why ...
Just a little background - tracks showed where the lion had jumped from the timber and in 3 bounds caught the doe, rode the deer about 15' to the side of the road and a patch of blood/hair. It then dragged it up a 30% slope for about 100' to where it had it's first meal. My guess this was before daylight - definitely today.
Note that the only thing un-eaten is one back-strap and one front quarter. Also note that the front quarters are covered in debris but not the hindquarters. The tracks showed that the cat left and came back and dragged the carcass away from the first pile of hair. I am assuming that it had two meals on this today and that on the second meal I jumped it off of the carcass. The logic behind this assumption is that no ravens had been on the carcass or kill site but where in the trees around - therefor the cat must have been there when I came up the hill.
check out that the long bones are not broken (therefor not wolves)
Interestingly this little fawn fetus was tossed about 10' from the carcass and untouched - except for the head - umbilical, legs, tail, hooves, ribs all well developed. Probably weighed .5 #. and maybe 5" long.
. Two years ago when I was in here I had a herd of close to 100 whitetails (mostly does) that were feeding all winter off of my slash piles due to the road clearing. Now, there are at the most 3 doz. At any one time the most I have seen this year is 13 deer. There is a house with horses, dogs and kids 300 yards from this kill site and at least 30 houses with-in a half mile.Here's one reason why ...
Just a little background - tracks showed where the lion had jumped from the timber and in 3 bounds caught the doe, rode the deer about 15' to the side of the road and a patch of blood/hair. It then dragged it up a 30% slope for about 100' to where it had it's first meal. My guess this was before daylight - definitely today.
Note that the only thing un-eaten is one back-strap and one front quarter. Also note that the front quarters are covered in debris but not the hindquarters. The tracks showed that the cat left and came back and dragged the carcass away from the first pile of hair. I am assuming that it had two meals on this today and that on the second meal I jumped it off of the carcass. The logic behind this assumption is that no ravens had been on the carcass or kill site but where in the trees around - therefor the cat must have been there when I came up the hill.
check out that the long bones are not broken (therefor not wolves)
Interestingly this little fawn fetus was tossed about 10' from the carcass and untouched - except for the head - umbilical, legs, tail, hooves, ribs all well developed. Probably weighed .5 #. and maybe 5" long.
