Alright. You know how this is going to end, but I'll tell the story anyway.
It had rained a lot the night before and during the day but the rain had slacked-off and I went to hunt last evening.
About 15 minutes before the end of shooting light a doe appeared out of some scrub pine and started working her way towards me on a line that would take her about 20 yards behind me.
She took a turn when she got close and looked like she was going to walk right under my left side. Right then she looked up and saw me. She gave me the head bob, but I stayed still and she just back tracked a few steps and continued on her line behind me ...
She stops about 18 yards behind my left side and gave me a good broadside shot.
I draw and the arrow is on its way. I hear a loud 'crack' and the deer turns inside out and is gone.
I get down and look for my arrow. Nowhere to be seen. I look for blood at the shot, nothing. So I start tracking the way the deer ran.
Soon I find blood on the ground and it starts to rain.
The ground's wet, it's pitch black outside and it's slow going. The blood is literally getting washed away as I track it.
At one point my light hits a pair of eyes about 15 yards away and it's a big fox walking parallel to me heading in the way my deer ran. On one level it's really cool. On another level I think 'oh no'.
After about 100 yards and a couple of hours I lose the trail. I'll have to take up the trail in the morning. But it's going to be a cold night so I'm not too worried.
The sun is up and I'm out on the trail with my dog. He starts off well, but soon decides there are too many things to look at and pee on, so he runs around while I shoot compass bearings (it's impossible to find any blood).
As you already guessed. I find my deer, or what's left.
Now I've had a few I've had to leave overnight and once in a while they've had a chunk missing, but I've never seen anything like this around here. You'll have to pardon my commentary ... I was a bit flustered.
(click the pic and it should take you to a short vid)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/dave27615/th_2011deer.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/dave27615/?action=view¤t=2011deer.mp4)
son-of-a-....! :eek: they musta been starving!!!
holy somkes I've lost 2 to coyotes but never nothing like that.
doug77
That's the results of some serious eaters.
If you hunt from the ground, I wouldn't advise taking a nap while doing it...lol
God bless,Mudd
Something devoured her, I've never seen one like that in just an overnight time period. Your pretty sure that was the deer you hit, did you find your arrow on the trail leading to her??
I feel your pain,I had one almost as bad 10 or so years ago. I shot the deer at first light with my bow and went home to eat breakfast and wait an hour or so for my hunting buddy to come out of the woods to help me drag out my deer. There had only been 2 1/2 hours max from the time I shot until we found what was left of it less than 100 yards from where I shot it. That was the worst I had ever seen the coyotes do in such a short time.
Interesting...amazed that a fox or two could clean up a deer to that level overnight! Definitely not coyotes, they'd have the carcass and bones chewed/torn to bits and scattered throughout the area.
WOW
Do you have bears in your area?
Wolfman for sure, that is quick work.
I think BIGFOOT lives in them woods!! BE Careful..
wow. i cant believe coyotes would work that quickly. yikes!!
Oh yes, they do. Happened to me once as well. They cleaned that big buck out overnight, but left enough for the shoulder mount. I was not happy, but these guys have superior senses...
If there is no animal scat present Id check your neighbors freezer.
That's amazing!!
My dad shot a small buck about 7-8 years ago and had 2 coyotes on it and started to eat the hind end 45 mins after he shot it. It is amazing what they can do.
QuoteOriginally posted by Izzy:
If there is no animal scat present Id check your neighbors freezer.
Thats what I was thinking. Looks too clean, both the deer and the surounding area. I have been known to be wrong thou. If it were coyotes all I can say is WOW.
I feel for you. I lost a big bodied 8 pointer last year. When I found him the next morning, everything behind the front shoulders was gone! Just like yours, the area around the deer was clean as a table top. My only consolation was, I did get the antlers. Since I am only 125 mi. west of you, maybe it was the same wolfman? Seriously, we have seen a few coyotes last few years, but it seems to me it would take 5-6 of them to do that.
Gerald
That for sure was coyotes. I am only about 45 to 60 mins from you, and I have the same problem. I have been observing coyotes running in packs of 4 or 5. Last year I lost a deer to them that I left overnight, went back the next morning and the deer looked just like that. I bet it was a pack. I shoot every one that I see. Rumor here is the DNR started releasing them a few years ago to help regulate the deer population.
Usually with Yotes and Foxes there is a lot of hair all strewn about as well. I cannot see that in the photo either.
My son shot a 5 point buck a few years ago so we gutted it and dragged it back to the cabin. Went back 30 mins. later and there was not a trace of a gut pile left, nothing, you would never have known we cleaned out a deer in that spot.
We have plenty of coyotes around here and that is fairly common where I hunt. So many start howling sometimes once it gets dark that I get out of there as quick as I can. They make me nervous. Two years ago I had a deer stripped overnight like that but there were quite a few tracks and knaw marks on the carcass.
I hung up a giant old Tom I shot last turkey season in a tree. His feet were 5 feet up in the air, and the next day his guts had vanished. He was clean as a whistle inside. Breast meat 100% intact. Not a drop of blood anywhere or a scrap of innards to be found.
Any ideas? sorry for the hijack......
Dave,
About 8 years ago my buddy arrowed 3 does up here on the Eastern Shore of Md.He brought one deer out that night that he found and decided to look next morning with myself as a helper tracking the other 2...I found his two arrows and we followed the other two blood trails and what a mess that was cause the deer were all shot out of the same stand that night and the deer crossed paths a few times...We went about 100 yards and I see this deer all tore up and I said Bruce there it is and He said no that is an old one someone else must of shot..He stayed on the blood trail and I walked over to look at it and Dave it looked like a Grizzly bear had an all you can eat buffet on that deer and as I looked around that blood trail lead right back to the one my buddy was following so it was his deer and it was a very fresh kill...He shot it about 5:30 that evening and we found it around 8:30 next day...All we could smell was Fox urine around there...We don't have wolves up here but some have seen a Coyote here and there but very rare...We laugthed and thought Man that Fox must of went and got his family and had an all you could eat buffet and probally sitting in a den with a toothpic saying "Hey dog" that was some good eats we had lastnight... :biglaugh: ...Your photo reminded me of the one he shot..Keefer's <><
I had the yotes go into the chest cavity of a doe I shot last monday afternoon. They ate the heart, the lungs, most of the right side rib cage, and about 1/2 of the right front shoulder. They did all that in under 2 hours! Luckily, I still got most of my deer.
Sorry they ate all yours.
Bisch
That can for sure happen with coyotes. Most are in their family groups yet, mom, dad, and an average of 6-8 pups,(which are adult size now), can finish up a deer in no time.
unbelieveable and all in one night. Now I really don't like them coyotes!!
Wow, that is something. Sorry for your lose.
Makes ya want to start exterminating...I mean hunting coyotes doesn't it?
Coyotes are eminent scavengers. I'm not really surprised at all. I've got quite a few around here. I'm hoping I don't have the same problem if I get one...
WTF...... :mad:
We have lost one to coyotes this year too. They just got the hindquarters out of this one. Brother put a stick in the arrow entry to show me where the hit was when he found the deer.
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d168/imhntn/Entrance.jpg)
Natural way of survival. It is unfortunate you did not recover the deer in time.
I shot a bear once in Maine and left him overnight. J ust got the front part of him.