4 weeks ago I put out 6 calves. Nothing has touched them. Not even the ravens. Only animal to investigate it has been a fisher. Coyotes have come within 40-50 yards of it but avoid it. This is in an area where there are no farms so I’m curious if there avoiding cause it’s something they’ve never seen or could it be because the calves had antibiotics in them ?? It’s weird that the ravens haven’t touch them. What’s everyone’s thoughts

They might have a odor that is keeping critters away maybe?

If they were shot with drugs, wildlife will avoid them. They are smarter than people.

I threw out hog heads/hides/hooves and other waste for a bait pile and the Coyotes totally ignored it. These pigs were not shot up with drugs so that is not why.

Never knew hogs to get much attention but my skunk loves pork and won’t touch anything beef. Have had beef K-9s would not touch then other cattle they gobbled up quickly.

I've had that happen with bait piles and livestock

Unknown?

We piled up 11 hogs and the only thing that’ll touch them is buzzards. I’ve watched shows on TV where they just pick coyotes off coming into the hog carcasses. Doesn’t work down here.

I've had that happen with bait piles and livestock and in each instance the livestock had been medicated shortly before it died. Other live stock, that was not medicated shortly before it died, was not a problem.

That huge amount of carrion odor may provoke predators to have a cautionary rather than glutenous reaction as it is not normal in their experience.

Bait works best when animals are hungry,their populations are high, and normal food sources are more scarce.
Under these conditions,a large bait pile will concentrate animals in a smaller area,and keep them there until caught,as long as the bait is replenished.

We buried my neighbors horse, dang yotes still dig up bones 3 years later, pretty sure that horse was full of meds.

Yeah, that too.

I found out here the natural bait works the best for bait piles for coyotes deer carcasses. After the deer seasons I save all the fat trimming and whats left of the bones. I even have saved all the gut piles and road kills if I have room. I even have saved my beaver meat and find that coyotes still prefer deer.

Just for the record I haul good amount of deads each year and a good amount of them I've treated with antibiotics myself and keep watch on them to see what happens. I've seen treat and untreated go untouched and I've seen treated and untreated get eaten, I've even seen treated carcasses eaten when untreated carcasses setting 20 feet away not getting touched. Guys hammer coyotes at dead piles at feedlots and I'll guarantee most all of those deads have been treated, most 3 or 4 times before they die. The antibiotic thing doesn't hold much water with me from what I've seen (and I've seen more than most). I think sometimes if coyotes aren't too hungry that if there's something they dont like about the situation for whatever reason the just avoid the carcass from there on out.

We put 2 hogs and some baby pigs on a pile couple months ago and they didn't get touched. I added several coon and beaver carcasses and the coyotes went crazy over the beaver and I think the oppossums worked on the coon as well as some hawks and crows. Pigs never got touched until this week . One of the pigs is 3/4 gone, coyotes have been dragging it around. Eagles and hawks are eating on it and one big pig and a couple babies have not been touched yet. I might try and shoot a coyote tonight over the pile. I bet when this pig is gone they start on the others. I will let you know.

Interesting stuff

So the coyotes have been working the bait pile pigs pretty heavy and yesterday the wife was walking the dog about 7 AM and I coyote was dragging and chewing on a hog 150 yards away and didn't care she was out. I pulled the pig back to the pile and set out there in the barn with night vision for 3 hours last night and saw a couple but they were not working the bait and I didn't get a shot.

Went out at 5 this morning again with night vision and nothing. Came in and was drinking coffee and the wife says there are 2 coyotes in the yard heading for the bait. They came by the house and I headed for the gun safe. One went back and started on a piece of pig and the other was walking around. Slipped out the back door with a .224 Valkyrie loaded with 88 grain Hornady's and smoked the one that was walking around. I will add a pic when I go out and get him.

Coyotes are good hunters. Pretty rare when they go hungry. They will eat anything edible. I will add to what Boco said with weather. When snow comes in and stays on the ground they can not afford to be picky. Caloric demand is high . In climates like we have here in KS that doesn't happen every winter. Sure we get cold and snow but its not an all winter thing. Its why coyote populations are high. Plenty of corn, rodents and deer. Living is easy most of the time and our population reflects that. Get some bad weather where snow cover and low temperature lasts awhile, feed lot dead piles are really magnets. That high population forces them to be competitive. The last time we saw that it was caused by drought not snow and cold temps. Some coyotes are always sniffing around dead piles and they always produce. When the weather is marginal they really produce.

Somebody mentioned a dead horse. I have never seen a dead horse get ignored

Well, maybe I better not post a pic, bullet not very fur friendly.

Fresh dead it seems everything comes running. Turn the snow bright red gutting a freshly killed moose and the birds are circling in 5 minutes. Put a moose that's been laying around dead for a week out and there could be minimal interest. Fresh red blood sure seems to be a trigger. Stale black blood-not so much. But as others mentioned, it all depends. Either way if you can get the big birds (here ravens and eagles) working it seems the predators will move right in.