Re: Coyotes and dead cows
[Re: Yes sir]
#7732677
12/02/22 01:50 PM
12/02/22 01:50 PM
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Joined: May 2018
Posts: 12,857 SW Georgia
Wanna Be
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 12,857
SW Georgia
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I’m guessing our buzzards are the same as yours too, lol. As I’ve posted before our buzzards will sometimes pass a hog, guess they pass cows too.
Last edited by Wanna Be; 12/02/22 01:51 PM.
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Re: Coyotes and dead cows
[Re: Yes sir]
#7732715
12/02/22 02:42 PM
12/02/22 02:42 PM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,787 Nevadafornia
Lazarus
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,787
Nevadafornia
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Yes Sir:
Couple years ago I was after the coyotes and had access to some dead pits, and then a stretch of highway where it was open range and it seemed there was daily a dead cow hit on the highway.
On the dead pit, there was very little hesitancy of coyotes to eat new additions. However, every once in a while, there was a cow added that no coyote would touch. Really odd. They would eat the cow that was on top of, or under, the untouched cow, but no way were they going to eat "that one" cow. The untouched cows were a mixture of cows that had, and had not been, vaccinated/inoculated/etc. Some were calves, some were old cows. There was just no rhyme or reason to it.
With the cows hit on the highway, I would drag them to my preferred spots and most were hit immediately by the coyotes. I had no basis to determine their status as vaccinated, etc. but assumed that they had not been recently treated since they were range cows. However, I saw nearly the identical results with the range cows as with the dead pit cows. Most were consumed pretty quickly, but every once in a while there was a cow that nobody would touch . . . even the ravens would just pick the eyes out and that was it. I experimented with placements of the carcass and did learn a few things. Coyotes wanted a wide open view of their surroundings to get comfortable. Cows that were in high brush took longer for the coyotes to feel comfortable than those out on the short grass prairie. On the other hand, a cow in plain site, but near escape cover, had a much higher rate of being eaten than one in dense cover. For example, a cow in the corner of a pasture that had high brush around the pasture was pretty enticing to even the most paranoid coyote. Often I could take a cow that was untouched, drag it a mile or two away and have instant success. Other times, it was like that uneaten cow was radioactive -- nobody, nowhere would touch it. Another trick I learned was if you cut into the visceral cavity and opened the cow up AND THEN DRAGGED IT to your spot, there was a high probability that coyotes would eat it. I think some coyotes were just super spooky about eating big baits, and others were not. Opening the viscera advertised to more coyotes and they would follow the cow trail to the bait. Another oddity that I could never figure out was that cows I dragged to the north side of the highway had a higher chance of being rejected than those I dragged on the south side of the highway. I think this may have had something to do with there being more coyotes on the south side (because there was better terrain, some distant hay fields, water, etc.) but it was really a puzzler. And the end of the day, I came away convinced there are a whole bunch of things we probably don't know about their behavior that are very important to how they communicate, etc. Interesting topic.
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Re: Coyotes and dead cows
[Re: Lazarus]
#7732737
12/02/22 03:25 PM
12/02/22 03:25 PM
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Joined: May 2018
Posts: 12,857 SW Georgia
Wanna Be
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 12,857
SW Georgia
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Yes Sir:
Couple years ago I was after the coyotes and had access to some dead pits, and then a stretch of highway where it was open range and it seemed there was daily a dead cow hit on the highway.
On the dead pit, there was very little hesitancy of coyotes to eat new additions. However, every once in a while, there was a cow added that no coyote would touch. Really odd. They would eat the cow that was on top of, or under, the untouched cow, but no way were they going to eat "that one" cow. The untouched cows were a mixture of cows that had, and had not been, vaccinated/inoculated/etc. Some were calves, some were old cows. There was just no rhyme or reason to it.
With the cows hit on the highway, I would drag them to my preferred spots and most were hit immediately by the coyotes. I had no basis to determine their status as vaccinated, etc. but assumed that they had not been recently treated since they were range cows. However, I saw nearly the identical results with the range cows as with the dead pit cows. Most were consumed pretty quickly, but every once in a while there was a cow that nobody would touch . . . even the ravens would just pick the eyes out and that was it. I experimented with placements of the carcass and did learn a few things. Coyotes wanted a wide open view of their surroundings to get comfortable. Cows that were in high brush took longer for the coyotes to feel comfortable than those out on the short grass prairie. On the other hand, a cow in plain site, but near escape cover, had a much higher rate of being eaten than one in dense cover. For example, a cow in the corner of a pasture that had high brush around the pasture was pretty enticing to even the most paranoid coyote. Often I could take a cow that was untouched, drag it a mile or two away and have instant success. Other times, it was like that uneaten cow was radioactive -- nobody, nowhere would touch it. Another trick I learned was if you cut into the visceral cavity and opened the cow up AND THEN DRAGGED IT to your spot, there was a high probability that coyotes would eat it. I think some coyotes were just super spooky about eating big baits, and others were not. Opening the viscera advertised to more coyotes and they would follow the cow trail to the bait. Another oddity that I could never figure out was that cows I dragged to the north side of the highway had a higher chance of being rejected than those I dragged on the south side of the highway. I think this may have had something to do with there being more coyotes on the south side (because there was better terrain, some distant hay fields, water, etc.) but it was really a puzzler. And the end of the day, I came away convinced there are a whole bunch of things we probably don't know about their behavior that are very important to how they communicate, etc. Interesting topic. That is very interesting. The next hog I kill I’ll drag to an open field, near cover, and see what the results are. Still doesn’t explain the fact that the buzzards won’t touch it.
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Re: Coyotes and dead cows
[Re: Yes sir]
#7732761
12/02/22 03:47 PM
12/02/22 03:47 PM
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 11,448 Marion Kansas
Yes sir
OP
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 11,448
Marion Kansas
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Lazarus that's some interesting information and thoughts. I'm glad I'm not the only one who contemplates these things. I'm glad you brought up communication because just knowing how many coyotes we have I wouldn't be surprised if 15+ coyotes have come across the untouched cow and not a taker. I could understand the really cautious/ spooky coyotes finding something to turn them off but everyone? Makes me wonder if they have a way to communicate to stay away from this one. Say if it was my human scent that scared them off, after so many days that's going to be gone, but if a really cautious coyote came by a few hours after I put that cow there could it communicate that this cow is danger and they just keep marking it ...??? We lost 3 cows in that pasture in a short time so I believe it was likely they died from the same sickness so that kind rules that out. I'll guarantee they will still be chewing on the one cow in 4 months and likely they may never touch the other.
Dstone I see this behavior somewhat regularly over my lifetime so I'm thinking it wasn't some unique odor on the chain but who knows...
Last edited by Yes sir; 12/02/22 03:49 PM.
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Re: Coyotes and dead cows
[Re: Yes sir]
#7733222
12/03/22 01:20 AM
12/03/22 01:20 AM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 6,004 alabama
steeltraps
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 6,004
alabama
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Wannabe I was told the high fat continent in hogs is hard for most wild animals to digest and around here a coyote has to be pretty hungry to eat a pig, which doesn't happen very often. Maybe that's what u are seeing down there...??? Hungry coyotes and /or high density of coyotes!
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