I read in an article years ago about a phenomenon that occurs particularly among wolves and coyotes…when prey is abundant, they just kill more and more. Without need. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I thought there was a scientific thought behind it

Fun

Surplus killing ,?

I've always called it spree killing. Domestic dogs will do it as well.

Surplus killing

Thank you guys. Wanted to share with my co workers

It's called "thrill killing" from what I've heard.

I can’t be surprised . People do it too. Surely not real men!
We cut our ties with an old friend who used to hunt with us. He just blasts away without a thought. No shot placement or respect . Fills as many tags as he can and doesn’t use the meat. Mostly legal but not my kinda friend

Yep, surplus killing.
2 years ago, we had a super tough winter. Deep ,crusted snow. Couple 100 deer were wintering/ feeding in a sugarbeet field.
Coyotes could and did catch deer easily. They'd kill, eat their fill and next day do it again. Lots of 1/2 eaten dead deer.

Why go and finish chewing on a rock solid frozen deer carcass when a warm one could easily be caught.

Can't say I've ever seen ( pleasure) killing though.

I have with domestic dogs. (Chickens)

Wow. Interesting!

“Practice”

Random opportunity killing. This will often occur when prey levels are high, but especially when the young of the year prey are still too dumb to recognize danger.

Wolves are evil and kill anything for fun.

I think cats kill for fun. I think K9’s get caught up in the blood lust.

critters are geared up for killing if its close and moving Game On Coon pull stalk after stalk down while nibbling a little off each cob deer walk thru a field taking a bite out of everything
Imagine that raccoon going to a diner and seeing an entree and all you can eat buffet for the same price whats he gonna choose

I'll go with thrill killing. Especially coyotes and sheep. Once they get the taste of blood they can't stop.

Couple years back someone posted a picture of a bunch of elk or deer the wolves had killed in Yellowstone. https://www.outsideonline.com/outdo...wolf-surplus-killing-survival-not-sport/

Thank you. Sharing this

I live with wolves. Not seen that.

Most of us outgrew that by about 16. I could care less about killing anything anymore. I like hunting but I am just about over the killing.

Killing is the worst part of hunting and trapping. Just a necessary evil!
It isn’t fun.

Truth
Best Book I've ever read that Talks about this:


Really Great Read

.. “ if you don’t like killing.. why do it?”

“..because I have a gift”

Hen house syndrome/ effect is another term I've heard when it comes to these things. The effect of having a predatory animal in a small area around a lot of panicking prey species. Sends them into some kinda psychosis where they need to kill everything

What do you feel right after killing?




Recoil.

Wanton waste

IMO, coyotes will definitely kill for fun.

Sounds like it's more common up north. Was it Frank's book above that mentions them slashing caribou open and leaving them? Kind of in a frenzy. But the Indians did it too. Leave em all froze up in the river. They usually rotted but there if they needed them over winter. One tribe gets wiped out by starvation and they learn quick to make sure the y got food next time.
Very early post. Sitting here waiting for the lightning to end to replace 2 transformers....$$$

The chicken people refer to it as "prey drive'. When it comes to mass killing of chickens and not eating them, worst offenders are neighbor's dogs, weasels and mink. When feeding young, an old mamma coon and kits will kill a bunch too, but will at least eat part of them. Everybody likes chicken.

I do not live with wolves but know a few people that do. Some say wolves do this for fun, others have told me they believe it’s practice driven by instinct. I agree with the instinct.

It gets confusing for the public when we say animals don’t experience emotion or other human feelings, but then assign things like “fun” and “evil” “lust” to wolves when describing behavior. To me, no critter possesses these things. It’s simply instinct.

One would be a bit nutz to think they don’t have feelings. Happy, sad, angry…just like people. Black bears are generally docile animals but you’ll find the odd jerk out there…lol

Years ago, in northern MN a guy raised sheep near where I used to hunt deer. One night wolves killed or crippled 17 of his sheep. There's no way they can eat that many. They just enjoy killing.

X2

It's a predator get prey instinct thing, especially if in a group. Kinda like a gang mentality thing even when they know they're not going to eat it all

Knew a couple of German Shepard's that went thru a small sounder of domestic Pigs once. Pretty gruesome!

Ghost and the Darkness.

I think I just found one of them "bit nutz" your talking about.lol

Saying any critter has feelings just like people is nutz IMO.

Hummm. Some people on this site don’t trap, hunt or, maybe even ever leave the city. However I’m going to guess even they’ve had a dog before. I’ve seen angry dogs, happy ones and sad ones. The live wolves I’ve seen were at a distance and on the move, but I’ve seen some ticked off and happy coyotes having fun before. Spend some time with these predators, and they’ll educate you…..lol.
Guessing you’re one of the few that are stuck on the 30th floor of an apartment block?

Predators are “ opportunists” , they kill what they can, when they can, their downfall is they will usual return to the kill site. About the only exceptions I can think of to that would be a predator following a migrating herd , or a predator scared off a kill by a human or larger predator.

Nah, not me. I missed a wolf with my bow at 4 yards once, hit the only twig in the way. Had a pack circle and howl at our camp all night once when my buddy snared an alpha female. He clamed they could smell her and were trying to get her to join back up with them.

I live on the river here in Nebraska and have a cabin in NW Ontario. Had hunting dogs all my life and countless other critters, mice to mules. I've seen the behavior your talking about. While I will say domestic animals act different than wild, I still believe it is all instinctual. When a wolf sees lots of prey, his adrenalin kicks in instinctually and he cant help but kill, he's not doing it for fun like humans do. Some say this is all part of the plan and makes the pack better at hunting (practice). I've also seen the kind of bears your talking about. I threw a hand full of gravel at a bears but once, he was licking grease out of a cooker some sports left on their porch. I was expecting him to run like a deer, as they usually do. This bear just turned and looked at me, uh oh....... Just because all animals don't act the same does not mean they are thinking like humans.

Maybe you watched a little too much Disney growing up? Unusual, to say the least, for a trapper to think wild animals have the same emotions as humans.

They may look like machines but they’re alive. Remember, poodle, German Shepard, coyote, wolf…..they’re all canis. So my lab Morty here can have emotions but not a wolf? Instinct uses primal sensations like dread, joy, misery, relish, dismay, delight…..so I think you’re agreeing with me..lol.
The same as humans? No. I don’t think it’s Wally Disney, I think it’s about watching animals behaviour.
You may think it’s strange that a trapper or hunter may believe an animal has some sort of emotions, but I think you just have to get out in the bush. There’s lots of people with cabins in Ontario and live in a beautiful state along a river, but that doesn’t mean squat.
I think your on about killing spree thing though. Once they go on a tear they just keep going, in a target rich environment.

You’re the one who said “just like people”, not me.

120 year old farm house, not quite an estate.lol. I’d venture to say I’ve spent more time in the bush than the average Tobin. lol

… I caught a grumpy sarcastic coyote once

Now that one is just like a person! Lol

I have witnessed it with domestic dogs. Luckily it wasn't my livestock that was killed. My then girlfriend now Wife called me while I was at work. Said there's a dog chasing my horse around. I said the horse will kill the dog if it keeps at it, call me if you see the dog hanging off the horse.

I get home from work a few hours later and soon as I open the door of my truck I can hear those dogs,and I know what's going on. I grab the 30-30. As I'm headed down the hill my wife says " don't go down there". My reply " nobody catches them in the act, I'm going down there "
There were goats laying everywhere. 15 at least and maybe 6-7 still alive. To my left was a pregnant goat that was about to give birth, that's why it was in a small pen. It was still alive but had no skin on its head.
I looked up at the house and there was a car there. I figured I'd give a holler before I started shooting. So I yelled with my hands cupped to my mouth and my Winchester between my legs, " Is anyone home"

one of those dogs turned and charged me soon is I yelled. That was the easiest decision I've ever made. I felt real bad for the owners, they didn't get home til many hours later. I didn't know them, but I left my brass sticking out of the broadside shot

There's nothing fun about killing an animal. I can remember my first deer hunt with my dad. I was about 8 or so. My sister was with us. My dad smacked a buck and he let us " find" it. My sis spotted it first. When I came up to it and put my hand on its belly, I said " I almost wish you didn't kill this deer."

^I don't have the words.

You got me there, I had to go back and look...LOL
"Happy, sad, angry…just like people"

You’re weird.