This time of year we clean out the freezers of all glands, meats and other job related items and process them as needed. Occassionally we come across some interesting finds that I share with you.

The photos attached are of pieces of material recovered from a coyotes stomach. I save the stomachs from the seasons catch of predators and freeze them all until this time of year. Today was that day of freezer clean outs and processing what needs to be done. I did all the glands and meats first. Then I began on the thawed stomachs.

All seemed fairly normal after examining the contents of several coyote stomachs. Mostly deer meat, rodents and turkey feathers. Then came the discovery of some odd shaped and textured materials in this one particular coyote stomach.

At first I had no idea what these pieces were until I better examined a few pieces more closely and it made me curious. The pieces were all stuck and blended in with hair and other partially digested material.

I saved all the pieces that I could find and set them aside. I washed all the pieces of the discovered materials and let them dry a bit. I laid them out individually and started to piece them all together like a puzzle.

Once I did that I knew what they all collectively proved to be. Just a few clues and I had it figured out.

What do you folks think this is and what is the story behind it?

Dog collar ?

Mr Coyote found the lost dog

Leather belt or leash?

THIS^^^

Leather collar it appears. I would guess from a medium beagle size dog 25 - 40 lbs. Not many folks buy leather collars anymore. Most are nylon or synthetic material.

Not sure what happened to the brass or metal buckle parts etc. Must have been passed thru the intestine and in the feces.

Gotta go with a leather collar also

Yes, I agree it is some form of leather tightening device?

A far more interesting question to me, is why are the coyote stomachs being saved? I know, Top Secret!!!! lol.

Or maybe a piece of horse tack.
That pup may have fallen on hard times.
The Donner party would have LOVED to have had one of them to split amongst them.

horse tack

I don't see any evidence of the piece or pieces with metal that would have held a collar in place be that dog, cat or some other animal. To me it is more likely to be a part of a harness.

Bryce

That starving coyote ate that leather strap right before he sipped fifthly water out of a hoof print and was danged glad to have either.

Snake

I am thinking now it could be a piece of tack harness or a bridle etc.? It did appear to have a somewhat tapered end in those pieces. Which some tack items can have. Possibly a collar from a goat or lamb now that I am thinking about it.

The leather width and stitching seems very similiar to the older dog collars I have had and seen over the years.

I have made a couple of bridles in my younger days when I had horses for many years on our farm. However the leather was much wider on those that I worked with. In fact I still have 2 in the basement that I made. I just went down to look a them. It isn't from a bridle.

Typically a dog collar does not have a tapered end where it threads thru the buckle to fasten it at the desired setting. Someone could have trimmed the end to fit more easily but it seems to be somewhat a mystery now.

The leather may have had alot of odor penetrated into it from years of wear from the animal that wore it. Leather certainly picks up and absorbs odor. I am sure most of us have smelled an older dog collar made from leather or nylon. It has lots of odor.

So it would give a coyote much interest at least for a torture / chew toy. Some, if hungry enough may try to eat it as may have happened.

Fan belt? With the spaced holes Id say a chunk of snowmobile track maybe stud holes?

It is definitely leather and some sort of stitched collar or harness. What wore it now seems to be a mystery.

Jerry we don't have or use snowmobiles in the area this animal came from. Don't get enough snow here to warrant having one. I know some folks use them up in the North Central counties of our state.

Are fan belts made of stitched leather on snowmobiles I would think they are a composite material like on a truck or car.