The deer are dropping their antlers and I have a bunch of them hanging around, so I’ve been taking a cruise thru the south 40 every few days. Being as the last few days have been beautiful, I did Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday nothing out of the ordinary. Yesterday I came across the scene in the picture. I have an iphone, and flip flops. But I did have my trusty german shepherd.
Yes, that is a drag mark from a full growed deer. Anyway, there’s only one thing around here that will do that.
So, like all good rednecks would I followed it. The deer was drug for about 250 yards, through a fence, and 100 yards through sagebrush into the trees. The last few yards into the trees made the hair in my ears and on my back stand on end.
Anyway, there was a trail camera on it last night. Maybe I can take his pitcher.
"Back after 5 years. I thought you had died.
don"
Splitting my time between the montane and the mesas
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
As you know, we've got a few herds of Wild Horses out in our West Desert. In warm months, a herd of 150 horses usually hangs near the Simpson Springs Pony Express Station (there's a spring there). Yet, I've never come across a dead horse or horse bones. Heck, some must die out there. I doubt very much they only die when in Nevada and not Utah.
Hunter
I don't care if it hurts. I want to have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. - Creep by Radiohead
Something fooled with the carcass last night, but it wasn’t ravaged like a lion would do. I assume the lion (looks like a lioness with a kitten from the tracks) has moved on because of the attention, and that the resident coyotes found it. It is a good thing she moved on because it’s calving season here, and the field next door has about 100 babies in it. She will not get any sympathy from the ag people around here.
I left things alone and will check the camera in a couple of days. I expect coyotes, foxes, eagles, and the regular carrion eaters. Might see a neighbors dog.
The deer is fully grown- every bit of 200 lbs, and probably closer to 250. I could not identify sex because the neck was broken and the head was bent back and buried with brush. That lion drug that deer by the neck for nearly a quarter mile! The neck was nearly chewed clear through as a result, and I expect the reason you often find the head of a lion kill separated from the rest.
"Back after 5 years. I thought you had died.
don"
Splitting my time between the montane and the mesas
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Ok, I got done fabricating in the snow yesterday, and went back and checked on things. The carcass had been drug off a little ways, so I pulled the camera.
The lion showed back up 3 times over 5 days. Last was friday night, when it drug the carcass out of the field of view.
"Back after 5 years. I thought you had died.
don"
Splitting my time between the montane and the mesas
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.