[Anthony]

I hate to see it but my deer population is larger than ever.



Your thoughts?

[reaperman]

From a sportsman's view, I dont like to see a fawn fall prey to a coyote either. As much as I know it happens, it seems to hit home more seeing it in a photo or video. From a trail camera perspective, Anthony's video is a great catch!

[Anthony]

This coyote also has no eye shine in his left eye. another old one-eye.

Is that a whole fawn or back half ?

[reaperman]

This coyote also has no eye shine in his left eye. another old one-eye.
Is that a whole fawn or back half ?

I'd guess its whole and its bringing it back for the pups.

[Woody S]

I'll say it again -- Just because the coyote was carrying a fawn doesn't mean it killed the fawn. Remember, everybody who eats carrots dies -- that doesn't mean carrots are poisonous. You might want to take a look at these posts on fawn mortality from Penn State's Deer-Forest Study -- https://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/pro ... 019/i-wish
https://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/pro ... e-cute-but

[Anthony]

Also, something I noticed... if it was a fresh kill the back legs would be limber. Instead they are straight and stiff with rigor mortis indicating an earlier death perhaps.

Your thoughts ?

(been watching too many crime scene investigative reporting shows)

[Woody S]

I'd not noticed the rigidity of the legs earlier, but it looks like you're right about the rigor mortis . Depending on the temperature rigor mortis in an animal the size of a new fawn would probably set in from 1/2 hour to four hours after death and last for up to 48 hours. So, the fawn had probably been dead for a while before the coyote got hold of the remains.

[reaperman]

I think the opposite. If you watch closely at the 2 second mark, the rear legs appear to extend fully. And the sideways angle of the fawn being carried prevents movement. If the legs were bent and didn’t move I would say it was already dead. Being a fresh kill the legs are limber and extended. Highly unlikely the fawn died with fully extended legs. Good debate

[reaperman]

My above post was from my cell phone watching the video. Now from my PC on a much larger screen, I can plainly see before the video even starts, the fawns legs are bent and proceed to extend from there.

[Woody S]

Here's a series of camera trap photos of a dead fawn that was found in our yard in full rigor mortis -- note in the first photo that two legs were fully extended. https://forestandfield.blogspot.com/201 ... -fawn.html

The old doe fed on the fawn's carcass as did the gray fox although neither of them killed the fawn.

[dbaxter]

From a trail camera perspective, Anthony's video is a great catch!

Agree!