Deer carcass - curious about what killed it.

[Curmudgeon]

Several days back we found a dead 2019 fawn right above the sheep pasture. The hind quarters were consumed. It was a really small deer. I assumed coyotes had killed it.  The snow was crusty. I could not see tracks. Given the amount of meat left - all the front and the entrails, I expected the predator to return. We checked 4 days of photos today and no coyote showed even briefly. A grey fox spent a lot of time feeding, as did 2 bobcats. They alternated feeding in a very short time. As you can see, there is a remarkable difference in size. One is a very large cat.

What do you think? Bobcat killed?

 

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Curmudgeon

[NYBowhunter]

The shoulders and neck on that cat look awe fully thick to be a bobcat or is the pic deceiving my eyes.

[BizCT]

Looks like same cat to me. 25-30lbs


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[NFA-ADK]

Why not a bobcat?  Fawns are small enough for them to get that's for sure.  Size difference is more than likely a female vs male.  

Had you just posted the second pic we would be arguing about it being a mountain lion! 

 

Biz might be right, the legs seem the same size, might just be the angle making it look larger...

Edited March 4, 2020 by NFA-ADK

[turkeyfeathers]

If it’s back end was initially eaten I’d say coyote kill   First place they munch on. Don’t think a bobcat would take on a fawn normally. Guessing it may have been a wandering coyote looking to breed is why it hasn’t returned to feed 

[Robhuntandfish]

being the deer is so small and its the end of winter it might have just died.  Wasnt strong enough to make it thru.  And then became a meal for anything that found it. 

[grampy]

3 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

being the deer is so small and its the end of winter it might have just died.  Wasnt strong enough to make it thru.  And then became a meal for anything that found it. 

You beat me to it!  That is my guess as well.

[BizCT]

13 minutes ago, NFA-ADK said:

Why not a bobcat?  Fawns are small enough for them to get that's for sure.  Size difference is more than likely a female vs male.  

Had you just posted the second pic we would be arguing about it being a mountain lion! 

 

Biz might be right, the legs seem the same size, might just be the angle making it look larger...

yea, 30 min. apart. it was eating.

[Curmudgeon]

Bobcats fed over 2 hours. Those times mean little. One left, the smaller approached from a different direction. I chose photos of the cats in the same spot. Besides an obvious size difference in multiple photos, one has a weird ear. Different cats.

[G-Man]

Possible cat ,possible winter kill crack open leg bone if red jelly winter kill , creamy whitish paste was healthy deer kill. Def not coyote they usually hit guts 1st. Fisher and bobcat start at anal opening.. and usually can see neck wound if cat dragged it down where they collapse esophagus 

Edited March 4, 2020 by G-Man

[BizCT]

13 minutes ago, Curmudgeon said:

Bobcats fed over 2 hours. Those times mean little. One left, the smaller approached from a different direction. I chose photos of the cats in the same spot. Besides an obvious size difference in multiple photos, one has a weird ear. Different cats.

thanks for the insight. that makes sense. i thought those were your only 2 pics. Nice cats, but neither is over 35lbs. so clearly both bobcats and nothing more.

[Deleted Account]

It looks to me like that deer has been dead for a while or is just ripped apart. 

Originally I thought "man, that 2nd photo looks like a mountain lion" but I adjusted the photos a little bit and you can plainly see the black tipped and pointed ears. Obviously just caught it's "fat" side

[Fletch]

43 minutes ago, G-Man said:

Possible cat ,possible winter kill crack open leg bone if red jelly winter kill , creamy whitish paste was healthy deer kill. Def not coyote they usually hit guts 1st. Fisher and bobcat start at anal opening.. and usually can see neck wound if cat dragged it down where they collapse esophagus 

I've unfortunately seen quite a few deer munched on by yotes and almost exclusively they have started eating the ass end first.

[Daveboone]

It is awful tough to tell after its been fed on. I have had a number of carcasses go days and over a week before coyote found them and started to work on em, so if it was an injured/ car injury etc. that the coyotes got, it doesn't necessarily mean they found it quickly.  I would think if the coyotes killed it they would from the neck or disemboweling...the tender weak spots, not just by starting to feed on the back quarters. I have no answers, but it would have been interesting to take a closer look at the circumstances..the story in the snow, etc.  n

[suburbanfarmer]

 

[phade]

bobcats can and do kill deer. There was a recent trail cam video that caught one such example on a full-size doe. The cat jumped on and rode it like a bucking bronco until it was able to get around to the neck and face and the deer collapsed. Bobcat then killed it. Pretty intense cam capture. But if no coyote present...bobcat seems culprit.