Dead Deer...What Killed It?

[bowtarist]

Here's the story...I live in the hills of Eastern Monroe County, Indiana.

The other night my neighbor was sleeping in his hammock when he heard a dull thud, thought it was a limb falling, then he heard the moans of a deer in the throws of death. He made a sound and all went quiet.  In the morning he found a mature doe laying in the creek just 25-30 yards from where he was sleeping.

I took these pics on the third day. I have an idea of what I thnk may have been have done it, but want some others ideas as well. 

Here;s some pics of the neck area. Two big holes one into the skull, the other just below. Big enough to put my pinky fingers into. The underside looked all chewed sort of. Remember, no sound but a thud and the deer. The crow and vultured had pulled some hair and gotton to the hind end a bit, but after three days, the yotes had yet to get on it. Pretty unheard of around here.

Tell me what you think, dp

[turtle]

Chupacabra!! 

[RyanR]

I will be interested to hear what others think. Do you think there are cougar around?

[Patches]

Are there any holes on the underside of the neck? It is consistent with a cat attack, but cats usually bite a little farther down the neck and crush the windpipe. The canine teeth usually do not penetrate the skull.  Cats go for the neck, where dogs and coyotes typically go for the belly and hindquarters. A large bobcat can take a mature doe. Also, mountain lions have been documented moving east out of the Black Hills and northwestern Nebraska. We have had over 40 confirmed sightings of mountain lions here in Missouri in the last 5 years. As far as big cats moving around, someone here in Johnson county (just 50 miles southeast of Kansas City) trapped a lynx this year! Its the first one ever documented in the state. Bottom line: if there are two puncture marks under the neck that are parallel to the holes on top of the head, I would say cat. If there are no holes, I have no guess.   Does Indiana have a fur bearer biologist or someone familiar with kill patterns of carnivores? You may want to contact them and see what they say.  Good luck!

Neal

[nclonghunter]

Could it be Hemorrhagic disease ? They usually go to water because of thirst. NC lost a bunch of deer last year to it.

I did not see much blood in the photo due to carotid arteries being cut or just the neck injury bleeding. A cat could crush the throat or break the neck and I suppose no blood would be noticed. But it happened at night and it was not dragged away or partially buried, nor eaten that night? They do not kill just for pleasure. If someone had immediately gone outside and spooked the cat, then that would make more sense finding the deer like it was.

I am just throwing some thoughts out here, It is an interesting event.

[mcginnis6010]

Im thinking mountain lion.

[Pat B]

Generally a cat would cover what it did not eat. Doesn't sound like a predator took this deer or there would have been more noise and more disturbance. I'm leaning towards NCLonghunter theory of a disease or maybe a previous injury that finally took her life.

[wildman]

Illinois DNR have confirmed cougars as well as a professor from SIU. I'm not saying it is ,but I'm not saying it is not. I live in the Ohio river bottoms across from the Shawnee Nat Forrest, and can hit Big Rivers State forrest with a rock. I have seen one set of very large bobcat tracks. I agree not covered or eaten like bobcat kill,but could have been scared off by your buddy. Very well could also be a cougar.

[wildman]

I would do a crude exam to see if there maybe a pair of bullet holes as well. I agree with Pat be a lot of ruckuss at a deer kill no matter what did it.

[mullet]

A spotlight and .22 sub sonic.

[JW_Halverson]

If it was a cat, skinning the neck would show bruising of the throat.  When a cat chomps down, they do not make the kill with the punctures, they suffocate.  An Xray of the head will also tell you if there are any bullet fragments in the wound channels of the skull. 

[bubby]

A spotlight and .22 sub sonic.





that or an alien probe

[stickbender]

    If it were a cat I think there would be big multiple scratches as well, I thinking yotes, and perhaps, she had a fawn with her, and the yotes left her for the fawn, and she just made it as far as your Buddy's place, and collapsed.  Mountain lions, and panthers like to jump on the back and take a huge chunk out, and will rake with the claws also, and will follow it's prey.  I have pictures of a doe at my place that survived a nasty encounter with a Mountain Lion, and she had a grapefruit sizrd hole, on her spine, about  the shoulder blades, and big nasty scratches down her hind legs, with the hide strips, hanging down.  I fed her cabbages, and carrots, and apples, and she survived, and healed over.  I am thinking it was yotes, barring the puncture marks being bullet holes.


                                                                               Wayne

[bowtarist]

It's neck was pretty floppy when I flipped it over.  It had laid in the creek all night and day maybe washed the blood away. Then drug about a 1/2 mile back into the woods. After three days the yotes had not touched it. That's what I think is the strangest part. I'll have to go back tomorrw. Check it;s tongue and poke around somemore. probably pretty ripe by now though. got hot today. This "attack" if it is look like a it came from the top. anyway, gotta go. dp 

[Marc St Louis]

Vampire?