Neighbor lost a cow to what the vet said was cancer back at Thanksgiving. I have been checking on the carcass every couple days coyotes have been howling in that area almost nightly but nothing has attempted to scavenge on it after a month. Do you think the cancer is what is keeping them away?

Thoughts?

Fairly common sight to see. Hardly ever see even possums eat on dead lives rock unless it's a calf killed by a predator around here.


There's a theory out there that it's medicated animals that scavengers won't touch. I don't know how true it is but it's the best explanation I've seen outside of coyotes around here have enough food that they don't have to scavenge.

Or thermal guys have spooked coyotes off coming into free meals

Since they have dogs that are trained to sniff out cancer I am going to say that a coyote could certainly detect it in another critter

Can't say as that is the reason they don't touch one but very possible

No idea either way for cancer or not. Noticed the same where I lived in Nevada for the cows that got hit by vehicles on the highway. (Was open range). Happened maybe a dozen or so a year nothing touched them. Then on the other side of the county was wild horses, yotes didn't touch them either.. always thought it was weird and a reason I stayed away from butcher scraps for baitbase.

I have figured out NO rime or reason for it! Some cows get ate some do not. Have caught 11 coyotes at 1 dead cow over a period of day. Have also seen = cow turn in to a puddle of liquid and never be touched by a coyote

same happens around here. once it gets bitter cold they seem to disappear quick

I can see where =‘Hunger and Competition would make them eat a cow that has set for a long time. Human scent had been suggested for a reason on moved cows ? But I don’t know IF I buy that?? Caught 11 on a dead cow in Central Texas I moved with chain about 500 yards. BUT ALSO had cows I moved and only caught 1 ? It’s strange And I don’t know why

Neighbor had a cow go down a few months ago now. Coyotes feed on it for one night only eating about 8-10lbs, then nothing since. I never set any traps in the area and figured it would be a great attractant when we get snow. What little snow we had showed no signs of anything other than birds working it over. Ideally this should have been a great set up for coyotes but they must think otherwise.

20scout. Had the same thing happpen to me few weeks back. Dead dead. Hung on fence. Coyotes ate maybe 10-15 lbs off neck and down ribs. Fresh poop. Set 4 flats sets. Very quick. In and out fast because of easy settting sand. Brushed out tracks. Used tarp. Hole 9 yards. Still no coyotes have returned. They are truly. A worthy advancer

really makes you wander sometimes. i've seen same thing with cows and deer. seen heavily medicated cow/calfs completely gone in a few days and still born calves just rot untouched. and vise versa. i've took road killed deer out and coyotes will have them gone overnight in some places and then took others out and they just lay there and rot only buzzards eat them in other places.

coyotes will generally try and drag deer and calves etc. into the weeds somewhere hidden where they feel safer eating on them. i think thats some of the reason they don't get touched in some places.

i got permission once on 2 dairy farms about 2 miles apart. the one dairy farm they took the dead cows out back and put them in a little ravine area and left them uncovered in the open. the other dairy the farmer always buried them, not very deep but maybe a foot and a half to two feet underground. the coyotes would dig down every night and eat on the buried cow while on the other farm the unburied cows went untouched.

I've seen that too.

I cannot make heads or tails of it. This corner of the pasture I have caught 3 coyotes in the first week I trapped it this season. The cow was drug out of the field and placed over the fence in the brush. The area has went dead as soon as the cow was placed there. I put cameras up 3 weeks ago on the cow and zero pics. I moved the camera this week to get a broader view into the field and still zero coyotes. It is like they are completely avoiding the area now.

When I trapped In Canada one of my friends neighbor had a cow die. We went and got It with the One Ton. We dumped It back In the bush. My friend said we had to chop It up In chunks or nothing would work It. So with chain saw and a axe we brook it down Into fair sized chunks. Caught a wolf and 8 red fox off that carcass.

I can't explain why some carcasses go untouched and others get worked the next night.
I found a dead deer during gun season It was Out In wide open and no place to hang any CRs.The coyotes were already working It. So I hooked it up to the ATV and dragged It about a 100 yards In to some high grass. It was never touched again. I caught some coyotes In the surrounding area but they never ate on that deer.

You take away their security zone or line of sight approach to big baits and many won't go for it.

It seems to me that when I leave a carcass 40 yards or so from any brush. I get a fast response with coyotes working that carcass. I just have to trap them where their coming going.

I have better luck with big bait in brush areas, not so much in the open. Never had luck using cattle as bait. But this could be just the area. Do more road kill picking up for bait, trying to keep it more natural.

It has not been very cold - maybe it has been the same weather where you are. I would say cancer of not - if it were a bad winter they would be on it. They might not get much chance to eat beef ? Maybe they like deer?

one of my brothers hauls livestock for a living. He has had a bait pile going for about 20yr. The animals that were medicated just lay there and decay.

This just happened to me last week. I killed a big make coyote with a large belly. I was curious what he was eating so I zipped his belly open. He was full of black hair. I told the rancher about it and he swore it was from a dead pile. He said he’d had a calf killed 2 weeks ago but thought it was a lion. He said he had 2 calves go down to pneumonia and that they were on the pile. I asked if they were medicated. He said yes. I told him there was a good chance they were untouched. We drive over there and they laid just as he had set them there. It’s a strange thing. If you get a cow out and slice it up a little. Maybe cut a hind quarter up with an axe, they’ll come in more readily. The birds will help them get there as well.

I dispatched an old goat that was dying of colic. I took it up the hill I drive past every morning. Nothing touched it, not even the birds.

I trapped on this sheep farm. And they always had some dead stock. The coyotes would actually walk right over the dead sheep but never ate on them. But by placing my CRs 30 or 40 yards away from the carcasses I caught some coyotes. But the carcasses went un touched. I don't know If they were medicated or not never asked.

I pulled the traps I had in the area and moved them a 1/4 mile. Absolutely no pics of coyotes since the cow was dumped.

Will see if the move pays off.

I think greed can be a factor. If one hits the others follow.
I've done better on approaches, at times 1/2 mile or more.
(thanks adc guys)
Even if not hitting them they check them.

Ask you neighbor to bury it or partially bury it or cover with old compost, silage, rotten hay and see what happens.....

I have witnessed this for decades, but for some reason, if that same cow loaded with medicine or whatever is buried, the coyotes seem to work them better.......

Zagman

With a warm open winter the canines and even others don't need to feed on carcasses yet. They can wait until things get more like hard winters or even to be used during pup raising. Lot easier for the yotes to feed pups with half rotten meat as it is much easier and quicker to digest. I don't think it has a lot to do with disease in the carcass. I can see medications causing different odors or taste and that may delay the usage until the carcass "matures".

Bryce

My uncle used to have a ranch in Mayerthorpe. He shot 27 coyotes and 2 wolves off a dead horse in a weekend. Maybe they prefer horse. LOL
Ive shot sick moose before that I had to leave and nothing touched them either. not even wolverine.

yes