Whats causing all this chaos on the forest floor? (animal skeletons everywhere)

I have this small 20 acre private spot I occasionally hunt. It is about 50 miles from my house and is a lot closer to the mountains here in Virginia. Last year I found a small 100 yard x 100 yard spot with bones, fur, and feathers everywhere. As I was scouting I smelled a strong musky odor around the area. I was worried about bears. I placed my trail camera in the area for about a month. I picked up some pics of coyotes, one of which was pretty big.

Well today I was out scouting and setting up tree stands when I once again came around the same area and observed bones everywhere. At least four different deer skeletons, possum skulls, bones, fur, and feathers were all over the place. Is it typical of coyotes to have a core feeding area where they drag their prey?

These are the two I caught on cam last year.

 

Yellow eyed bastards will come thru a screen door if your dog is in heat.

 

I read a post on a SC hunting forum about a hunting club, whom after deer season began allowing coyote trapping efforts, etc. Apparently, those folks found a coyote "den" on their leased property full of deer bones, etc. Based on the post I'm referring to and this one, I would say, yes, coyotes have a central area where they feed.

 

Negitive!
my guess is a local trapper is disposing his carcasses there.

 

Kinda odd, I’d say local trappers/hunters as well.


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I'm thinking so as well. Found one buried plastic bag...crap torn out of it. Dang it

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I’d say that’s a tell tale sign. Possibilities of poachers?


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They will definitely do that if they have pups that aren't old enough to hunt yet. lots of times they will bring back stuff like back bones and heads because its easier to carry once everything else if removed. Also a feeding area is somewhere they feel secure.


But they are not large enough to drag a full grown deer a long distance. So if its the whole deer then its probably a dumping area for people.

 

One whole deer. The rest were heads and bones scattered everywhere.

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Humans leaving you a mess.

 

Yup its somebodies dumping ground and the yotes are taking advantage of it.

 

That's a squatch nest, sounds like you have an aggressive family group of squatches. You're lucky they've not gone to eating humans yet or you'd be fecal matter by now.

 

I don't think Coyotes typically carry off large pieces or whole animals after a kill. Cats on the other hand will commonly drag off a kill and hide it so they can come back later. I've seen a coyote carrying a leg it's torn off a carcass, but that's about the extent of if what they could carry I would guess.

 

Maybe someone is trying to train the yotes. You know, so when he needs to get rid of a body....

 

I think the reintroduction was in the southern part of the state. The part I'm hunting would be northwestern part of the state toward the mountains. Front Royal. That one on the right looks big as crap. I've seen a good amount of coyotes where I hunt but never anything with a neck big like that.

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Agreed- that's a massive 'yote. Thick snout, too. Not saying it's a wolf, but it's definitely not not a wolf.

 

Yeah, it's either a wolf or a squatch dog. Maybe the squatch family has a wolfdog breeding business.

 

It could be a wolf. A few years ago a guy shot one up here in MD while goose hunting. He thought it was a coyote, but ended up being a red wolf. It was huge compared to a coyote!

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