Cause of Death

[bowhuntaz1]

Animals that died waiting in line for Obama Care........

 

Back in 04 I believe, I was with my dad on an elk hunt in 5B-S. We walked past a large pile of elk bones. As we were about 20 yards past the pile, I stopped. Something just was not right. I went back and looked closser. I saw an arrow head in the vertebrate It just penetrated enough to just poke the spinal cord. I picked it up and showed my dad. I was a Game and Fish Hunters Education Teacher at the time. I used it in class with Erensto C. when we taught the class during proper shot placement. As far as I know, its still being used down in Yuma. Was a cool find....

[Tines]

I think a lot of the carcasses found are from wounding loss from during hunting seasons. Some are from lions, some natural dead from an accident or perhaps disease. Most deer/elk don't die of old age, but from hunting and predators. As has been said, if you find the carcass buried in leaves or piled with sticks/dirt, then it is likely lion. If you do some searching online you can find pics of lion kills to get a feel for how to tell the difference.

What she said....

[Snapshot]

Might have to call in CSI

[Lucky Draw]

Came across this guy in the bottom of a pretty deep canyon during the HAM hunt this year. I had pretty much the same thought process..."Its gotta be a lion kill...wait, why does everything have to be a lion kill?" It had been picked apart pretty good by Mother Nature's Protein Removal Team, but I really wanted the smashed nose to be a sign of mountain lion.

 

Any guesses?

 

 

[Non-Typical Solutions]

IMG_1022.JPGIMG_1153.JPGCame across this guy in the bottom of a pretty deep canyon during the HAM hunt this year. I had pretty much the same thought process..."Its gotta be a lion kill...wait, why does everything have to be a lion kill?" It had been picked apart pretty good by Mother Nature's Protein Removal Team, but I really wanted the smashed nose to be a sign of mountain lion.

 

Any guesses?

Cool pictures there luckydraw......I think most of my problem is the skulls etc that we find are old old......we did find a pile of turkey feathers up uder a tree.

I proceeded to try and explain to my wife that there was a real lion kill.......of course she wanted to know how I was so sure.

I then explained the cat tendency to pull their prey up under a tree and cover it up ofr next time around.

Thanks for sharing your pictures.

[cosninocanines]

I saw a javalina dead on the side of 188 could be!

[elpepe25]

This was so funny, nice job!!!!! seriously unless you find tracks, teeth marks that can be measured, or other signs you cant really say what happened for sure. The area you find it has some merit. I know I have read articles in Bugle about the wolf issues and they say they confirm wolf depredation but how they do that I am not sure. Had to have been obvious signs of the killer being wolf.

Coupla years ago I called the coon and carp and spoke with the "predation expert' biologist. He stated that on old skulls without tell tale teeth marks, that are measurable it'd be hard to determine cause of death. I asked about the crushed/missing noses as well and he stated that those are by far the most fragile bones in the skull with the most surface area for the elements to break down (makes sense) so that is why a lot of skulls are missing those parts. He also went on to say that the favored method of lions it to go after the base of the skull and neck junction...so maybe you could find evidence on the first vertibrae of teeth marks.

[rabidApache]

Its like tracking. Most folks I guide/hunt with when they come across deer tracks they instantly assume a big deer track is made by a buck. Zero. Its not the track itself or the size but its the behavior of the track. Usually after following it for a few hundred yards is when I determine if its made by a buck. It takes years to learn tracking which I also apply to finding kills. I never assume skull, bones or feathers I find is a particular predators kill until I find futher evidence/behavior to determine its "demise". Fresher the better, Bleached bones is just bleached bones IMO. Yotes,wolves and feral dogs love to grab muzzles, hocks,armpits, flanks, hamstring and tails for the takedown. Lions they're like "ninjas" quick clean kills very little trauma. Bears like to brawl and wrestle. Apaches they're stealthy critters and secretive .

[galiuro mountain man]

_{No, all of those animals died because they quit breathing.}

[Apache7mm]

We have a Lion study going here on the Rez for a little over a year now, sure has been fun watching their movements, checking their kill sites, and just learning from them in general

 

 

DAN

[Non-Typical Solutions]

We have a Lion study going here on the Rez for a little over a year now, sure has been fun watching their movements, checking their kill sites, and just learning from them in general

 

 

DAN

That looks fun........are you telling me that cat can't get that collar off???

[GJMauro12]

I have never really tried to really investigate kills i've found very through unless it is extremely fresh and even then I don't really know what I am looking for, But a couple years ago I was in 5BN and found 3 different sets of moo cows with a cow and calf laying dead under trees in different parts of the area. That really had me stumped. I didn't check them out as well as I should have I guess, I was more interested in showing back up in the morning and shooting coyotes off them. What I didn't get was that all three of them were propped up, laying next to each other just like you would see them bed up under a shade tree through out the day. The only thing I could really think of was some punks driving around shooting bedded cows but, it seemed strange how similiar all three sets were.

[galiuro mountain man]

I stick with my answer.