Animals in the Woods

I was looking forward to a sunny walk in the woods yesterday, but despite a forecast for a sun filled afternoon, the clouds remained and it was definitely gloomy. It was unusually quiet in the woods. For the most part, when I wasn’t moving around crunching dried leaves, there wasn’t a sound to be heard.

When something did move, it was very easy to detect. From the ridge top I could hear something walking across the slope of the hill. A Coyote was hurrying by. It’s a shame there wasn’t an opening large enough to capture the entire Coyote, but I was just happy to get one half way focused shot before he hurried on. I rarely see Coyotes and when I do, they’re not waiting around to have their pictures taken. A family group of Coyotes can claim a territory of 6 to 10 square miles, so it’s uncommon for them to be traveling through Blue Jay Barrens at the same time as myself.

As I crossed over into the next valley, I could hear something really scratching away at the leaves. This Whitetail buck was not trying at all to be stealthy. He kept looking around, but never did seem to notice me.

I think he was more interested in the buck on the other hillside. This one was on the move and never slowed as it ran over the ridge and away.

Here’s what the first buck was up to. He was busy marking his territory with this scrape. Between the deer and the turkeys there’s not going to any part of the woods that’s not torn up.

When I returned to the house, I went out to get the mail and saw this little dog going down the road. He’s a stray that’s been at my neighbor’s house for a little over a week. He must not be looking for a new home, because he just hurried away when he saw me. I know he’s not in the woods, but I felt I just needed one more animal to round things out. I’m sure he’s available for adoption if you want him.

Coyote Meal

I enjoy finding signs of animal activity and trying to determine what was happening. This area of mashed and mangled tall grass caught my eye as soon as I got close. It looked like a square dance had been held here in the field. The key to this mess was to be found just a little farther to the right.

Coyotes had taken down a young buck and created a little dining hall. This is the second deer killed by coyotes that I’ve found this year. The first was less than an hour old when I walked up on it and the coyote was busy eating. Based on the condition of the grass and carcass and knowing that this wasn’t here when I walked through three weeks ago, I’m guessing the deer was killed about two weeks ago. The spinal cord is intact and the spine is still flexible. The Indian Grass had already dried and turned brown before being mashed down and the fescue was just starting to stand back up.

A pair or small family group of coyotes will claim a territory of six to ten square miles. They’ll rotate their hunting area within that territory, working each area heavily before moving on. This allows the area to repopulate with prey before being hunted again. The rotation seems to bring coyotes around to us about every three years. A few years ago, I found about a dozen deer skeletons. Maybe this was the work of the same coyote family. Coyotes feeding on a kill generally maintain a clean site. If this had been the work of dogs, the grass would have been torn up and there would have been signs of dried entrails and hide around the clearing.

The lower jaw was removed from the skull and picked clean. Not much of this deer was left uneaten. It’s amazing how little was left. Most of the carcasses I find have more hide left behind.

With the front of the skull missing, this skull reminds me of a Texas Jackalope. One of the signs of a healthy ecosystem is the presence of top of the line predators. It’s nice to see that our largest wild predator is having this type of relationship with the largest wild herbivore. Young coyotes are taught by their parents to identify prey items. Coyotes feeding on deer are not likely to be feeding on a farmer’s livestock.