(Almost) Eaten Alive!
 

We were heading to our cabin Thursday. About 500 meters from the approach I noticed blood on the snow, along the tree line. Being curious I backed up to investigate. There was a WT doe standing there, about 10 feet in the bush. She was bleeding pretty bad from her rear, I couldn't see a tail. My wife and I both got out and tried to get pictures. There were no tracks on the hard snow so I suspect coyotes.
The first picture is hard to make out but it is the doe standing in the trees, the second is a little more graphic, you can see at the bottom what is left of the tail, a bloody, chewed bone. Also the pic shows some flesh missing from the hind quarters.
Mercifully, the doe was put out of her misery with the cooperation of the area F&W Officer.
WE knew the savagery that exists in nature but had never witnessed it before.
Doug

Yeah it is a reality check but the critters got to eat too. Nature is harsh to the week no doubt.

(almost) eaten
 

Coyote kills on deer are never quick.

I was told that Wolves and Coyote delibertly let the larger prey live for a while. It seems it's easier to eat a live animal then a dead and frozen one.

Don't know if it's true but I've seen things that suggest that it is.

I watched a pack of three coyotes run a doe for about an hour while deer hunting a few years back. They ran her in a large loop of about a mile and would switch out and rest while another coyote would run her around again. They weren't really attacking, just wearing her down. I was well out of range but eventually decided to let a bullet fly in their direction. It was enough to interrupt their hunt but I'm sure they killed that deer within a few days.

I've also watched coyotes hunt cooperatively for rabbit. Mother nature can be cruel sometimes but it's the way of life.