LOL. That would be one hell of a shot. Right in the eye with no damage any where else.

I won't disagree with that, but what part of this slide show indicates that the deer was injured before the coyotes got to him?
http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/coyote-kill-240?pid=155

If you are telling me that there is no way that this buck was shot.by a hunter, and that it is too far from a public road to be struck by a vehicle, then the next most likely explanation for this deer's death is exhaustion due to rutting activity. Not sure a predator could have run this deer to.death because with equipment like that, he wouldn't run; not to mention the elevated testosterone levels.

Honestly, no one has enough information to say definitively what killed him, so let's just rule out what we can and play the %'s.

If you look at the deer's back leg you can see black discoloration which is likely evidence of gangrene due to injury. Also the buck stayed in one spot for hours while the coyotes nipped and harassed him until he died. A deer would only do this if he was either seriously ill or injured, otherwise he would've run and escaped.
Read this:
http://www.buckmanager.com/2011/12/11/on-predator-control-coyotes-and-whitetail/

I don't believe they take down a lot of mature deer, but they do take some down. Yes it is probably that most deer they eat are either already sick, wounded or young, but they do still get some that are perfectly healthy. I mean, If one little 30lb bobcat can take down a healthy mature doe, multiple coyotes would have little problems with a mature buck. I'm sure you will agree with that. I don't believe there were too many or there wouldn't be anything but head and bones left. There is always the possibility in this case that the deer was run down from the rut, or had puncture from a fight and then the coyotes finished him off. Hell a poacher might have gut shot him.

I believe the damage you can see in the picture is from coyotes. Not because I don't believe there could be a lion in that area, but because there are no head/neck bites marks and it is just more likely that it was from coyotes due to the population difference between the 2. The carcass doesn't look like it was dragged as lions often do and there also was no attempt to cover the carcass, another lion calling card.

Being a biologist, do you believe the marks on the rib cage are from teeth, or claws?

I was basing what I said about coyotes killing it partially on the fact that I read it was a high fence ranch from a guy who says he knows the owner. If it wasn't high fenced the most likely scenario IMO opinion is that a poacher gut shot him.

I'm not buying the heart attack.

I agree I think someone took a long pop shot and either thought they missed or just to damn lazy to be a responsible hunter and at least go look for a blood trail and try to track the deer down, very sad but it happen's a lot.

adam- The marks in the rib cage are claw marks... Small claw marks at that. If they were from teeth there would be evidence of puncture at the leading edges of the marks.

Any number of things could have POSSIBLY killed this deer. I'm just speaking from a statistical standpoint. It is not beyond reason that a bobcat(s), coyote(s), hunter, rut stress, goring during a spar, collision with an automobile, or a host of other random causes for injury could have led to the death of this deer. But one thing is for sure, he is DEAD and no one will know for 100% certain what caused it unless an eye witness to the death miraculously comes forward.

This is usually the only evidence you can find when a Mountain Lion takes a deer... These are drag marks and prints where a female with a cub took a deer. We were able to track from about 50 feet above the road to about 1/4 mile down a draw below the road. No blood, no carcass. Cats are very tidy with their kills. I took this while working in Sequoia National Forest, Califonia.

One thing is for sure, it ain't no fun being a deer. About the best you can hope for is 150 grain sleeping pill.

This massacre was obviously orchestrated by aliens.

cats...domestic or wild, COVER their kills, bobcats & mountain lions included. coyotes ARE strong enough to make marks like that tho. that original pic shows the work of coyotes, nothing more.

it quite possibly could have been injured before they got to it but they are quite capable of taking down a full grown deer. they chase it & dog it until it just wears out then take the pray down, from behind & that's where they start eating it. a lot of time not even making it to the front.

Because my friend, the one that knows the man in the picture, asked me to.

I am from Texas and I am stationed in Georgia. I found a 10 pointer early one morning two years ago just laying dead on the base where I hunt. The deer was still warm when I found him and not stiff. Mind you I was taking the same path to my stand everyday and that deer wasnt there the previous evening. It was during the rut and they were chasing does heavy. I called the gamewarden on base and told him what I had found and he told me to bring it in. I did and we could not see a bullet hole or anything that would suggest how this deer died. We hung him up upside down and a little blood trickled from his nose. We decided to gut him and Im telling you right here right now nothing from a human or animal killed this deer. The gamewarden determined that the deer had died from a heart attack. It has been documented that a buck can run himself to death chasing the "girls". Just my two cents worth.

Actually two weeks ago I was back in WV and we found a doe the day after opening morning where spot lighters were chased off by a game warden. She was shot directly below the eye, took a few minutes to figure it out since the entry wound was right below the eye itself still in the socket. Looked like a .243 since no other damage was done besides that. Simply an idea but the owner already explained what he found previously, just giving another possible option.

Gut shot=yote buffet

You guys crack me up. I sell MLD hunts for Reaper Crew and his ranch. We're on the 3k low fence side. This deer was on the high fence side. He's been watching this deer grow for years...passing, passing, passing. After seeing the buck on the decline this season, he decided to take him if given the opportunity. The very small group of guys that are allowed to hunt the high fence portion are some of the most trustworthy, stand up guys you'll ever meet. They have NO reason to take a pot shot at a deer of this caliber when EVERYONE knows the owner is the one wanting to harvest him. There are very few trophy deer harvested on the high fence with most of the deer harvested being management deer. Nobody would have taken a shot at this deer except for the owner...period.

He wasn't hit by a car. He wasn't gut shot. Yotes? Big cat? Heart attack? Natural causes? Who knows. Not having the facts or back story on the ranch and those who hunt it makes for some fun reading. Sad to lose a buck of this caliber to anything other than a bullet/broadhead, but it happens.

Wow, those gashes on the inside of the ribs are pretty crazy. They do look like claw marks. If they were yote teeth I'd figure the cuts would be more jagged and messy, but they are super clean and straight.

I've never seen a cat kill, but I've seen a couple of deer that looked just like that (guts eaten) from coyotes. It only takes them an hour or two to do that kind of damage.

Very well said.

You should have been the original poster and this thread would have been a lot different. Deer die all the time. Who knows what the hell happen?

So... Why would there be yotes and mountain lions on a HF place?? Im not genious but if I spent all that money to pen em in id sure as hell kill all the things trying to eat em.

I'll throw this into the mix. My guess is this buck was injured or killed in a fight during the rut. The coyotes just get the blame for eating him. Rut or post rut mortalities run high starting this time of the year. No one will really know the truth. Great looking buck (with one 12" G2)

Definitely not a genius. You seriously think a high fence keeps predators in/out? Predators can come and go on ranches that have game proof fences around them. Bobcats and big cats can go over. Coyotes can go under if motivated. A creative neighboring landowner cutting a fence in a discreet place, and they can all go right through it.

Thats why you check fence a little more often

So not to stir the pot or anything but I'm pretty sure I the LO didn't say anything about it being high fenced where they found the deer. Couple of points

A:If he was 1 1/2 miles from the hwy, it doesn't seem too preposterous that this deer didn't travel that distance in one night. Could have easily been hit by a car or shot by a poacher.

B: I seriously doubt that there is only one mountain lion roaming that entire county. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they're not there.

C: No predator took this animal out. Predators may bring animals down by the back end but they end with cutting off the air supply to the windpipe.

D: A cat did not run this deer to death. Not saying he didn't run himself to death due to the rut but cats are opportunistic and ambush predators. They rely on camoflauge and surprise to get their prey. They're not outwide chasers, unless you have cheetahs on this ranch.

E: Cats will almost always drag their kill to a secure spot before consuming it in order not to lose it to predators.

There could be a hundred ways this deer died but IMO it died of either a gunshot from a poacher or hit by a car. The coyotes found it and consumed it.

When you hear hoofprints think horses not zebras