Will coyotes eat a hole gut pile?

NOOB to predator hunting here, but a long time bowhunter. I put a Cover trail camera over the gut pile of the buck I shot this November and was pleasantly surprised to see the wide variety of critters feasting on them. Coyotes, red fox, hawks, buzzards, possum, crows, lots of crows, and even some deer checking it out. I highly recommend doing the same, it is a neat picture series.

The resident red fox did the bulk of the damage overnight.
 

Crows, ravens, hawks and buzzards can eat up a gut pile in sort order. My trail cameras have proved it. But also, bobcats, possums and skunks get their fair share. Fox, both red and gray, will pick at it, but generally don't tear into it like the other do. It's not only coyotes that gets the bait.


 
I hunted Thursday and Friday of this week, ventured into Nebraska and stumbled upon a ranch that had lost a calf to Coyotes in the corral right outside the ranchers front door, he was away for the holiday and came back to a dead 600lb calf.

When I saw the calf on Friday late morning it was missing it's lips, the genitalia area was ripped open and unbaked grassed was oozing out, the Butt hole area was torn into and so was the ribcage around the vitals area behind the front shoulder.

The calf was drug out to the dead pile, I spoke with the rancher today and he said the 600lb Calf was cleaned to the bone!

How many coyotes do you thing hit the calf?

The Rancher feels it was a healthy calf and a large number of Coyotes took it down.

Your thoughts??


I will probably hit this particular area this weekend:)
 
Gutted a buck this past Friday at dusk. Sat 3 pm only the stomach was left. All types of sign around it.

Coyotes around here will take down a calf or even a full size cow if they show any type of weakness. Such as a gimpy leg etc. If you see livestock with an issue you better get them in the barn.
 
Just got a phone call from one of the ranches I hunt in Nebraska:)

He is going to put a Cow down tonight and throw it in the dead pile!!

Storm coming in and the Coyotes will be very active around the cow this weekend:)

His loss might become my gain I guess, if you have livestock, you will have dead stock is what he always tells me.
 
Ok stepping back to my college animal nutrition days, most canines will eat the gut because of the large amount of microbes in the gut that occur naturally in ruminants. So in other words they are getting a good dose of probiotics. They will also drag it away to a location they feel safe.
 
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