Are we the only hunters in the woods?
So if you think we are the only hunters obviously that is not true. As a reflection on this it made me realize this weary bird we hunt is not only hunted by us for a few weeks per year, but daily by predators. So today was a beautiful day and decided to slip out for a bit as the season is winding down and the weather the last 3 days looks pretty bad. We did not hear a peep and I was disappointed. After setting up in an area and blind calling for a bit, decided to call it quits and get to work. On the way out we picked up a trail and found this.
Wow obviously a gobbler has been attacked here as I can see the breast and tail feathers of a male. We start to look around and in a small creek bed we discover a 2 yr old that has been there for likely less than 2 days.
My belief is a yote got him as he was picked pretty clean and the vultures had not yet set in. From my knowledge of predators and from a friend it is guessed a coyote as a bobcat will usually bury their prey. In my life, I have stood over a lot of dead gobblers but never one like this. Makes you reflect on just how hard these birds have it every day. Just wanted to share this with you as it was quite a find. Felt bad for the bird and honestly sad he went out like this. I hope everyone has a great end of season and good luck. Congrats to all that have scored. And yes I did kneel down beside him and carry away his spurs, his beard was pretty torn up but at least his spurs were claimed.