Shutting down the Dead Cow Cam.

Young Coyote.


Armadillo cruising for bugs.


Stray dogs dumped at the lake.


Squabble over not much.


Drying out wings.


Juvenile Black Vultures.

Amazing how the pasture and woods grow up and change in just a season. Nothing left but a rack of ribs and parts scattered all over the pasture. Skull is off about 50 yards. Hide out in the weeds. Leg bones here and there. While I was ranging I came across a beaten area where a young deer had died and been eaten. Nothing left but jawbones and scattered ribs. Re-batterized the cam and moved it to a tree covering a soon-to-be scrape. Dead Cow season over and deer season started.
Update: Just too hot to go across the creek. One camera over there was submerged when the dam broke and is dead, the other OK. Sacks of corn gone wievilly. Have to toss it all.

Dead Cow Cam

Big dogs. Targets on them.


Missing carcass.


Possum after bugs.


The only crow ever to show up on the Dead Cow Cam.


Still picking.

Out to check the cow cam and the whole carcass had been stripped of its hide and pulled off. I dragged it back. Only one leg still attached. Missing skull has got to be close somewhere. Hide is off to the side about 20 yards.

Dead Cow Cam

Solar collecting.

Not much going on. I pulled the carcass back into the cam field and changed batts. Just 124 files down from an average of 100. Found the scapula from lower missing leg out in the field about 80 yards away.

Carcass doesn't have a big odor plume but is pretty sour smelling up close.

Dead Cow Cam

The local possum. Something really had to drag the carcass over. Missing the underneath front leg.

Coyote. A little female I think.

Squirrels showed up. Might be chiseling the exposed fresh bone for calcium.

Turkey Vulture.

Still can draw a little crowd. Note the larynx bone by the front vulture.

Our lady of the long nose.

Armadillos made several passes. Might be after bugs. Maggots.

Just a skeleton inside a dry hide. Something dragged it over to the edge of the trees. (Bigfoot) I brought a hoe, (farm implement, not politician) and dragged it back out in the open. Heavy. The cam missed whatever pulled it to the trees. No crows still. I thought there would be some crows. Fresh batts and card.

Hot Dog Dead Cow Cam Action!

Early Coyote.

Going after the lower backstrap.

Back to the backstrap.

Four at once.

Four coyotes- part of a pack on cam at once. They must be getting more used to the camera flash. Do they prefer the meat at this stage or are they just now rotating into the area? Had a little coyote the first day, but this is the first major visitation by a pack.

Dead Cow Cam: Shots of the day.

Voguing.

Flash-lit photo showing a little color.

Watching long nose.

Wonder if I could take a length of rope and flip this thing?

Dead Cow Cam: Coyote Fever!

All the vultures are launching.

All birds crouched to launch.

Coyote has just skidded to a halt.

Self-selected as the slowest and dumbest Black Vulture.

Coyotes run in and flush the vultures off the carcass over and over. I don't see them go after a specific one, just bluffing them off.

Hump still intact. Tough hide. They have reached into the carcass and cleaned out everything they can get to. Picking away. It's about 2/5ths gone.

Dead Cow Cam

Stripped out the tenderloin.

Yank it!

Possum circling the carcass at night.

A little foot action. Snow on the dead.

Bird rotation during the snowstorm.

The hump hasn't been touched. Tempted to split it open. Everythwere I gave them access they have cleared out. They reached several inches inside the ribs along the backbone and ate everything out.

Coyote and Possum

Big male getting into a meal.

Beef loin. Aged.

Coyote shows up and he sits down.

Stays down. Playing dead I think.

I think the possum was playing dead until the coyote left. He was very active, (looks like a large male) then just laid down in a lump. Dark last night and I bet the coyote couldn't find him by smell...plus easier things to eat.

Everywhere I sliced the hide with a knife, they have opened up and cleaned out. Hump still untouched. They are just peeling back the hide and getting to the lower loin along the backbone.

Carcass getting bleached out, frozen, rank. Pretty awful though still as long as you are upwind it's OK for the olfactory.

New and improved cam angle!

Maximum Action on the Dead Cow Cam

Big resident Redtail.

Easier than catching mice.

Double possums.

Double Dogs.

Keeping an eye on the vultures.

Coyotes and Vultures not happy together.

Nose-deep.

Very wary.

Keeping eyes out.

Double possums at night and a pair of Coyotes in the daylight. A Hawk. The Vulture crew. Must have spooked the Coyotes when I came in to swap cam cards. Missed them by about two minutes.

I don't think the two Coyotes include the little female that came in the first couple of days. The possums seem to be regulars. The Hawks are residents. I sliced open the hide a little down the back. That's what the Coyote is working on the most.

As much as the Coyotes look up at the vultures, you would think they drop rocks on their heads.

Walked all over the bottom looking for sheds. One little non-moccasine snake in the creek and an old chewed up scapula.

Update: Welcome to Tamathiminia's intelligent and nuanced readers from the Porch! They will love this stinking carcass action for sure!