2nd kill, carcass 20 feet up tree

[lotusgirl73]

In March, I read about a Mountain Lion dragging a deer up a tree. It occurred on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska. A person found the deer in the tree, and later reviewed his trail camera, confirming it was a Mountain Lion. I was interested as we have one who visits seasonally, and will sit on the bottom of our first acre with no fear. If they can drag a deer up a tree, I reckon you might have a kitty problem. Especially if there are no prints, and the wing(s) & feathers were left.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Depending on where you live

I'm afraid it is another geographical guessing game thread.

 

[Cod]

Sorry! I am in southern New Hampshire.
Here's a photo of the chicken in a tree to give you an idea of just how high up it is.

As for the damage, I only saw it for a minute. The coop is a store-bought coop+run, so it's made with 1x1 posts. I think the roost bar got knocked off and feed can busted up. It wasn't shredded or anything.

The predator entered at dusk before the coop was locked up. Same as the night before. The tree is inside the run and food is in the roost. I suggested to move both.

Unfortunately, my chickens are on the other side of the stockade fence, so it's only a few feet from my coop (a purpose-built chicken shed from the 1920's). I've had mine for 5 years without problems.

 

[lotusgirl73]

View attachment 1415731 I'm afraid it is another geographical guessing game thread.

Very true. I had Sicilian Buttercups who nested in the trees at night, and disappeared without a trace. We don't have raccoons (at least I've never seen one!) so I wondered if it may have been the kitty visitor. But you just never know unless you get hard evidence.

 

[lotusgirl73]

Sorry! I am in southern New Hampshire.
Here's a photo of the chicken in a tree to give you an idea of just how high up it is.

As for the damage, I only saw it for a minute. The coop is a store-bought coop+run, so it's made with 1x1 posts. I think the roost bar got knocked off and feed can busted up. It wasn't shredded or anything.

The predator entered at dusk before the coop was locked up. Same as the night before. The tree is inside the run and food is in the roost. I suggested to move both.

Unfortunately, my chickens are on the other side of the stockade fence, so it's only a few feet from my coop (a purpose-built chicken shed from the 1920's). I've had mine for 5 years without problems.

Hmmm. Y'all don't have mountain lions in your area, but you do get bobcats: https://wildlife.state.nh.us/wildlife/profiles/bobcat.html.

Also mentioned: "In New Hampshire, bobcats are thought to have had a historic presence in the southwest corner of the state."

You might want to invest in a camera? We are thinking of moving to the desert, and that will be my next line of defense since I have no experience with the predators out there. Keep us posted! I am interested to see what you find out.

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

Wow that's pretty high up...sorry for ur loss. If the predator is of the feline variety I'd guess it to be a smaller one as big cats ( bobcats, mountain lion, lynx) would use the sturdier bottom branches. They pull it into a tree to store for later consumption, just high enough no other predators have access to their kill.

 

[HuskerHens18]

In March, I read about a Mountain Lion dragging a deer up a tree. It occurred on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska. A person found the deer in the tree, and later reviewed his trail camera, confirming it was a Mountain Lion. I was interested as we have one who visits seasonally, and will sit on the bottom of our first acre with no fear. If they can drag a deer up a tree, I reckon you might have a kitty problem. Especially if there are no prints, and the wing(s) & feathers were left.

Yep. Mountain Lions stay hidden, but boy when they kill, you know it. I'm in the Northeastern part of NE and once in a while cats migrate through here and they leave trails of slaughtered dogs, young cows, sheep, goats, and chickens. They leave quite a mess.

So yeah, I'd either say you have a Mountain Lion or Raccoon issue. I've never seen a coon drag something up a tree, but whenever I see raccoons they're always waaaaaay high in a tree. So just be careful

 

[Zinjifrah]

I'd say coon. They'll kill cats and drag them up into trees as well, in my personal experience. Certainly not a cougar... for one thing, it would have eaten the entire bird, and for another, a prefab coop like that would have been demolished and scattered all over the place if a cougar tried to get in. Cats will take prey into a tree to eat if they're threatened by a larger predator, such as a dog. The leopards mentioned do so to keep heavier cats - namely lions - from taking their kill, and to give themselves an aerial view to watch for danger as they eat, to my understanding. The head, neck and body being eaten first seems more like a coon than a cat to me - they like the guts usually. However, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a professional at identification.

 

[Cod]

This place is amazing, thank you for your insights!

I am going to set up a trail cam tonight and try to rake the base of the tree to get some prints. TSC was out of traps so I'm SOL.

 

[Zinjifrah]

This place is amazing, thank you for your insights!

I am going to set up a trail cam tonight and try to rake the base of the tree to get some prints. TSC was out of traps so I'm SOL.

Is that carcass still up in the tree? If so, make sure you put a cam on it to see if the predator - or any scavengers - come back to finish dinner.