Poor Football What ate him?

[bald Rooster]

Ok Football was a broad breasted Tom turkey about 3 years old and close to 35 pounds whole.
He and my other Tom were free ranging because the hens needed a vacation from the guys. Both Turkeys were Roosting on my hitching post.
I came out this morning and was not greeted by them! I found the other Tom alive with the horses.
Then I saw feathers by the Hitching post.
Its about 400 feet to the back fence, and it was easy to follow the feather trail and drag marks.
Several things are saying Bob cat to me. One if it was a Coyote I would see claw marks in the few tracks I found.Also I found the carcass. No bones were broke or chewed.The entire skeleton was intact including the wings.
The dragging makes me think a smaller animal.
The only thing that really confuses me is. How did this animal eat the entire 35 pound turkey guts and all. Almost no meat left.
I do not see signs of more then one animal. And very few tracks.
I did find a couple large Raccoon tracks in the back, but the few tracks I found with the drag mark I could not make out and claws.
The most interesting fact is that no bones were chewed through.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Do you have pics of the other tracks you found? It does sound like a bobcat.

 

[LoveMyChickenBabies]

Try thinking about raccoons. That sounds sort of what it would do.

 

[aart]

The only thing that really confuses me is. How did this animal eat the entire 35 pound turkey guts and all.

Keep walking the trail, you'll find a too full to move predator in a food coma.
Sorry bout your bird.
Wonders how BB is only 35 lbs at 3yo?
Heard stories about 60lbs at 8-9 months.

 

[bald Rooster]

Do you have pics of the other tracks you found? It does sound like a bobcat.

It is sand here and as I said the critter drug the bird.so most of the tracks were wiped out.It also looks like Football went down fighting as the trail zig zags all over the place.

 

[bald Rooster]

Keep walking the trail, you'll find a too full to move predator in a food coma.
Sorry bout your bird.
Wonders how BB is only 35 lbs at 3yo?
Heard stories about 60lbs at 8-9 months.

He Wasn't my biggest bird. The other Heritage Tom Might be 60 pounds.Football could have been 50 plus but I wasn't sure.

This one was 8 months.

 

[roosterhavoc]

It is sand here and as I said the critter drug the bird.so most of the tracks were wiped out.It also looks like Football went down fighting as the trail zig zags all over the place.

Gotcha. Raccoons wouldn’t have done that. Still sounds like a bobcat.

 

[NoFlyBackFarm]

Probably a bobcat.

 

[bald Rooster]

I am about to make a confession.Football was a nuisance. I have all Heritage birds.
Football was my grand daughters bird. They moved from there country house to the city and left him,Bubble gum and there chickens with me. B G is a hen. turkey.
I am sorry he got ate, but I'm glad I don't have to feed him and clean up his poop anymore!
Still I have a critter that has a large appetite and a taste for birds!

 

[aart]

I thought BB were not 'heritage' but more like hybrid meat birds similar to CX.