The Deer That Broke His Neck at Birchbank and What Followed

I was doing some trail work at Birchbank when I heard a crashing from the steep hillside above the trail. A deer had lost control and was plummeting down the hillside on its back, whacking into trees and rolling about. It came to rest against a log about 150 feet from the trail and I whipped out my phone because, believe it or not, I've seen this happen once before, also at Birchbank. The first time it happened, the deer got right back up on its feet, momentarily bewildered, then realized I was nearby and took off. It was funny. Animals do have accidents all the time. I've had squirrels fall out of tall trees and land at my feet like a rock, and a vulture once fell through a tall pine tree (its wing span too large to help) and landed next to me before flying away. All of them seemed to be fine. 

The buck slid between the two
small trees and crashed into the log

But not this time. I started to record what I thought would be a comical recovery, but instead the deer kicked its leg a couple times, twitched it's head, and then stopped moving. I assume it broke its neck. A doe up the hill began moving down towards the buck slowly. It was very sad. I decided to stop my work and leave the area so as not to add any stress to the situation.  A few hours later I returned for a closer look and to add a trail cam to see what would happen next. The fallen deer was a buck in velvet.  

August is the season of plenty for predators. The forest is full of immature animals that are easy prey, and the streets littered with road kill. I thought it might take a while for the carcass to be consumed, and it did. Here's what happened (I also have videos, but for the blog I'm using only photographs). You can click on the photos to enlarge:

Day 1 (August 20): At dusk the first night, a doe came in and looked at the carcass, walking back and forth a bit. This may be the doe that was with the buck when he fell. 

This doe lingered at the buck's carcass

Day 2: Nothing.

Days 3 & 4: A possum examined the carcass at length multiple times but left it untouched. The area smelled terrible the next few days (you could smell it at the trailhead if the wind was right):

An Opossum just checking things out

Day 5: The reek attracted the attention of a Turkey Vulture, but it didn't seem to eat much, if anything, and did not return. The dense tree canopy and abundant road kill options were probably factors. Someone's off-leash dog wanders up to take a look. Coyote begin to appear from time to time, night and day.

Turkey Vulture

Day 6: A coyote comes in for a closer look and nibbles off the tip of a velvet-covered antler. 

 

Coyote chewing off an antler tip

Day 7: Lots of action! It begins at 9:30 pm when a bobcat examines the carcass at length and at one point grabs the deer by the neck, then lets go. The bobcat returns an hour later. Then at 2:00 am a coyote comes upon the scene and immediately drags the carcass down the hill to the base of a large tree, still in view of the deer cam but much farther away (in this new location, it's possible that animals were visiting and not tripping the camera's shutter). The bobcat returns for a third visit that night an hour later, sits on a boulder, and looks towards the carcass in its new location but does not approach.

The bobcat's first visit at 9:30 pm, returning at 10:30 pm, 
but not eating

Around 2:00 am, a coyote arrives and immediately drags
the carcass down the hill to the base of the large tree on the left

Coyote continuing to drag the carcass to the base of the tree

An hour later, the bobcat returns yet again, viewing the carcass while
perched on a nearby boulder, then creeps away without going to the carcass

Day 8: A coyote grabs a big chunk of deer and carries it up the hill around 10:30 am. At one point it stops to peer down the hill towards the hiking trail. Good chance a hiker was coming in. Only one coyote at a time is photographed over the next few days, so it seems to be a loner.  A closer look on a bigger screen shows two coyotes often at the site together. 

Coyote comes in around 10:30 am
(carcass is at base of large tree on left)

Coyote carries away a chunk of deer about five minutes later

A couple hours after the coyote leave, a terrier finds the carcass and starts rolling next to it where the carcass had just been dragged. Probably the deer's rotting guts had spilled out, along with some maggots. Great stuff to roll in if you're a dog. This is about 150 feet from the trail. Think about that if you insist on letting your dog run around the trails off leash, or don't, and just give your dog a big hug after your hike. At one point you can see the owner calling the dog back and the dog is ignoring her. Again, this is about 150 feet from the trail. The dog and owner return an hour later after their hike, and the dog looks like it wants to go up where the coyote went. Small dogs make great coyote snacks. Just sayin'. 

Off-leash terrier rolls where the carcass had been dragged

Terrier returns an hour later, seems to be looking for the coyote

The coyote returned later than night. 

Day 9: At 7:30 am, the coyote sniffs where the dog had stopped in the photo above, and pees. The carcass is starting to look smaller.  A doe stops in to investigate. The coyote visits the site for the next few nights and the carcass disappears from view. Other animals might have visited and not tripped the camera. 

A doe examines the original location of the carcass

Day 14: I return to the site after vacation and this is all that is left of the deer. There aren't even many bones. 

This is all that remains

Click HERE to view a video compilation that starts on Day 7 (video from the first seven days was lost).