Came across two dead bulls last week. Pictures attached

[crazyantler]

Not sure if the bull that shed already got taken down by a cougar but his neck was eatin out and it seemed fresh.  The bull with horns was left in the woods!

[Rainier10]

Bummer, is that a bullet hole behind the shoulder of the elk that shed its antlers?  Were they close to a road?  Thrill kill and then the animals got them?

[johnnyaustin44]

Too bad. Came across two dead cows and a dead bull with the rack sawed off last weekend.

[crazyantler]

I see that now and from the picture it looks suspecious but at the time I found it I didnt recall seeing any fowl play but then again I didnt inspect it much either as I was looking over my shoulder for a Cat to be wathcing me looking at his meal.

[hunterofelk]

ICKY.   

[longrangekiller]

looks like that very well could be a bullet hole behind the shoulder from this angle atleast

[BLUEBULLS]

Unfortunately a lot of animals die just after shedding. I've found countless dead heads with pedicures only. I've always assumed it has something to do with cold weather or cold and wet on those newly exposed areas.

[Pygmy]

Every cougar kill I've seen the cat had ripped the belly and eaten the liver first.  Some had also eaten a bit of the ham on the elk.  Looked like that's always done at the time of the kill.  Then they'll return to feed until the meat is no longer fresh.

Notice how the blood pooled on the ground by the neck wound.  I figure the neck wound was made when the elk was killed otherwise if it had been done by a predator after the kill the blood would not have run like that.

Don't think that was a cat.  Any other predator would have eaten much more of the kill and likely started around the hams. 

Culprit is a two legged vermin.

[stevemiller]

That hole in the horned ones head looks suspicious also,In front of the eye.

[crazyantler]

Interesting you mention a two legged person as the potential culprit since that same afternoon I heard someone shooting from across the canyon.  I cant imagine someone deciding to shoot at an elk just to see if they can hit it.  There was no access into the area prior to the day I found it. It was already bloating and bubbly stuff coming out of the nose.  So the question would be if that animal would have bloated that fast within lets say a few hours. 

[Fowlweather25]

That elk wasnt killed the same day you found it. At leatst 3 or 4 days previous.

That hole in the horned ones head looks suspicious also,In front of the eye.

That is the scent gland not a bullet hole.

[stevemiller]

Yeah it could be just the scent gland but it does look a little enlarged to me but I could be wrong,At the anglke its setting it looks to go almost half way across the skull.

[longrangekiller]

wave a metal detector over it that will tell u alot 

[Knocker of rocks]

Too bad for you it's not in Idaho

[crazyantler]

Too bad for you it's not in Idaho

I had enough bone I was packing that day that leaving that one for someone else felt good plus it was the right thing to do given the size of the rack .  I will let the next guy who finds it make his own decesion.  It was also stinky and had maggots still working on it .