Is this Cougar poo?

[Selous Scout]

I went up the Mtn. Loop today to do some hunting. I came across this scat. I'm new at this but it sure looked kinda kitty like. Some of the bones were hollow so maybe it ate a bird besides the furry animal?

I did a couple sets in the area using cottontail distress but came up empty.

A2 flash hider for size reference:

[sled]

Maybe coyote?

[Selous Scout]

Hmm good point. Hadn't thought of that but I have seen coyote in the area.

[Tracker0721]

Coyote. A cougar won't have many bones or hair in their poop. Picky eaters.

[heronblu]

Coyote; cougar scat rarely has bones because they lack the crushing ability that a canine jaws have. Also cougar scat is very hard and gets harder as it ages. You could take a hammer to some of the cougar scat I've found without breaking it.

[jasnt]

Coyote; cougar scat rarely has bones because they lack the crushing ability that a canine jaws have. Also cougar scat is very hard and gets harder as it ages. You could take a hammer to some of the cougar scat I've found without breaking it.

Coyote. A cougar won't have many bones or hair in their poop. Picky eaters.

Sorry but you guys are wrong about cougar eating bone. This was a fresh cougar kill. Killed by a mother and 3 sub adults. This kill was less than 4 hours old as I had walked threw this spot 4 hours before hand. Nothing but cougar tracks all over. Fist pick is <4 hours old. 2nd is about 16 hours after first pic.

Cougar poo can have many textures just like anything else.  I have tracked a lot of cougar and have often found where they have stopped to #2 under a tree. Most times they burry it like a house cat but not always. Most of the cougar poo I've seen is at a toilet. It may have bones or not depending on what it's eating.


Cougar scat is dense and segmented, with rounded ends that may or not have small “tails”. Each segment is roughly 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cougar scat is roughly the size of those of a large dog, which distinguishes it from the similar but smaller scat of bobcats and lynx. Hair, bones and teeth commonly appear in cougar scat. Vegetation is usually not present in cougar scat but some may contain grass. Cougars leave scat near scrapes, along trails, in arroyos, under overhangs, in caves, and near kills. It is important to note that it may be difficult to tell the difference between the scat of a cougar and that of a large coyote or dog. Also, smaller cougars may deposit scats similar in size to those left by bobcats.

[Tracker0721]

Always heard different but I'd believe it. That's a mess those cats made of that carcass! But I still believe the above to be coyote.

[predatorpro]

Is it from an owl?

[jasnt]

Always heard different but I'd believe it. That's a mess those cats made of that carcass! But I still believe the above to be coyote.

it's hard to say as it looks like it got washed by rain.  But I see no vegetation at all, which leaves me to believe it's feline

[heronblu]

Always heard different but I'd believe it. That's a mess those cats made of that carcass! But I still believe the above to be coyote.

it's hard to say as it looks like it got washed by rain.  But I see no vegetation at all, which leaves me to believe it's feline

Agree to disagree I suppose. I'm not saying that cougars will not eat bones and I have seen cougar cat with bone fragments in them but they simply lack the jaw strength to crush a bone like a deer femur for example whereas coyotes or wolves do not have that problem. Also it is not uncommon to find coyote scat without plant matter present. I have seen coyote scat with nothing but berries in it and I have seen it like the pictured scat with nothing but bone fragments and deer hair. I agree too that most cougar scat I have found has either a scrape associated with it or is a clear latrine area.

[jasnt]

Always heard different but I'd believe it. That's a mess those cats made of that carcass! But I still believe the above to be coyote.

it's hard to say as it looks like it got washed by rain.  But I see no vegetation at all, which leaves me to believe it's feline

Agree to disagree I suppose. I'm not saying that cougars will not eat bones and I have seen cougar cat with bone fragments in them but they simply lack the jaw strength to crush a bone like a deer femur for example whereas coyotes or wolves do not have that problem. Also it is not uncommon to find coyote scat without plant matter present. I have seen coyote scat with nothing but berries in it and I have seen it like the pictured scat with nothing but bone fragments and deer hair. I agree too that most cougar scat I have found has either a scrape associated with it or is a clear latrine area.

yes  I agree with most of what your saying. The op pic just dosent look coyote to me, no pointy end but like I said it looks rain washed which often swells it up and washes out the fines which further distorts shape and textures.  Guess we will never really know who is correct. I like these posts, tests our skills at sign identity and allows us to compare notes.

[KFhunter]

The video game says play me.
Face it, on a level, but it take you
every time on a one on one.
Feeling runnin' down your spine
Nothing gonna save your one last dime cause it owns you
Through and through

The data bank know my number.
Says I gotta pay 'cause I made the grade last year.
Feel it when I turn the screw
Kick you 'round the world.
There ain't a thing that it can't do,
Do to you - Yeah!

Who made poo, who made you?
Who made poo, ain't nobody told you?
Who made poo, who made you?
If you made them and they made you
Who picked up the bll, and who made poo? - Yeah!

Who made poo, who turned the screw?

Satellite send me pictures.
Get it in the eye,
take it to the wire,
spinning like a dynamo.
Feel it going round and round
Runnin' outta chips
You got no line in an eight bit town
So don't look down, no

Who made poo, who made poo ?
Who made poo, ain't nobody told you
Who made poo, who made you ?
If you made them and they made you
Who picked up the bill and who made poo
Ain't nobody told you
Who made poo
Who made you
Who made poo
Who made who
Yeah
Nobody told you

WHO MADE POOOOO   YEAH!

[jasnt]

Thanks kfhunter. That's about 2 min of my life I'll never get back.

[Idighuntin]

The video game says play me.
Face it, on a level, but it take you
every time on a one on one.
Feeling runnin' down your spine
Nothing gonna save your one last dime cause it owns you
Through and through

The data bank know my number.
Says I gotta pay 'cause I made the grade last year.
Feel it when I turn the screw
Kick you 'round the world.
There ain't a thing that it can't do,
Do to you - Yeah!

Who made poo, who made you?
Who made poo, ain't nobody told you?
Who made poo, who made you?
If you made them and they made you
Who picked up the bll, and who made poo? - Yeah!

Who made poo, who turned the screw?

Satellite send me pictures.
Get it in the eye,
take it to the wire,
spinning like a dynamo.
Feel it going round and round
Runnin' outta chips
You got no line in an eight bit town
So don't look down, no

Who made poo, who made poo ?
Who made poo, ain't nobody told you
Who made poo, who made you ?
If you made them and they made you
Who picked up the bill and who made poo
Ain't nobody told you
Who made poo
Who made you
Who made poo
Who made who
Yeah
Nobody told you

WHO MADE POOOOO   YEAH!

I see what you did there, I thought it looked like a Dirty Deed done Dirt Cheap!

[sylvester]

You guys talkin sh#t?!!