Found a wild kill tonight

[Powerstroke]

I was out morel hunting near my house when I found a turkey kill in the trees. I wasn't all that interested at first but then I saw the spurs on this sucker and knew it was a tom. All I could scavenge was the legs and beard. My daughter grabbed a couple feathers and we found the head about 40yds away.

The beard is 10.5" and the spurs are 1 3/8" (top) and 1 1/4" (bottom). Definitely a mature bird.

[Archerysniper]

SHH turn it in for a team score . Had to been a hawk or eagle with it in the trees. Last year I found deer leg half way up the tree my stand was in.

[Abndoc]

Eden prairie? could of been a cougar, I got attacked by a cougar leaving a bar one night in that area!!

[jpettit]

Abndoc,

you bragging or complaining? & are you saying cougars like turkeys? jk

good line

[leech~~]

SHH turn it in for a team score . Had to been a hawk or eagle with it in the trees. Last year I found deer leg half way up the tree my stand was in.

Arch, that may have been another hunter leaving a message for you in your tree! See what I got when you were gone!

[IlliniWalli]

dang. that woulda been a nice bird for some hunter.

i would guess cougar got it. and not the kind that attacked that lucky dog abndoc.

[DonBo]

Hard to imagine an owl taking on a mature tom, pretty slim chance a cougar got it. Are ya sure someone didn't poach it and just pull out the breast and leave the rest?

[mrklean]

man that things has some razors on it

[sticknstring]

Nice find - heckuva bird.

What about 'yotes? I've seen them stalk turkeys and decoys a few times.

I've also nearly lost a jake to a bobcat a few years ago in NE. He had the bird nearly buried in leaves and the head/neck was completely gone.

Maybe just a cruel case of mother nature.

[brittman]

I would suspect the bird was first wounded by a vehicle, a hunter's poor shot, a power line wire, another turkey or just became sick (winter).

The gobbler then either was in poor enough health that he was vulnerable to local predators or simply died and was scavanged.

[Powerstroke]

I've only heard one gobbler back there this year so I'm thinking he was the only one. He's been very active until this weekend. I was hoping to try and get him to come in to calls.

The breast and legs were mostly intact. The tail was shredded and all the entrails were missing along with the head and neck. The bird was on the ground, but in some dense brush beneath a probably roosting tree. We do have yotes and red fox around here.

It sure woulda been a nice bird to see.

Using a conservative estimate of a 20lb bird, that would be a NWTF score of 67.25

[Powerstroke]

Attacked by a cougar in EP, must've been outside Santorini or Redstone.

[FishinFools]

Last week we were watching a hen walk through our back yard and right before our eyes it got hit in the chest by a night hawk! It jumped straight up about 3 feet and the hawk landed overhead in a tree. After seeing that, I would believe anything would try to kill a turkey.

[killerelement]

Abndoc,

you bragging or complaining? & are you saying cougars like turkeys? jk

good line

Thats funny!!!! rofl