Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Is this a Big Cat Attack on Cow (pics)

You must have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night Bob.

looks like young black bear to me

No,no, I saw "Mountain Monsters" the other nite. Looks like the work of the Grassman - close cousin to the common Bigfoot!

I think the bush hog theory is as good as any. Looks like the jawbone is split in one pic. No less a mystery though.

Put up a game camera and see what comes to feed on it.

Update: State Biologist (Bill Gray) believes a Buzzard had picked over the head which is why it is so clean. In the Early AM while the animal was still alive.
Note this seemed odd to me that a buzzard did not go for the eyes!!!!

The ATTACKER is still unknown and it was determined the cow in question was lying down when attacked. What ever attacked went straight for the throat. (DOG, CAT, BEAR, COYOTE) ????? Also there is the possibility something had happening making the Cow ill before the kill was made. Understand the cow was still barely alive only minutes before the photos. Which would make me think the neck was broke instantly or either the cow was partially immobilized since not much kicking went on. Especially while the Buzzard the state biologist said was plucking away on a still partially live animal.

As far as some of you saying no one herd anything that is not correct. There are so many coyotes in our part of the world now that cause commotion that we ignore things a lot. I am often waken a couple of times at night by the dogs barking. The family in question just did not know which commotion during the night was related to the cow. Around my house we use sound machines to help block out some of the outside noises. I personally only get up when something sounds like it is right outside my door.

I noticed someone mentioned disturbing the herd. That particular pasture is a couple hundred acres and the cows are free to roam. This one just stayed near where she was fed the previous evening.

In the end there is something in my neighborhood that will eat red meat while it is alive and not able to get away.

End result UNKNOWN ATTACK on what may or may not have been a partially immobilized cow with some scavenging afterwards in early AM hours.

Anyway I was a little more cautious walking around outside at 4am this morning. LOL

Around here that is certainly not the way buzzards work.

I'm just taking a guess... A bobcat did the head skinning. Cats do that. Big cats like a cougar would have ate more and not the head, and then tried to cover the carcass with whatever was available.

If you have lots of coyotes like you mentioned, they would have started feeding at the other end. And they would have done alot more feeding than that. But I'll bet they will be coming now.

I would have put out my trail cam immediately and maybe get some good pics.

I would also just guess that whatever killed that cow, was not the same thing that ate the head. Unless that cow was very sick and easy pickin's.

I am thinking that the track photo looks allot like a bear track. Around here wolf and coyote will always for the the hind end. We have come across a moose still alive with 30% of the hind end eaten by wolves. Wolfs and coyotes will run the stock till it drops dead and some time leave it just playing.


Some type of a small animal like a cat, or martin worked over the head. The smaller animals like to gorge on the blood more then dig into the meat like the hind quarter. Even rats and mice will work over a fresh kill.

I am with MSC buzzards around here leave it dead for some time and here with the cold they head south. No buzzards to be found when its this cold.

Cheers Don.

Tums, ya created quite a questionable question. Don't matter what it ends up as (probably won't be figured out), scares the poop outta me!! Cecil, you and Cody are the only folks wealthy enough to stay at a Holiday Inn. Dwight, why do you have to be soooo reasonable all the time? From ALL of the National Goe films and other well respected documentaries I've watched an animal or group accomplish a kill by a surprise attack or a long and wearing down chase of the prey. Then they eat the best parts first. Heart, liver, tenders, etc After thinking this over I will disagree with the common sense Dwight and change my Sherlock Holms attitude to declare that this was done by a migrant farm worker after consuming a huge amount of Coke and bath salts. No joke, last yr in Tampa a homeless guy actually chewed the face off of his bridge shelter buddy, only reason-bath salts. Just last week in Palmeto, FL a young guy attacked his neighbor and bit his face and tried to gouge his eye out. When the cops came the freak jumped one of them and started to take bites out of his face. Ok, take a guess. He had consumed a large quanity of bath salts. It's amazing but just a simple little 22 Cal with a 3x9 scope could eliminate so much of this nonsense....I repeat, nonsense.

Space aliens

CJ, thank you, it's not often intelligent folks agree with me

Aliens don't leave blood behind.....the carcass is drained, with no sign of any spillage on the ground.....

We can tell with scientific certainty that it wasn't a zombie because then the cow would also be a zombie by now

OK already, a friggin vampire ! Good holly molly, quit makin me dumb geuseses . Hell I can't even spell!!!

Might of been mad cow tooo lol.

I think the cow simply knew too much.

" Word to the rest of you heifers....What happens in the pasture, stays in the pasture......Capisce?"

Yeah, cheek meat is prized in some parts.