This is starting to annoy me!

[BobT]

About three years ago while out pheasant hunting I came across about a half-dozen rooster carcasses in the road ditch along my property. Every single one of them was beheaded and they were all piled in a group. Yesterday, my dog found two roosters in the same condition – beheaded. My wife said she broght them to the house from somewhere near the end of our driveway. I haven't had a chance to investigate further.

Both of these incidents happened around my place and during pheasant season. I can’t help but believe that a human is responsible. First, why only roosters? Second, why only beheaded with no indication they were taken for food? Third, why only during the pheasant season? Forth, why leave them in a road ditch? Fifth, why leave them in a group? Anyone hear of any predators that would kill only the males, behead them, drag them to a specific location in a road ditch, and then leave them there?

I’m out there busting the brush to get a couple and someone is just leaving them to rot! If someone is hunting but doesn’t want the birds, I wish they’d just drop them off at my home instead of leaving them in my road ditches. I’ll gladly put them in my freezer even if it means I’ll exceed my possession limit. Maybe I should put a sign at the end of my driveway that reads, “PHEASANT DROPOFF POINT.”

[reddog]

That is definitely wierd Bob. Ive got no idea.

[Dave S]

I've got an idea but this is not the place to discuss what I have in mind. Basically what I'm saying is I've seen this before. Have you called a CO?

[Muskie456]

lep,

What are you talking about? At least give us a hint.

Are the Birds shot?

What a weird deal.

[creepworm]

Do the heads look like they are cut off. It is unlikely but it could be a mink. Had one get in the chicken coop once and it was ugly. Once it killed one, it must have drug it to the corner and and only ate the head so there was a pile of headless birds. That being said, I don't know why you would only find males. I hope that is what it is because I would like to think that a human would not do that, especially up there in God's country.

[2000AlaskanDC]

Eagles do this.......seen any Bald eagles around?

[BobT]

Had a resident redtail hawk hanging around all summer but no eagles that I'm aware of. If it was a predator, then why only now and not all year long and why leave them in a road ditch?

LEP, what's on your mind?

Haven't had a chance to contact the local CO yet. Plan to do that this evening. Not much he'll be able to do but it will raise awareness and maybe he'll increase his presence in the area if nothing else.

[Friar_Tuck]

cats like to just eat the head of birds, seen it countless time. could be feral/farm cats...

[bogwalker]

BobT, These were all found in ditches? Is there a culvert close by?

[LightningBG]

trail cam

[pureinsanity]

trail cam

+1

Would be evidence for a CO, if it is in fact a person. It could get a lic plate as well.

[pureinsanity]

Crows will kill pigeons and heat just the head. but from what it sounds the head is chopped off.

[LightningBG]

I have to believe its some type of animal. It just doesn't make sense for a human to do this, for a couple reasons....

Who doesn't want the meat?

If you dont want the meat, why not just throw them in the garbage?

If you're going to discard them, why close to a house?

Why in a pile? Wouldn't you just chuck them?

Roosters might be easier for the predator to find/catch.

During pheasant season only? Random occurrence.

Lep's got us all on the fence wondering what he means....evil.

If its a cat, take it out.

[BobT]

BobT, These were all found in ditches? Is there a culvert close by?

Yes there is one. It would have been about 50 feet away when I found those three years ago.

[Dave S]

Every single one of them was beheaded and they were all piled in a group.

This is your first indication that this is not a predator. This is the work of a person. IMO only humans have the ability to descriminate/choose between roosters and hens.

The bottom line; this is a case of wanton waste.

[bogwalker]

So far it sounds like it could be your dog. Sorry, but she is the common factor in each incident. You only shoot roosters, she only retrieves roosters, she was involved in showing both you and your wife the dead roosters. Pheasant season is when you spend time with her and reward her for locating and retrieving roosters while passing up hens. If she is catching live roosters she would probably carry them and kill them by biting the head. Hope I am wrong.

[Cheetah]

When I was a kid we had an owl that would kill our ducks and chop off the heads and leave the body, sometimes the other way around, kinda strange. Game cam will probably help identify it, no sense jumping to conclusions without any proof.

[bogwalker]

Since these events have not happened twice in the same place and were several years apart, where would you set up the trail camera? Just curious.

[BobT]

Also, this is along a township gravel road ditch. About the only way I can think to do it would be to strap it to my mailbox post but that might be too far away to get any view plus, doesn't your intended target have to be pretty close to trigger the camera? Aside from that I don't own one of those cameras.

[NoWiser]

Have you skun these birds and checked for bb's? Seems to me that would be the easiest way to determine if they were shot or not.

[JayinMN]

It sounds like a fox to me. They will often stack their catches up in a pile and come back for them later. Since fox often hunt along road sides it wouldn't be to odd for one to stack them in the ditch. I think the fact that they are all roosters has just been a coincidence. If you think about it though, roosters are more likely to be wounded and shot at then hens. Certainly some are not found after they are downed whether they are dead or wounded. It may not be that odd after all for the the birds to be all roosters if people are hunting near by.

[BobT]

Honestly, I didn't give that a thought. Will consider it.

[pureinsanity]

I was at a game farm once where their dogs ate the heads of the birds instead of retrieving them... darn pointers!

[FishinFreaks]

I would definitely peel back the skin to see if the birds have been shot. I honestly can't think of a reason that a person would shoot birds, cut off the heads, and dispose of the carcasses. If they're disposing the carcasses, why take the time to cut the heads off?

[bogwalker]

I assumed this had already been done.

[Stringerless!]

I have racing pigeons and a coon got into the coop once and just ate heads. I can't recall any stacking up carcasses though.

[Jack Peterson]

if it's a fox, there typically are just random piles of feathers left over. pretty suspicious if you ask me.

[JayinMN]

Every time a fox has gotten my poultry, chickens and ducks, there have been very little feathers. I caught one in the act of killing my ducks a few years ago. He was stacking them on the edge of the yard in the tall grass and had a pile of nine ducks. No feathers scattered about. This spring another had started on my chickens and had three laid out in a row, side by side, under some pines. If it didn't stop to eat the forth one in the middle of my yard there would not have been any noticeable feathers.