Deer Killed In New York State Driveway; Can You Identify the Predator?
You don't have to live deep in the woods of New York State to have a variety of animals roaming around your yard. I live on a pretty busy road in a typical suburban neighborhood and I have seen deer, fox, possum and even coyote in my yard. Still hoping for a moose.
It's always a nice surprise when you spot one of these guys passing through but most days you don't give it much thought. You certainly don't think that one of these animals is killing another one in your driveway, but that is exactly what happened recently in Essex County. Can you identify this predator?
Can you imagine waking up, going outside to leave for work and there is a dead deer in your driveway? It sounds like a scene out of the Godfather movies but this actually happened last week in the Adirondacks. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reported to the scene to see if they could determine the suspect.
Many criminals return to the scene of the crime so DEC officials set up a trail cam to see if they would be able to see who or what committed this act. Before watching the video, any guesses as to who the predator was? Here's a picture.
Historically the primary predator of the deer population and main causes of death;
- Wolves
- Mountain lions
- Bears
- Bobcats
- Coyotes
- Humans
- Automobile
We can eliminate automobile, human and bear immediately. That leaves wolves, mountain lions and bobcats. Take a look at the video.
The DEC officials confirm that this was a bobcat. Check out the DEC Facebook page for more great wildlife information.