What a cool moment.
A hunter in what I believe to be Canada had been seeing a droptine mule deer on his trail cam and was then able to get some hunting footage of the same deer when something incredible played itself out right in front of him.
Droptine is a condition where one or more of a buck’s antlers begin to grown downward instead of up, a rare occurrence that makes them a much sought after prize in the community.
This was a large mule deer with a rack to match. The video begins with a photo of the deer on trail cam, then jumps to the video shot by the hunter himself.
The deer is trekking through a snowy field by a barbed wire fence when he begins the process of shedding his antlers. He first shakes his left side by jumping up and stomping the ground. He then takes off and forces the hunter to catch up to witness him shaking the right side.
Obviously, all bucks shed their antlers every year, but getting to see a massive mule deer with droptine do it in a snow covered Canadian field?
It’s almost romantic.
Shop the Riff Outdoors Collection from Whiskey Riff Shop
Bald Eagle And Coyote Go Head To Head Over Deer Carcass
Talk about a heavyweight matchup between two of the most skilled scavengers in the entire animal kingdom…
A bald eagle squares off with a coyote for for what’s left of a deer carcass.
Two animals with a taste for deer meat, two animals who seize the opportunity to feast on fallen remains, but two animals that could not have more different reputations. The eagle being revered as an emblem for American patriotism… regal, elegant.
The coyote coyote on the other hand… a pest.
Although in the wild… nobody cares about reputations… it’s fight for your food or starve. And sometimes, it’s kill or be killed.
While the coyote has the size advantage in terms of weight, the eagles massive wingspan makes the canine look small by comparison.
Coyotes typically weigh 15-40 pounds and measure 3.5 to 4.5 feet long from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail. By comparison, full grown bald eagles typically weigh 9-12 pounds on average, but their wingspans typically measure up to 6 or 7 feet long.
The video was taken in the Swan Valley of Montana, just north of Missoula, Montana.
The footage begins with the coyote patrolling the area hard, nose to the ground looking for this treasure trove of deer meat. However, he’s got some competition as the eagle lands in area as well after spotting the meat from the skies.
Just as the eagle begins feasting, here comes the coyote.
The eagle runs the coyote away from the meat a few times, but in its third attempt, the coyote finally is able to sneak a bite of the carcass. However, the eagle doesn’t back down and continues to attack the coyote, urging it to flee so it can continue to dine in peace.
The two animals continue to spar back and forth in this chess match, and at one point, a sneaky crow even tries to get in on the action.
Ultimately, the eagle ends up disappearing with a healthy piece of meat in its mouth while the coyote presumably was able to chow down on the rest.
It’s a draw…. where both players emerge victorious.
Bald Eagle Flying Away With Minnesota House Cat In Shocking Video
Watch your pets people…
These airborne predators do not discriminate between animal species, domesticated or wild. All they care about is their next meal.
Sadly, our beloved pets, whether it be small dogs or cats, are generally insanely easy targets for them. The same way one of these flying dinosaurs will swoop down on a rabbits, prairie dogs, and even fish, eagles think nothing of digging their talons into Fluffy, the 2-pound rodent you keep in your purse (sorry, that’s not a dog).
There are many stories of this out there, whether its an owl getting a dog, finding leashes in a nest or in this case an eagle flying with a cat. Hell, in some parts of the world, golden eagles have been known to take a run at small children.
It happens… small pets just look tasty to them. That’s why you should be on guard when in an area with known predators. They are sneaky, they are fast, and by the time you see them, it’s too late.
This video shows how easy they can manhandle a common housecat.
A women is driving filming an eagle sitting in a park.
You know something is off about the situation because an eagle never just sits in a park like its relaxing. There has to be something else going on…
That something else is quickly revealed when the eagle starts flying away. As it takes off a house cat that was in a ball takes shape again so you can tell what the eagle is having for lunch.
It near ripped it into two pieces.
And at first glance you see the eagle, but you don’t really get a feel for its massive size until it flies away, flexing that massive wingspan.
I hate to say it, but I can’t help but feel like it’s a little bit of karma. Outdoor house cats are the biggest killer of song birds in North America and this ones time comes to an end from another bird… seems slightly fitting.
The video comes to us from a fella up in Two Harbors, Minnesota:
“My dog, Keisha and I were driving around taking pictures of wildlife when I saw this Eagle sitting on the ground. He was arguing with two black birds. I decided to take a picture of him. This would be the first picture of an Eagle that I take.
As I started driving closer to him he wasn’t moving. So I decided to take a video of him. I thought him taking off in flight would make a great video. I was shocked. Did not see that coming.
My dog and I just sat there like, what did we just see?”
