Mysterious predator attack on fawns

We live in Northwest Illinois and last year we lost fawns due to something biting them. The puzzling part is that there was always only 2 bite holes approximatley 1/2 inch apart. Yesterday I found a dead buck fawn, and there were the mysterious bite wounds again, three of them - one in front of and low on the shoulder, one on its belly and one high on the inside of the back legs. The holes are similar in size to the clicker on a pen. We feel it must be something with one top tooth and one bottom tooth, like a rat, squirrel, or gopher. All three of these are present in our pens. We feel the rat is the most likely culprit, but we want to hear your opinion. Please respond with thoughts or suggestions

Thanks,

Mark

Thanks for your response Dennis. No it is not a snake. Although we have rattlers near our area they are not in our immediate area. Besides, the holes are too big. I do not believe it would be a squirrel either, although because I'm strong in the belief that it is a critter of some kind with a mouth built to leave two holes from their bite, so I've ruled nothing like that out yet. Squirrels, gophers and rats is what I have seen in the pen before. I believe the rat is the likely candidate, but I'm not seeing the fresh dens in the pens that normally have accompanied the presence of rats in the past. Today I ordered $150 worth of rat traps, (live & killer) and 2 different kinds of rat poisons to place in rat bait stations.

Whatever it is they do not hold & kill the fawn right away. The fawn will die of it's wounds. The buck fawn I found the other day had been dead for at least 2 days and nothing came back to eat on it, which makes me think it could be an aggresive attack or territorial attack and not an attack for a meal, although I wouldn't rule out a meal attack either, the critter may not find them after they die. Someone today mentioned turkey vultures, a bite with their beak maybe?! I'm still leaning real hard towards an aggresive rat. The war is on, rats and gophers - trapped, poisoned & shot on sight. But ya know, I'm always going to wonder until I know for sure.

Mark

I would say not Cameron. Last year these bites were on live fawns. We would treat the bites only to find the fawn dead later, like days later. Thanks for your response.

Because of the top and bottom 2 canines of the red fox and the mink which would leave 4 holes or multiple holes from their bite and not just 2 holes, always 2 holes, I think we can rule them out. Thanks Curtis.

Neeby, these fawns are always very young. One to three days old. And this is a time when they are instinctively not getting up and running from possible danger. The last fawn found dead was born on the 26th, tagged on the 27th, and found dead on the 30th after being dead for at least a day.

So because this happens to only the very new borns when their instinct is to lay still, one can't say "no rat gonna do this less bitten after" cause anything can have its way with the very new born, possibly including the turkey vulture. The turkey vultures could think the fawn is something dead by the fawn's stillness. Do I think it is a turkey vulture? No I don't, but I'm trying to keep an open mind on all possibilities with the ability to inflick just 2 holes form their bite.

Weasel? Thanks Wooden acres. I am not familiar with their bite, I would think it would have 4 holes, but it seems to be in my memory that the old chicken farmers talked about the mark of the weasel in the chicken house was 2 holes in the dead chicken's neck. I could be way off here. Anybody got and info or thoughts on weasels? Our area has been known years ago (30 years) to have weasels and even then they were very scarce.

I am still leaning very hard towards the rat, (90%) but doing my best to keep an open mind. Thanks for all your responses and my ears are still open.

I have consulted my vet but you know as well as I do that deer farmers know more about deer than vets, as least in many instances. I believe Lisa that they are dying from the trauma from the bites because no other fawns are dying unless they have these bites. And again, we came upon fawns with these bites last year that were very much alive that we thought were going to live, but they didn't

Many people have recommended cats, Hillbilly. The neighbors have cats around our pens and the draw back on cats is they kill the doves and rabbits around the pen as well as their presence can upset the deer. Of course these draw backs would be worth the trade off if it saved one fawn.

I just received in the mail yesterday a number of weapons to battle rats: poison bait stations designed to keep the posion from anything but what crawls in them, killer rat traps, and live rat traps. I am going to stay away from the poison at this time because I want to see what I am catching and/or killing. These traps are getting set today. We have 11 fawns to tag today and we will be searching for bite marks. Thanks to all for taking the time to help me with suggestions. I will keep everyone apprised of any determinations.

Sandridge Whitetails

Mark and Marsha