Elk bed blood?

[TWA]

I had my boys out for a hike this morning and we came across some heavy use elk beds with blood in them. Not a lot of blood, it was more of a spray with the odd drip. Even a few spots on the trails near the bed.

What is this?

[BlacktailStalker]

Yep late estrous cows. I saw the same thing 2 weekends ago as well as does that were in heat.

[TWA]

Yep late estrous cows. I saw the same thing 2 weekends ago as well as does that were in heat.

That makes sense. Thanks!

[moosecaller]

The gestation period for an elk is 250-255 days or around 8 1/2-9 months, I really think you should come up with another theory for the blood spots.
The gestation for deer is a bit less around 200-205 days so this would not add up either. If a deer or elk miss the first breeding window they will come in a second time but only about a month later. It is probably an injury from a stick or wire or something that you see the blood from, crusty snow can also rub the knees raw on game and they will bleed from this.
Come on a prey animal laying down a blood trail when they are in heat, they don't bleed when in estrous.

[Deadshot]

Ran into a guy one time & he had seen blood sprayed snow on game trails. This was from moose with bad tick problems. Just a theory.

[quadrakid]

females can abort as well,not all pregnancys go to term.

[mark]

Im gonna say its either ticks, or recently shed antlers. Ticks will cause alot of bleeding!!! I see the same with moose and deer around here.

[dana]

I'd say you've got yourself some fresh tine to find. While elk can hold onto their antlers well into April, most shed out in early March. On other boards I see some Yanks are already pickin up elk tine this year, so get out there and find the browns.

[moosecaller]

females can abort as well,not all pregnancys go to term.

When an animal aborts they usually re-absorb the fetus back into their system rarely does it come out the birth canal as an aborted fetus, you may find this in the spring as a still born but it is a fully formed offspring and has died inuteral, but not during the gestation period as an expulsion of a fetus.

[TWA]

Well like I said, it was mostly in a mist. I first thought of a respiratory expulsion. The other thing is that it was not in one spot in the bed. If it was a cow, I would guess it would be concentrated at her rear end of the bedding.


I hope it is a shed. I will try and head up there soon and take a picture of the blood pattern.

[elkdom]

about "tics', while elk may be sharing range with moose, and some moose may become infested with "tics" and many moose fall in some areas from "tic" infestation and later die, on the other hand Elk are "Groomers" and have little or no trouble with the "tics" :smile:

[BlacktailStalker]

Tics arent a probem here and they elk hold their antlers til late March and into April...
Also the tracks I saw were cow elk and does...

[whitetailsheds]

I've seen several deer shed within minutes of dropping (one was in the blink of an eye) and never been a spray. Always drops (some small, some running) and runs off the side of the face. I thought all arteries/viens would be well cut off/ dried up in the pedicle as they progress toward shedding, right from from antler development does not require velvet. I could see if skin is torn, or if it was quite a deep base coming out and leaving a deep crater in the skull opening something else up. Who knows?

[mark]

heres a little fresh blood I found with a lil dinky shed, most of the bases of fresh sheds had blood on them this year. The blood kinda resembled a nose bleed and didnt go far. Blood Ive seen from ticks is not as bright red, but a bit more pink or yellowy, kind of infectious looking blood!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/../photos/data/500/medium/IMGA0216.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/../photos/showphoto.php?photo=12939&size=big&cat=500&ppuser=501)

[ianwuzhere]

gonna have to bring the camera next time so we can get csi on the blood...im guessin injury/ticks or antler shed. sometimes if have lots of ticks ive seen it where the moose shakes and then there is a shower of blood all of the snow..

[6 K]

I have seen the sort of spray blood you are describing along fence lines. Caused me some concern till I started finding hair in the barbs of the wire and hearing the "tings" as the elk jumped the fence. Could this be the cause of what you are seeing?

[TWA]

I have seen the sort of spray blood you are describing along fence lines. Caused me some concern till I started finding hair in the barbs of the wire and hearing the "tings" as the elk jumped the fence. Could this be the cause of what you are seeing?

The blood is definitely red / burgundy colour. There are no fences around. The blood seems to be concentrated around the bed and then gets less farther out from it. After about 10-15 feet on trails leading from the bed, it is not noticeable. We just had a fresh 1/2 inch snow this morning. I hope to get up there today to see if it is still ongoing.

[TWA]

Saw this this morning. About every 15 or 20 feet there would be another drop.