# Wolves feeding on road kill !!



## Gilda (Oct 26, 2008)

We went for a walk at our nearby nature preserve and they happened to be feeding the wolves a deer that had been killed by a car. I thought it would be a lot of growling & fighting ,but no, they let the younger ones do the hard work of getting the carcass "open" ! Then the older ones come into feed...very orderly , it was quite amazing. This preserve has 8 wolves(none wild caught) .5 males and 3 females.


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## Kevin (Oct 26, 2008)

Wow! You're lucky to get that close! Looks like there is a fence between you and the wolves? It looks like they dragged the deer away from the road, too! Cool.


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## gmdiaz (Oct 26, 2008)

Gilda, thanks so much for sharing your photos. . .I want to go on walks with YOU!

We live in an area with lots and lots of deer. . .road kill is inevitable with so many people driving about, especially in the early morning and late evening hours. . .

so I am so glad to see the wolves get to eat the road kill! I hate to see waste and I know that made them happy. LOL

The wolves are just beautiful. . .so cool, that you got to see their feeding behavior with your own eyes. Interesting how orderly it was!


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## Gilda (Oct 26, 2008)

Kevin said:


> Wow! You're lucky to get that close! Looks like there is a fence between you and the wolves? It looks like they dragged the deer away from the road, too! Cool.



They have a raised platform walkway next to the wolves habitat. My hubby helped the Park Ranger(a friend that also grows orchids !) pull the carcass up the platform and toss it over the edge. Yes, there is a high fence with electric top & bottom.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Oct 26, 2008)

It looks very natural, like you are up in a tree catching the action. Too bad they don't run free in the eastern states anymore. Maybe one day...


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Oct 26, 2008)

Geez....on eastern LI, and road kill deer with a rack will have its head sawed off within hours. Just love it when my son and I drive to the Sound for some fishing and see some guy sitting by the road taking off a dead deer's head....so classy! Glad you have those wolves! take care, Eric


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## Hien (Oct 27, 2008)

Years ago, when the vietnamese americans just came out from the refugee camps, they thought that it is very strange & wastefull that one is not allowed to take the road killed deers for meat.


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## NYEric (Oct 27, 2008)

It might be better for you than what's in some of the processed food in the supermarkets!


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## Candace (Oct 27, 2008)

My father hit and killed a deer when I was a child, in MA. The first thing he thought of, was arranging to get someone with an operational vehicle to get the deer for the meat. The cops and wildlife person arrived and wouldn't let him take it. Said it had to go somewhere for testing and they carted it away...yeah right. Bet it wound up in someone's belly. 

Very cool photos. Thanks for sharing.


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## Gilda (Oct 27, 2008)

We are allowed to keep a deer hit by a car...we just have to notify the TN Game & Wildlife people.
TDOT also brings this Park deer carcasses. This one was brought in by someone that saw it by the road not far from the Park.
With this economy, road kill might be on a lot of menus !!


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## Hien (Oct 27, 2008)

Eric, Candace & Gilda,

In Vietnam, it is a really special treat to get some deer Jerky brought back by friends or relatives who happen to travel to the highland & purchase them from the highlander minorities. They marinate them just right.
The meat is thinly sheet, has a translucent red color (no artificial color , flavor or preservative here) Before eating them, you would heat it on an open fire to turn it opaque, then use a pestal on it to break the fibers a little bit.
No kind of meat jerky any where on earth that is better than these, believe me, I have tasted a lot of different types of jerky.


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## Gilda (Oct 27, 2008)

Hien said:


> Eric, Candace & Gilda,
> 
> In Vietnam, it is a really special treat to get some deer Jerky brought back by friends or relatives who happen to travel to the highland & purchase them .



We have made deer jerky, but always use a marinade before drying it...usually teriyaki


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## SlipperFan (Oct 27, 2008)

Gorgeous wolves. It's good that they have a chance at road kill. Around here, if the person who hits the deer doesn't claim it, the crows do.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Oct 27, 2008)

In NY, you can keep road kill deer if you notify the police first. The meat is still not enough to compensate for the damage to the car. Fortunately, this is not something I know from experience....But...venison has to be about the best red meat I have ever tasted! Take care, Eric


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## cnycharles (Oct 27, 2008)

Eric Muehlbauer said:


> In NY, you can keep road kill deer if you notify the police first. The meat is still not enough to compensate for the damage to the car. Fortunately, this is not something I know from experience....But...venison has to be about the best red meat I have ever tasted! Take care, Eric



 I really like venison and small steaks/fried eggs, but nothing can surpass a nice rare porterhouse steak with garlic salt! (except prime rib and a few other things)


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## Hien (Oct 27, 2008)

Gilda said:


> We have made deer jerky, but always use a marinade before drying it...usually teriyaki


 Gilda, I believe that if you add sugar, sesame seed & lemon grass to the marinade next time, it will come out quite close to vietnamese deer jerky. I remember the sweet taste, flecks of sesame & lemon grass.


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## paphjoint (Oct 28, 2008)

I drive through a big forrest southeast of PAris every day -- I see both deers and boars and every now and then it causes accidents with severe damage to the car and the animal of course


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## goldenrose (Oct 28, 2008)

SlipperFan said:


> Gorgeous wolves. It's good that they have a chance at road kill. Around here, if the person who hits the deer doesn't claim it, the crows do.


Definitely well fed wolves, their coats are beautiful! 
I had to chuckle at your claiming comment, reminds me of a time my husband came across a recently hit deer (it was still steaming), he somehow, by himself, tossed it in the backseat of the car. By the time he got home he couldn't get it out, had to call for backups!


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## biothanasis (Oct 28, 2008)

FAntastic pic!!!!! Thank you for sharing!! The wolves seem a bit scared judging from their tails...!!!


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## Gilda (Oct 28, 2008)

biothanasis said:


> FAntastic pic!!!!! Thank you for sharing!! The wolves seem a bit scared judging from their tails...!!!



In wolf society, the only wolves that hold their tail up(straight out) are the Alpha wolves(the breeding pair). The others keep their tail lowered as a sign of submission. They are not scared, they just know where their place is on the totem pole.


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## SlipperFan (Oct 28, 2008)

Gilda said:


> In wolf society, the only wolves that hold their tail up(straight out) are the Alpha wolves(the breeding pair). The others keep their tail lowered as a sign of submission. They are not scared, they just know where their place is on the totem pole.


That's pretty much true of canines.


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## goldenrose (Oct 29, 2008)

OK dog lovers/owners - time to observe your dogs! What's the tail position of your dogs when they eat? The wolves pictured, to me , look relaxed. That certainly would be part of knowing where they stand in the pack order.
Our canines are descendants of the wolf, there are some traits that will never disappear no matter how long they're domesticated. Wolves are classified as canis lupus, domestic dogs have been classified as canis lupus familiaris, which makes them a subspecies.


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## NYEric (Oct 29, 2008)

That's what I keep saying about us men, we can't get away from our ancestors!


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