Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Head scratcher

I have two live traps near my one deer feeder, trying to keep the coons and possums down to a reasonable level. Yesterday when I checked them, one had a young grey squirrel in it. The trap had been moved 4-5 feet and was on its side, from a coyote or dog. When I released the Squirrel, there was a Squirrel head in the trap, hideless and no neck, just the head that still had the eyeballs. There was no pieces of hide nor hair anywhere around there, just that head and a live squirrel. Only thing that I can think of is that the squirrel stole it from something else and carried it into the trap. What do Y'all think? miles

Could something have chewed the dead squirrel through the trap and tore away everything except the head?

Don't see how. Small mesh wire, and absolutely no hair nor hide in the area. miles

Miles, I trapped a squirrel and a cardinal in a live trap once. Before I could open it, the squirrel killed the cardinal. Attacked it, pounced on it, bit it and was still biting when I released it.

I think yours was an outside predator though. Somehow.

I think the squirrel must have carried it in there with him, but absolutely no hide and the eyeballs still intact are strange. If he has stolen it from a hunter, most of them that I know either keep the head or cut it off at the neck with the hide still on the head. Stealing from a wild animal should have left some hide present, or at least that is how I am looking at it. miles

Maybe owl or hawk leftovers, carried into the trap?

My guess would be that the squirrel in the trap set off the trigger just as the second one was entering the trap. The trap door came down on the second one's neck, leaving the head inside the trap and the body outside. Then a dog or coyote came along and took off the body. But I wonder if the hide would pull off of the head when the body was pulled from the neck.

I'm guessing the live squirrel ate the dead squirrel.

I think LouisB is right. I've caught red squirrels in marten sets and had other squirrels eat the caught one. I've read that squirrels are one of the most common predators of leverets (baby hares) and birds.

Sounds like owl work carried around by another squirrel....strange indeed.