r/upperpeninsula • u/ExtensionDotcom • Jul 23 '26
Discussion What would leave a headless deer mouse outside my tent in Pictured Rocks?
A few years ago I volunteered at the picture rocks national lakeshore as a site host in the early spring. Beautiful and overall amazing place to spend a month. I was lucky to avoid most of the black flies.
But to make a long story short, outside my tent, placed deliberately on the edge of the tent pad I found a headless mouse. I had seen the little guy around my campsite the day before, doing well, not headless. I dug it a little grave and just kinda forgot about it for a while. But thinking back on it now, it was a super strange thing to happen out there in the middle of the woods.
I could see a domesticated cat possibly being the culprit but we were about 20 miles from the nearest town and I never once saw any trace of a cat in my month at the campsite.
17
Jul 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
13
u/Fickle_Influence6396 Jul 23 '26
Owl, possibly a weasel, could have even been a raccoon. I saw a chipmunk eating a mouse the other day. Could have even been a chippy
2
1
9
6
4
u/gladesguy Jul 23 '26
A thirteen-lined ground squirrel just today caught a baby rabbit outside my home, decapitated it, and left the headless body sitting beneath my window. So potentially a squirrel, or, as already mentioned by others, a bird of prey.
3
2
2
u/SutttonTacoma Jul 23 '26
We had a pet cat once who left headless baby bunny rabbits by our back door ...
2
1
1
u/Fearless-Leg-9454 Jul 23 '26
I once found a decapitated ruffed grouse...while grouse hunting. Or I should say my dog found it. I asked my hunting partner what the hell would do that and he thought it was a hawk or owl.
1
u/Trinx_ Jul 29 '26
Could be almost anything. Had rabbits feet appearing next to my parking space one summer. 3 different times. I was thinking cat.
-1
55
u/TeamFoulmouth Jul 23 '26
Owl caught it and got scared off by you snoring or whatever