The trail cam photos shown here appeared recently on Stealth Cam’s Facebook page; photo credit is given to @whitetaildean.

Here’s the Facebook text that accompanied the images:

As tough as they come! Really neat captures on the Stealth Cam trail camera of a locked buck whose opponent died and has been eaten by coyotes, all while the remaining alive locked buck goes about his daily business. The Stealth Cam first caught him on Christmas Eve, and as you can see, since then he has been heading to and from feed just like any other day on multiple trails. The coyotes do seem to be following him closer every day though, and in the one photo you can even see where they have been ripping at his hind. Even though his survival is not looking great, what tough and Incredibly resilient animals.

Be sure to look closely at the time/date stamps on these pics. The buck has made it to 2021, but the coyotes don't seem to be leaving him alone. We can only hope this buck sheds his antlers — and his opponent’s head! — soon because it would greatly increase his chance of survival against predators and challenging winter conditions.