An unexpected suprise

[Korvi]

I went to check my long fence line with 5 trap pits on a narrow strip of land between two lakes today. I didn't have anything in my traps but out of the corner of my eye I saw a dead elk about 10 paces away.

It was partially eaten but gave me a fine skin and 208 cuts of meat.

How did it die I wonder? Bear? Wolf? Njerpez? Old age?

I don't know but I do know I love this game.

Thank you Sami!

[PALU]

Have you checked your traps carefully?
I've had a case there I found a dead, rotten elk two tiles from my bear trap, and upon closer examination the bear trap was triggered but still standing (i.e. not collapsed). If that's happened to you, Sami would like to have a look at your save, because triggered tracks are supposed to collapse.

Apart from that, the only reason I know of of dead large animals is that they drown when the ice is too think. I occasionally find dead elks and reindeer on the ice beside a number of holes in the ice (and I've also used that as a hunting tactic). Smaller animals can also die that way.
It's not uncommon to have birds of prey take down birds, squirrels, and hares (and my characters have occasionally stolen their prey). Foxes, gluttons, etc. have been seen to kill and take small prey from traps, leaving only feathers behind (in the case of birds: nothing but an empty triggered trap is left when they took a hare or squirrel).
Hm, I think I once stole the kill of a wolf, although I don't remember what kind of prey it was.

[Korvi]

They were all non-spike pit traps and the tracks don't even seem to go to them. I think the Elk died of frustration trying to get around my fence

[Birdana]

i had something similar happen. a forest reindeer doe had fallen into my pit trap- i set it free because i didnt need it but it had a bruise on its hip. a couple of days later i found a dead forest reindeer- completely fresh and intact- no tracks around it to indicate how it died. i dont know if it was the same one or if they can die from minor injuries? it was weird. i skinned and butchered it of course, cant let it go to waste