http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_w7000_0232.pdf

Watch out for the black ones...

It is rare for lions to kill 300+ pound calves when there are lots of deer and hogs in an area. You are correct that the coyotes are no doubt moving in and cleaning up the carcasses and will until all is gone. Mountain lions don't eat carrion. Bear are much worse about killing livestock, especially cattle than lions. Are you sure these cattle were killed by a predator or other illness?
I will also say that if a dog man comes in with TRAINED and BROKE hounds, they will not bother your deer. Deer are smart enough to know when they are pursued and dogs that are trailing across the country won't bother them. I have seen deer lying with a 100 yards of where my dogs were treed as they knew that the dogs offered no threat.
Adios,
Gary

I have a friend with a ranch in Aspermont, he lost 2 300+lb calves in the last 2 weeks to a big cat. I'm thinking maybe more than one cat. He also saw over 10 coyotes this wkend, killing 2. We always new there were big cats in that area and swore on more than one occasion that we heard something at nite outside the tents, now we know for sure. The coyotes are there to clean up the carcass but he now has a true predator problem. Who else has definitive proof of cats and where?

It is rare for lions to kill 300+ pound calves when there are lots of deer and hogs in an area. You are correct that the coyotes are no doubt moving in and cleaning up the carcasses and will until all is gone. Mountain lions don't eat carrion.

They are all over in Texas.
We hunt a friend's ranch South of Breckenridge, Tx. A mountain lion killed 8 calves between his ranch and the neighbor's ranch (1500 acres combined) over 2 months. We found paw prints around one of the tanks that is next to the fence line of the 2 properties. I'm guessing it killed that much because it had cubs, but we never saw any paw prints from the cubs.
Another friend has a place North of Bend. Two guys have said they've seen a mountain lion on the ranch. A good size male was killed near Bend and pics posted on here.
A couple of friends live North of Weatherford. One guy saw one crossing the road in his headlights within a mile of his house. He stopped the truck so that he didn't run it over. It could've cared less about the truck coming at it. The farmer near there said it's out in his hay field sometimes and has cubs. He doesn't have livestock and it doesn't attack people so he leaves it alone. Last year, 5 miles South of that sighting, a mountain lion did attack a friend's horse. Claw marks down the rear quarters and paw prints along the creek. At the same time, reports of seeing it and missing pets were all around his place.