I think the method of poisoning has escaped a few people. The carcass itself is clean.
The way the baits are set up is an animal is set up in the center of the proposed bait area. Then in a circle around the bait, 2 chunks of meat with strychnine in them, are buried beneath snow mounds and are suppose to be under at least 2 feet of snow. This prevents the majority of animals from getting to the poisoned bait unless they can dig through the snow.
Baiting is run in January and February to minimize mortality among non-target species. Baits are distributed and collected and each site is also signed just in case someone finds it. Generally unintended mortality will occur in any project, but this minimizes it. And you have to remember, most of the biologists are scientists, so they won't hide mortality rates. Lots of these guys use the data to publish peer reviewed studies. And saying that the animals die and are never found is likely a very low percentage, as strychnine is very quick acting.
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