Predators To The Stag Beetle The main predators to stag beetles are magpies, they leave the beetle in a characteristic way ,just head, thorax and wing cases, with some or all of the legs. The beetles can survive like this for up to several days. Many people find beetles like this and are very distressed about it and curious to know why it has happened. Other predators include, foxes, (they eat them whole and bits are found in the pellets) other birds, bats , hedgehogs and cats - which tend to puncture the beetle then lose interest rather than kill them. Then of course there's man - not a predator but he kills many every year by destroying the habitat, running the beetles over, and perhaps the worst of all - deliberately stamping on them!