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Fresh Dead Hen. Hawk/Owl kill?
- Thread starter icemanesteele
- Start date
blong
Senior Member
Get her wings
ryanh487
Senior Member
Yeah that's an owl or hawk kill. There's a reason turkey's don't like 'em.
turkeykirk
Senior Member
Someone told me one time that an owl will eat the head off first.
icemanesteele
Member
I left them alone. If I can't kill it, I won't take it. Better safe than sorry.
herb mcclure
Senior Member
Fresh dead hen
Yes I too can confirm this as an owl/ hawk kill; WILD TURKEYS have lived on my home-place for over 20 years, and I personally have witness this very happening.
Hawks are turkeys number one enemy; from right after hatching to adult-hood. I even had a hawk attach a hen decoy and pull her stake over with the back-flapping of the wings; with both claw's around the throat trying to kill the decoy; this was in deep mountain woods and not an open field, which I never hunt.
The young poults were taken almost every day from my home place. Thats what happens when a hen lives in a certain place every day. How many of your hens, where you hunt raise their poults in your open fields and food plots.
Wonder why the pout-count to a hen ray-show is now down, so much; since hawks and owls are protected now. In my growing-up days my grandma; took her own shotgun to theme's hawks; so she could have a chicken to put on the dinner-table sometimes.
Our book-learn biologist; don't buy into this; but they have never spent 60 years studding wild turkeys; year around; like I have either.
herb mcclure
Yes I too can confirm this as an owl/ hawk kill; WILD TURKEYS have lived on my home-place for over 20 years, and I personally have witness this very happening.
Hawks are turkeys number one enemy; from right after hatching to adult-hood. I even had a hawk attach a hen decoy and pull her stake over with the back-flapping of the wings; with both claw's around the throat trying to kill the decoy; this was in deep mountain woods and not an open field, which I never hunt.
The young poults were taken almost every day from my home place. Thats what happens when a hen lives in a certain place every day. How many of your hens, where you hunt raise their poults in your open fields and food plots.
Wonder why the pout-count to a hen ray-show is now down, so much; since hawks and owls are protected now. In my growing-up days my grandma; took her own shotgun to theme's hawks; so she could have a chicken to put on the dinner-table sometimes.
Our book-learn biologist; don't buy into this; but they have never spent 60 years studding wild turkeys; year around; like I have either.
herb mcclure
GLS
Classic Southern Gentleman
Mr. McClure, book learned biologists may understand more than you give them credit.
http://onlineathens.com/sports/outd...ing-answers-declining-wild-turkey-populations
Gut_Pile
Senior Member
Get the wings!!!
sman
Senior Member
Probably some tss shot from me patterning my gun the other day. Sorry that stuff goes a ways.
ripplerider
Senior Member
Was deer hunting in Franklin co. a few hrs. ago. Right before dark a flock of turkeys came walking in and flew up to roost all around me. Second time thats happened in that particular place. This time though they were followed by a big red-tailed hawk which lit in a tree close by. Turkeys didnt like that too much, they started shuffling position, flying from limb to limb tree to tree. The hawk changed position several times also. I thought I was going to see an epic battle but the hawk never made a move. I wanted to see if the other turkeys would pitch in and help if he attacked one but he never did. Would a flock come to an individuals rescue if it was attacked in the midst of them? Made for an interesting 30 minutes or so, sat there till full dark to keep from running them off. They didn't react when I finally stood up and left.
Thunder Head
Gone but not forgotten
It seems strange to me that a Hawk would eat the head first. The two times iv watched them eat other birds they ate the breast first.
The owl, I have no idea.
My dogs, they always eat the head first.
The owl, I have no idea.
My dogs, they always eat the head first.
j_seph
Senior Member
Not sure I would want to be carrying around a set of wings from a hen, critter killed or not. Seems it might hold the same offense as picking up a dead hawk from the road
ryanwhit
Senior Member
ryanh487
Senior Member
That's odd, seems like your dogs are killing for play/fun and just chewing. A coyote or bobcat that's killing for food will go for the guts or biggest hunk of meat first.
Slings and Arrows
Senior Member
Stick it on an ant hill and pick up the wing bones in bout 10 days.
Dinosaur
Senior Member
Ok, say the studies that several states are doing right now determine raptors are the main reason behind the turkey decline. What do you do? Are their numbers in need of control just like other predators. Would the government allow them to be killed to help the turkey numbers? Would be interesting to see how they would handle it. For the record though this is just for discussion purposes. I think this is just one piece of the turkey decline puzzle, not the main reason.
ryanwhit
Senior Member
The answer to that question is no. The position of the "government" would be that land managers, whoever that may be, should provide suitable protective habitat to limit the amount of take by raptors if turkeys are a priority.
big lazer
Senior Member
I would say she was to close to a gobbler when he was shot and took some shot too, left and died later.
Luke0927
Senior Member
Yeah I could see it have taken some extra shot and died that way then ate on...I don't think hawks and owls are that big of a threat on full grown turkeys.
On side note for rabbits/quail/poults my feelings wouldn't be hurt if some hawks were thinned out. *if legal*
When I had pigeons for my bird dog training coopers hawks were deadly on them. I've got around 20 free range grown chickens and its been a long time since I've had a raptor take a full grown one.
On side note for rabbits/quail/poults my feelings wouldn't be hurt if some hawks were thinned out. *if legal*
When I had pigeons for my bird dog training coopers hawks were deadly on them. I've got around 20 free range grown chickens and its been a long time since I've had a raptor take a full grown one.
