Daryl Kirby article on turkeys this month.. turkeys #1 enemy will shock you

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

Seen a nice owl flight twenty yards in front off me at eye level just two days ago up on the porch. We hear the 3 every night. Maybe more but doing well here for several years at least.

 

[across the river]

It would be nice if the State quit protecting all those predator birds. Don't protect yotes. Red hawk and an owl ain't no better than a blooming yote.

The state doesn't have a say.

https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/migratory-bird-treaty-act-protected-species.php

 

[Ruger#3]

I have no data to back it, but I think mature red tailed hawks are bad news for turkeys of all ages, especially juveniles. One thing we have now that we didn’t have 20 years ago are healthy raptor populations. I remember when I was a kid it was a treat to see a hawk on a multi hour road trip, now I can barely take a 5 minute car ride without seeing one.

I carry a brass hawk call more like a whistle. Turkeys will sounded off to it, makes me think they pay attention to hawks.

 

[Ray357]

The state doesn't have a say.

https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/migratory-bird-treaty-act-protected-species.php

Yeah they do. State can prohibit it's officers from enforcing certain Federal laws.

 

[chrislibby88]

Managing a private property for timber and hunting. Had no problem improving the deer herd. But turkeys were a different ball game. Red tail hawks would catch and eat poults up to the size of a large chicken. Not a guess, I've seen them, and found the remains below a power pole in the middle of a twenty acre plot. Owls will take more than most will ever imagine. I watched a barred owl kill and fly off with a half grown coon in a cypress head. Also watched a coopers hawk attempt to take turkey poults. But the hen met the hawk mid air and chased it off. While that was going on, a second hen puffed up to look large and covered the poults until the other hen came flying back.

Daaang.

 

[across the river]

Yeah they do. State can prohibit it's officers from enforcing certain Federal laws.

If it is that easy, heck let’s extend duck season into February and make dove season last from Labor Day until the end of January so everyone is happy. Man you’ve got it all figured out. While we are at it, we don’t need duck stamps either, you know since that is federal money they use to fund NWRs and send to states that they would with hold. Then there is the whole Federal game warden, which if you have duck hunted in Arkansas for any length of time, you know actually exist.

 

[Son]

Back in the 80's, Auburn U came and ask that I do study ducks for them. They would supply the ducks. As a taxidermist, had to get a permit from Atlanta and a regulation book. After doing a few, then discussing with a Fed warden, I sent everything back to Atlanta and told Auburn they would have to get someone else to do their ducks. The regulations are unbelievable or were back then. Plus they could knock on your door 24/7 to come in and check everything out. Not that most would, but there's always that one. I just didn't want the headache. This thread reminds me of a duck hunting joke. But I wont tell it.

 

[Ray357]

If it is that easy, heck let’s extend duck season into February and make dove season last from Labor Day until the end of January so everyone is happy. Man you’ve got it all figured out. While we are at it, we don’t need duck stamps either, you know since that is federal money they use to fund NWRs and send to states that they would with hold. Then there is the whole Federal game warden, which if you have duck hunted in Arkansas for any length of time, you know actually exist.

Ain't seen no federal rabbit sheriff round here. Money, money, money. Everybody is a servant of money. I don't do it, but my granddaddy shot every owl or hawk he saw. I have never shot one, but makes my heart happy when someone else does. You could have some free range chickens back then. Now you got hawks like buzzards picking off the flock. Tell all the states that legalized Marijuana that you have to do what Fed Govt says.
Predators should be managed, not universally protected.

 

[The Original Rooster]

The game biologists brought the turkey back despite owls and hawks so we can continue to adapt to keep the turkey flock growing. If that means adjusting the season and bag limits, so be it.
Owls and hawks do a lot of good too so I'm willing to accept the bad with the good.

 

[Mattval]

Can someone point me in the direction of this Daryl Kirby article please?

Thanks

 

[Ray357]

The game biologists brought the turkey back despite owls and hawks so we can continue to adapt to keep the turkey flock growing. If that means adjusting the season and bag limits, so be it.
Owls and hawks do a lot of good too so I'm willing to accept the bad with the good.

In their proper balance, they do a lot of good. The hawks in particular have far exceeded their beneficial number.

 

[Turkeytider]

A great horned owl is a flying tiger

Like a wolf with wings. Another of many interesting things that Dr. Chamberlain has discussed is their research on coyotes and their relationship to turkeys. While a coyote will certainly take a turkey, based on scat analysis, turkeys are in no way a major part of a coyote’s diet. Not nearly the threat to adult turkeys as the bobcat and especially the great horned owl.

 

[turk2di]

A great horned owl is a flying tiger

I have heard also that the owl will walk a gobbler off the limb at night and grab him on way down.... I suppose its highly possible... bobcats also are very rough on turkeys?

 

[herb mcclure]

Have a question? My association with hawks and owls has always been negative experiences, going back to my childhood, when hawks caught grandma's chickens in the yards. Later life as a turkey enthuses, especially since the 1980's, having free ranging wild turkeys living year around on my home place, were I could know first-hand what was going on, the owls and hawks were taking more of the turkeys there than any other type of predators. including wildcats and coyotes, which prowl around there too.
Back to my question. It has been stated that hawks and owls do positive good things too, along with their bad. Will someone enlighten me about the good things they are noted for?
I respect the American Eagle, because of it's national desaation, but hawks and owls, I have no respect, because the wild turkeys come first for me.

 

[ssramage]

Time to start shooting owls.

 

[Dustin Pate]

I was enlightened on what owls kill a couple years ago. I was driving to deer hunt in the pitch dark and had an owl fly right in front of my headlights. It had a full size possum in its talons. I about took both of them out with the truck.

 

[Turkeytider]

Time to start shooting owls.

Only ones to be concerned with are Great Horns. Probably for every turkey they might take they`ll take 10X in rodents and small mammals. As far as poults are concerned, you`d have to practically kill everything else in the woods!

 

[Turkeytider]

Have a question? My association with hawks and owls has always been negative experiences, going back to my childhood, when hawks caught grandma's chickens in the yards. Later life as a turkey enthuses, especially since the 1980's, having free ranging wild turkeys living year around on my home place, were I could know first-hand what was going on, the owls and hawks were taking more of the turkeys there than any other type of predators. including wildcats and coyotes, which prowl around there too.
Back to my question. It has been stated that hawks and owls do positive good things too, along with their bad. Will someone enlighten me about the good things they are noted for?
I respect the American Eagle, because of it's national desaation, but hawks and owls, I have no respect, because the wild turkeys come first for me.

The bald eagle is primarily a scavenger and fish eater. The soaring hawks ( red tails, red shouldered, etc. ) are primarily predators of rodents , reptiles, and small mammals. They do far more good than harm. Yes, they might take a poult on occasion, but then just about everything else will too. The other common hawks are the woodland hawks ( Accipiters ). Cooper`s and Sharp Shinned hawks. They are primarily small bird predators. They are the ones that raid your bird feeders. Bird feeders are like smorgasbords for Accipiters!

 

[3chunter]

Gobblers can be aged to an extent. Whoever says they can’t doesn’t know what they are talking about. Size shape location wear length curvature. Those can indicate age. I have studied trail camera pictures of hundreds of birds and many for several years in my area.

 

[Nicodemus]

Bald eagles are nothing more than a glorified buzzard in a Sunday-To-Meeting-Suit.