Turkey hawk?

[ksbowman]

I was sitting this evening on a creek bottom stand and just before dark about a dozen turkeys came to roost about 20-30 yards away. Watching them bounce from one limb to another till they found the one that was the most comfortable. I caught a glimpse of something coming in from the opposite direction that they had came from it was a redtail hawk trying to take the head off of the highest hen. Don't know what he would have done with her if he'd got her as she was 2 or 3 times bigger than him.He only missed her by a few inches and then got hung up in the branches. First time I've ever seen that happen.   Ben

[pronghorn23]

That's neat! Always amazes me the shows we see when out in the woods.

People wonder why I like it out there so much and I tell them I see thing you can't even imagine.

Maybe he was thinking "Whew glad I missed, that 'ground swell' was something else!".

[celticknot]

I saw a goose take off rom a pond and The whole time it was gaining altitude I was thinking I don't think its gonna make it, Man was I right, that goose flew right in to a line of taller sapling and hit the ground. I felt bad for the poor fella but I couldn't stop laughing. It had to be one of the funniest things I had ever seen. Now all I need to see is a deer walk head first into a tree.

[onewhohasfun]

Had a giant red-tail sitting on the railing of my deck last week, way cool!

[ethan]

That's cool.  I love having neat experiences like that in the woods.

[buckeye_hunter]

There was a post on here about sitting in treestands and having owls, falcons and hawks come right at you.

I had some sort of hawk come straight at my face and had to wave my arms to get him to leave me alone. I think he saw the white patch on my face that wasn't camo and thought it was some kind of animal in the tree. I didn't think he was coming for me until he was about three yards in front of me. At that point he was ready to strike and I figured it out real quick!  :eek:  He pulled up and veered left just in time. I could have grabbed him, but that wouldn't be too smart.

Scary, but cool!
-Charlie

[BEN]

Hey , buckeye hunter: That has happened to me 2x with a red-tailed hawk!! I'll never wear a leafy face net ever again! Both times were WAY too close for comfort!!!  :eek:      

Both times I was staring into the whites of HIS eyes and I'm sure mine were WAY whiter!!      

[buckeye_hunter]

It'll make your eyes turn white and your shorts turn brown!    

Charlie

[K.S.TRAPPER]

That's cool Ben, I would have liked to seen what happened if he caught her    

I had a hawk fly in from behind me and land right beside me on a branch at head hieght last year. when he finaly saw me his wing brushed my face as he left in a hurry. I've already had 2 land in my tree's this year but not that close thank goodness.    

Tracy

[kctreeman]

Got to see a hawk demolish a dove at a Minnesota bear bait one evening. Caught aglimse as he flew by my stand and then just a little puff of feathers floating to the ground. Amazing how quick it happened to the little dove. Love watching that kind of stuff

[bretto]

Had a horned Owl land in the same tree I was in once. He was watching a rabbit on the ground at the edge of the bean field I was sitting on. The branch he was on was the size of My arm and the Owl decided he needed a better view so he started hopping down the branch. I thought the whole tree was coming down. I couldn't believe how much that tree shook.

[swampdrummer]

Had a red tailed smack a squirrel out  of an oak 10 feet in front of me, at head height in my tree stand. Couple of days later had a piliated woodpecker land on the opposite side of the tree I was in and comence to hammering away. Had my head leaned up against the tree at the time.

[BEN]

Man..........I bet you had a head-ache from heck when he was done!!!

[bdawg]

had a small bird land on my arm when i was in the stand,some kinda finch i think.my buddy just got swooped by a screech owl the other day almost jumped outta the tree,lol.great being out and witness nature.bdawg

[swampdrummer]

lol, sure could feel it thru the tree! I saw him fly in and land, I froze, sure didn't occur to me he would start hammering away, should have as he'd been in the area all morning doing it on other trees

[Talondale]

Saw a redtail rake the hindquarter of a doe once on the edge of a field.  Also saw a turkey vulture try to land on a branch that was too small and it tumbled all the way to the ground.  Walked around stunned for a while hoping his friends didn't see him.

[nonamesleft47]

Last year we were sneaking up on a huge flock of turkeys.  I had my bow and my son had his shotgun.  They were raising cane in this bottom, cutting and purring, 10-12 toms were floggin each other and hens were kee keeing everywhere.  There were so many turkeys that if you moved to get a shot at one another one would putt and spook the first one.  They all finally moved off and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with them.  In some bushes I saw something move and got ready to shoot.  I snuck around and there sat a great horned owl on a big hen, the hen was twice the owl's size but he had already eaten the entire head.  It just looked at me and spread it's wings over the turkey.  I came back later and got the turkey.  The owl had only eaten the head and part of one wing.  I used one of my tags and we had fried turkey breast for dinner without even flinging an arrow.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

A redtail hawk can fly with a lamb or deer fawn in its talons so I think a hen turkey wouldn't over tax it.

[Dave Bulla]

Was driving through our neighborhood about two winters ago and looked at the bigger of two ponds we have and saw about 30 Canada geese on one side of a patch of open water and one goose on the other side all by itself except for the bald eagle that was chowing down on it.  Couldn't help but think the geese on the other side probably felt pretty lucky...

[centaur]

Watched a golden eagle take a young antelope once. That was quite a show! The eagle dove on the unfortunate antelope and hit it at high speed; knocked it right down. I had no idea that they were able to take on prey that big, but I saw it with my own eyes.