hawk getting too familar

[slim rem 7]

 i heard ole bert an berti[pet chickens] caliing an carrying on.. as i stepped out i saw a red tail on top of thier chick..i let off about seven rnds of 22 semi fire ..not trying to hit it but scare it off .. as it flew off
strait away from me,i thought how easy it would be..chick just laid there feet up an i assumed dead..
 i brought out a cup of coffee an studied the problem ,as its a heavy fine if you actually shoot hawks..
 any way about half way through the coffee i went on out to pick up the chick.. as i put my hands on it it came to life an took off for the bushes,minus a few feathers..
 sure surprised me ..i guess he was in shock or something..
 it is now as hawk wise an cautious as its old hawk weary dad [game rooster] ..its mamma is a big ole barred rock hen ,an has little to fear as she a very big hen..
 i still have my wifes lil toy chiwawa..i be danged if im gonna let this hawk get my small rabbit sized little friend..
 now im old school ,so stopping a hawk is not much of a problem ..can be done several ways..
 but i don t need a heavy fine..plus i try an be law abiding ..im just hoping the scare i gave the hawk the other day is all its gonna take.
 ive got an old slam man that i used when the shoulders wouldn t take the heavy bag anymore..
now the shoulders won t take anything so mabe he s gonna turn into a real scary scare crow. god bless. slim

[MGMorden]

Around here they don't seem to be too frightened of real people, so I doubt the scarecrow will do much.

Your dog is PROBABLY safe (an eagle is large enough to grab a small dog but your average chicken hawk isn't - the chicks though are a different story).

If you do end up having to solve the problem though "alternative" means I wouldn't post about it. 

[Old Fart]

I think it's legal to terminate the problem around my part of the country.
If they are carry off farm critters that is.

[Sourdough]

In protection of property it's legal in Alaska.  If not there remember the three Ss.

[Blackhawker]

It's not legal to shoot any hawks, owls or falcons...at least in the lower 48.  They are ALL protected under the Migratory Species Act.  

Here's a thought;  keep the four legged critter inside and only take it out when you're around.  Don't let the hawk get ANY food from anywhere on your property.  If you scare it off enough and make it hard for it to get food, it'll eventually go somewhere else for it's food.  Raptors are opportunists.  If it's hard to get a meal, they'll go somewhere else.  If they get food once, they'll try to get more again and again.  

[beerbelly]

When I was a kid and we had chickens, if a hawk came around he was going to get shot. Now that they are protected we are covered up with hawks. But I don't have any small animals for them to kill so I don't bother them.
  But I have noticed that you can't find a rabbit or quail around here any more.
                            Beerbelly

[Blackhawker]

When I was a kid and we had chickens, if a hawk came around he was going to get shot. Now that they are protected we are covered up with hawks. But I don't have any small animals for them to kill so I don't bother them.
  But I have noticed that you can't find a rabbit or quail around here any more.
                            Beerbelly

It's not due to the fact that half the country has been urbanized, it is?   
There was a show on the History Channel last night about the urbanization of the US beginning in the 1950's.  It's unreal how many houses were built per hour at that time.  I think they said that every hour 3000 acres of land was being dozed over. 

[Oldshooter]

THEY ARE FEDERALLY PROTECTED !!!!

That is what I would say if I was gonna say anything about em! SSS

[buck460XVR]

Here's a thought;  keep the four legged critter inside and only take it out when you're around.  Don't let the hawk get ANY food from anywhere on your property.  If you scare it off enough and make it hard for it to get food, it'll eventually go somewhere else for it's food.  Raptors are opportunists.  If it's hard to get a meal, they'll go somewhere else.  If they get food once, they'll try to get more again and again.  

+1

 If you're gonna tease the hawk by lettin' young chicks run around unprotected outside, don't blame them when they take advantage of an easy meal. I raised many a chicken and game bird and found it easier to protect them as opposed to trying to shoot off all predation. Shoot the hawk and you got the neighbors pet kitty to worry about. Shoot the cat and next will be the foxes and the coons.....or the owls....or feral dogs. There's a reason God created coops and wire netting.

[burntmuch]

I like to freerange my laying hens as much as possible. Couple weeks back, my wife saw a big bird swoop down & try & snatch up one of my hens. She said my rooster chased it off. I didnt see the action, but sounds like a hawk. Im glad I didnt send that rooster to freezer camp.

[Oldshooter]

Here's a thought;  keep the four legged critter inside and only take it out when you're around.  Don't let the hawk get ANY food from anywhere on your property.  If you scare it off enough and make it hard for it to get food, it'll eventually go somewhere else for it's food.  Raptors are opportunists.  If it's hard to get a meal, they'll go somewhere else.  If they get food once, they'll try to get more again and again.  

+1

 If you're gonna tease the hawk by lettin' young chicks run around unprotected outside, don't blame them when they take advantage of an easy meal. I raised many a chicken and game bird and found it easier to protect them as opposed to trying to shoot off all predation. Shoot the hawk and you got the neighbors pet kitty to worry about. Shoot the cat and next will be the foxes and the coons.....or the owls....or feral dogs. There's a reason God created coops and wire netting.

If the neighbors pet kitty free ranges on my place its toast! as well as his puppy! unless of course they are federally protected!   

[Dixie Dude]

Hawk got one of our cats (orange color, easy to spot).  We have another on, mostly gray calico, but she stays hidden, and is very cautous outside. 

[Blackhawker]

Hawk got one of our cats (orange color, easy to spot).  We have another on, mostly gray calico, but she stays hidden, and is very cautous outside.  

Don't kid yourself....a hawk can see like you wouldn't believe.  I'm sorry to say but in the hungry hawk's world; "if it moves, it dies!".
Don't think that the color of your cat will save it.  If it gets killed then you'll be mad at the hawks when you should be angry with yourself for leaving your animals subject to danger.
....just a thought.

[Dixie Dude]

We started keeping the grey one inside during the day while I work.  Let her out at night.  I am allergic to cats.  They were both inside, but I was having sinus and ashma problems, and got allergy tested, and cats were one of what I was allergic to.  Keep an ionizer with hepa filter going now inside.  The orange cat was a hunter, caught chipmonks, lizards, rats, etc.  Gray one is lazy, lays around most of the time.  We live in town, but still have hawks in town.  Lots of trees, with some open areas.  I found it hard to believe a hawk could get that big, to kill a cat.  Large feather I found near the cat was a red-tailed hawk. 

[Blackhawker]

We started keeping the grey one inside during the day while I work.  Let her out at night.  I am allergic to cats.  They were both inside, but I was having sinus and ashma problems, and got allergy tested, and cats were one of what I was allergic to.  Keep an ionizer with hepa filter going now inside.  The orange cat was a hunter, caught chipmonks, lizards, rats, etc.  Gray one is lazy, lays around most of the time.  We live in town, but still have hawks in town.  Lots of trees, with some open areas.  I found it hard to believe a hawk could get that big, to kill a cat.  Large feather I found near the cat was a red-tailed hawk. 

I'm an ex-falconer.  I've personally seen hawks take or go after the craziest of prey.  I knew a guy with a red tail that ended up taking his hawk off of an opossum once.  Another friend of mine had a Harris hawk that would, without fail, take down any dog in the field.  She (the hawk) once chased a deer down.  I had a 3.5 oz kestrel that took a 9.5 oz quail without a false thought.  I also worked as a re-habber of raptors.  We had a rather large red tail that managed to catch two local cats that managed to sneak into her cage.  Bad move on the cat's part.  It was HELL separating them.

If these birds are given confidence in a certain quarry, they'll go for it all of the time, no matter how large.  As soon as it gets difficult to get or dangerous to get, they quit and move onto something else.  This is the whole basis for training a raptor to hunt at specific game. 

[highwayman]

do you know anybody that owns a paintball gun..........

[nw_hunter]

 
[/quote]


+1

 If you're gonna tease the hawk by lettin' young chicks run around unprotected outside, don't blame them when they take advantage of an easy meal. I raised many a chicken and game bird and found it easier to protect them as opposed to trying to shoot off all predation. Shoot the hawk and you got the neighbors pet kitty to worry about. Shoot the cat and next will be the foxes and the coons.....or the owls....or feral dogs. There's a reason God created coops and wire netting.
[/quote]



I think Farmers COOP created wire and coops! I think God created guns.......

Sometimes birds run into a string of lead pellets.Cat's, coons, fox,owls, and feral dogs too.
If something like this accidentally happens just remember...........SSH!

[LONGTOM]

Blackhawker

If it gets killed then you'll be mad at the hawks when you should be angry with yourself for leaving your animals subject to danger.

I guess that also pretains to all livestock?
Let's see, I'll need a barn big enought for 100 to 150 head of cattle, a few horses, maybe a sheep or two and don't forget the pigs and ole BESSY, just incase the yotes that have moved into the area from WVA where they were reinterduced to help controll some other pest by the government and now are out of controll with a bounty on them as vermin pest themselves!

Sorry, the part about the barn and all the animals is just a joke but not so far out of line.
The part about the yotes & the government is true!

The place where we hunt groundhogs is a working cattle & sheep farm.
He has lost 22 sheep and 16 calves to yotes just this year.
What if they were protected?
I guess he would just have to blame himself if he lost a few to them?

We are still in the country and when we first bought our farm back in the early 60s we had lots of rabbits & several coveys of quail.
Not any more.
A few rabbits but I haven't seen quail in many a year now.
I use to think it was the foxes getting them and I am sure they do get some but I have seen many more taken by hawks then by foxes.
Of course we have a fox season.
Maybe there should be a hawk season also!




LONGTOM

[The Hermit]

Not much meat on a hawk. Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windsheild.

  The Hermit.

[FourBee]

Y'all remind me of the Sparrow Hawk getting his breakfast one morning.  After a few days in the Hospital, I felt good enough to look out my room's window.  A huge flock of sparrows kept passing by the window crossing the parking lot.   Suddenly this hawk comes right up thru the middle of them and they all cut to the left, but one went right, and that hawk swooped him up in his clutch.  I doubt that he ever misses a meal.

[Blackhawker]

Blackhawker

If it gets killed then you'll be mad at the hawks when you should be angry with yourself for leaving your animals subject to danger.

I guess that also pretains to all livestock?
Let's see, I'll need a barn big enought for 100 to 150 head of cattle, a few horses, maybe a sheep or two and don't forget the pigs and ole BESSY, just incase the yotes that have moved into the area from WVA where they were reinterduced to help controll some other pest by the government and now are out of controll with a bounty on them as vermin pest themselves!

Sorry, the part about the barn and all the animals is just a joke but not so far out of line.
The part about the yotes & the government is true!

The place where we hunt groundhogs is a working cattle & sheep farm.
He has lost 22 sheep and 16 calves to yotes just this year.
What if they were protected?
I guess he would just have to blame himself if he lost a few to them?

We are still in the country and when we first bought our farm back in the early 60s we had lots of rabbits & several coveys of quail.
Not any more.
A few rabbits but I haven't seen quail in many a year now.
I use to think it was the foxes getting them and I am sure they do get some but I have seen many more taken by hawks then by foxes.
Of course we have a fox season.
Maybe there should be a hawk season also!




LONGTOM

Not to be a pain in the butt here but when you think of things over the long term, I bet those populations of quail and rabbits were just fine BEFORE there was your farm/ranch or any farms/ranches around by you.  Think about it!  We complain that the predators take all of our animals to hunt.  Well, let's get it straight then......should we farm and raise cattle, sheep, pigs or should we just HUNT our dinners?  If we ALL were hunters there would be no MASS population of humans to feed and then there would be no gripe against the hawks and other predators. 

So, should we be hunters and let all of the other animals be in balance or should we farm and ranch the land and let it all come out of balance?  That is..or WAS the real question.  Unfortunately, it's too late to go back.  However, in light of that, the next time you loose a cat, a chicken or whatever, should we really blame the hawk, the coyote, or the like or should we blame our past history and what we as humans have become?

Just a thought......sort of a rhetorical question, really.....
 

[slim rem 7]

thanks for the advice.. no i won t put these designated pet chickens in a pen..
 they look to happy free,an i just gottem here as something pretty for the yrd..
 don t want more than three ,mabe four at the most..i got them originally  so karry might
have fun seeing some little chicks.
 now i know the hawks is just doing what hawks do.. he just needs to do it somewhere else..
 personnally i do believe thier numbers as a protected bird have grown to the point that natural
game,, rabbits etc are really rare now..use to jump several if i took a walk in the woods an such..
 now its rare to see one.none play at the edge of the yrd any more as in the past..
 hawk is beautiful to watch as he does his various air acrobatics..but theres no natural predator
that i know of for them out there..at least in this area.. they nest real high..
 so we ll let nature take its course..this is the very small toy chiwauwau..i plan on taking her out to see the next big rat snake i find on the place..she may just kill it as i think thats what they may have been bred in mexico for..but i ll be there to call the game off if it does manage to get her in its death grip..
 she does stay in the house most all the time..
the chick is hawk wise now an growing every day..
funny thing ..it was pretty much weaned until this incident .now it stays real close to mama..
 i pretty much let nature take its course with the exception of what ever ive taken responcibility
for..thats off limites to any predator ,coyote,or what ever..now i try to abide the law,an will continue..
nuff said ..thanks for comments an advice..slim
 ps hawks have made a complete [mabe too complete ] comeback from the days of ddt.jmo

 

[Blackhawker]

hawk is beautiful to watch as he does his various air acrobatics..but theres no natural predator
that i know of for them out there..

Eagles, wolves, other hawks, coyote, bobcat, cougar, lynx,......
But in most places of our country and the world, they're scarce, which leaves most hawks to fall victim to their biggest natural predator; Homo sapiens sapiens.  While only falling victim to occasional shootings etc, most are poisoned (directly or indirectly) or just run off from their natural hunting territories by human encroachment.....just as the eagles, wolves, other hawks, coyote, bobcat, cougar, lynx.....so their populations decline and dwindle.  Sad but true. 
Some of the hawks, however, have learned to take to the urban life.  About fifteen or more years ago the Cooper's hawk was on the threatened species list in Illinois and off limits to falconers for wild capture.  Today they are off the list and thriving.  I often see them in urban neighborhoods as well as hunting in the local shopping malls in search of unwary starlings feeding from garbage cans of Burger King and McDonalds.  How ironic for a woodland hawk!  So they've brought themselves closer to humanity, hence accidental poisonings and other dangers of urban life. 

Anyway, enjoy the hawk slim and hopefully your house animals can remain safe too. 

[FourBee]

slim; I like my chickens to roam free also.  It does make them a little tuff to eat though.  But their eggs have a beautiful dark rich color in the yolk.   Never had any trouble with hawks.  Only with some of the other predators.  Coyotes, Rat Snakes, and Foxes.

I found my Quail and Rabbit population decreased drastically after I cleared several acres of their natural habitat many years ago.  The past three years I began allowing some of that to come back, and this year you could hear the Bobwhite calling all spring, and later I found two large coveys of young birds in the area.

[Sourdough]

The US Fish and Wildlife Service needs to be abolisdhed and let the states handle their own wildlife issues.  Dall Sheep are in a drastic decline in areas of Alaska.  Number one preditor is the Golden Eagle.  We have no shortages of Eagles, both Bald and Golden here in Alaska.  Yet the Feds keep them on the protected list.  We also have an overabundence of Poler Bears, they have totally wipped out the Musk-ox in ANWR.      

It's funny to watch tourist down in Valdez.  They take their dogs for a walk and an Eagle swoops down and takes it for dinner.  Snatches the leash right out of the woman's hand.  I remember one little Terrior, was giving the Eagle a hard time and fighting as the Eagle flew away with it.  Eagle gained altatude, as the owners shouted encouragement to the little dog.  The Eagle dropped the dog onto the pavement of a parking lot, swooped down and picked up the dead carcuss and flew away for dinner.

Norm was complaining again yesterday about all the cats in the neighborhood.  Grouse disappeared this summer.  We had lots of Grouse last spring and I saw lots of young Grouse running around early on.  Now we are seeing none.  But we are seeing Cats.  Time to breakout the Connibears.  Nice things about Connibears, no noise, no squalling, no escape.  The .17HMR also does a good job, when I see them during the day.    

[no guns here]

Cats are pets and are an invasive species.  Their sole purpose when left outside at night is to hunt.  They do SOME good on gophers, rats and mice but it seems they do more bad on song birds, quail, rabbits etc.  I shoot every cat that I see when hunting.  If it's out in the field/woods then it's not a house pet.  I see no benefit to letting the cat outside at night.  It's just a convenience for the owner.  In Germany, if a hunter sees a cat more than 200 meters from a dwelling he is "obligated" to kill it.


NGH

[Dixie Dude]

A well fed cat doesn't hunt.  They just lay around, maybe survey their territory.  Our cat never gets out of the yard, but we do have a 6' wooden fence.  She is a very careful cat, and has never killed anything that we know of.  She just eats and lays around.  Some cats are nervous types, and even if well fed will roam around, especially a male cat.  We have a hummingbird feeder, and our cat ignors it.  She is also fixed so she has never had kittens.  I personally do not like cats, but they were my wifes pets.  She had two, but the one was killed by the hawk.  He was a roamer. 

[Oldshooter]

Cats are pets and are an invasive species.  Their sole purpose when left outside at night is to hunt.  They do SOME good on gophers, rats and mice but it seems they do more bad on song birds, quail, rabbits etc.  I shoot every cat that I see when hunting.  If it's out in the field/woods then it's not a house pet.  I see no benefit to letting the cat outside at night.  It's just a convenience for the owner.  In Germany, if a hunter sees a cat more than 200 meters from a dwelling he is "obligated" to kill it.


NGH

Exactly!!! they also hunt for fun and will wipe out a nest of young rabbits and walk away when they are all dead! ...... oops went off on a tangent! 

[Blackhawker]

The US Fish and Wildlife Service needs to be abolisdhed and let the states handle their own wildlife issues.  Dall Sheep are in a drastic decline in areas of Alaska.  Number one preditor is the Golden Eagle.  We have no shortages of Eagles, both Bald and Golden here in Alaska.  Yet the Feds keep them on the protected list.  We also have an overabundence of Poler Bears, they have totally wipped out the Musk-ox in ANWR.      

It's funny to watch tourist down in Valdez.  They take their dogs for a walk and an Eagle swoops down and takes it for dinner.  Snatches the leash right out of the woman's hand.  I remember one little Terrior, was giving the Eagle a hard time and fighting as the Eagle flew away with it.  Eagle gained altatude, as the owners shouted encouragement to the little dog.  The Eagle dropped the dog onto the pavement of a parking lot, swooped down and picked up the dead carcuss and flew away for dinner.

Norm was complaining again yesterday about all the cats in the neighborhood.  Grouse disappeared this summer.  We had lots of Grouse last spring and I saw lots of young Grouse running around early on.  Now we are seeing none.  But we are seeing Cats.  Time to breakout the Connibears.  Nice things about Connibears, no noise, no squalling, no escape.  The .17HMR also does a good job, when I see them during the day.    

I can see and totally understand your point being up in Alaska.  The federal rules were made to govern the majority of the areas of the US where most of nature has been either wiped out or is in serious duress and what wildlife is left, needs much protection.  Alaska surely has widespread areas that are as natural as they were before there was a "U.S." and unfortunately, to the dislike of many Alaskans, your state is looked as the "last frontier" so to speak and no one is going to let anything happen to any of the wildlife up there regardless of what species is thriving or may be overbearing to another. 
Truthfully, If I lived up there I'd be seriously concerned about wolves and grizzly's in my backyard!  Especially if I had little kids.  YIKES!

[FourBee]

 

OLDshooter ~ Exactly!!! they also hunt for fun and will wipe out a nest of young rabbits and walk away when they are all dead! ...... oops went off on a tangent!

My Great Pyreneese liked to do that.  Of course his was out of boredom as most predators realized he was bad news and wouldn't even come near the fence of no-return.