Hawk tries to take dove

[daddywpb]

My daughter and I were hunting on a public dove field yesterday. The field was in poor condition and birds were few an far between. We finally had one fly by and I shot it. The bird had barely hit the ground, when a hawk that was sitting in a big pine tree right behind us swooped down and tried to grab our dove. He hit the bird (and the ground) hard, but flew back up in the pine with nothing in his talons but feathers, which were flying everywhere. I grabbed the bird, and everyone around was amazed by what happened. When I skinned the bird, there was a tear in the breast meat that went through both sides.

[Land_Owner]

Wish I could say first hand, but my duck hunting partner has had an eagle and a hawk take downed ducks from within the decoys.  I watched a young hawk through my kitchen window try to take a live juvenile Common Moorehen off of our pond not 25 feet away from the house.  It missed due in part to the sharp eyed mother Moorehen's alert call and the swift dive under water of the juvie.  There were four hatchlings.  Sadly (perhaps not from the hawks perspective) there is only one left.

You have witnessed a hungry bird and a bird that has, IMO, learned by observation that dove hunters are not hawk killers.  Either that, or the hawk was extremely hungry.

I do remember inviting a father and his 10 y.o. son to hog hunt my land.  I took them to their stand where they had seen hogs before but elected not to shoot.  I also hunted that day for an upcoming BBQ.  As I spread a gallon zip lock bag of corn under my feeder in the dark before dawn, I heard a grunt that got closer and closer until a 147# sow was eating the corn right at my side as fast as I could pour it onto the ground.  Now that is hungry.

[John]

When I was a kid I used to squirrel hunt alot, and I've had a hawk take a squirrel that I had shot that was hung in the top of a tree. It was funny.

[NONYA]

a couple years ago I was hunting ducks in a little backwater of the Missouri river,every time I went out there i had a small hawk divebombing my decoys trying to get them to flush so he could hit one in the air,he never gave up did it for about 1/2 hour before I got up and spooked him off.

[PEPAW]

I remember several years ago we flushed a covey of quail and one landed in a very drought stricken field.   I thought it would be an easy one for the dog and we headed that way.   Before we got there a hawk nailed him.    
I also had a kestrel (?) take a sparrow that I had shot with my BB gun as a kid.   Right in front of the feed store.

pepaw

[hellacatcher]

Watched a hawk chase a pigdon other day----thought the pigdon was going to get away till it ran into side of a moving car. Last I seen the pigdon was on the ground setting up and the hawk was on a light pole above it.

[prairiedog555]

I am a falconer and have caught and trained many wild raptors and hawks.  90% of all die first year, only best hunters survive.  That is why they can be trained to hunt for men, it is advantageous for them to do so.  they are very smart, smarter than dogs, only different.  We provide food.  if they don't eat on a regular basis they become too weak to hunt and die, that is why they become desperate, high matabolism and do desperate things.  It is well know that Goshawks will follow men through woods because they scare up game.  I can catch a redtail and within 2 weeks have it fly free and come back to my hand, (with food in it)

[prairiedog555]

 Good lesson for training dogs and women.

[hillbill]

what??? you can train women? where do i buy your books and tapes?

[Glanceblamm]

what??? you can train women? where do i buy your books and tapes?

I observed a feral cat working a brush lined creek once and the redtail was hovering 50ft above it like it
Was expecting the cat to flush something (especially a hen phesant) which would be likely.
I got the cat two weeks later but thats a different story.

[WylieKy]

what??? you can train women? where do i buy your books and tapes?

I have mine trained.  It took years. It's kind of neat.  She asks me to do what I want to do, even before I want to do it!  It's like she is reading my mind!  She'll point out thing that I want to buy for her, and I don't even remember that I wanted to buy them for her until she reminds me.  What a woman!  Yep, Got her trained.

WylieKy