Hawks

[derk1]

Hey Wally, thanks for the comments.

I do stand behind what I sell 100%, unlike some I have delt with.

The snow is melting fast, it has been in the 50's today and a chance it might hit 60 tomorrow.
I have some red eggs in the bator but thats it right now. Glad to see you got the eggs, no way the fedex truck could have gotten to me.

So any how back to the hawks.
we still have to many, I lost my big red rooster today, really ticked me off....

[Fivehollers]

When we had chickens we had the coop but we had the fenced in area (neighborhood dogs were worse than any owl or hawk) anyway, we could not let them run around the yard like I wanted, but we have several owls and red tail hawks that would sit in the trees trying to figure out how to get to the chickens and quail. We have the quail in pens about 3 feet off the ground with roofs on the cages and have had more problems with coons than with owls or hawks. I do know that we can not shoot them (the birds of prey) and we trap and shoot the coons and I do not have an answer to your question but I would be honked off if I kept losing my meat and money birds to predators. I believe everything has a place in the grand scheme of things but....
Lori

Oh by the way, the owl did try once and got stuck in the coop we caught him in the net and set him free (that was really scary but cool you should see the size of the talons  :shock: ) anyway... he did not try that one again and we got rid of the chickens to make room for more quail, but they can not figure out how to get the quail out of the cages and do not like to get shocked (electric fence)  

[duck nutt]

we've got hawks sitting on every other light pole down here....poor quail don't stand a chance...if they grab 1 quail a day, how long will it take to wipe the whole covey out?,,,,,we've got fewer quail in mississippi than we've probably ever had....hard to find wild ones like my dad talks about....now we're working or pen raised but trying to keep them 'as wild as possible'...not the same as wild, but better than nuttin...our hawks migrate down just like the ducks..seems more hawks than ducks the past few years!...SSS

[drwink]

I am still waiting for one of the falconers here to get back to me on the trapping thing but do have a link to post for the club in our state.
They have the Federal regulations posted & the state, your state regulations may be different & you may want to see if there is a falconer club in your state as they may be able to assist you better.
None the less some interesting reading for federal licensing.

http://www.geocities.com/michhawkingclub/frame.html

[quailer370]

one thing worth trying is calling up your local dept. of fish and game and inquiring about relocating the hawks.  they may have the authority to set up special traps and then take the hawks to a more uninhabited area. im honestly against killing them, but in cases like these when there are more than there should be i can understand your frustration.  

thing is, im pretty grateful for the hawks in my area, redtails mostly.  they keep those darn rats away from my quail pens!  i actually saw a hawk swoop down and snatch a rat, then land and eat it-right within six feet of my window!

duck nutt what part of mississippi are you from?  i go there every summer and i have noticed that the local rabbit population is taking a serious hit-courtesy, i suppose, of the hawks that circle around all the time.  my grandfather talks about his rabbit hunts in the same area as a boy, but i look at the few bunnies left and think, that wouldnt be enough for a decent stew!

-quailer370

[derk1]

A story for you all.
My neighbor has one of those rat looking dogs I dont know what you call them but it is bigger than a rat but smaller than a cat. She took it outside on the deck the other day and it was running around playing. A hawk swooped down and took it, Carried it away right it front of her. Scared her really bad and she never saw her dog again. That is a true story, honest.
FYI

[Redhorse]

If you looked at pictures of Ohio from 1900 there are virtually no trees in the entire state. Many species including deer and turkey were effectively exterpated from the state. At the time no regulations existed on migratory birds of prey. There is a certain mountain in a western state (I can't remember which one) which is a landmark for migrating hawks and falcons. Sort of like a flyway funnel for waterfowl. I have seen video of "hawk hunts" from the 50's-60's where these "sportsmen" set up on the ridges of this mountain and shot hundreds of hawks and falcons in a weekend during the migration. They would just let the birds fall down into the valley and leave them. This was all OK under the pretense that they were getting rid of "the bad predators" which killed game and poultry. Most birds of prey were almost extinct in the last century through loss of habitat, pollution, and hunting. So in answering your original question trailboss, that is why they are protected. If they weren't, we would have lost a valuable part of our ecosystem. I run a trapline every year and keep some of the critter populations down in my area. This year I have attempted (unsuccesfully so far) to get some of the coyotes behind my house. However in one of my carcass sets I did incidentally catch a large redtailed hawk (that is one less coming down Athens way trailboss). Hopefully through some sort of wildlife management plan predatory bird populations will eventually be controlled. Until then, I believe they have more of a right to be out there hunting than we do (they can't go to Krogers for their chicken) and those of us who raise birds just have to put the extra effort into making sure the hawks can't get at them. And as far as the rabbit population goes, it is on a 10 yr cyclic curve which is in harmony with the wild predators which feed on them. Everyone thinks the population should always be at the top of that curve, and when it is at the bottom people say "there just aren't any rabbits anymore". A hunting buddy of mine keeps beagles up in NW Ohio and a group of them went out and got 27 rabbits the other day. He considers any year that he himself gets over a hundred rabbits a great season. On the average he harvests 70-80 rabbits each winter up in his area. He is not part of that population curve. When there aren't as many rabbits for him to hunt, he can go to Kroger and pick up some steaks. Fox, Hawks, and other predators starve (or harass your birds).


 :? Just my 2 cents

[Sterling-Ranch]

Haa haa...around here the hawks have Kroger cards :)

[CharlieHorse]

Thanks for everyones input.
     I know that the "law" was originally put in place to protect the birds from becoming extinct and I think that is great. But at what point are the intentions of the "goal" met? Most all wild animals are protected to a certain extent. Take deer for instance, the only way that I can kill more deer now than I could ten years ago is if I throw $$$$ at the state. If you ask me I should be permitted to kill at least 4 of them on a standard deer tag. The deer population around here is incredible, and it has become nothing but a money making scam for the government. All that you have to do around here to get a deer is look outside, even if you're in town, heck we have them jumping off of roofs and thru windows downtown! Darndest thing I ever seen. Just how long do "they" keep protecting these things to this extent?  If they (state) thought that they could make some $$$$ off of "hawk season", I bet that they wouldn't be on the "endangered species" list anymore.  I'm surprised that they already haven't figured out a way to make ya buy a license(tax) to catch earthworms!!   LOL!
   Redhorse, please go ahead a get all of the coyotes you can get, I got a shot at one during deer season, but missed. It took me by surprise, I had only seen a coyote from a good distance once in my life. This one was coming right at me within a 100 feet, at first I thought it was someones dog and I hesitated too long before taking a shot after I was sure what it was. Sneaky little $#$#ards!  You can keep those critters up north!! They are becoming a very "big" problem around here, especially with the farmers.

[Redhorse]

:shock: I have Coyotes howling within 200 yds of my back door (sneaking in quiet alot closer I'm sure) this year. Finally thought I'd get some special Coyote traps to git'em! I've had them in my fox sets before, but a factory Victor #2 coilspring just won't hold one. I'll find my set location all tore up with a trap that needs put in a bench vice and bent back into shape! Got a couple Duke #3 with xtra steel welded inside the jaws to reinforce them and bring the inside spread down to legal land set dimensions. They have a double magnum coil spring kit installed, 3 swivels, lunge spring, and cross stake ring on the end of the chain. Just haven't convinced one of those old dogs to step in it yet! 8)

I think you are right on about the $$$ thing. Maybe we should ask the state to introduce a special "preditory bird stamp" which allow you to shoot some Red Tails. I'm sure the state can't do much about it, it's a federally regulated thing anyway...but it sure sounds good! They are finally starting to whack some of the cormorants up on Lake Erie. There are a couple islands up there those birds have killed off every living thing on them. Nothing but bird $h!t there now. :?

[derk1]

You are on track redhorse,
we switched to #3 coilsprings this year, If you anchor them good they will be in them when you get there got 5 so far. We have several torn up #2's, aint that just wild how they just rip the jaws right out of them?  The weather has us screwed up now, either too much snow or too wet to trap.
and I agree, lets have hawk season.........