Owls rarely miss their prey. I can't tell you how many times I have seen them grab unsuspecting critters: squirrels, mice, smaller birds, etc. They have some quality to their wings that creates virtually no sound that is audible to prey. Sometimes, the squirrel sees them before it is too late, but many times they don't.

They are also known for killing baby turkeys. But I suspect hawks get a few more baby turkeys than owls, soaring over fields and swooping down. A few springs ago I was sitting beside a huge white oak tree next to a big, green clover field. In front of me was a group of about 3 or 4 hen turkeys along with a couple of jakes (first year gobblers). Jakes are legal birds, but I won't shoot one. They were very close, and I was well hidden. Suddenly, the turkeys scattered in several directions, one running within 10 feet of me before stopping a few trees over. I never moved and figured something must have spooked them other than me because she wouldn't have run toward me like that. Moments after they cleared the field, the hawk landed on a branch in a tallow tree that bordered the field, no more than a few yards from me. He/she sat there for a minute or so; the hen nearest me expressed her disdain for the hawk clearly. The hawk flew away, and the clover field went back to normal within a few minutes.

Turkeys seem to be able to distinguish between a predatory bird and a non threatening bird with almost no hesitation. If you watch them, you can see immediate responses when a hawk, eagle, or owl fly over.

I am envious of your turkey knowledge--it is always good to hear someone talking while reading their writing.

At this time of the year -- many travelers, geese (Canada and dusky), duck like birds (DLBs) both freshwater and saltwater, and the raptors.  The DLBs would be in the field with the geese, but they take flight first if an eagle flies over--weird because we have never seen an eagle try for a goose, but they will take out a duck (or a sea gull).

The kestrels will sit on a road sign and let us get close enough to see their many colors and shadings--one of the most beautiful of the raptors.

Loons--two kinds, the best at fishing...I wish we had pelicans.  Fresh water pelicans are closer than salt water pelicans.  Their first winter stops are about two hours drive east of us.

As fall turns to winter the migration plays out and we so many chances to see what is out there.

They have owl hooting contests. I have never entered one, but I call up owls all the time. Many times, when a Barred Owl sounds off with his eight note call, a turkey will gobble at it. I first heard about this when I was a child and my dad let out an owl hoot at dusk. I had no idea what he was doing. After at least an hour of telling me to hush and/or be still, he was "hooting" like a crazy person at the top of his lungs. I don't remember hearing one gobble that day, but he did give me a superficial explanation for hooting. I don't generally owl to a turkey to make him gobble; I generally only do that if he has already gobbled, and I am not sure I coursed him correctly. I may give a one note hoot to get him to give me another bearing. Other than that scenario, I normally stay quiet.

I thought my owling was a little off key, much like my singing. However, I was hunting with one of my brothers once, and on a whim, I let loose a hoot at daylight that I knew was pretty good. Ty must have been a couple of ridges over, which allowed him to hear the sound much better than I could. He, along with a couple of owls, and at least one gobbler thought it was pretty good, too.

Last year at Rocky Raccoon, I was pacing a runner, and I started owling at some owls I could hear somewhere out in the woods. It sounded like those calls echoed through those woods for miles. The owls answered; some folks looked at me like I was crazy. It really makes you think about your level of sanity when people who are running 100 miles through the woods in the middle of a cold, dark night look at you like you are strange.

Wow, Gator. That is crazy.

For some reason, I am assuming you are from Florida (Gator?). Anyway, do you have any idea as to the type of owl it was? We mostly have Barred Owls here (Southeast Louisiana). Actually, this area is known as the Florida Parishes because we were once part of the panhandle before we broke away as the Republic of West Florida... I guess if you aren't from Florida you wouldn't find this history interesting at all. Nevertheless, it is widely thought that there were only two republics within the U.S., California and Texas. But we were once our own little country here, too, for about 63 days.

A couple runners were attacked a couple years ago during the cascade crest classic One got a nice scratch on his dome.

City running one early morning I saw an owl with a baby crow in his talons tearing into it. He had a city attitude and looked at me like "what the hell are you looking at". I opted to not stop and watch him shred the crow.

My sister in Phoenix can't leave her Chihuahua in the back yard at night, they tend to get flown off with in her neighborhood.

Wow, Gator. That is crazy.

 

For some reason, I am assuming you are from Florida (Gator?). Anyway, do you have any idea as to the type of owl it was? We mostly have Barred Owls here (Southeast Louisiana). Actually, this area is known as the Florida Parishes because we were once part of the panhandle before we broke away as the Republic of West Florida... I guess if you aren't from Florida you wouldn't find this history interesting at all. Nevertheless, it is widely thought that there were only two republics within the U.S., California and Texas. But we were once our own little country here, too, for about 63 days.

No, I'm from Michigan. LOL Gator eye is the name of my boat.

I didn't get a real good look at him in the dark but he was pretty good size and he looked brown. I always kind of figured he had dinner laying somewhere in the field and he didn't want us messing with it.