Something I have never seen before!

Thrasher

Thrasher

Member
I took Molly out today. She flushed one hen, the only bird we saw.

As we hunted down to the end of a field a large hawk, a Harris Hawk (I think), went into a dive, landed, and stayed there. We kept hunting and as we got close the hawk got up off the ground. Molly kept going and found a freshly killed hen that had the intestines ripped out. I have never actually seen a hawk kill a pheasant. Knew it happened, just never saw it.

The field I hunted must have been hit hard this weekend. It is usually good for 8 or 10 birds (both hens and roosters). When we were done hunting, I watered Molly and sat on the tailgate as she cooled off. I heard a rooster in the stubble across the road. A few minutes later he crowed again. When he sounded off for the third time, it seemed that the whole stubble field sounded off with him. It lasted a full minute and then they quit. Pretty neat!!
 
Sounds like a great day! I never remember how many birds I shot on this or that trip... It's always the other stuff that sticks in my mind. Great story, thanks for sharing it!:thumbsup:
 
I was drift boat fishing an Indian river in the Olympic Peninsula when a bald eagle perched high on a dead tree dove on a passing mallard hen. She dodged the attack. Quite a nature scene.
 
was just about to take the Britt's out- glanced out the window- wow- 5 hens and a rooster walking- grabbed the camera- just about ready to zoom in and take it- they scooted into the brush grass stuff- I looked- Red Tail Hawk was swooping down- don't think it would have got one in the open- but looked like it meant to give it a try
 
Great story. The sound off "crow or crackle" you heard from that one rooster was a call to stay alert to all the fellow pheasants in the area, and they responded. The hawk may have been working that area for days.

You happen to see what goes on in the real wild pheasant and quail world 24-7 and 365 days a year. There is no close season for raptors or any other ground predators.

You have to figure our a way to put a stop to hawks eating wild healthy hen pheasants. If aerial predators get one hen a week that can hurt the overall pheasant population next fall. No hens no pheasant chick, even with good nesting habitat the hawks can do serious damage.

Wild pheasants are gregarious birds they don't like to be lone rangers. We have to keep an eye on aerial predators.
 
You have to figure our a way to put a stop to hawks eating wild healthy hen pheasants.

<anybody looking? no?> BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!
 
I'm not condoning any illegal behavior by the way.

A friend of a friend of a friend of a neighbor said a .204 Ruger with those speedy little V-Max bullets is hell on predators of a particular type.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top