wtnhunt Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Walking back from a stand in the bottom the other morning I found a hawks head. Looks like it was a pretty good sized bird, no sign of any other parts of the bird, just the head and best as I could tell it looked to have been pretty cleanly removed, not badly mangled. It was still frozen from the hard frost overnight, best as I could tell it may have been a mature red tailed hawk. Always heard crows would kill a hawk and seen plenty chasing hawks and lots of crows around here, but doubt they would decapitate a bird the size of this one and the remaining body be gone with no other sign, no other feathers around. Dunno if eagles and hawks get along real well, guessing probably not. Christina saw the bald eagle last time she hunted the bottom so we know there is one hanging around. So, question is who would be the likely suspect to be able catch and decapitate a hawk? We have bobcats and coyotes, but just don't think it likely one of them would catch a hawk, although I guess it is possible one of them might have removed the head. Will probably get down there to hunt again sometime in the afternoon this week, will try to remember to take a camera with me and get a pic or two if I can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 never seen this before Id guess a poacher as opposed to a animal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrown Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Heard an awesome story last year. A falconer was hunting ducks with his falcon, and it made a dive on a duck, the hunter said he walked over to where he saw the bird fall, and something else that fell a little ways away, and the falcon had completely severed the head off the ducks body, I don't know if that's what it would have been, but a possiability! Pretty cool story I thought though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gzilla45 Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 My first thought would be that it was caused by a human especially since it was cleanly cutoff. Hopefully you can find the rest of it to give more clues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
too_pointer Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Why in the world would someone kill this hawk and leave only the head ??? This is not done by a human LOL. I'm pretty sure it was done by extraterrestrials. :1eye: too_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Any fences or lines in the area? Early this year we had a BIG owl smack a fence in full flight. He didnt do too well.. If you do have a fence near by the hawk may have flown into the wire and then something took advantage of a free meal and made off with the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 (edited) Maybe he was doing a power dive and got a head of himself? OK,.. so i wont be quitting my day job... Edited November 27, 2012 by Mathews XT Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 No ideas. Bobcat would be my first guess, esp if they were both after the same prey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrow32 Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 never seen this before That's odd to say the least. Not really sure on what would have done that. Bobcat maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 My first thought would be that it was caused by a human especially since it was cleanly cutoff. Hopefully you can find the rest of it to give more clues. Don't know why anyone would deliberately shoot a hawk, but then again don't know why we had duck hunters shooting nearly 20 minutes before legal shooting light for the waterfowl opener Saturday morning. Nothing really surprises me about some of the yahoos around here. Too bad our warden was not nearby early Saturday morning, he could have wrote tickets for at least 3 different groups of duck hunters. Still question there as to why someone would cut off the head and leave it behind. Id guess a poacher as opposed to a animal. Possible I guess, but we had been hunting the bottom quite a bit over the week of Thanksgiving and don't think we had anyone on us on that part of our property. Thats not to say someone might not have shot it elsewhere and another animal relocated. Heard an awesome story last year. A falconer was hunting ducks with his falcon, and it made a dive on a duck, the hunter said he walked over to where he saw the bird fall, and something else that fell a little ways away, and the falcon had completely severed the head off the ducks body, I don't know if that's what it would have been, but a possiability! Pretty cool story I thought though! I know some birds are very territorial, don't know how eagles and hawks get along, thought it possible an eagle could have done this. Have seen owls take each other to the ground before. Any fences or lines in the area? Early this year we had a BIG owl smack a fence in full flight. He didnt do too well.. If you do have a fence near by the hawk may have flown into the wire and then something took advantage of a free meal and made off with the body. Have had bats stuck on wire before, closest fence to the bottom is a 5 strand fence about 100 yards from where I found the head. Probably not a likely scenario, but then again guess it is possible something could have relocated it. No ideas. Bobcat would be my first guess, esp if they were both after the same prey. Possible, bobcats are a more likely suspect I think than a yote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrown Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 I don't think it'd be an eagle, their not aggile enough to take a hawk, we have eagles that migrate down here with the ducks, they'll nab a duck off the water or wounded ones. We winged a mallard once, and when we found it, it looked like someone had fillet the breast out, and the hunters said it was more than likely a raptor. Flying into a highlines is highly possible too, I know they say that's a problem with Prairie Chickens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bug House Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 In the order of likely hood (IMO): #1) Human #2) Another Raptor #3) Ground predator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Maybe he was doing a power dive and got a head of himself? OK,.. so i wont be quitting my day job... this was just too funny not to call attention to again. very good. ill go with the fence theory. but, who knows. there is not market for a poacher that i know of. only for live birds, not bird parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Really don't think a person is responsible. Just watched two crows take a hawk nearly twice the size of the crows almost to the ground. Really thinking more and more that crows probably took the bird down and something else came along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zachary Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Really don't think a person is responsible. Just watched two crows take a hawk nearly twice the size of the crows almost to the ground. Really thinking more and more that crows probably took the bird down and something else came along. Totally agreed:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 this was just too funny not to call attention to again. very good. ill go with the fence theory. but, who knows. there is not market for a poacher that i know of. only for live birds, not bird parts. Steve..I knew we would be on the same page!! after all you are from the "Nortland"...lol Im thinking a power line or fence wire? Is there a tower in the area? Guy lines kill lots of birds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Last time I was down in the bottom I took a few pics. While I was down there a plane flew over, and got to thinking we get a lot of low flying planes that land at the county airport, possible maybe a low flying plane hit the bird? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaitlinMccart Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Bobcat could have caught the hawk and took the head off and carried it to that spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 i'm sure it was not a plane. the prop spins at near supersonic speeds, meaning it would have made hamburger out of the bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 i'm sure it was not a plane. the prop spins at near supersonic speeds, meaning it would have made hamburger out of the bird. Kinda figured as much Steve, but was not sure if a plane about to land would have the prop speed wound down enough to cut the head off, body nowhere around and no feathers anywhere, just the head in my field. We get some ultralights at the airport flying over real low too. Oh well, one of those unsolved mysteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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