Hawks

[birdlady79]

Shooting a hawk is not worth the fine that comes with messing with a migratory raptor.  By negative re-inforcement I meant shouting it off, or maybe shoot of a whistling bottle rocket.  Whistles have a pretty good effect on most animals and scaring the bejesus out of them. However, since trapping season varies state-by-state for falconers, and you're saying it's not afraid of you, it sounds like it's a juvenile hawk that some falconer would be willing to come out and trap for you, and take them as their own hunting bird.

I would go here: http://tennesseefalconersassociation.com/Tennessee_Falconers_Association/Welcome.html 

Click on the link to Contact TFA, and say you have a hawk killing your chickens, and you were wondering if there were any falconers willing to come out and trap it.  Try to be specific and let them know whether or not it was an adult.  If it was an adult Red-tail it would have a red tail, if it was a juvenile it's tail would be brown.

Better to play it safe, than sorry.  

Thank you for info!! I will contact them.... Just 1 more question.... If the hawk flew away and we haven't seen it since, how do you trap it?

 

[Pyro01]

Trapping's like fishing, sometimes you can pattern a hawk and catch sight of it and trap it. Other days you won't ever see a single hawk, or you'll spot the hawk you're after, and never get it to come down to the trap. The best thing you can do is take advantage of anyone that's willing to help you, and provide them with information on times when you see the hawk. Sometimes we'll just drive around the area and look for likely places that they'd be perched. If it's a falconer who's looking for a new bird to hunt with that fall, they're going to be catching almost any hawk they come across.

Lastly, if you haven't seen the hawk, all the better. However, it doesn't hurt to reach out to them, maybe there's a falconer living close to you that you can help you when you need it, in return, we usually enjoy fresh eggs.