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I'll check for injuries this afternoon as soon as I get home, but everyone was moving around just fine last night! He flew off and landed on top of my pole barn for a bit, watching us. His talons made a horrible screeching noise on the tin roof!Great Horned owls are huge, so glad to hear no one was injured! I do believe they are protected though.![]()
I don't want to kill an owl either, but I can't have him returning every night to get a shot at the ducks or bantams (both in an open run overnight. Not too worried about the bantams, they have 1/4 inch wire. The ducks just have standard chicken wire. I don't know if he could get through that!). Most of our neighbors also own firearms, but we're getting a new neighbor and I'm sure the exsisting ones won't appreciate gunshots at that hour. Would the game commision really relocate a problem bird? I have really fine plasticy deer netting covering the main runs, so I'm worried about him getting stuck in it one of these days. I wonder if they would come remove the bird if he got stuck...I don't know what the regs are near you (or how close/picky your neighbors are) as far the gun being fired, but you could see about the non-lethal rounds. They sell them for home defense, but I use them on animals I don't want to kill like the owls when we had rabbits, or animals that are out of season (groundhogs, coyotes, coons and possoms aren't as lucky). If it's to defend your flock I think you'll be ok, but check to be sure.
Glad the wire held it back, and no one was hurt.
ETA: they are protected by fed and state laws, so check with the Game Commission about non lethal rounds or if this continues if they relocate problem birds. Although I don't know how much good relocation would be for a bird...![]()