Solving a Hawk Problem

[scooter147]

Sdshoars

In the last year or so I have freed three red tails and one coopers hawk that have gotten tangled in the netting, NOT EASY!!!! and they have all flown off on their own power. I have two red tails that were dead when I got home from work.
I am 46 years old and I have never seen so many, the last several years the population of the above mentioned raptors seem to have exploded. They are every where. My commute to work is 23 miles and I guarantee you tonight if I look I will see no less than 10 sitting on electrical poles on my way home.
It is black netting and you would think quite visable why they keep flying into it is beyond me especially with so much other prey around.
I can honestly say in my 30+ years of raising poultry I have never killed a bird of prey and probably have lost maybe one or two birds to a raptor.
I only let them free range when I am out and about, I have a couple roosters to watch, and have always had a dog on the property.

 

[winekntrychicks]

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[sdshoars]

i didnt say free it yourself, i said call someone to do it. thats what they get paid to do! its not your fault they got caught, and it is not your job to free them. i cant imagine its easy.

 

[sdshoars]

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thats an awesome attitude. really.

i am only trying to inform. there is no need for childish outbursts.

 

[scooter147]

Sdshoars.
The first one that got caught I did call the Missouri Dept. of Conservation, after three hours of waiting for the warden to show I freed it myself. I felt sorry for the hawk (and my chickens, they were stressed)
and they way he looked he was not going to last much longer, he was exhausted. After I released him I call the Consv. Dept back and they had the game warden call me back and honestly he could have cared less a hawk was tangled in netting.
His response was, Paraphrasing now "good, saves me the time and the chance of getting bit and clawed"
I simply took a blanket threw it over them and and worked and cut to untangle his talons.

 

[winekntrychicks]

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I am glad you did that! You are a descent human being.

 

[Jarhead]

OK, thats where i draw the line. If it gets tangled in my net, cannot free itself, and it dies....screw it, its going in the creek. Im not calling the freakin' authorities over something like that.

So send me to prison.

Why would you not call them? You would not get in trouble and possibly the bird could be saved. Sounds like you are put out by the few minutes it would take to make a phone call. What a selfish attitude.​

 

[T M C]

I wondered why so many hide their identity and addresses on this site. Fools and cowards. What a topic to share about. A person will do what he has to do in most cases and keep it to himself. Some hawks will die sure and many more chickens, in fact I ate one yesterday (a chicken that is) they are dual purpose in my flock. We don't grow apple trees for their blossoms but the fruit. This wasn't intended to hurt any ones peelings but if you're pricked so be it. I wouldn't send any one to jail over my bird or ..... people are so funny.

 

[jed1154]

Why would you not call them? You would not get in trouble and possibly the bird could be saved. Sounds like you are put out by the few minutes it would take to make a phone call. What a selfish attitude.

Oh jeez...

First, its not selfish, im just more of a practical person. Ive dealt with state officials before, and to say they are inefficient is the understatement of the year. if the bird is tangled and is easily freed, thats one thing. If its dead, thats another. If its thrashing about and beaten, i would very likely end its suffering myself and keep my mouth shut. Im not going to run in the house, spend 10 minutes or more finding a number, then 10 minutes on hold, and then talk to someone who couldnt care less about the dilemma all the while this so called precious animal is out there thrashing about and killing itself. There are plenty of chances for you to get your brownie points on a message board, but this is not going to be one of them. That's just the way i was brought up i suppose. My netting is not there for the comfort of my pet chickens, its there for asset retention and protection. Every bird in my pen has a dollar sign attached to them, not because i sell them, but because every grain of food they eat is another fraction of a penney invested in it. If a hawk happens to get tangled in it, and i cannot free it, then that is unfortunate, but not intentional.​

 

[sdshoars]

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well then you are a responsible person, what you did was correct. it sounds like your conservation dept needs more officers, with a better work ethic. my husband would be more than happy to come out to free an animal. he covers 6000 square miles, and does not have that attitude. thank you for spending the time to release the animal, at your own risk. if we had more responsible people like you the world would be a better place. you protect your flock, and respect wildlife at the same time. i honestly respect you. hats off to scooter!

and jed, the thrashing about could be controlled with a heavy blanket, chances are that the animal would calm down enough to live until someone willing to free it would come to do so. no one here is trying to earn brownie points, they are merely expressing their opinions, which in my point of view, leads to a healthy discussion.