Has anyone ever hear of a redtail take a turkey, if not what? i've got loads of em' around me and was wondering if it worth a try.(when i get my licence )
closest I've seen was film footage of an rt trying to take a turkey chick. the hen actually flew down the rt and forced it to the ground where it gave up the chick.
I have never taken a turkey with a redtail but 2 falconers here in NY did. I have taken 2 turkeys with my Harris and had at least 50 other birds on the ground and bound to. Your bird can get beat up pretty bad if it does not get a good head shot, you think squirrels are bad wait until your redtail get the s#@# kicked out of it by a large tom(22lbs).
I have a question for those of you who ever contemplated turkey hunting with a raptor. What would be the best raptor for hunting turkeys and lets try and keep this to readaly available birds. I realise crowned eagles and harpies are two birds that could easily handle a 22lb tom, but what of the goldens and large female gos? how would they fair? Golden should be more than big enough, but I've heard that the can be a little unenthused when it comes to feathered game. Waht is tthe opinion of others here? Chris.
A big tom can have 1 1/2 inch spurs and run 35 mph so you know they have leg strength. Can't remember the name of the film or show but it was of a large tom beating down a lynx. Not sure if there's a raptor that I would risk knowingly. My brother had a harris that was almost killed by a hen it bound to while hunting grey squirrels. Kurt
Goldens should have no problem taking a turkey. The only thing you would have to do is to get it used to taking featheres game. I plan on doing that when I make my move next year.
Yes, I could see a Golden taking a turkey. In my area we don't have the open country for an eagle so I wasn't thinking of that. I would like to watch a flight at one. Are you going to be flying at Meriem or Rio Grande turkeys? Kurt
From what I have been reading, it will probably be Meriam turkeys. I will be moving to New Mexico and whatever they have there is what I will fly on. I might have the oppertunity to hunt them here in California in the next couple of weeks. One of my firends was over today telling me that there are lots of them in an area that is about an hours drive form my house. I am anxious to try them.
Let me know how this goes as well. I would like to try and fly for turkeys as well but as stated they are a formitable quarry this is why I asked for opinions. Is it possible to a get a golden excited about feathered game and what would be the best way to do this? Chris
When I first started training my golden, I would give him a live pigeon on a string. He was really excited and took care of the pigeon instantly. I also had a duck that had really been hit hard by a falcon and wasn't going to survive so I gave that to the eagle also. The friend that came over this weekend told me that he had been to a private ranch on Saturday and watched a golden hit a mallard on the bank of one of the ponds on the ranch. The golden took the duck into the tree and another golden came out of a stoop and slammed into the first golden knocking him to the ground and then the 2nd golden took off with the mallard. Now my friend was checking out these ponds to fly his falcon on next year. He told me after seeing the goldens he wouldn't be flying these ponds on this ranch. But, he saw lots of turkeys and is going to do some gun hunting there.
Post by Master Yarak on Aug 30, 2006 13:19:56 GMT -5
Bane pulled feathers from a pullet last year, I think they came from the back. It was bigger than her but not twice the size. I am mixed about her tangling with one. They are abundant here but I don't know the species. They look big to me...too big. My gut tells me she would try. I am usually close to her so I could probably get there quick. A 9-12 lb bird I think is doable beyond that it gets very questionable. In a perfect world both her feet on the head and neck would dispatch one. We don't live in a perfect world. If it hurt her and escaped it might put her off of them, short of that I don't know how to prevent her from trying. I think this particular bird would have been selected out for being too aggressive. This might be one case of too much confidence. I have not lived or hunted in area with this many of them. I will warn her but she never listens to anything I say. Yarak
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away