Bald Eagles like fresh groundhog meat

[GrocMax]

In the NW there aren't many buzzards/vultures, Bald Eagles take over that job, they sit in tall snags and go for the easy road kill or dying spawned fish. Never seen one hunting, saw them nearly daily. Now Ospreys, THERE'S a majestic hunter.

 

[DHuffman]

Out in this country the Goldens outnumber the balds. I enjoy watching both make a living even if it's from me shooting PD's

 

[Nomad47]

Another Bald Eagle sighting today. For some reason he didn't land on my kill. That is a newly sprouted bean field he is sitting on.
7 more groundhog kills today. That brings the total for the week to 34.

And this is a pic from last year which I may have already posted.

 

[people]

While the bald eagle is a beautiful bird...I get pissed off at them every year when duck and goose hunting.
When there is a bald eagle around there will normally be no ducks or geese around either. While out goose
hunting one year I watched a bald eagle take down a Canada goose in mid air...about hour or so I went
down to where the eagle was and just about all the goose was consumed. I know it sounds crazy but sometimes
I wish there was a season on them.

No one saw anything they can not prove it and nothing happened. Think sss but without the shovel part.

 

[Mistman]

Eagles main source of food are ducks, at least that's what the books say. I imagine migrating birds would certainly want to steer clear of any eagle sightings. They seem to prefer carrion if available though, who wouldn't, low energy food source.

 

[MildBill]

Nomad47

glad to see you post up here again.

I always enjoy reading what you share about groundhog shooting.

 

[DogBuster]

Eagles.......yes more Golden than Bald......this pic now several years old...this brave ole fellow

landed right next to me on this RR tie fence post....allowed me to snap a pic...the shooting had no

effect..he was hungry......notice talons extend the width of RR tie......amazing birds......

 

[GrocMax]

Never see any eagles in the PD fields in the TX panhandle, but its a breeding ground for burrowing owls, and see a lot of red tailed hawks and turkey vultures enjoying a free meal.

Majority of dead black tailed PD's get taken back down the burrows by family members and eaten.

 

[MildBill]

nice picture DogBuster

we see a few golden eagles in western Wisconsin in the winter time.

this past winter I saw one along with a bald eagle near a deer road kill.

the golden made the bald look quite small in comparison...

 

[Ohio Varmint Shooter]

Southern Knox County. Yes, sold the RV and a winter home in AZ so we are now in Ohio year round.

I'm next door in Delaware county...but I just don't see many groundhogs around here.

 

[Park ranger]

If your shooting hogs in eagle country, think about using lead free ammo. Eagles are complete sissys when it comes to ingesting lead fragments. They get lead drunk very easily for some reason. It really messes with them when they eat lead killed varmints.

Just think about it, there are lots of good lead free bullets on the market.

Distinguish Rifleman 2301

 

[Nomad47]

It was a good week - soybeans are sprouting and the hay is getting mowed and baled. Net result - 47 groundhog kills for the week. Yahoo.

 

[LitLBoy]

Bill
I'll be up soon --- maybe end of next week.
LitLBoy

 

[Nomad47]

Sounds good, Stan. Looking forward to your next visit.

 

[lpreddick]

It was a good week - soybeans are sprouting and the hay is getting mowed and baled. Net result - 47 groundhog kills for the week. Yahoo.

47 in a week!!! That is a sign of dedication! I just got 21 for the year! Our weather has been terrible...rain, wind, cold, then more rain. Farmers have just now stated to mow hay so very few farms to hunt. I did find one near a farmers garden, but she was living in a briar patch that looked like razor wire. I hesitated to shoot it as I knew I would have to hack into the stuff, but I carry a machete and it was time to give it a test. A female no longer feeding small ones so i'll return...8# 8oz.

 

[people]

If your shooting hogs in eagle country, think about using lead free ammo. Eagles are complete sissys when it comes to ingesting lead fragments. They get lead drunk very easily for some reason. It really messes with them when they eat lead killed varmints.

Just think about it, there are lots of good lead free bullets on the market.

Distinguish Rifleman 2301

Tell those sissies to not eat my kills. Also tell the coyotes they are for them.

 

[Nomad47]

47 in a week!!! That is a sign of dedication! I just got 21 for the year! Our weather has been terrible...rain, wind, cold, then more rain. Farmers have just now stated to mow hay so very few farms to hunt. I did find one near a farmers garden, but she was living in a briar patch that looked like razor wire. I hesitated to shoot it as I knew I would have to hack into the stuff, but I carry a machete and it was time to give it a test. A female no longer feeding small ones so i'll return...8# 8oz.

Pups being out sure helps. When you can get mom and 3 or 4 pups out of one hole, it sure helps the numbers.

I just checked and I shot 158 last June on my way to 484 for the season. I would say June is almost always the best hunting because of the pups.

BTW, I also keep a machete in the truck with me. But its more for hacking off limbs blocking my view as opposed to hacking into a briar patch.

 

[Nomad47]

Tell those sissies to not eat my kills. Also tell the coyotes they are for them.

On the Sunday before Memorial Day a coyote picked up one of my groundhog kills. I tried a 400 yard running shot but missed. As an after thought, I should have "Yipped" to see if it would have briefly stopped. Then this past Saturday (6 days later), the farmer of the neighboring farm showed me a camera phone pic he took a couple days earlier of a (probably the same) coyote carrying off one of my groundhog kills. He was raking hay into windrows when he took the pic. II had shot the groundhog earlier that day and carried it over near an oil well storage tank so it wouldn't get raked and baled. The farmer said buzzards were feeding on the 'hog when the coyote came by and took it away from them.

 

[lpreddick]

On getting a coyote's attention, I read an article by a professional coyote hunter and his favorite trick was to "hey up" them. If one was moving he would shout "HEY,HEY"! He said they probably never heard the word and invariably would stop and stare, his scope was already on them. I had one running toward me. I was shaded and put the sightron dot on him and waited for him to stop, but he was loping along, so I yelled "HEY"! He froze at 35 yds and I nearly decapitated him with a 55 gr Berger from my 22 BR.

 

[GoWyo!]

Old thread, I really can’t envision rock Chuck carcass being able to retain any bullet fragments from high velocity center fire varmint calibers. Can anybody steer me towards a study? I’m also very skeptical about that North Dakota physician that x-rayed some packaged meat showing a dozen lead fragments. That was quoted a lot during the startup of the lead bullet ban. I consider this an anti-hunting ploy. A carryover from lead- free shot and waterfowl hunting days. Fortunately, the hunting and shooting industry is inventive and came out with their lead-free bullets.