[MaterDei]

I've got a red tailed hawk hunting my chickens and would like to turn the tables on him if it's legal.

Anybody know? (stupid question on THR, somebody always knows)

[qwert65]

I'm almost positive hunting them is illegal in the US

[qwert65]

I looked it up and it is illegal owls as well. That being said I had the same problem but built a shelter for my birds which they would run under course I also have lots of trees

[MaterDei]

That's what I thought but couldn't find it via google.

Thanks, qwert65

[paintballdude902]

i believe taht is it s federal offense to hunt all birds of prey

[ashtxsniper]

Its illegal in Texas

[HeavyDuty]

It's illegal in the entire country. Don't shoot hawks!

[Double Naught Spy]

Actually, they are covered, in part, under the Migratory Bird Act, along with about 800 other species of migratory birds. There are other laws that may apply.

Also seehttp://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/16/ch7.html

[Cypress]

Put up some Martin houses and they will keep the hawks at bay. A whole lot better deal for the hawk and you won't have any mosquitos.

[HeavyDuty]

Good idea, Cypress - and it will provide some entertainment at the same time! Watching dickeybirds divebomb raptors can be a scream.

[panzer426]

Red-tail Hawks and all birds of prey are highly protected in the US, intentionally harming one, disturbing a nest, or even possession of a feather (or other body part) is a crime.

The best thing you can do is to keep your chickens protected better. Keep them in the coupe or build a chicken tractor.

[Art Eatman]

Free ranging yard chickens, or penned?

Free ranging? Aw, redtails are neat. Feed her a chicken or two. :D

Penned? Get a tall roll of 2" mesh "chickenwire" and make a screen roof over the pen. Doesn't even have to be solid, as long as it messes up the hawk's target area.

[rodngun]

Big time illegal,not only that-dont even get caught with the claws or feathers from one.

[K3]

I wouldn't be caught dead with so much as a feather from a bird of prey. A friend that I've hunted with for years got the third degree from a couple of game wardens in a cafe for having an eagle feather in his hat. This was probably in the mid 80s, and the feather was originally his grandfather's.

I've seen owls through my scope at night when running the red light for 'yotes, and all I can think of is how potentially costly pulling the trigger would be. I see dollar signs and lost gear rather than a bird.

[Grayrock]

Is there any sort of provision for controlling raptors that are engaged in predation of commercial property (ie chickens, livestock, etc) ?

[Double Naught Spy]

Yes there is. You must protect your livestock better with barriers. You control the raptors by keeping your livestock inaccessible.

Aside from chickens and rabbits, most raptors are little threat to other livestock.

Oh, and fish in fish farms.

[zxcvbob]

I read somewhere that putting a few guineas in with your flock of chickens will keep hawks away. (The guineas will attack the hawks.) I don't know if it's true or not, but guineas are kind of cool. They do make a lot of noise if strangers come around.

[buck460XVR]

You must protect your livestock better with barriers. You control the raptors by keeping your livestock inaccessible.

+1



I read somewhere that putting a few guineas in with your flock of chickens will keep hawks away. (The guineas will attack the hawks.) I don't know if it's true or not

true.......to a point. Guineas are more observant than domesticated chickens and will alarm other fowl when hawks/owls are around, thus making all of them a harder target.


Several years back, there was a full page ad in one of my Gun Dog magazines from a lady dog trainer apologizing to the general public for the destruction of several hawks that were feeding on her quail and pheasants that she had released for training. It was part of the conditions handed down by a federal court judge along with a hefty fine of many thousands of dollars.........

.........besides, foolishly shooting birds of prey does not lend itself to a positive image for the rest of us hunters/gun owners. Buy some chicken wire, eh?

[Grayrock]

Didn't one of the prominent politicos shoot a raptor a while back? I misremember.

[mbt2001]

uhhhhh

You should have asked this BEFORE the 4th... I am quite sure that it IS NOT illegal to make a bottle rocket cannon and shoot at the bird whenever you can. :)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=y34o-MMQUu4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLjYyBmE88U&NR=1

[Double Naught Spy]

Then you would be wrong, mbt2001. Shooting fireworks at the birds would be illegal.

[nathan]

Dont even aim at it. They are beauties of the sky.

[El Tejon]

Mater, I had a guy in trouble over allegedly possessing a few Northern Goshawk feathers.:uhoh:

As others have suggested, a "chicken bunker" is the way to go.:D

[Floppy_D]

Start your falconry apprenticeship and trap his arse. Then put him to work for YOU. :D

[Cougfan2]

As others have said, chicken wire is cheap. I like the Martin house idea too! I love watching Raptors hunt. My office window looks out on the Clackmas river here in Oregon. In the last month or so I've seen a Bald Eagle take a fish out of the river and sit on a branch across from my office and eat it and an Osprey dive all the way under the water trying to get a fish. He came up empty. Driving home from work the other day I saw a Redtail with a Garter snake in his talons. Beautiful birds! :)

[gtmerkley]

If its self defence! sorry officer that hawk came right at me.

[mbt2001]

Then you would be wrong, mbt2001. Shooting fireworks at the birds would be illegal.

maybe... If you can actually dig up the law... I don't think they are covered under the migratory bird laws, unless it is in the State. Some Hawks are, but not the Red Tailed that I know of...

Be hard to prove you were aiming for it.

[LeonCarr]

Shooting fireworks at the birds...that is funny :).

Here are some good reasons not to shoot a bird of prey:

http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=B081BD1B-99AF-4DFB-B96B8A382C1FA539

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[Double Naught Spy]

You can't shoot explosive devices at the birds. You are not allowed to harm them or to try to harm them. Shooting bottle rockets at the birds would endanger them....plain and simple, and that would make the act illegal.

As for proving it, that is another matter, but the act you described, aiming AT the hawks would most definitely be illegal.

I don't think they are covered under the migratory bird laws
What you think is not a defensible position. Red-tailed hawks are most definitely covered under the migratory bird act. Red-tailed hawks are indigenous migratory birds, hence are covered. There are a few exceptions that are delineated, but hawks are NOT of those exceptions.

Here is the listing....
http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/intrnltr/mbta/mbtandx.html

Pan down to the Hawk listings.

Also see...http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/protected/
Shooting fireworks at hawks would be covered under "attempting to harm."

[HeavyDuty]

maybe... If you can actually dig up the law... I don't think they are covered under the migratory bird laws, unless it is in the State. Some Hawks are, but not the Red Tailed that I know of...

Trust me, they are. My wife is a Master Falconer, and I know the laws.

Be hard to prove you were aiming for it.

Not a viable defense. You'll end up just as screwed and broke.

[Schutzen]

Do you have buildings in the area your chickens are ranging? String large monofiliment fishing line between the roof peaks. Use a double zig zag patternthat creates X's between the buildings. The hawks will not enter the area and your chickens will be safe in there.

[Sunray]

Hunting them is illegal, but protecting livestock may not be. Especially if you're raising chickens for a living. Call your Fish and Game types and ask.

[CrawdaddyJim]

First get some Geese and Turkeys to hang with the chickens if you must free range. They will keep anything smaller than a bobcat from dining on your girls. If you can stand it get a couple of roosters as well. The martins are a great idea. Lastly if you don't get anywhere with those treatments then the chicken tractor is the best answer. Use bigger air filled tires and it can be built out of chainlink which will make it harder for the bears to rip it apart.

http://urbanchickens.org/files/images/Chicken_Tractor.jpg

Jim
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i252/crawdaddy031/b7f2_1.jpg

[dubious]

Well, as tempted as I've been to shoot at hawks that raided my chickens.... I don't think its a good idea. If you want to keep deer out of your garden, build a fence... it's really the most effective way. At my place we've got a hawk proof chicken pen, which is great.

The really clever thing my buddy figured out is to put sections of fence propped up sideways (horizontally) so that the chickens can run underneath them. They are basically sideways propped up pieces of chicken wire that the hens can run underneath if a hop swoops down. Hawks don't like to spend time on the ground... so if the hens can hide under the chicken wire they are pretty safe.

[MaterDei]

Put up some Martin houses and they will keep the hawks at bay. A whole lot better deal for the hawk and you won't have any mosquitos.

I put up a Martin house during the winter. Still no birds in it, hopefully they will occupy it soon.

Thanks for all the warnings and tips, guys. I should have mentioned that I already have a coop with chicken wire all around. I just like to let the birds free range from time to time. In addition to hawks we also have Great Northern Owls. I've seen both hunt and they are indeed fascinating to watch. I especially enjoy it when their intended prey, against all odds, manages to get away. :)

[MaterDei]

One of the hawks stood still long enough for a picture this morning. :)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/materdei/P1000961_phixr2.jpg

[Tom Krein]

As has been said there are many ways you can protect your chickens without killing the raptors.

With that said you should contact your Game Officer in your area. Usually there are ways around the laws to portect your property. I had a friend here in NW Arkansas that was having problems with big birds of prey, he got a permit and was able to shoot them, but HAD to leave them where they fell.

Not saying I condone this, but there was no other way he could protect his livestock as he had tried many different things.

Check with your Fish and Game Office.

Tom

[stevereno1]

If a hawk falls on the prarie and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?

[MaterDei]

That's evil, stevereno1. :evil:

[Zip7]

I used to bowhunt in a waterfowl sanctuary, and at times there would be 10,000 + ducks of various types in there. I've seen red tail hawks catch a duck in the air as it's hovering to land - pretty cool to watch.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I wouldn't shoot a hawk/eagle/falcon. A turkey buzzard OTOH.........

[HeavyDuty]

A turkey buzzard OTOH...

... is just as protected as the rest. What do you have against buzzards?

[Jeff F]

I wouldn't be caught dead with so much as a feather from a bird of prey. A friend that I've hunted with for years got the third degree from a couple of game wardens in a cafe for having an eagle feather in his hat. This was probably in the mid 80s, and the feather was originally his grandfather's.


Amain to that.
Back in 80 when I lived in Hayfork I found a spotted owl that had got creamed by a logging truck and dumb as I was I cut his claws off, tied them together with a piece of fishing line and hung them on the rear view of my truck. Fast forward a couple years and I'm just getting back to my truck after fishing at a small lake and who shows up, mister game warden. He checks my license and my catch and say have a nice day. I say you do the same. He walks forward past my truck toward the lake and turns around and says what is that hanging on your mirror. I don't lie and tell him the truth. He tells me that is big time illegal and he could arrest me and could impound my truck on top of being arrested. Then he told me to take those claws off the mirror and go throw them in the dumpster right now and not to ever do that again.

I was lucky that day. Could of been real bad.

[Grayrock]

A Turkey Vulture in many languages:
Latin: Cathartes aura
Cherokee: Suli
Spanish: Buitre de la cara roja
Spanish (Mexico): el Zopilote
Belize: John Crow


Status:
This bird is protected by international Migratory Bird treaties, and its numbers are healthy. It is estimated that turkey vulture populations have grown by 1.79% in recent years. (See the USGS population trend map, located at
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm03/trn2003/tr03250.htm)

[ArmedBear]

Actually, they are covered, in part, under the Migratory Bird Act, along with about 800 other species of migratory birds.

So at the very least, plug your magazine.;)

There's plenty of good advice here. I'd do that.

Law or no law, I wouldn't hunt hawks. Birds of prey are a real gift just to watch in the sky, and they taste terrible anyway.:uhoh:

"Hi, Mom! I'm going to jail!"

http://www.whsrn.org/data/Unsorted/Red-tailed-hawk-20404-1.jpg

[Art Eatman]

The way the law is written, the US Fish & Wildlife Service can take personal property involved in killing a raptor, and seize the accused's real property where the incident occurred. That includes your house, if they find any feathers, claws, etc.

[ArmedBear]

I damn near had a bunch of feathers, guts, etc. in my real property, since I park in the garage, but it was through no fault of my own. A redtail was hunting a canyon, and a highway runs perpendicular to it. The bird flew RIGHT in front of my Jeep windshield as it crossed the road and I nearly intersected its path at 60 MPH.

Or do accidents count?

[BAT1]

You always learn some thing here. You mean if a feather from one fell in my yard they could give me the third degree? They clean up for nature so we need them.

[ArmedBear]

You mean if a feather from one fell in my yard they could give me the third degree?

Only if your kid picked it up and put it in his pocket.
http://www.paratexas.com/gestapotactics1.jpg

[T-Ray]

... is just as protected as the rest. What do you have against buzzards?
they poke the eyes out of, and sometimes kill calves, but i'm not sayin i've shot any.

And as for the hawks, if you're too lazy to put up chicken wire (no shame in that), fireworks in general, not even aimed at the hawk, would probably keep it away, although you might have a few chickens die of a heart attack :D. Black-cats are loud:D plus when i use them, the birds stay away:D

[Regolith]

My father works at the BLM. One day about 6 or 7 years ago (when I still lived with my parents) this idjit nice lady brought an injured red-tailed hawk to the field office where he works towards the end of the day, for some odd reason thinking that would be the best place to drop it off. He apparently spent most of the rest of the day on the phone with the FWS trying to get permission to keep the thing for a night so that he could drive it to the nearest FWS office (71 miles away) the next day, and to make sure that there was someone there who could take it.

He brought it home that night. It was messed up pretty bad, though it wasn't bleeding externally. Those things are big, and pretty awe inspiring.

[publiuss]

Absolutely not. Birds of prey are Federally protected. If I remember correctly, it is even illegal to possess their feathers, unless you are an indian and are using them for religious purposes.

[HeavyDuty]

If I remember correctly, it is even illegal to possess their feathers, unless you are an indian and are using them for religious purposes.

Or a properly licensed falconer or rehabber using them for imping broken feathers.