Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Waterfowl => Topic started by: seth30 on December 03, 2011, 03:19:26 PM

Title: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: seth30 on December 03, 2011, 03:19:26 PM
Got to one of my ponds this morning and put my decoys out around 0600.  Sat back and waited for the shooting time .  Well around 0630 my labs start perking up and a rush of wings went right over our head and I hear a large smack on one of my decoys.  It was still pretty dark, but the wingspan was massive, and looked to big to be a owl.  I couldnt make out any colors but by the way it came and went it sure was a bird of prey.   Do eagles hunt in the dark :dunno:  How many of you have had your decoys attacked?  It sure did remove the need for a cup of coffee pretty quick :chuckle:
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: jager on December 03, 2011, 03:23:11 PM
Twice I've had hawks attack my decoys on the little potholes I hunt on. Pretty cool to watch.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: seth30 on December 03, 2011, 03:24:31 PM
If there was a little more light I would have tried to film it.  To tell you the truth it starteld the heck out of me :chuckle:
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: dreamunelk on December 03, 2011, 03:25:24 PM
Cool!   You assumption of an owl is most likely the correct one. 
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: seth30 on December 03, 2011, 03:27:07 PM
maybe a great horned owl :dunno: It was too big to be a barn owl or barred owl.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: WCTaxidermy on December 03, 2011, 03:29:48 PM
Did it get away with your decoy?
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: seth30 on December 03, 2011, 03:31:27 PM
No it sure did smack it really good though. 
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: jager on December 03, 2011, 03:33:01 PM
Both times I've had it happen they just hit it and go...they don't like the hard plastic  :chuckle:
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: seth30 on December 03, 2011, 03:37:02 PM
Both times I've had it happen they just hit it and go...they don't like the hard plastic  :chuckle:
:chuckle: I glad they dont like it, could you imagine coming home without all the decoys you put out :chuckle:
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: Mackerson on December 03, 2011, 03:45:56 PM
I had a bald eagle swoop down and hit a dead greenhead that was still on the pond....that was pretty awesome.  Never a decoy though.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: seth30 on December 03, 2011, 04:04:49 PM
one thing for sure, Green Head Gear is not just for waterfowl
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: GregFowler23 on December 03, 2011, 04:29:58 PM
Had the same thing happen to me last year. It was actually light enough out to see. So saw the owl up in a tree, couple minutes later it flew down an attacked my decoy the same way you discribed your incident. Only this owl came back a second time an did the exact same thing. picked up the decoy and it was destroyed. Unbelievable to have actually see it happen.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: Widgeondeke on December 03, 2011, 06:37:52 PM
Had a Great Blue Heron dive bomb my heron decoy. That was cool @ 20 yds.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: ICEMAN on December 03, 2011, 06:45:29 PM
Very cool seth!
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: bigcans on December 03, 2011, 10:42:12 PM
cool, I've been using GBH decoys for a long time. Today, I had mine perched on some cut logs and saw a great blue squawk when leaving a tree but he didn't swoop down and fly across the pond to where i was at.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: dannysdaddy on December 03, 2011, 10:43:59 PM
Couple weeks ago I had two greenheads commited to the deeks and right before I shot had a hawk come out of nowhere and waylay one of them.  scared the crap out of me. Never seen anything like that before.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: TONTO on December 03, 2011, 10:57:31 PM
Couple weeks ago I had two greenheads commited to the deeks and right before I shot had a hawk come out of nowhere and waylay one of them.  scared the crap out of me. Never seen anything like that before.

 Had the same thing happen to me a couple years ago. Birds comitted feet down wings cupped, then smack, big red tail nailled a green head and flared the rest off :bash:

 As far as having the deeks attacked, never by a bird o' prey, but did have an otter try to take a decoy once. Soon as he realized it was plastic he left it alone, but later in the day he came back and stole a goose from us.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: AWS on December 04, 2011, 07:32:53 AM
Had my decoys set in the grass waiting for the tide to come in and heard what sounded like someone hitting a decoy with a ball bat.  A large hawk hit it.

Twice I've seen ducks up pretty high have a hawk attack.  Just before the hawk would get to them they would just drop out of the sky like a rock, no attempt to fly or even land they just hit the water like a rock being dropped.  First time I was close enough and it was three pintail, the second time it was two unknown type of ducks.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: boneaddict on December 04, 2011, 07:40:47 AM
I've had them rush them, don't think I have ever had them get hit.   I shot a merganser once and right after it it the river, had a hawk pick it out of the water.  I thought that was amazing.   


I was sitting on the bank one day with only three decoys out in the river. (all I had as a kid) and there was a twang, and then a splash right next to my deek.  I stood up and here was one of the neighborhood kids(year older than me) with his .22.  He thought he was poaching a duck.  He hit the deek with the first shot but caught it just right so it deflected instead of shattering.   (hard shell decoy, nothing like todays.)
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: Rob on December 04, 2011, 08:20:29 AM
When I was in highschool hunting with my dad over in eastern WA, we were calling in some, mallards.  Out of no where an osprey swooped in and took a greenhead out of mid air!  They tumbled to the ground and fell behind a small hill with feathers hanging in the air.  We could hear the mallard quacking, and a few minuted later he came screaming by us in the air.  The osprey took off a few minutes later without his meal.  Pretty cool to watch and I remember it clear as day.

Not a decoy story but it involves ducks and birds of prey at least!
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: Skagit_Hunter on December 04, 2011, 11:17:56 AM
What is more scary is.... Flagging out the side of your laydown With a short homemade special weapon flag. And have a owl hammer the flag and your hand at the same time :yike: The first time the pucker factor is about 10
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: dannysdaddy on December 04, 2011, 11:32:45 AM
What is more scary is.... Flagging out the side of your laydown With a short homemade special weapon flag. And have a owl hammer the flag and your hand at the same time :yike: The first time the pucker factor is about 10

WOW  I think I would have shat myself.. Also had some guys jump shoot my deeks at skagit last year.  cost me a bunch to replace them...
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: h2ofowlr on December 04, 2011, 12:21:06 PM
I've had a owl hit a shaker decoy back in the day.  Then I was shooting in an elevated duck blind and had an eagle swoop down at my decoys only to smack my jerk string.  It tore the spool out of the blind and the eagle hit the water.  It popped up and was able to get airborn and fly off.  We have had yotes come in on our field goose spreads.  The best is watching graceful swans come right into the spread as they knock decoys and shells over.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: muzbuster on December 04, 2011, 01:25:09 PM
Had a Bald Eagle take a widgeon that I had just shot, I thought it was cool to watch but the dog didn't like it so much. me :chuckle:  dog >:(
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: kkirkma3 on December 04, 2011, 01:35:05 PM
Once had a bald eagle come and pick up our mallard decoy from the pond, then he preceded to fly to the closest doug fir and pecked on the decoys head for five minutes before flying off with it. One of the cooler things I've ever seen.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: jeepguy on December 04, 2011, 09:06:08 PM
years ago when i hunted off lariemer road in the slough one day i sitt'n over some decoys had redtail hawk swoop right down  picked up a deke i couldnt beleive it he was up about thirty yards i was holler'n at him and he dropped it  funny thing tho, i have owlsland right next to me almost on me in the early morning darkness gives you a start.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: JJB11B on December 04, 2011, 09:40:28 PM
Had a coyote attack some goose decoys....he's dead now
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: scudmaster on December 04, 2011, 11:05:59 PM
That is why we get up and go out each morning.  Ya never know what to expect.  Very cool.
Title: Re: Had a first happen to me!
Post by: DUCKDUDE on December 05, 2011, 10:21:17 AM
I have hade eagles dive bomb mine a few times and one time a seal came up and snifed one.
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