There is a new cutover from last summer where I hunt that I thought would be on fire this turkey season. It's really remote and I don't think many even know its back there. Unfortunately the turkey sign there has been very little. There's also a bald eagle that's been hanging around the area. After listening to the last meat eater podcast and the talk of the great horned owls killing turkeys I'm wondering if this Eagle is working the turkeys over. I imagine a big eagle could swoop down on a turkey out there and kill it but I've never heard of it happening. I found his nest about a half a mile away in the corner of another cut over and I see him pretty much every time I'm in this area. You think the turkeys would shy away from this area because of the Eagle? There's another cutover a little distance from here that is the same age and it has had several Gobblers strutting the day away out there. Of course this cutover is right beside the main road and everybody has seen these turkeys out there.
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my thoughts. ive personally seen great horned owls attempt to catch a live adult turkey in a cutover in Mississippi. In his failed attempt he chased the flying turkey all the way to the roost. Interesting...he came back unsuccessful. Ive never seen a eagle attack a turkey however, a good friend of mine hunts on the red river in Oklahoma and north texas. Years ago they had a bad drought and the river nearly dried up in places. The eagles that live along the river didn't have the fish and other resources the river typically gave to them...so what do you think was next on there menu. The turkeys that roosted on the river. I don't know if the eagles were always there but they were that year...and they wore the turkey in that area out.
Seen first hand what eagle's can do. Back in 2017 I was involved in a car crash which left me unable to walk. I could drive my side by side 3/4 a mile behind the house park and use crutches to hobble to a field edge. I would set there and call from daylight until 1230 every day. There is a bald eagle nest prob 1/4 a mile from where I sat. I would see lone hens and several gobblers in the plowed field feeding and strutting. Then along came the eagles, every time the turkeys would run from the field. Cost me several longboards that year. I sat there for 12 days before I convinced a long beard to come looking. Was quite a job getting him back to the side by side...
Interesting. That's what I'm afraid of. The turkeys should be in that cutover. It's isolated, surrounded by pines and hardwoods and there are some private fields not to far away. I've heard no gobbles and seen very little tracks. I'm having a hard time imagining a gobbler strutting out there with an eagle perched overhead. Maybe that is the problem. I thought I was going to have a turkey paradise back there. I'm going to continue to keep tabs on the spot.
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I've seen eagles clear fields pretty much any time they show up and turkeys are out in open areas, with their reactions id assume its safe they consider them a dangerous predator.
I was hunting in Florida years ago, and was using a foam decoy. After a while, a bald eagle flew in and landed on a limb about 50 yards from my decoy. After 5 minutes, it swooped in and flew off with my deke. It flew about 75 yards before it realized it wasn't real, and dropped it.
Another time, the biggest hawk I've ever seen (the size of a small eagle) swooped in and attacked a decoy, knocking it off its stake and landing next to it. When it realized it wasn't a real hen, it flew off. I went to put my decoy back on its stake, and there were multiple talon holes in the neck of the decoy.
So yes, raptors do indeed prey on turkeys, and I'm certain that fact isn't lost on the turkeys either. :OGani:
Had two eagles on the ridge I was listening from this morning. Heard a lot of birds but they were a couple ridges over. Across the property line of course. I did end up calling in and killing a coyote. I know that coyote had turkey on his mind, so I put some copper plated lead on his mind instead.
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I was watching a gobbler, 2 jakes and 3 hens in the middle of a pasture about 300 yds away from my set up last week. They were slowly easing my way, when all of a sudden the hens and jakes took off running for the woods, the gobbler looked around and slowly followed. Just when I was wondering how those hens could have spotted me motionless from so far away, a bald eagle came flying across the pasture and flew right over where the turkeys disappeared.
Had the same with red tailed hawk dropping in on my decoy setup taking out a old foam hen, with a Killer B strutter right next to it. It's talons we're stuck in it and after a minute or so of hopping around squawking it flew up into a pine beside us and stared down at it screaming in a rather confused and pissed off manner.
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Below is my post on "sleeping with the enemy." We have a bald eagle's nest on our land, and plenty of turkeys. They even roost in the same tree as the eagle's nest. So my vote would be no, the eagles don't impact the turkeys.
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,94419.msg924812.html#msg924812 (http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,94419.msg924812.html#msg924812)
I would also note that we aren't near water and our eagles don't have some other obvious and consistent source for food. If turkeys were high on their list I think they would have a major impact. Now ask me about pheasants, and I will tell you that either the pheasants don't like the big birds above or they all got eaten because when the eagles moved in the pheasants disappeared.
Quote from: Timmer on April 14, 2020, 03:16:52 PM
Below is my post on "sleeping with the enemy." We have a bald eagles nest on our land, and plenty of turkeys. They even roost in the same tree as the eagle's nest. So my vote would be no, the eagles don't impact the turkeys.
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,94419.msg924812.html#msg924812 (http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,94419.msg924812.html#msg924812)
I would also note that we aren't near water and our eagles don't have some other obvious and consistent source for food. If turkeys were high on their list I think they would have a major impact. Now ask me about pheasants, and I will tell you that either the pheasants don't like the big birds above or they all got eaten because when the eagles moved in the pheasants disappeared.
Very interesting topic guys I very rarely see Bald Eagles and have never seen turkeys and them cohabitating together, thanks for the post and pictures Timmer that is really neat.
We have eagles that nest and live on the lake where I run my charter boat, see them regularly. I have seen them prey on loons and seagulls. 2 Septembers ago I watched an eagle dive bombing a loon for about 20 minutes. Every time the loon would go underwater, then resurface and call, eagle finally gave up. A couple days later, there was a loon swimming near the boat, eagle showed up but flew right on by.
Also see eagles that grab lake trout that we release before they swim back down. One trout was around 8 pounds and an eagle struggled to fly off with it snd dropped it after 50 yards or so. My guess is that a 20 pound tom might be too much for an eagle to handle.
I think eagles are mostly scavengers. Most of their food is already dead. Not saying they won't take a shot at live animals. They prefer the easy route of stealing fish from other birds and eating dead stuff.
The correlation in increase in raptor numbers and decrease in turkey numbers is clear. How great an affect it is nobody has shown.
Raptors are way more protected than they should be,but these educated idiots know more than common folks.
I can't comment on how much destruction eagles can have on a turkey population, but I can testify to the fact that they will chase them and it appears try to catch them. 2 or 3 years ago I was working a mid day gobbler on a power line when a big bald eagle swooped down and tried to grab him. The gobbler kinda ducked and ran then flew into the nearby creek bottom. Looked like the gobbler flew up into a tree and the eagle flew back up real high and then dove back down towards the creek bottom. I then heard big heavy wing beats of 2 birds and it sounded like the chase continued on through the bottom. I never saw anymore of that gobbler (that I know of) but 10 minutes or so later I caught a glimpse of the eagle flying back up real high over the power line. I then watched him and he lit in a big ol pine just off the line. Seemed like a perfect spot for one to hunt and watch for prey from a long distance. Not sure if that gobbler was just a random attempt at a meal or that eagle routinely chased turkeys there. But, I have found a couple big piles of turkey feathers along the middle of that power line since then where it's obvious something had a turkey happy meal.
Amazingly, just as I was reading the last post I heard a loud noise... red tailed hawk just slammed my DSD jake, then landed for a second looking confused. I had just called, too.
Also, remembered a turkey/eagle story from last Spring in south Florida. I was set up in an opening a big hen and what I think was her brood from last year: jennies and a couple jakes would roost nearby and land in the middle. Several of the smaller hens were out there when a bald eagle flew directly overhead... and kept on going. Thought for sure it was going to dive but guess it wasn't that hungry.
A buddy of mine was calling a longbeard across an open field a few years ago for a kid. A bald eagle swooped down and knuckle punched the gob to the ground and flew off. The gobbler stood up dazed and a few minutes later the eagle came back and landed on him.
They walked towards the birds and the eagle flew off. Gobbler stood up and the kid shot it.
Not exactly ideal, but that's the way it unfolded.
Another farmer told me every time the turkeys are out the eagles fly over and the turkeys are gone. HE says he's watched them pick a few poults off.
Eagles built a nest on the corner of a field we turkey hunt on 3 years ago. No noticable change in spring turkey activity over last 15 years not saying eagles havent plucked one but turkeys still there. Strutting there everyday and often gobbler to eagle sqwawking. Now those eagles get loud when we turkey hunt anywhere near that nest.
A few years back I was watching a flock before fly up and those birds all of a sudden went on high alert and then started to scramble. I was wondering wtf was going on and next thing I know a bald eagle came swooping down and tried to grab a hen but she was way too fast for him. He only tried that 1 time and soon disappeared over the next ridge. The turkeys calmed down and soon began heading to The woodline. I actually watched the gobbler fly up. We snuck in close the next morning and my hunter killed what turned out to be a beautiful gobber. I think eagles and hawks kill a lot more turkeys than given credit for... especially redtail hawks with poults. I'd be willing to bet nesting hens are very susceptible to being prayed on by raptors as well. More hawks and eagles in my area than ever and I think they definitely play a role with our diminishing turkey population.