Spotted a bunch of eagles chowing down on a discarded pig carcass

[notsure]

A buddy and I were driving around today looking for wild turkeys (just want to see if they're in the breeding mood yet, MN season starts in about three weeks). We managed to spot exactly one gobbler, whose mojo wasn't exactly "turned on"...he walked away from our hen calling, seemingly not amused in the slightest. However, we did witness four bald eagles aggressively fighting for the rights to a discarded hog (I assume the farmer disposed of the dead pig by chucking it out in his field while spreading manure). Another ten eagles were roosted in nearby trees awaiting their turn at pork dinner. Maybe Benjamin Franklin was right.

[Sir-diealot]

Word of advise, never call to them before the season starts, it is a good way to educate them. Neat thing to come upon though.

[1iagobblergetter]

Seems like the Eagles are really making a come back. I see them about everyday anymore. Sometimes I'll see as many as 15 to 20.
They do seem to scavenge i think more than kill, but we have an abundance of road kill deer around.
I'd also leave the calling to the turkeys until season. Unless you want more of a challenge that is.

[Cowboy]

Yeah, cool sight. I've been seeing more bald eagles than I ever have and saw an article somewhere about a group of ppl saying that eagles are eating wild game that hunters FAILED to find. Because they are, they are getting LEAD POISONING and dying. I think they quoted 7 eagles in the story. You and I know that is crap. They said they were just pushing to get hunters to use non toxic shot. We all know it's just another angle to get libs to jump on the band wagon. The big picture is they think EVERYONE love the majestic bald eagles, so the hunters are causing their demise. But like I said, I have seen so many eagles lately. Didn't mean to get on my soapbox or hijack your thread reminds me of that article I read.  Bet that fighting was neat to see.

[GobbleNut]

Yeah, cool sight. I've been seeing more bald eagles than I ever have and saw an article somewhere about a group of ppl saying that eagles are eating wild game that hunters FAILED to find. Because they are, they are getting LEAD POISONING and dying. I think they quoted 7 eagles in the story. You and I know that is crap. They said they were just pushing to get hunters to use non toxic shot. We all know it's just another angle to get libs to jump on the band wagon. The big picture is they think EVERYONE love the majestic bald eagles, so the hunters are causing their demise. But like I said, I have seen so many eagles lately. Didn't mean to get on my soapbox or hijack your thread reminds me of that article I read.  Bet that fighting was neat to see.

I agree entirely that the lead-poisoning problem is overblown and that at least part of the paranoia is a ploy of the anti-hunting crowd to try to create a "stink" wherever they can.   On the other hand, I have no doubt there are some places where lead poisoning is a legitimate problem for both wildlife and humans alike.  Unfortunately, it seems, reasonable people that could make rational decisions on issues such as this always seem to get left out of the discussion. 

[Mossberg90MN]

Funny I saw about 4 eagles chowing down on a deer in a farmers field maybe a few days or so ago.

If you in Mn I wonder if we saw the same one.

I've been using the turkeys in my suburb as a guage of mood. Seems like I see the toms and jakes getting in the zone but the hens seem to not be entirely receptive yet.

[1iagobblergetter]

I know the Eagles years ago use to be way more abundant around our shotgun deer season even though most of the rest of the year you'd never see one. Why??? They were there for the gut piles and wounded deer that ran off and died because hunters either couldn't find them or didn't follow up after the shot. They basically migrated to a known food source imo.
I could see them ingesting fragments of lead in the process. How it effects them? I have no idea. Evidently not as bad as they portrayed it. Like i said it's now a regular sighting instead of an occasional one in my area.

[captpete]

 Years ago when we had to quit using lead for waterfowl hunting, that was some of the reasoning behind it. The theory was ducks would get shot & fly off. Then they would either die, became poisoned from the lead or both. The Eagles would eat the poisoned duck or ingest a lead pellet, get sick and die. Don't know if it was that, the ban of the DDT(which happened around the same time) or a combination of both that helped the population rebound. There is also a push to quit using leg sinkers, jig heads, etc. for the same reason.

Around here we see Eagles all the time around the big hog buildings, especially in the winter. What I'm told is, when a hog/ pig dies they put it a compost pile. Then the compost pile ends up being spread on the fields. Also if the building is for small pigs, Eagles/coyotes will drag the little pigs out of the compost pile out into the fields.

[aclawrence]

Speaking of Eagles. I see eagles where I hunt and am curious if they would prey on a turkey.  I have a found a huge eagles nest and in the summer there are catfish skeletons scattered on the ground underneath it.

[notsure]

They absolutely prey on the polts.

[g8rvet]

I have had an Eagle swoop down and pick up a dead duck on the impoundment I hunt.  We could not get to the bird fast enough.  I think the odds of them picking up a lead slug on a deer is pretty darn slim.  But in a duck in the old days, it would be pretty high. 

[Greg Massey]

I had eagle last year , flying around over the field i was hunting and it saw me and came flying down right beside of me and as i was looking at him , he took one of his wing's and pointed across the creek in the other field. So i got up and cross the creek and eased up the bank and i see 2 gobblers strutting in the field. As i was looking back to give the eagle high 5 , he had already left. So guys if you see eagle pointing with one of his wings , might be in your best interest to check it out. 

[g8rvet]

I had eagle last year , flying around over the field i was hunting and it saw me and came flying down right beside of me and as i was looking at him , he took one of wing's and pointed across the creek in the other field. So i got up and cross the creek and eased up the bank and i see 2 gobblers strutting in the field. As i was looking back to give the eagle high 5 , he had already left. So guys if you see eagle pointing with one of his wings , might be in your best interest to check it out. 

I think you gathered the wrong kind of mushrooms.   

[1iagobblergetter]

I have had an Eagle swoop down and pick up a dead duck on the impoundment I hunt.  We could not get to the bird fast enough.  I think the odds of them picking up a lead slug on a deer is pretty darn slim.  But in a duck in the old days, it would be pretty high.

Its not the lead slug,but supposed small lead fragments from the slugs or the deer runs off,ends up with lead poisoning,and the eagle eats it from what I've been told then it in turn has it.

[Sir-diealot]

I have had an Eagle swoop down and pick up a dead duck on the impoundment I hunt.  We could not get to the bird fast enough.  I think the odds of them picking up a lead slug on a deer is pretty darn slim.  But in a duck in the old days, it would be pretty high.

Its not the lead slug,but supposed small lead fragments from the slugs or the deer runs off,ends up with lead poisoning,and the eagle eats it from what I've been told then it in turn has it.

I used to chew on lots on windowsills in the 70's and I turned out okay!