Do hawks eat ducks?
 

I saw a hawk today, it was about a foot tall, and was brownish except for the tail which was black with horizontal thin white stripes. What kind of hawk is this? do they eat ducks?

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

I am not sure what kind of hawk that was but when I was hunting ducks a few years ago I saw a hawk flying around. There were about 10 ducks on the water about 100 yards away from me. The hawk started circling over them and then started swooping down at them. Whenever it got close enough the ducks would dive under water. He did this for about 5 minutes but never got one. So, I guess to answer your question I would say hawks do eat ducks if they can catch them.

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RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

A buddy of mine hunts upland and waterfowl with falcons(legal here in Manitoba). He always rewards the bird with a tidbit from the kill and I save the carcasses from my hunting trips for him to feed the falcons with. If a falcon eats the ducks I am sure that hawks do to.

Ron<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

Well I have some domestic mallards at my house that are HUGE... bigger then most northerns i see. These suckers are just BIG... they are fed every day and arent very young.

A few years ago I sat and watched one as it was eaten by a bald eagle. I couldnt do anything, an eagle is well, an eagle. Cant touch them. I was a little pissed but yeah, hawks will do it to. I've seen one diving at some divers once, but didnt score... Man he wanted one.

I just gotta hunt

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

Yes hawks eat ducks. Sometimes the hawks eyes are too big for their stomaches though. One time a red tailed hawk swooped down on a 5-6 lb domestic duck we had. When I got there the duck and hawk were both looking eye to eye with the hawk holding the duck with one talon and trying to figure out what to do with the bird that was bigger than him.

Dan O.

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

There's a small pond on the property where I work and a few times I've seen Red-tailed hawks take both young ducklings and adult Mallards.

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

Just so you know, the hawk had maybe 5 white horizontal stripes a good space apart on his tail.

I've hunted with falconers before and it never fails to amaze me how big an animal a little falcon will go after.

Do you think the hawk population effects the duck population any? I manage my land pretty well but things that are out of my controll like hawks worry me sometimes.

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

How do you hunt ducks with falcons?

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

From your description I would say it was a Marsh hawk also sometimes called a Harrier. One of the worst avian predators is the great Horned owl. They will take a mallard sized duck a day if their territory includes a wetland with an ample supply of ducks. They will kill birds up to a Mute swan in size and also Canada geese. Larger birds like this they do not tackle normally but they can and will when they feel up to it.

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

I don't know the proper name, but here we call them chicken hawks and yes I have seen them grab some mallard hens,guineas, and chickens. They also take a lot of snakes,rats,mice, and a lot of the quail I turn loose. I watched a couple guinea roosters fight one off one day that was trying to snack on a 4 month old guinea. I think we need to set some season dates up for them. An electronic caller brings them in within 20-30 yards (when crow hunting) in just a couple seconds. Bet you could really smack them with some hot number 8 lead.

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

Jambruins,
I have hunted a lot of things with falconers, not ducks yet. I can't remember the guy's name now but he has two red tailed hawks that do a number on squirrels and rabbits. I've even been on a deer hunt with a golden eagle. It's a big scary bird that did a number on a big scary buck in a swamp. It was awsome. I think it would be hard to hunt waterfowl with a falcon just by the nature of how a falcon hunt goes. A red tailed hawk would have a hard time anyway, a perigren would be better for it.



&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

RE: Do hawks eat ducks?
 

Of course hawks kill ducks. I don't what percentage waterfowl make up a hawks diet but it can't be that much. I am not hawk fan and I know quite a few people who shoot them when they get the chance. I feel it is like having a predator free to kill whatever he wants including livestock like chickens. I believe I read and article of how a guy trapped a owl because it was killing his chickens but I can't remember what he did with the owl. In my opinion, the number or chicken and sparrow hawks are rising so fast it is actually hurting the upland game population but not as much as bobcats and foxes. If you don't trap,you should. At least get rid of the ground predators. Not much a duck or any small game for that matter can do when a hawk is overhead and fox is stalking it.

Without passion.....Why bother?