# Do Hawks eat Ducks?



## Double Ott Buck (Oct 5, 2005)

I had one lone Mallard Hen decoy out the other morning.....works good like that and not calling when you have wary birds. Anyway, this hawk dive bombed from nowhere to within a foot over my decoy before he noticed me standing there, at which he seemed to want to eat my camo hat. Just curious? I heard the DNR doesnt seems to like trees around wetlands, but I thought that was more so to protect the pheasants.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

Shot a Mallard once and didn't have my game pouch along, so I left him on the edge of the weeds...A few minutes later, I went to pick him up not more than 10 yards from me, only to have a Hawk pick him up and fly away with him. Also, saw a Hawk catch a rooster this weekend and fly away with him...I was quite a site to see a big bird flyaway with a big rooster tail...Wish I could have done something about it!


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Last September during the early season a hawk came down and attacked what appeared to be a whole flock of mallards trying to land off the side of our decoys. It caught one and had it pinned to the ground and continued to "peck" at it.

I got up and ran over and the hawk flew away.........then 10 seconds later the hen mallard got up, shook it off and flew it away. That was my good deed of th day.


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## LSSU-LAKER (Oct 11, 2005)

"Hawks" are not likely to take a duck. However, falcons make their living eating birds!!!!!! Just being PC!

JW


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## Ryan_Todd (Apr 11, 2004)

we had an eagle come down a hit one of our mallard floaters a couple of years ago. we also had a eagle take one of the ducks we shot that was floating in the water.


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## The Dak (Nov 23, 2003)

Yes hawks/falcons/owls eat ducks, especially ducklings.


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## GiveEmThree (Aug 5, 2005)

A friend of mine had a hawk (not a falcon) take a swipe at his spinning wing decoy earlier his year. It made one swoop and tried to grab it by the head.

I once left a dead green head by the duck boat which was only about 40 feet down from out blind and returned to find a hawk picking the feathers out of the breast. No damage to the meat so I figure he just gave me a head start on cleaning that one.


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## texan68 (Nov 29, 2004)

good deed?????? The hawk has to eat too. Ya should have let nature go its way.


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## Travery (Mar 15, 2005)

:roll:


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## texan68 (Nov 29, 2004)

?????? :-?


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## qwakk (Jun 22, 2005)

If you want the true pc.. It is opportunity... Falcons kill ducks often, eagles are carion and eat almost anything, hawks are opportunistic and eat it if they can catch it.. Often a marsh hawk will beat me to a downed bird here in the rice fields. they will track a sailed bird and then eat it. I have had the misfortune of getting there too late and the breast is all torn up. I guess they are in greater need than I. A falcon will only eat fresh meat that it kills or has been provided (falconry), and the eagle as much as I like um' will eat dead or alive. I have seen it all over and over. I will now take questions........


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## fishunt (Jan 24, 2004)

I have see hawk atack pheasants and falcon attack ducks in New York and also I went surf fishing in Nov and caught over 20 pounds bluefish and two snow owl stole my bluefish and I was shocked and let them have my one bluefish bec I am getting more anyway and went back home and called DEC about I saw two snow owl to report this way they want to know how many and where they thanks me for information


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## Marlo (Oct 9, 2004)

We had a Bald Eagle stealing yellow perch that were thrown on the ice last year. Almost made you feel like you needed to salute everytime that behemoth swept down...

that makes them a "diver" doesnt it?


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## Richard6908 (Oct 12, 2005)

No dought about the hawks eating the ducks.We have had them trying to take some of our mallard floaters and hard to believe canadians to so i say let the hawks have it :sniper:


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Once in AK I was setup on a little pothole. All of a sudden I hear a crazy sound. Look to my right and there is a Canvasback flying for its life. A little hawk was behind it chasing it down. To this day I have never seen a duck especially a diver fly so fast and eratic. That Can flew through the trees so I never did see if the hawk got it or not.

Also in AK I was hunting seaducks. Bald Eagles were in full migration. Everytime we killed a duck it was a race to get it before the eagles. We thought if we shot in the air it would keep them away but it was like ringing a dinner bell.


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## fishunt (Jan 24, 2004)

sound interesting I do really want to try out sea duck hunting in AK


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## amasa (Oct 17, 2005)

I'v seen hawks and egals catch and kill mallards out ou mid air. It's quite a sight! So I guess yeh hawks do eat ducks.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Different predator, but I once had to race a coyote to a snow goose that sailed on us. Another reason to bring the gun when you chase downed birds!!


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## the Bender (Mar 31, 2005)

My buddy's girlfriend cries all the time about the Eagle that carried away her little dog. It was an old dog, I informed her that it was probably better than having to watch the slow deterioration of the dog becuase the Eagle most likely carried it to an incredible height and let go. That didn't make her feel any better, but it is true that raptors are very effective killers and prey very easily on the helpless. (Birds, Rodents, Snakes, Little Dogs) Some of it we don't like but that's life. Never let a raptor get away with stealing if you can stop it, short of breaking the law. Nice work Chris, not just "voluntary restraint" you take it to the next level "Hen Savior"


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## roostbuster (Oct 19, 2005)

the dnr, delta, MN waterfowl assoc. etc. are trying to get rid of trees around wetlands becasue they house predators, skunks, yotes, *****, birds of prey, ferral cats, etc. pre-settlement the only trees you would see anywhere near waterfowl habitat were small oak savannas which meant less predators. but with habitat being fragmented, wind rows being put up, this created more trees obviosuly, but more imprtanly it created more "edges" which are prime stalking areas for preds... so to make a long story short, less trees= less predators= more ducks... so support Delta waterfowl and all the good work they do in predator managment, its a good thing, a very good thing... and don't get your panties in a bunch, DU does some OK work here and there too.


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## yotebuster (Dec 3, 2004)

I was huntin in canada one year and we had a golden eagle put the talons to one of our honker outlaws, it shattered into 3 peices and the eagle hit the dirt. It was pretty funny, (mostly cause it was the other guys decoy..haha), the thing looked extremely confused. I know hawks/eagles/owls eat ducks and pheasants, but it was kinda suprising to see on take on a goose. I guess they would kill about anything they can, and i doubt a goose bill is gonna do much damage against those talons and that beak.


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