Great horned owl and turkeys

So as I was listening to a male and female call back and forth to each other just before daybreak the other day, I got to thinking about what great horned owls in a given area means to turkeys and where they roost. GHO are known to take down red tailed hawks and are the apex bird of prey in the woods around here. I walked up on one the other day roosted in this same area I'm talking about and this joker was huge. I thought it was a turkey coming off the roost, just a massive bird with a huge wingspan, so I can imagine it could kill an adult turkey with relative ease.

Do you figure if they are working an area they've run any turkeys off? I am wondering if next time I get to a listening spot and hear a couple of GHO's going off whether I should take it as a promising sign, or a sign that I should go find another spot. I am thinking the latter, but I don't have near enough experience to verify.

Not a big fan of any animal that kills turkeys. I hear the owls a lot but rarely see one.

Your probably not going to believe this but I watched a GHO take out a hen a few months out. I took him several try’s to get in the air but finally got him in the thick stuff. I’ve got photos at home and will post tonight. He killed her on the ground first.

A large population of Barred Owls in an area has never seemed to make any difference. I think a big Owl would eat about anything given the opportunity but I don't think a full size turkey is in the menu. Not saying it has never happened. A Young Turkey probably so. I would guess the impact is relatively low. Owls hunt at night and turkeys are active during the daytime. I'd be more worried about a bunch of hawks hanging around.

or an GHO knocking a turkey off the roost at night....

I know they will get young ones off the roost. Not sure how often they would get an adult.

Studies have shown GHOs are in fact a main predator of adult gobblers in some areas.

Can't wait to those!

I actually had a hawk swoop down at my hen decoy last week. He peeled off when he was less than a foot above her head. I guess he realized at the last second it was fake.

Dr. B

About 2 weeks ago I had a big hawk come through the woods and hit my hen wide open. The hawk flopped on the ground and looked at the decoy like WTF, flew up into a nearby tree and for a few mins. It eventually flew off, it was a cool experience to witness.

Had one grab a decoy a few years ago and flew about 30 yds with it before it dropped it

I heard that info on the meat eater podcast. It's the first I've heard of it. Incredible if it's true.

I can believe it. The bird I saw was HUGE. That thing swooping silently through the night, landing from tree to tree must be hell on turkey. They're about 3.5 pounds or larger and if they got up to speed they could knock something off a roost easily.

Boom flop.

This Owl was 5’+ wing span. Watched it fly down and hit a hen like it was hit by a truck. After holding it down for 5 mins. It took 3 tries to get airborne. Iphone pic at almost dark. Major enhanced through Lightroom.

Owls will flat out murder turkeys..my grandaddy knew this....he also knew an old way of trappin that very few no anything about...outlawed now obviously...but once upon a time people who depended on different types of yard fowl protected their birds this way. Bird of prey can be trapped and dealt with....it is illegal...and i am in no way condoning this....but....everything eats a turkey an a quail. I actually sat in an owl seminar once and learned that one of the #1 prey choices for barred owls and the gho as well i believe is a skunk...why? Because their since of smell is almost non existent....or something like that....been a couple years...i may be confused.

I heard rumors of a fella puting poles up with traps on top to save his fowl at the house.
He raised chickens and guineas. There was no hawk or owl safe around there.

I like that guy N2deer. I may or may not know a few guys that take avian predator damage seriously.