any hunters here? Great Horned Owl in yard- small dog

[ilmbg]

I heard two owls calling tonite- then saw one of them not 100 feet from me, on a light pole.
I have a 9-10 pound dog- I am worried that an owl this size could hunt/hurt her. How much can they lift, and would an owl try?
I am afraid I might be tied to my dog while she is out. She is never out at night unless I am within about 3 feet of her. No more 'helping' me feed the horses I guess.
Any bird/hunters out there?
I live very rural- northern Wyoming on 20 acres.

 

[JustWood]

Doesn't matter if they can lift it or not. If an owl or eagle can't lift it's prey it will kill the prey and eat it on site.

 

[jpl1nh]

Here's a link. (broken link removed) We have a lot of them around and they drive my beagle nuts when they call. Beautiful birds but it probably would be wise not to create a meal opportunity with your dog. I would hope you respect their very valid place in the natural balance of things balance of things. I moved to our house here in the woods with 4 cats, all outdoor savey. We lost three inside of a year. Nothing wrong with the critters, (coyotes, fisher cats, fox, hawks and owls) around here, just not a good place to bring small domestic pets unless we're willing to keep them inside. So, now we've got three dogs who can take care of themselves.

 

[Nic36]

Maybe the chances are small, but a large owl can certainly kill something that size. I have never personally heard of one attacking a dog, but I have heard of them going after cats. I have a co-worker that has a large Maine Coon cat. He walked out of his house just in time to see the owl making a run on the cat. Either it missed or he scared it off, I can't remember which. I know someone who's Jack Russell terrier was attacked by a hawk.

You certainly might want to take precautions if they are hanging around so close to your house.

 

[ilmbg]

I watched carefully today- not here during the daytime. I did not see or hear them in the evening or nite.
I read that they tend to not be around where there are crows- but didn't say why they don't like crows. We have crows... There are also 2 Red-tailed hawks in the tree- they are mates, have a nest every year in the tree. I couldn't find anything about hawks/owl living together.
I will have to be careful- I don't hunt/shoot myself- I just hope they decide to go somewhere else.
Thanks

 

[Nic36]

Crows don't like birds of prey. I guess they are natural enemies and a hawk or owl will attack and eat them if they get the chance. An owl can get a crow at night and the crows know that. I don't think crows see well at night either, which probably fuels their fear. When I hear the crows around here fussing, there is usually a hawk, owl, or a cat nearby.

I'm not sure how close owls and hawks live together. I would assume reasonably close since I have hawks around and hear owls not too far off at night.

I can tolerate the hawks and owls, but I despise the crows. I bought my house almost 3 years ago and planted plum trees, a fig tree, and grape vines. They absolutely destroy crops. After plundering one of my plum trees this year, they proceeded to knock off green plums and break branches off a second one. I finally managed to shoot one (which was very difficult to do) and hung him up as an example. They have never been back to my yard and keep a wide berth. Very smart.

I don't know of anything that repels owls, other than crows.

 

[ilmbg]

nic36- I am not sure which you mean- in first paragraph you say crows don't like prey birds. I read that the owls don't like to be around crows- that owls won't stay around where there are crows for some reason.

I haven't seen the owls since, but still don't let her out without me, which is not making me the favorite owner in her eyes, as she likes to stay outside alot.

 

[Nic36]

nic36- I am not sure which you mean- in first paragraph you say crows don't like prey birds. I read that the owls don't like to be around crows- that owls won't stay around where there are crows for some reason.

I haven't seen the owls since, but still don't let her out without me, which is not making me the favorite owner in her eyes, as she likes to stay outside alot.

Yeah, owls don't like crows, because an owl being found in the daylight by a pack of crows will definitely be made to move on. That's why crow hunters use owl and hawk decoys to attract and shoot crows. But, I don't know if they leave permanently. I hear the owls at night not far off, and I have crows and also hawks that live near my house. I have never seen an owl, but they are mostly nocturnal. I see the hawks getting harassed all the time by crows. They haven't left yet. I have even seen one hawk face off on the ground with a crow in my backyard.

Since owls mostly hunt at night, I think your dog is pretty safe during the day.

 

[rhetoric]

I heard two owls calling tonite- then saw one of them not 100 feet from me, on a light pole.
I have a 9-10 pound dog- I am worried that an owl this size could hunt/hurt her. How much can they lift, and would an owl try?
I am afraid I might be tied to my dog while she is out. She is never out at night unless I am within about 3 feet of her. No more 'helping' me feed the horses I guess.
Any bird/hunters out there?
I live very rural- northern Wyoming on 20 acres.

That's what you get for buying a "yip-yip" dog. You should have gotten an Aussie!

 

[humpin iron]

Birds of prey are protected you can not hunt them

 

[Dill]

Birds of prey are protected you can not hunt them

I was about to say that. Very very protected. About 1 step below bald eagle. I have a stuffed Great Horned owl from the 30s, that my grandfather used to use to pull in crows. In order to bring it to a taxidermist to have it cleaned, we have to notify Fish and Game and they had to check it to make sure it was old enough to be legal. But all that owl does is freak out vistors who spend the night. I swear its eyes follow you around the room.

 

[mayhem]

i was over at a friend's house midsummer or so and we were out in the middle of their back yard...was out there with my 5 year old daughter watching a little white bunny hopping across the beaultiful green grass when suddenly out of nowhere WHAM! a hawk swoops in, grabs the rabbit and tears out of there in nothg flat! Took a minute to figure out what happened but it all became clear when we heard the hawk cry out and saw something dangling in its talons.

Those things are no joke and you will probably not see it coming.

 

[fabguy01]

Use a standard #2 leg hold, pot on top of a 4' pole attatch tether to pole, and bait with a dead mouse, or just a piece of white fabric. gets em every time. and my cickens and rabits are way happier and alive