HUNTER WATCHING HUNTERS

Got a call last night asking if I would like to participate in a friendly hunt with 6 others, who were going to one of our famous dangerous parks.  I said sure!  So I met them all at 10 am at the park.  I only got 1 wheat and a few clad, a copper belt buckle and some odds and ends.  As I was heading to my truck to get a bottle of water, I saw everyone looking up, I said, " what's going on"?  They all were looking at this beautiful hawk, he wasn't scared of any of us, and actually stuck around for the photo shoot.  I don't know what kind it is, but I figured all y'all T-Netters would tell me..........NGE

great pics 

Nice pics Larry,looks like it could be a Red Tail.

Great pictures! I think it's an immature Eastern Red Tail.

ng

Well whatever he is, it looked like a penguin up there, it was HUGE, much bigger than a crow.  I looked up "cooper's hawk"  and it said they are about the size of a crow, and the "sharp shinned" hawk was only about 12" tall.  This thing was more like 24" tall.  His tail did not come to a point, it was more like someone took a pair of manual hedge trimmers and cut his tail feathers str8 across.  The pics I saw of a cooper's hawk, look like this guy in color and markings.  So now I am totally confused .  There are a lot of pigeons in the area where he lives and squirrels too.........NGE

Those are some really nice photos NGE. Nice job.

Great pictures Larry. Tuesday when I was out there hunting by myself there was a hawk on the ground tearing up dinner. He was there for about an hour. After he flew off I when over and took a look, what ever he was eatting it was all gone. At the end of the day one flew in over the diving boards and landed in a near by tree.

Doug, sorekneesdayton told me it was a "Cooper's " hawk and that they have a lot of them in his neighborhood in Beavercreek Ohio...........NGE

Coopers have fine rusty banding on their breast, a long narrow tail, and present a much slimmer profile. This guy's got the heavy belly band, the mottled white "v" on his back, and the tail banding of a young Redtail. First year. Next year, he'll have that beautiful red tail. He's also one of the bulkiest of the Buteos. Sorry, raptors are a passion of mine

ng

no problem ng, I learn something new every day.  Thank you for the info.  Now, if you have a question about freshwater fish.........I may be able to help you there..........NGE

I do!  I do! I have a question about gar. Are you very familiar with them? Do you know if they have different shaped scales on them, or just the somewhat diamond shape? I found a gar scale, I think, but it's shaped like an arrowhead somewhat. Need to find gar fishermen. Have you fished for them much?

ng

No, I don't fish for those garbage critters, but I do occaisionally hook one, or shoot one with my bow.  I have never scaled one, so I don't know what to tell ya.  Try googling gar scales and see what they come up with.  BTW, here in Michigan we have alligator gars 'aka' needle nose.  I know in Tenn. they have blunt noses like our Northern pike.........NGE

Larry beautiful Hawk pic!


NG the gars out at Kaw I don't know about the scales, I had a friend accidentally snagged one in the tail took a little over 45 min. for him to get to shore, that's when we saw what  had and he left it some guys came buy and said it would make some great steaks so he let them have it!

i'd say Cooper's Hawk! had a nest with 4 chicks last year in backyard in pine tree.

Nice picture captured on tape. Hope he doesen't chase you away

Nice pictures of the hawk. The Gars in the Tennessee river get very large. You never know what you are swimming with