Buzzards/Turkey Vultures

[tncattle]

Friend of mine put out some hamburger meat with poison in it, the cows/calves can't get to it. He has a bunch of cows calving and those dang vultures are everywhere. Of course I went out there this afternoon with my gun and they were no where to be seen. Any other ways y'all deal with them?

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Friend of mine put out some hamburger meat with poison in it, the cows/calves can't get to it. He has a bunch of cows calving and those dang vultures are everywhere. Of course I went out there this afternoon with my gun and they were no where to be seen. Any other ways y'all deal with them?

Plain old ordinary, run-of-the-mill vultures/turkey buzzards are not an enemy of mine. I like them.

Now if you're talking about those nasty-a$$ white wing tipped black headed things that's a whole different story.

Katherine

 

[tncattle]

I don't know their exact species but I know they were about to get a calf early this afternoon when we got there. There must have been 100 of them and the mama (first calf heifer) was standing right over the calf and they were still trying to get to it.

 

[Aaron]

What did he use for poison? Sounds like a good idea to get rid of magpies in the spring. :cowboy:

 

[Howdyjabo]

Only thing I have seen work is a GOOD guardian dog-- they don't like anything in their pastures and will run the buzzards off too.

 

[rusty]

They are called black vultures.Read a article in WV market bulletin,said the main difference between them and turkey vultures was they prefer live prey pick eyes and other soft tissue from newborn livestock and wildlife.Now for the bad part, you have to have special permit to kill them the state wants any spotting of them to be reported.Now for everyone who say they would shot them anyhow I'll quit now.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Your friend will also kill the turkey buzzards, give us all a bad name and likely pull the fish and game folks down on us. Right now they are supporting us taking out the Mexican Buzzards who are not native and gouge out the eyes of calves.

Turkey buzzards are friend. Mexican buzzards are foe. There are many threads in these boards describing the difference. Mexican buzzards have heads similar in appearance to a crow and white on their wings. There was once pictures posted in these threads of them on ground and on wing but they were lost with all other pics.

Turkey vultures are black winged with red heads.

 

[ga. prime]

Putting out poisoned food is a really, really, really bad idea. I'm still dealing with that issue a month after an idiot neighbor of mine did that.

 

[rusty]

Your friend will also kill the turkey buzzards, give us all a bad name and likely pull the fish and game folks down on us. Right now they are supporting us taking out the Mexican Buzzards who are not native and gouge out the eyes of calves.

Turkey buzzards are friend. Mexican buzzards are foe. There are many threads in these boards describing the difference. Mexican buzzards have heads similar in appearance to a crow and white on their wings. There was once pictures posted in these threads of them on ground and on wing but they were lost with all other pics.

Turkey vultures are black winged with red heads.

I think your Mexican buzzard is what WV is calling a black buzzard.
The bad thing about posin is it doesn't care what consumes it.

 

[grannysoo]

Only thing I have seen work is a GOOD guardian dog-- they don't like anything in their pastures and will run the buzzards off too.

A GOOD guardian dog is GOOD advice.

A normal buzzard only disposes of the animals that are dead already. Any other buzzard or other type of bird that messes with the herd encounters the Livestock Guardian Dog. That's not pleasant for the birds.

My LGD HATES buzzards or any other bird that dares to enter his domain. They tend to move rather quickly to other places that might have easier pickings.......

 

[Caustic Burno]

Putting out poisoned food is a really, really, really bad idea. I'm still dealing with that issue a month after an idiot neighbor of mine did that.

Buzzard trap is the best way to take out the mexican vulture, just a large version of a quail trap.
Then back fill the hole after you have had a pleasant time with a shotgun.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Here's a link to a write on them with a picture. Don't know how long the link will work since it is from a newspaper.

http://www.tdtnews.com/story/2008/04/25/48889

 

[ga. prime]

Putting out poisoned food is a really, really, really bad idea. I'm still dealing with that issue a month after an idiot neighbor of mine did that.

Buzzard trap is the best way to take out the mexican vulture, just a large version of a quail trap.
Then back fill the hole after you have had a pleasant time with a shotgun.

I couldn't agree more. .17HMR works extremely well also if you can catch 'em sitting still.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I think your Mexican buzzard is what WV is calling a black buzzard.

Black buzzards are a different critter. Some folks refer to the Mexican Buzzard as a Caracara but who really knows?


If they have white or gray spots out on their wings, they are the dudes that will gouge the eyes of new born calves. They fly a bit different but they will also spread their wings and glide just like your typical turkey buzzard.

My pics are lost. Maybe there will be a chance to get new pics soon and post on here.

 

[ga. prime]

Here's a link to a write on them with a picture. Don't know how long the link will work since it is from a newspaper.

http://www.tdtnews.com/story/2008/04/25/48889

This is a good link and explains some of the differences between black vultures and turkey vultures. After you watch them for a while, it becomes very easy to distinguish between the the two. The black vultures are smaller and quicker than the turkey vultures.

 

[tncattle]

Here's a link to a write on them with a picture. Don't know how long the link will work since it is from a newspaper.

http://www.tdtnews.com/story/2008/04/25/48889

That looks like them but I'll try and get a pic today or better look. The poison probably isn't the best idea but it is in a remote area. Again, they try to get the new born calves and they try hard. I thought the same thing about a good dog keeping them off. What about a couple of Donkeys, would they run em off? They seem pretty protective of their territory.

 

[Jogeephus]

I've learned if you hit one low in the gut and not kill him he will jump around in the field and become an excellent decoy for the others to come back to. Its like a wounded quail or turkey, the others will attack him. I hate the vile creatures. Have you noticed that nothing will eat them? I don't think even worms will.

 

[Howdyjabo]

My Donkey(and he was good when dogs were around) didn't know what to do with them. He was upset but not reactionary.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Here's a link to a write on them with a picture. Don't know how long the link will work since it is from a newspaper.

http://www.tdtnews.com/story/2008/04/25/48889

This is a good link and explains some of the differences between black vultures and turkey vultures. After you watch them for a while, it becomes very easy to distinguish between the the two. The black vultures are smaller and quicker than the turkey vultures.

They are smarter as well, there is not a vehicle of any type here that isn't armed with a 22 mag or long rifle.
They attack in large numbers some keeping the cow occupied while others kill the calf. Have had the cow tropple the calf protecting it. They have a different flight pattern as well three quick wing flaps then glide.

We all should go out of our way to eradicate this problem.

 

[tncattle]

Okay, I was out there today and it's the ones with white wingtips. My friend had a cow trample a newborn calf about a month ago protecting it from them.