Yesterday found a new calf that had just come as her first calf. Several buzzards were around after the afterbirth. She was going crazy trying to protect the calf and the calf is injured probably where she stepped on it. I have another calf in the 400+ range that walks sideways from an injury as a new born calf maybe the same thing happened. Another topic about truck guns. I will be adding a 11-87 to my truck guns as it is probably illegal to shoot the white wing tipped buzzards, but they are fixing to get the scare of their life.
Buzzards.............
- Thread starter jltrent
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
Ky hills
Well-known member
Black buzzards gave us fits back in the winter through early spring. Had a day old calf killed by them. When I found it them the next morning around twenty buzzards were on and around the calf and the cow was worn out from trying to fight them off. A few days later early one morning found a heifer with a new born calf and they were surrounded by buzzards. The heifer was practically standing over the calf, probably much longer and they would have wore her down and got to the calf. Then a little later another heifer calved and her calf would lay around a lot and seemed like buzzards were constantly scouting it out. Those buzzards don't need to have any protected status what so ever, that variety is more predatory than scavengers. Around the same time that we were having so much trouble with them friends a mile or so away found a new born calf with a broken spine.
Wow! Those are some experiences! Luckily, we don't have buzzard problems here. We have the turkey buzzard, and they circle something dead for a couple days before coming in; they certainly don't attack living things that I've ever seen or heard of.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Ky hills said:
I have heard of a buzzard trap.
OP
OP
jltrent
Well-known member
Checked the calf this evening and it is up nursing, but has a broken leg from were the cow was trying to protect it from the buzzards when it was first born. ( I saw the buzzards) This is probably the third calf injured in the last couple of years like this to the point they are about worthless. I will say no more.
jltrent said:
We've had issues with them in the past.
Ky hills
Well-known member
herofan said:
The red head turkey buzzards are just scavengers but the black headed buzzards are opportunistic predators. They will also sometimes follow the turkey buzzards to a carcass and then run them away from it. It looks like to me that they have overtaken the red head ones, hardly ever see any of those anymore in comparison. We sometimes see large groups of black buzzards circling looking for a target like a new calf. One day back in the early spring found a heifer showing signs of imminent calving and there were already several black buzzards sitting in trees around her. We ran them off and drove the the heifer to the barn.
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
They ain't as apt to take flight as the old turkey buzzard..you can drive right up on them and they just hold theyre wings out till you hit the comfort zone..lot more aggressive..
This is why i sit by a cow calving to snatch the afterbirth if i come across one calving. Its the reason i spend so much time on my 4wheeler in the fields.... I know i've mentioned it before and got negative comments..lol... I leave no afterbirth on the ground. Sometimes i sit for hours waiting.. I never want to drive up to a cow fighting those devil birds and have a dead or injured calf to have to deal with. I even have a blog with years of picking the slop up and disposing them in animal holes..
kentuckyguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2016
- Messages
- 739
- Reaction score
- 364
I'd have the AR with me and smoke some buzzards. Heck with what the laws are. If something is injuring my cattle I'm gonna put a stop to it.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
kentuckyguy said:
T shot is very effective I have been told.
chaded
Well-known member
Buzzards aren't protected here.
Last year put a scope on a 22 and sighted in at 100 yards and can hit within a couple of inches. Thought about shooting shotgun this morning on a group of around 15 down at the tank. Sometime they are within a foot of the cows at the tank, but we hadn't lost any calves yet.
Last year during calving we were going to calve close to the house to keep an eye on them, but there is no trees for cover, and decided to calve in pasture where there is plenty of trees and brush for cover. There's a cell tower close by and there are hundreds of them sumbitches.
Last year during calving we were going to calve close to the house to keep an eye on them, but there is no trees for cover, and decided to calve in pasture where there is plenty of trees and brush for cover. There's a cell tower close by and there are hundreds of them sumbitches.
farmerjan
Well-known member
Buzzards are federally protected... But there are some states that have gotten laws passed to allow for them to be shot, and more in the pipeline trying to allow it. There are several sites devoted to those Basturd Buzzards.... I watch the heifers all during calving as we have had a dozen of the sorry things go after calves just on the ground. Seems the cows will either go deeper into a patch of woods where the buzzards don't go as often because then they can't "take off" in flight.... or more cows will stick around and "help" protect the new baby. Those sorry things will just worry a heifer to death and they are so "new to it all" that they will step on a calf trying to "do the right thing and protect it". Game warden here says he never sees anyone who shoots a buzzard protecting his livestock..... and he will deny he said that.... and deny he saw any buzzard that died from a gunshot wound.... it got killed in the road eating road kill.... or the cow managed to stomp on a wing and it couldn't take off and the rest of the cows killed it..... SHOOT SHOVEL and SHUTUP.... or at least throw it in a gully where it can't be seen. Just watch out for all those drones flying around....dispose of it after dark in a brush pile where no one can see it...
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
chaded said:
Federally they are.
farmerjan
Well-known member
JL.... take the calf, get a piece of pvc and cut in half longways and tape leg inside... try to get it straight as you can.... have gotten many mended that way.... use a size that will be okay for a couple of weeks.... then take it off. They heal real quick on real young calves if they are getting up and nursing and otherwise doing all right.
Had a friend that used to keep the center cardboard rolls from net wrap.... cut to length and split in half for lower leg problems...they are stiff cardboard, but would work better than the pvc and sometimes they would just kinda rot off if they got wet a few times. They watched them close but saved a few broken legs that way; sometimes made the fetlock joint stiff, but they learn to get around real well from the beginning.... Can't hurt to try if it is bad...
Had a friend that used to keep the center cardboard rolls from net wrap.... cut to length and split in half for lower leg problems...they are stiff cardboard, but would work better than the pvc and sometimes they would just kinda rot off if they got wet a few times. They watched them close but saved a few broken legs that way; sometimes made the fetlock joint stiff, but they learn to get around real well from the beginning.... Can't hurt to try if it is bad...
If you shoot one of them and leave out in the field with the wings spread for the others to see, they stay away for awhile - or so I've heard. 223 to center of mass is perfect, 300 Win Mag puts on a spectacular show...
OP
OP
jltrent
Well-known member
The break is just below the hip rear leg, its whole leg just dangles, PVC want work. When I found her the calf had just came, but the buzzards beat me there and the damage was done. Her first calf. If I had not seen what was happening and just found the calf injured I would not have had a clue. I have a very nice calf 400+ lbs. that walks sideways as i bet the something happen a birth and found one last year with both back legs broken, I had to dispose of, until now did not have a clue what happened.farmerjan said:
OP
OP
jltrent
Well-known member
I have done that with crows destroying crops. Hang em on a stick and the rest will high tail.cfpinz said:
Under state laws and regulations, crows are not defined as migratory game birds, but as nongame birds. ... Under State depredation regulations, only the landowner or tenants or an others authorized in writing may take crows at any time and in any number to eliminate depredation, health hazard or nuisance.
