The neighbor is having quite a few calves dropping lately and somedays I'll see 10-20 buzzards on the ground near the herd's feed area, which is unusual. He says they are there for the calf manure. Several years back, we had our hayfield leased to a cattle farmer who was running cows on it and he lost several new calves to buzzards, as they pecked out the eyes. He was fuming mad at them. I'm no livestock hand, but I don't like seeing a gang of the damn things staring at a new calf while it lays on the ground a stone's throw away.

You guys have any problems with them?

My uncle often had exactly the same problem. He said the same thing about them pecking out the eyes and then eventually killing the calf.

He built buzzard traps with chicken wire with a funnel where they could get in but not out. He’d bait them with a dead cow or calf and take care of them. I can remember seeing a trap about 15’ x 15’ absolutely full of buzzards.

Neighbor across the road had to run buzzards off a just born calf the other day.

They were after it, and mama was fighting them off.

The Turkey Buzzards in my area have never been known to kill, but the newly appearing Black Headed Vultures are definitely a problem. While the buzzards may or may not show up during calving for the afterbirth, the vultures have been seen pecking the eyes out of live calves.

BHV's are a well known problem in the area & wise cattlemen are prepared, permits or no permits.

Mexican buzzards are the one's with black heads and white wing tips. Everyone you see needs killing, SSS.

SSS

I've read a few articles in the last few years on this, never knew it was a problem. One such article-

https://www.agweb.com/article/living-and-dead-black-vultures-expand-farmers-pay-cost

Another dead calf. Gary Tretter’s stomach turned as he kneeled over the bloodied remains and noted the telltale loss of both eyes. Once again, predators from above. Black vultures killed nine calves on Tretter’s Illinois farm in 2018. Eyes pecked out and backsides torn to a bloody pulp, the calves were devoured alive—a far cry from carrion or roadkill. “I can’t imagine what the calves go through,” he says. “A coyote or a big cat would be a much better way to go than the damn black vultures. People need to know: They come for the living, not just the dead.”

Tretter’s loss is not in isolation. Livestock producers in the Midwest report expanding black vulture presence. Traditionally ranging in the Southeast, black vulture populations have moved north over the past 40 years, and incidents in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and additional states note increased depredation. Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, there is no turnkey solution to the raptor’s expansion as producer concerns mount.

Kentucky

Brent White, 46, maintains a 40-cow herd and backgrounds roughly 50 calves each year atop 460 acres of gentle hills in western Kentucky’s Lyon County on the southern edge of the Fredonia Valley. In 2007, after synchronizing cows on an early May morning, White climbed in his truck just after 5 a.m. to buy breakfast in town for his crew, and passed a rolling field dotted with cows due to calve late. “I could hardly see, but I looked over at what I thought was a lot of turkeys in the pasture.”

bw1

In the lifting darkness, White didn’t realize two of the cows had just given birth to a single calf and a pair of twins. Thirty minutes later, with breakfast in hand, he drove back by the same field, now bathed in daylight, and spotted several cows under attack. “I could see one cow charging at something and another running in circles. I got closer and realized my cows were fighting vultures, not turkeys, for the lives of the calves.”

Slamming the truck into park, White ran into the field, but was too late. “They’d already pecked out the eyes of one calf, and started on the hind end of another. That’s where my black vulture education began and I learned the hard way.”

From 2008 to 2011, White lost six additional calves to black vultures. He shared the accounts with area farmers, and says he was met by significant skepticism. “Guys would laugh and tell me, ‘Buzzards eat dead animals.’ Today, they don’t laugh anymore. Go ask those same farmers and they’ll tell you what I said was true. We’ve got a lot of people dealing with this.”

From 2012 to 2018, White lost six more calves, including a corralled, full-grown cow hampered by a hip problem. The calves averaged 90 days or younger, but several were approximately six months old. “It’s heartbreaking to find them. Many times they’re still alive with eyes gone and the back of the neck split open. Emotionally it’ll tear you up.”

bw2

Describing vultures as “sharp and opportunistic,” White says the birds utilize chokepoints across his operation. “They work together and take advantage of narrow spots to trap calves. They hang around, watching and learning.”

As a control method, White advocates a concentrated focus on roosts: “I know USDA wants to help producers with our black vulture problem. Wildlife Services needs funding so they can send out teams to target the vulture roosts with night vision goggles and suppressed low-caliber firearms. If they attacked the roosts it would stop the flow.”

Illinois

Gary Tretter, 39, runs a cow-calf through finish operation, in addition to growing corn, grain sorghum, soybeans and wheat in southern Illinois’ Jackson County. “I’d lost healthy calves before and couldn’t figure out what was killing them, but last year was brutal and I lost nine confirmed calves to black vultures.”

Combining the immediate financial loss with expected revenue, Tretter estimates his total loss in 2018 to black vultures at $20,000. As the deaths (calf ages averaged from newborns to 21 days) mounted, he hired a hand to watch over the herd, expressly in place as a detriment to black vultures, and paid wages for 200 hours of work. “It’s expensive, but much cheaper than losing animals.”

According to Tretter, the vultures’ heaviest presence on his property occurs in late fall through winter. With calves hitting the ground on his operation during the entire year, Tretter isn’t optimistic regarding control methods. “I don’t see a way to truly stop this. Slow them down and scare them? Sure, but I don’t see how to get rid of a federally protected bird. Bare tree limbs, scarecrows, effigies…nothing works. They’re incredibly smart animals and pay close attention to everything.”

Tretter consistently observes vultures behaving in concert with cunning intelligence, using diversionary tactics. “They pay attention to everything. They operate like a gang, dividing up to distract the momma cow, while others go after the calf. They get the momma tired out and she can’t defend the calf. I’ve even seen a 250 lb. calf with two buzzards on either side and a fifth on top of its back.”

“Frankly, I don’t see a solution to this problem. As cattlemen, we’re in a bad situation without a good answer. Lethal permits are available but there is a process and a limited number of kills allowed. I don’t want to eradicate the species; I just want to protect my cattle.”

Hitting Home

A one-year, $100 kill permit (Migratory Bird Depredation Permit) requires clearance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). USDA’s Wildlife Services assists the application by verifying the presence of vultures and damage.

soar

According to Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) data, 7,500 black vultures were killed with permits across 24 states in 2017, a marked increase from 3,200 black vultures taken by permit in 2007. (Significantly, black vulture removal via permit also involves aviation hazards or property damage, and is not exclusively livestock related.) Black vulture nests and eggs also cannot be destroyed without a permit. Death Loss in U.S. Cattle and Calves Due to Predator and Nonpredator Causes, 2015, lists the loss to vultures, relative to predator loss, at 5.2% for cattle and 10.3% for calves.

Tom Cooper, chief of the Midwest Regional Migratory Birds Program with USFWS, says the black vulture population is increasing in the U.S.: “Indices from the North American Breeding Bird Survey show the population increasing and their range is expanding to the north, but we’re not certain why. There is no concrete evidence on what is causing the growth.”

“The main states of advance are Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, but they’ve gone north into Missouri and even into Iowa. I know these conflicts are happening in Pennsylvania as well. We hear more and more about depredation issues on newborn calves or lambs.”

The current permit process allows for lethal control when warranted, according to Cooper: “The system in place works. We’ve been working USDA Wildlife Services to educate producers about the black vulture issue and get information to them. I’m very hopeful this path of education will help get landowners the right information so they can respond with non-lethal and lethal techniques as appropriate. We’ve never denied a permit if that is the recommendation given to us through consultation with USDA Wildlife Services. If a lethal take is required, we’ve issued the permit.”

Lee Humberg, Indiana state director of Wildlife Services with USDA, urges concerned producers to contact USDA Wildlife Services state offices for help or direction. “There are still a lot of producers without information about black vultures and we want to use the best means to get it to them.”

“We’ve always had a limited presence of black vultures in Indiana, but only in the extreme south,” Humberg continues. “Now we see them ranging into the middle of the state and the numbers are growing. It’s happening in our neighboring states as well.”

“Black vultures have become a source of conversation for livestock owners who may have never had to deal with the issue, but it’s personal and hits home when they suddenly have the problem on their own farms.”

Permanent Residents?

According to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: “Black Vultures are numerous and their populations increased between 1966 and 2014, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population of this very wide-ranging bird at about 20 million, with about 9% living in the U.S. and 8% in Mexico.”

Weighing between 3-5 lb. and sporting an approximate 5’ wingspan, black vultures have keen eyesight, but a relatively weak sense of smell, often following turkey vultures to locate carrion. The birds possess an odd defensive weapon—projectile vomiting, explains Kris Godwin, adjunct assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management, and Mississippi director of USDA APHIS Wildlife Services at Mississippi State University: “They have very acidic, corrosive vomit, and it allows them to digest carrion. They can project vomit several feet as a defense mechanism.”

Black vultures share an inexplicable affinity for rubber, Godwin continues. “They go after boat seats, windshield wipers, coax cables, tractor seats, rubber around gear shifts, rubberized roofing, window seals on cars, and more.”

Ominously, black vultures could be taking up residency in Mississippi, Godwin notes. “Some vultures may be resident birds, and ceasing to migrate. We’re documenting increased black vulture damage and their numbers appear to be going up. With wildlife populations, we never know what direction they’ll go in the future.”

mw

In neighboring Arkansas, black vultures are suspected of establishing a permanent presence, explains Becky McPeake, professor of Wildlife Extension at the University of Arkansas (UA) Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. “Recent evidence points to year-round residents,” she says. “They appear to be staying here all the time. If they don’t have to move, maybe they won’t move. They present a progressive problem that is getting worse.”

Danny Griffin, UA Extension agent for Van Buren County, bolsters McPeake’s perspective. “Over the last few years, they’ve been increasing in numbers and aggression. We’ve definitely noticed an increase in our state, but I can’t say why. It’s all theory, but they seem to be staying here.”

“They kill live animals and their numbers usually increase around calving, but they’ll also go after boats, vehicles or almost anything with rubber parts,” Griffin adds. “That’s what we’re seeing and this type of damage is definitely happening.”

Indiana

In 2004, Rollin Bach heard about black vulture depredation around the Ohio River, and assumed the accounts were fiction. Six years ago, he became a true believer. Bach, 59, runs a small beef cattle operation stocked with 50 head in southern Indiana’s Crawford County. In the fall of 2013, after giving birth to a stillborn calf, one of his cows was grounded in recovery, unable to rise.

A day later, as Bach approached the pasture to administer medication, he was stunned to see black vultures converging on the cow, still capable of slinging its neck, but not able to defend its back. “She couldn’t get up and they had sneaked around behind, and were eating her back end out while she was alive. I was shocked by their brazenness, and I almost got close enough to kick them off. I shot her to help her because they had destroyed her body. People don’t realize the emotional damage it does to someone to have their cows treated this way.”

After the loss, Bach attempted to keep a close watch over his herd, yet lost two more calves. “I’m not allowed to go out there without a permit and sling lead even though I take a 100% loss on my cows. One of my neighbors has lost seven calves to these buzzards. It’s obvious these birds are here to stay and I believe the problem is just starting. I don’t even believe they’re migrating very far. If so, they don’t take long to get back.”

Eyes to the Sky

Bach isn’t optimistic about black vulture presence and says his frustration is building. “I’m waiting on the next incident because I know it’ll happen again. The buzzards always come back. I don’t know what the answer is, but something is wrong when I can see more and more vultures every year, but I can’t freely protect my cows.”

Tretter doesn’t sugarcoat the black vulture issue, and questions the future. “We’ve got a bad mess with no good answer. Animals move around, nothing stays the same in nature, and weather patterns change, but what happens next? I wish I could say black vultures are here temporarily, but I can’t say that. I can only say what I’ve seen on my land—nine dead calves.”

White echoes Tretter’s concerns. “I truly believe attacking calves and vulnerable cows is a learned behavior. If it is, then these black vultures may get better at it. Unless something changes, this situation is going to get worse.”

I have personal experience with the black vultures trying to get newborn calves and vulnerable cows. I have rescued more than one calf when as many as thirty black vultures were trying to separate it from its mother. I am doing what I can to remedy my problems with those evil birds.


I like the idea of using a trap with bait.

Not with calves, but sometimes surprised to see how bold they get.

I came down with the covid or whatever on the way to my jobsite this fall. I was wiped out and lied down in a field for less than half an hour. I kept my eyes open because a buzzard started circling about 5 minutes after my break. I thought it was funny. At the time I needed a good laugh.

Tom Cooper, chief of the Midwest Regional Migratory Birds Program with USFWS, says the black vulture population is increasing in the U.S.: “Indices from the North American Breeding Bird Survey show the population increasing and their range is expanding to the north, but we’re not certain why. There is no concrete evidence on what is causing the growth.”

Well, DUH!

In the not-so-distant past, when a farmer/rancher had a problem, he took care of it. No questions asked, and, more importantly, no Government Employee to ask permission to act.

What is causing the 'growth' ? Nobody is killing large numbers of these pests like they did in the 40' and 50's.

When there is an increase in predators, whether coyotes, cougars, hawks or Vultures, there will be a corresponding increase in predation. Science 101.

They are really bad here. I've had a few problems with them getting after my newborn calves. I just shoot them......and don't care who knows it.

There are many of the Mexican vultures in my area south of Fort Worth and I did save a calf from them last spring. Calf being newborn and clueless to what was about to happen. I guess it is just as illegal to kill one as our regular buzzards.

There’s one line in the article that says “they’re moving into Mississippi”. They’ve been a problem here since long before I was born (‘50).

Saw a 'gang' of them beside the interstate coming from Tenn Monday, maybe 10 of them in a couple of trees and about the same flying over and on the ground.
Looked like a heifer was giving birth along with 2-3 more trotting in circles around her.

If I owned livestock and was suffering loss from this it would be sss nothing more nothing less. What the hell the federal gov't is fuc*ed anyway their all deep state bastards. Do what you need to and take care of business keep your mouth shut.
.

This would be a good application for blue dot 223 loads. Nice and quiet with some zip.

The turkey buzzards don't bother cattle, or at least I've never had a problem with them. It's those smaller, black headed bastids that are so bad about getting on a cow having a calk, or a baby calf. They're pretty smart, and if you shoot one, the others usually fly off and don't come back. There are exceptions to that, and I once spent half a day keeping them off a baby calf. The floorboard of my pickup was full of 223 empties.

Reminds me of bro in laws 80+ year old neighbor talking about his new .204 Ruger. Bro in law asked how it shot. “Well, last box of shells it went 18 of 20 on hawks”. Or some similar type of response..

I have a farm in Bracken County, KY about 10 miles south of the Ohio River.

Yes, we've had the black vultures. Yes, they're a real scourge. Back about 5-7 years ago, they nearly ran out the turkey vultures.

But. . .

I have not seen one in over a year. We had a place out in the field were we stash all the gut piles during deer season. We had zero black buzzards this year. They weren't around last year either. I suspect something happened to turn things around.

When I take naps out in the yard in the summer I invariably get a few buzzards circling me before I wake up. One time, several seasons ago, I fell asleep out in one of the pastures on a spring turkey hunt. I awoke with a dark shadow passing over my head and the sound of wings flapping. It was one of the black bastids swooping in less than 6 feet over my head. When I sat up, over a dozen of them flew off from the surrounding trees. I don't think they were going to wait until I was dead.

I'll tell you something else about the black ones: They don't (or at least didn't) understand about vehicles. When the turkey buzzards see you coming, they'll leave a roadkill with plenty of time to get airborne. Black ones are greedy. They stay on the carcass. My Silverado has claimed 2 of 'em so far

"“Indices from the North American Breeding Bird Survey show the population increasing and their range is expanding to the north, but we’re not certain why. There is no concrete evidence on what is causing the growth.”

Duh!

Abundant food supply and not enough "natural" controls in the way of disease and predation. All species react the same.

DLOP needs to be implemented.

If they are so damned smart, they will soon learn living calves are off limits.

Shaman. True re vehicle traffic. Went into town earlier this morning. Dead pig on side of road for about three days. Finally the blacks came upon him and looks like less than a quarter of mass remains. Hide and head and at least a dozen working on that. 70mph traffic 30’ away doesn’t affect them.
On our lease we ask no questions after whitetail season has ended. Hogs, buzzards, raccoons and bobcats. All birthing animals and birds are at risk. Nope. Buzzard trap idea is gonna happen. Thanks.

Sorry to hear you are having trouble.

It sounds like the problem with the black vultures are similar to our problems with wolves .. we have the means but the feds won't let us use them. I don't have anything specific against either wolves or vultures but livestock is how a man puts food on his family's table and that has to be #1 priority, anything interfering with it should be quietly buried.

Global warming.

This is all sort of surprising. I had a dead squirrel in the back yard sitting in the sun. The Vulture sat over it and barley picked at it. The Vulture lost out to coyote at nightfall.

My sister runs sheep on her property up in Dutchess County NY, heritage breeds for the specialty market.

Last summer I saw a group of black vultures that far north for the first time, perching in the trees near her pastures. Probably resident up there now, they’ve been on the Lower Hudson for a few decades.

I warned her but she ain’t gonna take it serious until there’s a problem.

They killed a calf and worried the cow until it was having a tough time breathing at my Dad's place this last spring. Not his cattle but he went out to run them off several times...didn't do any good as they'd just sit and wait. Took the calf's eyes. Owner was worried about the cow as she stayed down most of the day after all of the running/chasing of the buzzards.

I had a flock take over one of my water troughs and not let the cows or goats come to it. They were aggressive and there were a lot of them. I finally got fed up and solved the problem.

Now there's a case for SSS. Can you image the fine for that many of them?

The trap would catch a bunch of them, be a mess to get rid of.

Black vultures, wolves, mountain lions, ravens all bear a resemblance to weeds in a garden. A farmer can control weeds in his field. As a rancher there should be no penalty for controlling weeds on the ranch.

Does anyone know why the Indian Turkey Vulture is endangered? They say it is because of too much pain killer availability.

What is SSS? PM with details.

Shoot, Shovel ,Shut up.

Vultures go to where the food supply is plentiful. Even deer and elk must contend with them.

Thanks, I thought it was something like that.

JPro: One of the ranches I Hunt Varmints on the husband and wife owners beg me to shoot the Ravens in their fields as the Ravens peck out the eyes of the newly born defenseless calves!
Last January/February they lost 7 (seven) newborn calves to this type predation.
I try to help as best I can.
Luckily the buzzard/vultures that migrate to this area (SW Montana) are not here during the calving season or I suppose they would lose even more of their calf crop?
Mother Nature can be cruel it seems at times.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Most people have trouble with the last S...

^^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^

Shoot
Shovel
STFU

as already said


.22 mag in a roosting tree is orgasmic

.22 mag

They dont blow up, they freeze in place for about 3 seconds, swivel down and hang upside down and drop like a sky turd. lol

So I’ve been told. All hearsay.

We call these things Turkey Vultures or Turkey Buzzards. Other than flying around all day or cooling off or warming up in the mornings, we see them on road -killed deer and elk with the Magpies, Ravens or Bald Eagles. They nest here and then leave in the fall and don't come back until late spring. They usually come back before the cotton wood trees have leaves so they roost in town in the tall fir trees in peoples yard.
What is the proper name for them? When I was a kid, we didn't have these birds in my part of the state.

Here the turkey buzzard are not getting after calves.


The smaller species of black vultures are the aggressive ones Some pecking newborn calf eyes and worse.

😎🦫😬

We call those turkey buzzards/turkey vultures here as well.

The aggressive ones being talked about don't have the red on their head.

I doubt there is any one person with only 40 head of grown cattle that has had more black vulture (mexican buzzard) trouble and intervention in livestock attacks than me. It is hard for a person not familiar with the problem to believe how vicious they are if they can find a cow giving birth or with a new born calf on the ground. They will cause a cow to stomp the calf while fighting buzzards. She can't successfully fight off 6 or 7, and sometimes it is 40. Sometimes after some .223 therapy they will be gone for a while but the next thing you know they are back in force. They prefer live fresh meat to rank dead. One time I helped my cousin pull a calf that was dead when it came out and the cow would not stand up. I suggested leaving her and the calf and maybe she would get up that night. We went back the next day and black vultures were eating the cow's back end, and had not touched the dead calf. We shot her. My adjoining land owner handles video auctions and weighs loads of cattle right beside my place. They sometimes have 1 or 2 dead ones a week which naturally keeps predators interested. I told him the other day that he had no idea how much we had saved him with our vulture, hog, and pit bull control. He calves way more cattle than me and watches them a lot less.

The only bad thing they do is alert the black headed ones. Turkey vultures don't seem too aggressive toward live calves but they are interested in after birth and when the black head vulture sees him he is coming also.

I have heard of bald eagles attacking new born calves also

I have a good friend that lives about 15 miles north of me and he reported that very thing to me 4 or 5 years ago.

Yep.

Many people, even some here don't understand true rural life.
Especially raising animals for needed income on a small but real farm.

We aren't/weren't bloodthirsty. But most animals, not domestic, get shot.

Raccoons, skunks, possums, groundhogs, foxes, dogs, or birds of prey...all compete
with our animal$. Eat their food, or kill them, damage crops, or destroy fields
that lead to animals getting hurt or equipment damaged.

Most real farmer's aren't really gun people, but, they have guns near doors
And in their equipment.

It wasn't just DDT that kept the hawk and owl numbers down.
Farmers didn't like losing poultry, most others around didn't want the
farmers losing poultry. And hunters would rather shoot predators and
small game. Instead of neither.


I'm not aware of the Vultures being around here.
Will keep an eye out for them now.

Are these vultures protected?

-nevermind, I see they are. I didnt know that.

Turkey vultures (with the red heads) look bigger with longer wings and tail but they are much lighter in weight than black vultures. Turkey vultures are specialized low-level scavengers that can detect hidden corpses by odor. Their light wing loading allows hem to soar at lower heights than most birds, low enough to smell carrion.

Black vultures are social and live in established packs, they are designed to soar higher up in stronger thermals. They fan out at higher altitudes keeping an eye on each other. When one descends all the others in the group home in on that spot.

And indeed they also watch turkey vultures, and a grounded turkey vultures eating will bring them all in.

Black vultures, being heavier, require stronger thermals to forage, this is why the range of turkey vultures extends further north.

The ones we've been warning the neighbor about are the black-headed ones, not the more common pink-headed variant. They near about look evil.

The kids stop every day to talk to the new calves through the fence. They're ripping and romping right now, so none appear to have been harmed yet. Season's not over though.

Too far north here causing them to leave about early October. A non-issue during our Feb/Mar calving season.

Not really let them in it, they will starve to death, others will feast till there's only one. Shoot the surviving one

They don't wear bullet proof vests

Seen that once while on out ground hunting field, dam thing hung upside down with its wings out for over 30 minutes before hitting dirt, bad thing it was along a road

I heard a guy say a Heron can fly quite a ways after a 22mag goes through its neck.

But it did quit eating the trout he was raising.
Wouldn't be bad if they ate dinner and left.
But they kill more than they eat, and won't leave as long as there
is food. So, they will wipe out your fish. Completly.

Thanks, 1minute - for the picture.
We've only had Turkey Vultures, here, my entire life - and never have known one to take a calf.
Ravens, on the other hand !
Not sure about crows, I think they are run off by the ravens -JMHO.
Guess I'll have to start watching for the black ones.

I can tell the turkey buzzard from the black vulture a long ways off. The turkey soars with his wings at more of a V and the black one holds his wings pretty much straight out. These birds are a problem for folks raising calves or lambs. Their population has shown a big increase.

If I owned stock I would shoot them too.

Dunno if I would shoot turkey vultures, seems like the black vultures in the numbers that they are would go after the afterbirth anyway.

Turkey vultures, being so much lighter, can get into the air earlier in the day than black vultures. Black vultures however will fly directly to a known food source in the morning. They live in groups of related individuals and one that has found a food source will communicate that to the other members of the group at the evening roost. The group then follows that bird the following morning.

I know that here, at least this past year, there were turkey and black buzzards together. I've heard the black follow the turkey because of the turkey's better sense of smell to find dead stuff..... I don't know. I do know that the flock here had many black and a few turkey buzzards in it. The black buzzards were much more aggressive towards cattle and goats, they would roost on a fence post and not fly off when our dogs harassed them. Turkey buzzards would roost in a tree and if I or dogs started that way they'd fly off.

The difference between the black and turkey are really obvious when you see them eating roadkill. The black buzzards don't fly off when a car passes or gets close.

KILL on site! they're pretty smart, wont come back for awhile, but never trust em.

Good post and one that I agree with totally. I caught a lot of flack on another thread in which I said something to effect that although the state may lay claim to the wildlife that lives on my land, I have the right to monitor them, and take action if needed. The city dwellers and the "sportsman" that don't own any land had a damn fit.

I was born and raised on a farm, and have lived on one all my life. In many cases, wildlife and farming have issues getting along with each other. Growing up, my grandfather had a large flock of chickens and there was a standing rule around the place that if something ate chickens, then that something was shot on sight. Today, I consider any varmint that gets too close to my house, garden, and animals as a threat. There is pretty much an open season on possums, coons, squirrels, rabbits and deer (if they get in the garden), and any other bird or animal that the state claims to own and regulates the hunting of. Such critters as groundhogs and coyotes are not the subject of a hunting season, and are shot on sight.

I'm not bragging about it, I'm just protecting what is mine, the same way I'd react if I considered a certain human being to be a threat. I don't plant a garden or raise farm animals to feed the wildlife. Folks who don't live in the country simply have no idea how much damage animals can do around a farm if left unchecked. I've had deer and coons almost wipe out my sweet corn patch. Rabbits will eat most anything green, and can eat a garden up in a few nights. I've lost chickens to hawks, coons, possums, mink, and coyotes. I've also had problems with the black buzzards getting on a newborn calf. Kentucky law allows you to shoot a few of them in that situation, and I have. I figure there are times when a man just has to do what a man has to do, and I do.

JamesJr, I agree with you, just be happy you don't have feral PIGS !!!! Rio7

Rio, there are some scattered pockets of pigs here in Kentucky. Thankfully I live in farming country, where there are none. If they were here, they wouldn't last long, as the local Mennonites would soon kill them all............lol.

Yeah and when you shoot them make sure you use non toxic shot or bullets because you know you sure wouldn't want anyone confused that they died from lead poisoning. Mb

Pretty grim thread. I have never managed any cattle. I didn't know these birds would peck out the eyes of living calves and kill them.
Vicious birds.

I remember the first Turkey Vulture I saw on the North Shore of Lake Superior—1988–the 2 local moose hunters with me had no idea what it was. Now they are fairly numerous—they must successfully compete with eagles and ravens for carrion hereabouts.
Like Birdy mentioned for a bird that looks large they don’t weigh anything.
I have heard they will puke on you if you get close—never handled a live one so I don’t know.

Kinda like classifieds Cowboys (thems/theirs) LOL

Lead poisoning and low blood pressure!

As I said above I have no experience raising cattle so this info is new to me. I have experience feeding cattle as I threw 95 pound alfalfa hay bales 3 months one summer on a dairy farm in Washington state, but that is another story.

But this thread proves that Mother Nature is a cruel bitch. As a lifelong hunter I have had some nasty remarks directed at me by libs about being cruel to put a bullet through an innocent deer. And that does seem cruel, if all you know about the natural world is watching the movie Bambi. All the animals in that cartoon lived in peace and harmony, the only thing they feared was forest fires and hunters.

Several years my dog brought home a tiny 3 day old rabbit. Dropped it at the foot of the stairs, dog had a "soft mouth" I guess, the little bunny was unharmed. I took it to the animal rescue guys and they said it would live. And they told me, the number one threat faced by bunnies is crows. Said a crow would land next to a little bunny and peck it right in the head and kill it, and eat it. I said "I thought crows ate corn or wheat." They said, crows will eat anything. Gee, in the movie, all the birdies were friends with the bunnies and the deer.

Several years ago and I think it was on this forum, there was video from up north in the snow, a doe was stuck in the snow along the river bank, a wolf came up and chomped a 3 pound chunk of meat right off of her ham, as she stood there, and he went off ten feet to chew it up. And then came back for another big bite. He was eating the deer alive.
Good God! Makes a 180 grain bullet in the lungs seem pretty humane.

And here in this thread, we got buzzards pecking the eyes out of little newborn calves.

Mother nature is a cruel bitch.

Just to clarify things, that’s actually a Turkey Vulture in that pic, young birds of the year have dark heads.

These are black vultures

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Vulture/overview#

LMAO

You were not talking about predation or crop control. But it makes a better narrative. Victim. lol



On a serious note, I wonder what the reproductive rate is on these things.

Vultures pair up and nest on the ground where shelter can be found like in hollow logs, cliff overhangs and abandoned buildings, typically in wooded areas, one to three young each time, one brood per year. IIRC they can live more’n twenty years in the wild.

Black vultures mate for life and may feed their young for most of their first year.

My understanding is these blackheads are definitely a problem I'm in Southwest Missouri and know a few guys in the area who have had problems. Generally closer to rivers and bigger Lakes from my understanding. Might be stupid to admit on the interweb but any blackhead was I see will no longer exist if I get the chance. May not be legal as such but you can also protect your livelihood.

Thanks for the ID clarification, Birdy.
Glad to see they are quite a way from our place.
Hard enough to turn a dime in agriculture, without more problems moving in.

BTW - Merry Christmas !!!

Merry Christmas to you too Sir!

On the topic of why there are so many where they occur, here's some intersting research stats quoted in Birds of the World, a subscriber site:

In Pennsylvania and Maryland, 11 radio-tagged Black Vultures recorded feeding on 63 items. Of these, 65% were of domestic origin and 35% wild. Domestic consisted of cattle (27%), swine (17%), poultry (14%), sheep (6%); wild consisted of white-tailed deer (16%), groundhog (Marmota monax; 8%), striped skunk (3%), raccoon (3%), and opossum (5%).

In N. Carolina, poultry carcasses from farms are important component of Black Vulture's diet......

In N. Carolina, Black Vultures depend almost entirely on farm animals. Of 117 items recorded, only 13 (11%) were nonfarm animals (e.g., raccoon, opossum, domestic cat [Felis catus], dog [Canis familiaris], turkey [Meleagris gallopavo]). Most vultures fed on poultry (59%), swine (22%), or cattle (8%). Distinct seasonal changes occur in diet of N. Carolina vultures, particularly in importance of poultry. Between Jun and Aug, 82% of Black Vulture groups observed feeding were consuming poultry, but from Dec to Feb, only 21%.

..these studies are just snapshots of isolated populations and not specific to Pennsylvania and N.Carolina.

The implication is though that black vultures reach the numbers they do because of carcass disposal during regular farming operations, in the case of NC poultry farms.

With respect to live prey...

Most food eaten is carrion, but Black Vultures occasionally attack and kill domestic stock, including newborn pigs, lambs, and calves. In addition, may catch and eat young night-herons, striped skunks and opossums, hatchling leatherback turtles, and small fish. Individuals attack small prey, but attacks on larger animals made by groups of birds. Large prey torn apart while still alive.

They’re in the attic of a burned-out house here on the farm. VFD chopped holes in the roofing shingles to get water in, structure was condemned. They should re-light it and finish the heap. Anyway. Black buzzards nest in it.

My labrador retrievers go ape chit, when we drive out to our catfish pond and go passed that old place. They also go freakin nuts when buzzards or shîtpokes fly over. 😃

I recall a “well respected member” a month ago asked “duhh what’s up with buzzards circling” guess he’s stared at his shoes for 70 years

Didnt understand thermals

Yes! That is how we fly hang gliders. Get up about a thousand feet, then keep your eyes out for buzzards circling. Or else, hawks. These master aviatiors know how to hook a thermal. Just fly over to where the big birds are and catch the ride. In a good thermal you can climb at 500 feet per minute. You might climb 3,000 feet or more in a good thermal.

Funny thing, you fly over to a flock of 6 or 8 buzzards circling, get about 100 feet away from the big birds, and they all fly away. Chickens.
Big redtail hawks on the other hand, just ignore you.

I have been watching and taking pictures of a group/flock? of Turkey Vultures from my back yard since they moved in here. Like I said in my other post, when they return every year they don't stay on the island in the river until the Cottonwoods get fully leafed out. The either fly around in circles or sit on the river bank. Can't see what they are doing other than drinking, but as soon as they leave the water they fly up into the trees and sit there with their wings extended like in my pictures I posted. I can't see if they are drinking or bathing or both.
I did some research on them, and saw that they either nested on the ground or in old buildings or ledge rocks. I am can get close to them and I have some pictures of them sitting on big assed nests about 50' up in the trees. I will post a picture or two of them on nests. There is also a Blue Heron rookery in use there and they seemed to gt along. Now the Herons have moved their rookery since the river washed out their nesting trees and the Canadian Geese took over what was left.
This last spring the Vultures moved to the other side of the island, but still use the tree where they always have.
When they come in the spring and roost in town they bunch up shoulder to shoulder until the sun comes out in the morning. Every now and then one of the trees gets cut down or blows down and the birds just go to another one. Usually on the same street! There are usually 30-50 birds in the spring and when the new hatched birds start flying there is usually close to double the number.
I find them very interesting to watch and I still find it hard to believe they can find enough to eat. Now, I will start looking for my pictures of them on their nests and in the fir trees in town. Thanks for letting me take part. My wife isn't the least bit interested.

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Buzzards around here have used elevated box stands on deer hunters leases for big bird house to raise their hatchlings. When the hunters return in the fall they find the aftermath of baby buzzards eating buzzard puke.

Kenny, it is a truism among migratory birds that those that breed the furthest north winter the furthest south. This appears to be true of turkey vultures. I was on the Corpus Christi Hawkwatch in late October when around 20,000 turkey vultures passed over in a single day on their way to Central America and the Amazon. Many of these were likely Northern Plains birds.

Black vultures OTOH are mostly non-migratory.

Turkey vultures at least are good at conserving energy, both in their style of flight and their metabolism. Captive birds have been deprived of food for up to two weeks at a time without ill effects.

Thanks for the info. I read somewhere they migrated to a place in Ohio. My kids asked me one time where they went in the winter. I told them the flew back to Capistrano

I’ve noticed here in my area, the black vultures go in first for the fresh guts

The turkey vultures come in about 3 days later for the muscle fiber and ‘jerky’


That first day on a deer road kill, there will be 50-60 black buzzards, almost like a union shop. Some will be posted back like flagmen, then the some mill around like the guys leaning on shovels, then you have the dirty dozen in the cavity sucking guts like chunks of penne pasta.

Then the peanut gallery up in the trees

And lastly, one dumbshît that gets ran over for playing too close to the road.


The red meat heads, like I said they hang back and wait 3 days and then only 4 or 5 at most will work the leftovers.

Interesting on the rough #'s you gave. The last several years I'm seeing WAY more black than turkey. Don't know if it's because there truly are more black where there were turkey before or I just notice the blacks more because of the issues they cause.

I know one thing, a little Mennonite kid about 4’ tall and 60lbs beating a heron to death with a big ass stick off his dads trout tanks is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. I had my money on the heron and told the kid he was gonna get his little ass kicked. That heron was up for the first minute or so, but that kid straight kicked that birds ass!
I wish I’d recorded it.