Everything in the woods is creepier at night. A coyote’s howl and even a wild hog’s squeal can make the hair on your neck stand up when you’re surrounded by darkness. It’s common to be more on edge in the dark because one of your senses is compromised. Even a frog hopping through the leaves can make a big man jump. But imagine sitting under a tree waiting for your target to come in when, out of nowhere, an owl swoops down, clamping onto your man bun and attempts to fly away. Anyone who tells you they wouldn’t soil their pants under these conditions is lying.
So, do owls attack people? Yes, there are several reports of owls attacking humans. Should night hunters be worried about getting attacked by owls? No. Owl attacks are fairly rare and many of them do not result in injury – assuming your heart can take it, of course.
Even if you are attacked, you probably won’t be badly hurt, but in order to help save you from having to burn your favorite hunting pants, here is a bit of information on owls and a few tips for dealing with them.
A General Overview of Owls
There are several different types of owls ranging in size. However, with only a few exceptions, most owls are nocturnal. The birds are also predators, so these two traits make them worthy of a night hunter’s attention.
Because owls are nocturnal, they do most of their hunting in the dark. Most owls are masters of stealth. Their wings are structured so that they are virtually silent when flying. So don’t count on hearing one if it does decide to swoop in on you.
Some owls hunt their prey from the air, diving down for the attack. Other types of owls sit and watch from above waiting for their prey to emerge and present the best opportunity for an attack.
What Might Cause an Owl to Attack
Like most creatures, owls will usually choose flight over fight, and they are normally not aggressive towards people. However, owls have attacked people before under various circumstances and for various reasons. Some of the reasons for which an owl might attack a human are discussed below.
Responding to Predator Calls
Like the animals that you may be hoping to call in with your distressed rabbit call, owls are predators. Hunters using predator calls have reported owls swooping in on them during the call. This shouldn’t be surprising because the purpose of a predator call is to attract predators looking for an easy catch.
Naturally, it’s conceivable that an owl would be curious upon the sound of a distressed rabbit or the like. Many hunters use an electric predator call with speakers located some distance away from their position. However, for those using a handheld caller, it might be a good idea to look up occasionally.
Owls May Confuse Things on Your Head for Prey
Typing in terms like “owl attack” into search engines will likely result in several news sources or forum posts discussing people in parks and the like experiencing owl attacks. Many victims of owl attacks report having ponytails or something on their head like headphones.
These owls may be confusing these objects for prey. So for the nocturnal markswomen out there, and the guys rocking a man bun – you might want to wear a cap if you are serious about avoiding owls.
They Feel Threatened
Like many animals, threatening an owl or its young could provoke an attack. Since owls can fly, the term “flight over fight” can be applied literally. But if one is injured or can’t fly away for some other reason, it is possible that it might resort to aggression. The presence of baby owls obviously inflates the risk.
This reason for attack does not provide as much cause for concern for night hunters as the other possible reasons because the hunter would likely be aware of the owl’s presence in this situation.
How to Avoid Owl Attacks
As mentioned, some types of owls prefer to hunt from the sky while others sit in the trees until the perfect time to strike. Regardless, you can expect them to come from above you in most situations.
If you are truly concerned about sustaining an owl attack, you can rig up some sort of distraction above where you’re sitting. This could be a stick or a poll with something attached to catch the owl’s attention and distract it from swooping down towards you.
As also mentioned earlier, wearing a hat might be best practice because there have been several people report attacks while wearing something like headphones or sporting a ponytail.
What ever you do, do not kill the owl until it is an absolute last resort to your safety. Owls are extremely protected birds and carry a huge fine and possibly even jail time if killed. So, while you might just turn your weapon on an aggressive coyote or hog, you should try every other option when dealing with owls and other protected birds.
What to Do if You Are Attacked
You likely won’t sustain much, if any, injury from an owl attack if you can avoid a heart attack. Of course, if you sustain any broken skin, regardless of what attacked you, it is always best practice to see a doctor because of tetanus and other risks of infection.
If you know for sure the culprit was an owl, you likely don’t have to worry about any long-term dangers. But other creatures of the night such as bats can carry rabies, so if you aren’t sure what attacked you, you may want to talk to your doctor to rule out any risk of rabies.
Other Potential Flying Threats
After learning that it’s possible to sustain an owl attack while night hunting, your mind may be wandering regarding other possible threats from the sky. Here are a few other things to consider.
Bats
Bats are another creature hunters might see in the night sky. They too are nocturnal and do their hunting at night. However, they primarily feed on insects, so you probably don’t have to worry about one responding to a predator call.
There are many different types of bats. Bats have been given a bad reputation perhaps largely due to vampire fiction. However, bats are not known to attack people, although there have been reports of it. Usually, if a bat attacks someone it’s because the person was bothering the bat and it felt threatened.
It’s very unlikely that the bat will bite you during a passive encounter with one. However, if you do end up getting bitten, it’s probably a good idea to see a doctor because bats can carry rabies. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bats were the most frequently reported rabid wildlife species in 2015. (Source). It’s usually best practice to not touch a bat for any reason. Not only can they carry rabies but their feces can contain fungus which can be harmful to humans.
So, night hunters likely do not need to worry about bats, but on the off chance you do come in contact with one, it is a good idea to take proper precautions.
Hawks and Eagles
Now we know a little bit about the risks of owl and bat attacks while night hunting. But what about other large birds like hawks and eagles? These flying predators are very large and have the capabilities of rendering serious damage if they were to attack a human.
These types of birds have attacked humans before, but it isn’t common. Lucky for night hunters, these birds are diurnal meaning that they roam during the day. These flying predators may hunt at dusk and dawn, but you probably won’t see one at night.
Conclusion
If you are the type of person who tries to think of all the things that could go wrong on any adventure, you may have wondered if you should watch out for owls and other flying creatures while you’re experiencing the outdoors at night.
The woods can be creepy at night and it’s easy to have an inflated sense of caution. While an owl attack likely wouldn’t result in any serious injuries, it could certainly scare the daylights out of you (no pun intended).
Owls are predators, and they are nocturnal. Therefore, it is possible that one could respond to a predator call or possibly mistake something near or on you for prey. Thus, while it is unlikely that one would deliberately attack you, it could do so out of confusion.
Further, bats are also nocturnal creatures. While there is probably less of a chance of passively coming in contact with a bat than an owl, it is probably riskier because of a bat’s susceptibility to carry rabies. Regardless, if you sustain an injury from any sort of attack from any creature, it’s always a good idea to see a doctor because of the risk of disease and infection.
If you now have a fear of creatures of the sky, at least you can feel fairly confident that you won’t encounter a hawk or eagle – at least not at night.
It’s better to be safe than sorry, right? In addition to other potential dangers, these are a few things night hunters should consider to ensure that their experience is safe and enjoyable.