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What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
#8823554
03/25/23 06:47 PM
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Texas buckeye
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Was on my lake today and found a dead floating duck. As i got up to it i saw it was decapitated but nothing else missing off its body.
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Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823570
03/25/23 07:39 PM
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Greg Z
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Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Greg Z ]
#8823575
03/25/23 08:04 PM
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Texas buckeye
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None anywhere close. Closest power line is over half a mile from the lake
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823577
03/25/23 08:08 PM
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Ol Thumper
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My ex wife would be a solid suspect!! In seriousness I’d say a hawk or owl, possibly a raccoon but they generally eat everything. We had a lake with resident owls and they loved chewing the heads off and leaving the rest.
Last edited by Ol Thumper; 03/25/23 08:09 PM .
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823592
03/25/23 08:58 PM
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ntxtrapper
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Any type of raptor will do this. Super fast fly by and rip the head right off. I see it pretty frequently here on Whitney.
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823595
03/25/23 09:02 PM
Joined: Jul 2020
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wingmaster23
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Possibly a turtle. Duck head being submerged would make a tasty morsel.
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823633
03/25/23 10:45 PM
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Whack n stack
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I’d say turtle also. Seen it quite a bit when killing ducks over ponds and picking them up after the hunt.
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823641
03/25/23 11:11 PM
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ntxtrapper
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Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823679
03/26/23 01:00 AM
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Michael W.
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Hawks usually kill their prey by biting the neck , often with the head coming off.
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823705
03/26/23 02:10 AM
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ralph
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I support the "dead duck- feeding turtle" theory.
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823751
03/26/23 04:19 AM
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ntxtrapper
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Those power line turtles are dangerous
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823765
03/26/23 06:11 AM
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scalebuster
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Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823788
03/26/23 11:00 AM
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Pootie
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Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823800
03/26/23 11:59 AM
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Nolanco
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There's a wolverine loose -- near Portland, Oregon ...
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823805
03/26/23 12:21 PM
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Stub
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Crazy that the predator would go to the trouble of killing its prey than not eating it unless something spooked the predator off right after it killed the duck?
Last edited by Stub; 03/26/23 12:23 PM .
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823827
03/26/23 01:26 PM
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MWTX270
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Owls almost always eat the head first
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: MWTX270 ]
#8823843
03/26/23 02:06 PM
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fgdn
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Owls almost always eat the head first
great horned owl
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823862
03/26/23 02:56 PM
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Double Naught Spy
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Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8823871
03/26/23 03:28 PM
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Texas buckeye
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Good stuff guys, thanks. I dont know much about fowl or waterfowl so this was a new one to me. I know we have a lot of raptors and owls in this area, so i would guess that is prob number 1. We do have some thrtles in the lake so that could be a number 2, though the turtles are almost all painted box turtles and i have not seen a snapping turtle yet, but i suppose they could be there.
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8824473
03/27/23 07:50 PM
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BassBuster1
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Opossums get in your chicken coup they will do that. Seems like a waste but they will kill several in a night by chewing heads only. A duck seems more likely dead duck hungry turtle...
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8824728
03/28/23 01:57 AM
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jnd59
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Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8824732
03/28/23 02:03 AM
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Herbie Hancock
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Last edited by Herbie Hancock; 03/28/23 02:04 AM .
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8831808
04/11/23 02:34 AM
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 140
Perfect 8
Woodsman
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Next door neighbor kid with some .22 hollow points! Maybe you drove up before he was able to retrieve.
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8831916
04/11/23 12:32 PM
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Treinta-Treinta
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I’ve seen lots of young hawks, could be that.
Re: What wpupd decapitate a duck but not eat the duck?
[Re: Texas buckeye ]
#8831930
04/11/23 01:06 PM
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huck18
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Hawks. I've watched them do it.
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