I do a lot of hog hunting from on of those 2 person 10 foot stands from Academy. Occasionally, when the hogs don't show up, I'll run an e-caller for coyotes. I'll set the caller 10 or 15 yards to the side of the stand on the ground. Invariably, an owl or owls will begin circling the area, including right above my stand. This usually causes me to abort the whole operation immediately for fear that one of these owls is gonna mistake me for its next meal and sink its claws into my head. Now, it's pitch black when I'm doing this and I get glimpses of the owls here and there through my thermal spotter. The darkness just adds to my fear. Lol.

Can any of you expert varmint hunters out there convince me that there is no chance this would ever happen? I really like firing up the e-caller occasionally, but these damn lechuzas are messing everything up.

Wear a hat - not a ball cap. The stand I shoot from is backed up into some trees and I hear something roaming in the trees there - worry about a coon but nothing so far.

I had one steal the beanie right off my head at night. It had a poof ball on top and I was blowing a mouth call. My newest FoxPro has a remote control and I put the speaker at least 50 yards away now.

Good lord. That is not the answer I wanted to hear. My caller has a remote also, and I’m gonna walk that sumbitch 50 or so yards away next time. I’ll probably wear a diaper also just in case I get attacked.

It was a clear and super cold night. I was on a fence row between two fields and all I felt was my beanie was gone with no sound. I saw him in the moonlight and got the light on him about the time he got in an oak tree. He messed around with it trying to find the meaty part and finally gave up. My beanie blew out of it after the next cold front and I cut off the poof ball immediately. I got lucky. It was a great horned owl.

Very first time I used my Foxpro with the little motorized decoy an Owl swooped down and stole the little furry critter and I never got it back.

Same thing happened to me years ago. Was sitting in an open jeep calling and heard swoosh! He went for the cotton tailed looking puff ball on my beanie and like to have got the whole thing. Turned on the spotlight and this huge owl was sitting in a small mesquite about 20' in front of me staring back probably thinking I was the biggest cotton tail he had ever seen.

Well, I'll ask. Men wear puff balls on their hats down there?

Not an owl, but a friend was coyote calling with one of those rabbit decoys that moves, and a hawk swooped down and stole the fur part.

It was a hand me down from the 1970’s and I wasn’t the type to complain. That was a pretty common style at the time. I’m sure the rich kids didn’t have to suffer such indignities.

I'll clarify - a hat with a wide brim and no 'decorations'. Might get the hat but not your head.

50 years ago in the 70's, yes I did.

Years ago, I was in northern Wisconsin and there was about 3 or 4 inches of snow on the ground. Clear day, zero wind. No deer were moving so I used a mouth caller to see if I could call a varmint while sitting on a log. All of a sudden a clump of snow fell next to me. I was like WTF? I looked up and this huge great horned owl was looking down at me. The eyes were creepy. I don't dream about them, but I have a very clear memory of them.

work better if its set up as far away as ;the caller will perform

this should be under the heading... what not to wear in the stand.

I was a kid living in the country. I didn’t have access to the city boy fancy clothes

Never been hit by an owl, but I’ve been swooped a few times but mostly when using mouth calls. My FoxPro has been hit a few time and I’ve only had it less than a year. I stake it down so it doesn’t fly away. I’ve got my coyote spots set up on top of hills where I have cut into trees for camouflage and to protect my head from owls.