From experience with them over a lifetime of farming I can say this...........they are extremely strong fliers when carrying a prey animal, much stronger than the biggest red-tail hawk. I've seen a red-tail kill a rabbit in front of my corn combine, and it can barely get it off the ground enough to fly off from the combine. A big owl can take a full grown rabbit, or house cat, and fly off with it with ease, gaining altitude very quickly. Gonna be interesting later this morning to see if the dead one in my truck is a Great Horned, or some other specie.
I like having them around. I kinda like the wildness they represent. I wouldn't care if they killed every housecoat that prowls the hedgerows. But, we have to watch our little 6 lb. Yorkie carefully when he goes out. We almost always keep him on a leash. Too many things around here that would eat him.
SRH
