I was turkey hunting New Jersey Friday morning and used a photo-imprinted hen decoy. I set the lone decoy about 15 yards into a plowed field, and I set up on the tree line of the field’s edge. Around 5:45 AM, I saw a bald eagle flying toward me. The eagle passed over me, and I lost site of it. About 30 seconds later, the eagle swooped down and blasted my hen decoy!
I heard the sound of wings, the sound of the bird crashing into the decoy, and the sound of the inflatable decoy popping! I at first thought someone shot the decoy, until I saw the bird standing next to the deflated decoy dumbfounded. After collecting my wits, I tried to photograph the eagle with my iPhone, but all the only photo I managed to get was one of the eagle flying away.
The eagle stood next to the decoy for about 30 seconds, then flew to a nearby tree and screeched for 30 minutes.
I attached some images that show the talon marks (holes) in the decoy.
I am truly impressed with new technology used in decoy manufacturing. If that decoy fooled an eagle’s eyes, it should work very well on wild turkeys!