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How do I find owls arounds here? I hear Barred Owls all the time, never seen one.

Got a couple of acres in a NW Florida swamp. Been hearing Barred Owls for years.

How do I spot one? And tricks other than sitting still and being quiet? They seem to come pretty close. Can I "bait" them somehow with a box or something they would like to visit?

Funny story: First night I camped, three were doing their call/response thing. Every time they called, closer, and closer. Freaky sounding, one of the calls sounds almost like a child crying out.

For some reason, my idiot self thought coyotes were closing in. (Yes, I know well what coyotes sound like.)

Got a little freaked, grabbed my .410 (tiny shotgun) and decided to take the fight to them, scare 'em off (didn't want them rooting around my site). Again, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, promptly got lost.

Got home, "Hey Google! What do coyotes sound like?" Oh FFS. I am not a clever man.

Saw a Pileated Woodpecker the other day though! Super cool and way bigger than I thought.

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  • Well, lesson one is complete, you learned they don't like shotguns!

    I just went to another unsuccessful Hoot Hike event over the weekend. Lesson 2 is realizing these animals are built for stealth and do not really want to be seen. This will mean much unsuccessful owl hunting.

    You can call Barred Owls with recordings. This doesn't work for all owls, but many of them do respond if you're lucky. Some caveats though. December through March is breeding season in Florida. Barred Owls WILL go after you if you tick them off , and they have lots of pointy bits. They're territorial year round, but especially then. They're less likely to show up during mealtime, which for a Barred Owl is 8pm-5am. You might do better around the start and end.

    Caveat 2, of a bird is looking for you, it's not looking for food or sitting someplace it knows is safe, it's out looking for a potential enemy and is dropping what it's doing to do that, which you know isn't the case but it doesn't. Don't over call because you can stress out the owls and anything that knows it's prey for owls. Especially at night, animals need those calories to survive. Birds have high metabolism. You can kill birds if you stress them too much.

    Lesson 3, Barred Owls hang out up high. Since their vision and hearing is much better than yours, they don't need to hang out low where there's more danger. Barred Owls hang out 15 to 40 feet up in trees. Point those eyes up.

    That should get you started. You should be able to find some videos on YouTube to show you good tips. Also, I just Google "owl events near me" every so often and you can find Hoot Hikes, banding events, animal meet and greets, all sorts of stuff. Those people can tell you what works in your specific area.

    Hope that helps!

    • I can use this! Recordings sound like a fair bet, if I don't overdo it. Mealtimes I didn't know. Also, I'm not looking nearly high enough.

      Does anyone else find their calls eerie as hell? Weird in retrospect, because now they clearly sound like owls to me, but they sure didn't when I first got around them.

      Now that I know what they look like, I think I saw one wounded, or playing so, a couple of years ago. It was on the ground and puffing up, threat display. Couple of ravens were stalking it. After watching a bit, I went over to defend him and he flew off. Not sure what I was seeing there.

      Oh! Heard one here at the house the other day! I'm stoked.

      (In case it wasn't clear from my OP, I never let a shell off the rails, and will not unless I am under immediate threat from an identifiable target. LOL, just intended to scare of imaginary coyotes. Gods I still feel dumb about that.)

      • They will freak you out and catch you by surprise, especially if you're expecting the stereotypical for the US "hoot" sound. Some like the Barn sound right out of a horror movie. Owls have been scaring the crap out of humans at night since caveman days!

        I did a post on owls vs crows a little while ago that you may enjoy.

        I'm glad you didn't unload on the forest! I've met some people that probably would have over the years! 😒

    • Oh, and the guy this weekend said trying to see them flying is often easier than seeing them sitting still, so keep those eyes up! They're unmistakable with that flat face.

  • I heard them too, I camped in Goethe State Forest. Had one real close to my tent, sounded like a monkey freaked me out. I volunteered at a wildlife shelter with two barred owls, they don't like to be bothered. And their entire thing is stealth, they are super silent when they fly and they blend really well with their surroundings. I personally say follow the calls.

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