Originally Posted by
MtGun44
Found an owl standing, head 'retracted', eyes closed, on the centerline of a two lane road near here. Stopped and
he was standing, but unresponsive. Wrapped a jacket around him and put him in the passenger footwell.
He woke up in about 5 minutes, I was thinking of finding some place to let him go, but he was awake
and watching me from the passenger seat. Pretty spooky, knowing what his talons or beak could do
in a car! Stopped on a side road, opened the door and he fortunately made a break to fly out through
the 'opening' of the windshield. This put his head into the corner at the front bottom of the windshield,
leaving his feet towards me. PERFECT! I grabbed his feet tightly and lifted him gently out, in pretty
much control. After a few seconds so he could orient, I gently tossed him to the ground, and he took
off flying, looking good, no wobbles. I figure he got hit by a car and was as zapped as that Red Tailed
Hawk, although he was on some autopilot mode to stand, but do nothing else as he "rebooted".
Mary, see if you can pet one.
I have caught wild rabbits by hand, chased them down in a large, freshly cut field - they have little endurance and are
entirely exhausted by the third 'run'. Have to stay focused on where they stopped or you will lose them.
In any case, once you get them, too exhausted to move, you can pick them up without resistance.
I have twice carried one to a shade tree and sat down with it in my lap. Petting it for a couple of minutes
entirely calms it and they make no attempt to escape as they get their wind back. I have had them
casually hop a foot away and start eating grass, not concerned for me, and let me pick them up again
and put them in my lap and pet them for a while.
A friend told me this was possible when I was about 12 years old, and I never had the correct situation
until I was chopping huge fields on a summer job in college (a LONG time ago), with the nearest
fenceline hundreds of yards away so not much to hide in.
Amazing that wild rabbits tame down, at least temporarily, so easily.