BUZZBAIT
WHOO WAS THAT GUY?
INCOMING! PHOTO & WORDS BY CHRIS FUNK
I was fishing with my friend Brooks Beatty in Florida's St. Marks River, a beauti- ful, spring-fed creek with clear water and thick grass mats. Brooks was casting a frog imitation. I watched his rubber amphibian pop and
hop through the grass leaving a V-wake just like the real thing. I knew a critter was about to bust that frog. I never expected that critter to come from the air! Brooks had just cast the big
frog imitation when I caught a glimpse of wings coming through the woods. A barred owl swooped in and landed just inside the tree line. I grabbed my
camera and turned the telephoto lens on the bird. I figured the owl was going to spook, but the raptor was looking down at the water. That’s when I realized it was watching Brooks' frog. What happened next shocked Brooks and me. The
stealthy, striped bird nose-dived on the frog like an osprey smashing into the water. Brooks barely yanked the frog out of the way in time. Then the owl made a
second attack. Brooks was reeling for all he was worth. He snatched the lure out of the way with only inches to spare. After the second miss, the bird flared away from the water and flew straight at me. I was shooting and praying my camera settings were correct. When I uploaded the photos, I was blown away. Not only was I lucky to have
an amazing encounter with wildlife; I was fortunate enough to get the shot. After the photo was released, people were calling dealers asking for the owl boat. That puts a smile on the photographer’s face.
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to see a gallery of Chris Funk's trip on the St. Marks, including before and after shots of the owl strike.
16…KAYAK ANGLER
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