PALATKA, Fla. — Paul Mueller had a close encounter of the barred owl kind while fishing on the St. Johns River Thursday (see video below). He and his marshal, Tim Kearns, had boated into a canal when they greeted a man who was sitting in a chair in his backyard. The man pointed to a barred owl perched in a nearby tree.
“See that owl right there?” he said. “He likes to grab hats and take them out to the river.”
Mueller didn’t say anything, but the idea of an owl grabbing his hat made him feel “kind of creepy.”
“I just kept fishing, and the owl was about 20 yards behind me,” Mueller said. “I catch a little fish, but it’s a keeper. I swing it in the boat, grabbed the line and the owl comes out of nowhere, lightning fast. I kind of pulled the fish away and felt the talons just graze my fingers.
“I couldn’t believe how fast that thing moved. He must have been in flight as soon as he saw me set the hook. He went back to his perch and watched for me to set the hook again, I guess. It’s a really cool bird, just a little too close for comfort.”