my dad had a jitterbug taken by an owl on norris lake a few years back i dunno if it got hooked but it got to keep the lure..... my best guess as to why the owl dropped the bait is one it figured out it wasnt edible and or second, birds of prey will fly high and drop their prey to finish them off and then swoop back down and get it and eat it..... good thing u didnt have no power bait on there and if someone ever tries to take the hooks out of a non sedated owl or any bird of prey.... get up with me cause i wanna watch that...