pointer
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Everything posted by pointer
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I like Gwps not because they do anything better than other breeds Its just a breed I took to, my lurchers incidentally were Gwp crosses. If I was choosing a dog just for my needs alone I think I'd get a Brittany. I have seen some nice Gwp/ Springer crosses that were a nice size and apparently worked closer in.I want her to work with the dog not only because it should make us more successful in the field but because I like to have a dog around me.As you can imagine getting home from work some days with an hour or two left of light to fly the hawk then having to walk him out in the dark was a m
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She was a year old and hadnt done much, I knew Harris hawks can dislike dogs but i thought that by careful handling everything would be fine. She will feed in front of him and I had her flying over him within days of owning her in my own garden but once in open areas she played daft. I should have persisted from the off but wanting to get sport I left him at home, I should have looked at the bigger picture and thought about the seasons ahead. She did take a moorhen when he was there and was fine with him sat beside us.He is sensible around hawks and keeps his distance. I should have maybe wai
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im sure you will do just fine. hawking can be a real test sometimes. my first 2 seasons i didnt own a ferret or a dog so i would be knackered by the end of the day walking every field beating every bit of cover to get one rabbit, then do it all again the day after, but that didnt make me enjoy the experience any less. i loved every minute of it Last season mine wouldn't stay in the same field as the dog so i had to try and do the flushing for her with mixed results.Yes i enjoyed it but it was frustrating being on land with a seriously low rabbit population with a game finding machine lef
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for the truly determined theres always somewhere mate I'll do whatever it takes but it will be easier if we can get good hunting on our local spots. I can't wait to get started now
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I've come across all wrong on this thread, i always find it hard to express my thoughts in a post,anyway no harm done. I really do put enjoyment and giving my working animals time out in the field above any kill count. For years i struggled to find my terriers enough ratting and would spend several nights a week only taking three or four at a time but i knew the dogs enjoyed it and little and often adds up. I've waited so long to own a hawk that part of me is terrified of failing with her in any way. I've just come back from walking the dog and for the first time in maybe two years rabbits
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do you think that eventually with most gos being bred from imprinted stock, that eventually they will loose their natural spookiness? and become more stabilised overall, Im talking successful imprints being bred by those whom fulfil the birds mind with hunting as opposed to breeders who simply chamber them breed em? eventually turning out slightly more manfriendly stable hawks of this type? My knowledge of falconry is very limited but surely thats how it should be with any animal bred for purpose ? You'd be suprised at the level of peddling that goes on in falconry, I thought the dog worl
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Yes we're seeing rabbits again this summer but I know mixy and the virus will call round again, a lot depends on what survives that. I've done my share of ferreting but with the lurchers I preferred to let them hunt up their own rabbits, with the hawk I'd rather fly her over my pointer. It can be good sport bolting rabbits and it does provide quarry for hawk,dog or gun if there's not much sat out but like I say I prefer to walk about. You don't need as many rabbits to keep a hawk happy as what you do for a lurcher, no where near in fact, so I'm hoping I don't need to rely on ferrets. Plus I h
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How did last season go for you? If your out seven days a week you must have ended up with a good tally.I know kills aren't everything but they are inevitable with regularly flown hawks so I'd be interested to see how you got on. I think ill end up ferreting next season but its not my preferred method with lurchers or the hawk. I doubt you will be wasting much time ferreting next year pal, I got well bigger plans than that for us maybe get em going on a few bolted bunnies just too warm em up and get em fit I hope so mate, you know that last season was pretty quiet for me and that this su
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do you think that eventually with most gos being bred from imprinted stock, that eventually they will loose their natural spookiness? and become more stabilised overall, Im talking successful imprints being bred by those whom fulfil the birds mind with hunting as opposed to breeders who simply chamber them breed em? eventually turning out slightly more manfriendly stable hawks of this type? My knowledge of falconry is very limited but surely thats how it should be with any animal bred for purpose ? You'd be suprised at the level of peddling that goes on in falconry, I thought the dog worl
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How did last season go for you? If your out seven days a week you must have ended up with a good tally.I know kills aren't everything but they are inevitable with regularly flown hawks so I'd be interested to see how you got on. I think ill end up ferreting next season but its not my preferred method with lurchers or the hawk.
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I've been out potting Nik and never been sick, touch wood!!! but i've never actually been on a charter rod fishing. Might have to look into a day out see how my stomach holds up Yes I'd recommend it,like all fishing you can have a poor day but on an average day you will get cod and ling hitting the shads and if you want to fish hokkaiis and feathers you should get mackeral, whiting , pouting, gurnard.On Sunday there were also a couple of pollack landed a couple of Dabs and a haddock. I like the Famous and its known as a good boat with good skippers.Its owner also has the Ali-cat both ca
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The fishing is slow this year, I was out on the Famous from Hartlepool on Sunday and no mackeral but about 15 cod were landed and a few more lost but that's not much between a dozen fishermen. Still it was a nice day out at sea on a good boat,it should pick up soon.
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There's no way I'd have took on anything but a Harris, I had a few moments last season which taught me that flying a Harris isn't always as straight forward as it seems in books and the Internet. She was bitten by a squirrel on both feet which had me worried after reading so much about the risk of losing toes but I treat her the same way I'd treat any animal with a wound and she was fine. I have her insured so any problems and I'd have seen a vet but thankfully there wasn't any swelling etc. She was dragged down a rabbit hole and I had to tear the earth out around her, this took a couple of
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Your probably right it's not the way to do it, that dosent mean I won't do ok with her either.I expect this is the start of a long period of owning a hawk for me. If not I'll part with her but before your too critical how many have a Harris for a season or two then move it on so they can get a gos? Many if not most harris hawks must get passed on or spend their lives as breeding machines,yet that's seen as ok it seems by the falconry world.
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I worked lurchers and travelled all over following hounds, flying a hawk will not take up as much time as those hunting sports did FACT.Time to hunt etc are not things that have ever been an issue with me.I got a Harris hawk so I could have an easy life lol I'm spending the summer fishing where I'm going to have a little easy challenge and catch fifty types of fish from here and abroad, then I'll put rods away and get back out with the hawk.Then I'm going to try and take 100 head with her, I think it's a nice round number for a beginner, I don't want to put any pressure on me or my bird.
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I've always wanted to fly a hawk. I nearly got a Harris a few years ago but come to my senses and admitted to myself that there was no way I could hunt one properly whilst having a kennel of young working dogs. So I waited until all I had was an old lurcher and a pointer, the pointer will be used with the hawk so he will still get worked. I'm glad Ive got a Harris and I'm counting down the days until I can get her back out but last season I did miss the lurcher work and going out with hounds and terriers like I used to. I know I can't do everything I'd like to, that's just something I hav
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I always think its easy to make bad decisions at this time of year lol We see the long days and want to get out hunting and its tempting to get another dog in or whatever. Then the season starts and were able to go hunting before or after work and all weekend. We can't get enough of it, do one thing a quick bite to eat and off we go again doing something else. However you have to be seriously keen to keep it up all season especially when we get shorter days and the weather turns.I wouldn't let anybody tell me what I should keep but I've seen loads of lads with kennels full of dogs that seem
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I had always wanted to own a hawk but I waited until I felt it was the right time to go for it. If I'd still had terriers and lurchers to find work for I think I'd have struggled. Several years ago I nearly got a Harris thinking I'd find the time to work the lurchers then get the hawk out, or hunt the hawk and lamp the dogs the same day but realistically I knew I wouldn't be able to do that nearly everyday over a full season. I'm glad I waited until I had no other hunting to divide my time up, this way I can fully concentrate on hunting my hawk. Even then there were times last season when I
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I got a hawk last November, it has cost me about £1200 so far to keep it. That's the cost of the bird, telemetry, aviary, perches, hawk box, bath etc etc. I will try her on the lamp next season but I already own a lamping kit for use with lurchers and guns but that would have been another £200.I was able to get most of the aviary materials free of charge and have mates that can weld and was able to make a lightweight plastic hawk box out of 5mm black sheeting the only cost was the brass hinges and bolt. It's not an expensive thing to get into really and the ongoing cost of owning a Harri
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l lol you was nealry dead and buried yesteray pal 10 x 8 a very good size imho, plenty of room to move about Might still be yet mate lol
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I've recently built my aviary for my female Harris.Its 10 x 8 and seems big enough.With a back corner perch,two window perches and a bath in the middle plus a food chute in the side it's simple but should be ok. It's made from 10mm plastic sheets bolted onto one inch galvanised steel framework.I'll be dead and buried before it rots lol
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It's something I might get round to trying later this year.Its got to be the best place to go for LRF. There's direct flights from Newcastle to Jersey now at reasonable prices.
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Sounds like you did a bit better than me mate, mine got bit by a squirrel due to landing on a snow covered bankside and not being able to bring it under control like she normally would have.She had a few good flights on squirrel and it is good sport. Mine caught a pheasant towards the end of the season and caught but couldn't hold another soon after and had to tracked down with telemetry after chasing it back across another field and over a road. She got a few rabbits,moorhens and a pigeon which she must have dropped onto as well.I made a few mistakes but I was happy enough in the end.A lack
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I'm hoping we have more rabbits running around here next season.I need to find more than last season as you need numbers on the ground if your wanting to be out five, six times a week.........and catching not just flying a bird about the countryside lol.
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Mines moulting well, I didn't have much of a season but it ended ok so I'm looking forward to the next one.
