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david901

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Posts posted by david901

  1. I would like to fly a Spar one day, but I am having lots of fun with the Goshawk. 

    I flew a German tiercel for 8 years who flew at 1lb 5 and he took quite a few LBJs in his career as well as crows, duck etc.

    A Spar would be great fun to fly especially a musket but they seem very fragile and reckless and I doubt if many last more than a few seasons.

     

  2. 23 hours ago, Scafflad1 said:

    Also is there anyone around the wigan area that i could get out with for abit of hands on exsperience do alot of ferreting but never with hawks or hunted anything with hawks love to see it done while am waiting to get my bird look fascanating atb john

    Why not have a look at a local Falconry Club. 

    You could go out and see it done also it may get you a few contacts that could help you later on.

    I know there is a Yorkshire Hawking Club and I'm sure there will be one in your area.

    I would read as many books as I could on Falconry mate.

    Try Emma Fords book and also Philip Glasiers to begin with.

    It will make it easier for both you and the hawk if you can get someone local to you that is experienced and could help you.

  3. I would get some telemetry as well mate.

    There are too many Harris' lost because they don't use it.

    There are usually a few second hand sets going mate. I think there is a few sites on Facebook where they sell them.

    Get a set and practise tracking with it before getting the hawk.

    • Like 1
  4. Good stuff mate.

    I considered breeding from my old female imprint gos.

    She laid and brooded 4 eggs every year but I never inseminated her unfortunately.

    Its a real shame as I lost her to a fence strike last year.

    She may not have been big nor white, but in my eyes she was as good as any.

    I wish I had a female out of her now.

     

    I hope you have a good breeding season mate.

  5. On 29/12/2017 at 20:26, j j m said:

    she is bry big mac will tell you the size of her when she is fully stretched,she is a pleasure to fly mate,imprinted from 2 weeks old brought up in the house till she was 10 weeks old ,she is part of the family mate,i will get pics up when I get a chance from the other house bry which you have been to mate where I have my big mewses and all my breeding birds mate

    Hi mate

    What birds do you breed out of curiosity

     

    Cheers

  6. I've got three of them that I use with both the hawk and also the gun.

    The first Brittany I bought and still have, is from the Hawkwise Kennel which is from Steve Wright. He is the UK Club president.

    I also have a young bitch out of the old dog and also a bitch I bought in from another kennel.

    Try looking up the UK club on the internet or Facebook. there are a few litters advertised, but I would be very careful where I bought one from.

    Some say their dogs work, but are mainly used for showing - not that the dogs don't work, but its just some are very pig headed and are not very biddable and may want to hunt into the next county...LOL

    Like some one said earlier, why not get one from your friend in France?

  7. Good for you mate for looking for a mentor first and not just buying a hawk.....

    If you are on Facebook there are a few Falconry groups on it where someone may be able to help.

    As I've said on a few posts previously, you could always join a Falconry club. That way you can go on field meets and speak to different folk and see if its for you.

    I would just say be careful who you get to mentor you. Make sure they are experienced and know what they are doing..LOL

    Good luck.

  8. Join a club and get out with a few different people and see different bird species fly.

    Get yourself a "good" mentor. It will make life a lot easier on you AND the bird and don't be in a rush to get a bird, take your time and only get one when you are ready for one.

     

    Read lots of books.

     

    You will need quite a lot of equipment ranging from a decent mews - not just a shed, as well as telemetry, gloves, swivel, perches, leather to make jesses, anklets etc.

     

    Match the right bird to the land you have access to as well as the quarry you have to fly.

  9. One thing I will say and that is don't give him slip after slip without getting a kill.

    Young hawks soon get demoralised.

    Three or four slips at the most and then fling out a carcase for him.

    I usually put it on a long line and throw it way up high for the bird as he comes towards me.

    Then give him a decent feed from it.

  10. A HH will struggle to catch crow in fair flight, but they can catch them if you get a close enough slip.

    Some HH can be quite good at them.

     

    When getting a hawk entered on them, I get the bird used to catching a crow carcase.

    I let the bird feed from it so it knows they are good to eat.

    Then I put a carcase on a line and get the bird to catch it in mid air, making it harder and harder to catch as the training progresses.

    After a week of this I usually go to a farm where they feed around the sheds.

    It makes it easier to sneak up close enough to give the hawk a decent chance.

     

    Some people car hawk [which is illegal on the public road] but I think its unsporting so I don't do it.

    But I do drive around the farm roads where I have permission and if I see a good slip, I park my van and get out and walk up before slipping.

     

    If you can get your HH to soar, it will have a decent chance on any crows feeding below.

     

    If you persevere and like you say get the hawk fit, you will catch crows.

     

    Its years since I flew a HH, but it caught the odd crow, magpie and moorhen.

    If I had pheasant at the time I'm sure he would have caught those as well.

     

    Good luck.

    • Like 1
  11. You could consider joining the Scottish Hawking Club. There are a few members over there and some might help you out.

     

    As for books, I would read Falconry and Hawking by Philip Glaser and also Emma Ford's Falconry Art and Practise.

    You can sometimes get these books at the local Library.

    But nothing beats getting help from a "decent, experienced" falconer mate.

    • Like 2
  12. After a season or 2 with an old baikal sbs, I quite fancy trying a semi auto.

    A guy at the shoot had one of these with him an allowed me to put a couple of shots through it.

    It felt very comfortable.

    I have a chance of a fairly newish Hatsan Escort but I have never tried it.

    Is there much difference in size, handling etc between them?

     

    Cheers

     

  13. I always take my Brittany out with me when ferreting, hawking, or shooting.

    My old dog who is 9 now marks holes, marks where the ferret is if it has killed and if its not too deep.

     

    If the dog is well trained I don't see it being a problem.

    • Like 2
  14. As Accip74 stated, you should have a go at making your own equipment.

    By making your own equipment means it should fit better as it is made to measure so to speak.

    I had one female Gos that resented being held by short jesses so I just made hers longer.

    The small male I flew I always had short flying jesses on.

    Its the same with anklets. You can try different thicknesses and diameters depending on the hawk.

    The hard part is getting good leather..LOL

  15. Hi David.

     

    Quails arrive from Africa in spring and the hunting season is in August-September.

    When I was a kid there used to be a lot of them, specially in high altitude cereal fields but the fact that Northern Africa has now plenty of irrigated areas, specially Morocco, and the awful netting being practiced by some b*****ds who consider themselves hunters at the coast border has reduced their numbers dramatically.

    The good thing is that you can go and just train your pointer and decide to shoot or not. In my opinion quail hunting is the best school for pointers. As I said, can't wait for them and put my young setter to the test!

    Cheers.

    Quail seem to be an ideal training aid.

    Good birds that will lie to a point make good dogs.

    I have to pay and I release pheasant and partridge as there are no wild stock left around here but I'm lucky to have a good amount of wild woodcock and snipe to hunt in the winter.

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