david901
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Everything posted by david901
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There's some footage on Youtube somewhere.
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I've never flown a female HH, but from what I've seen and heard, some can be very good hare hawks. If hares were my main concern, I'd go for the biggest female I could get and enter it early before the hares get too big to build its confidence. Every hare it caught, the hawk would get a massive feed up on warm flesh. Just my opinion.
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Hi Sean I actually keep my imprint freelofted all year round. Feather damage is never an issue with her.
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Hi Muttley94 Some of the best flights I have seen are where the quarry escapes. To me Falconry is not about catching large quantities of game, but instead watching a hawk/falcon performing at its best on difficult quarry.
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A fun days hawking. That's what its all about. It looks like you have decent rabbit ground there mate. Do you still have good numbers where you live?
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A picture of todays catch. A rabbit for a bit of variety. I wish I had some more rabbit ground as they are very thin on the ground here.
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Thanks mate. Before her injury she very rarely lost any quarry. She always was a good hawk, making the most of any opportunity. It seemed worthwhile persevering with her.
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Thanks mate. Getting them fit and confident is what its all about. What I like about the gos is the wide variety of quarry they are capable of taking. I used to hunt this bird at a landfill and would slip her gulls at over 100 yards away.
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Nice one Sean I like the loop perch you have. That is how I kept my first gos as well.
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A couple of pics of the imprint gos doing what she does best.....LOL She has had a few rabbits as well and hopefully if the weather stays dry and cold, I can do a few streams for some duck before the season ends. I'm pleased that despite her injury, she continues to put game in the bag.
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I did the same with my female Sean. She had a slip at some gulls first though, but the wind picked up before I could slip her and the gull she singled out managed to dodge her. It was a good flight though.
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Crows can be a bit intimidating for some hawks and may require a weight reduction????? Maybe not though. I found getting a few easy slips and kills gets a gos fired up for them. Every season I will give the hawk a few carcases and I also use a crow carcase as a swing lure exercise. Crows are difficult for female gosses, but they will take them, perhaps not as efficient as a male though. They are never easy [unless car-hawking, which I dislike] Once your bird switches on to them, you will get some good flights and [dare I say it] more entertaining than rabbits The good thing about using
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Hopefully it will dry up a little before the season ends mate. If you continue with your gos, you will still get slips at crows.
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Hi Sean Good to see you're still going at it. Hopefully the weather will quieten down and we can get some decent days flying.
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I'll throw my twopence in..... As the dog is only a pup, I would let him find out he CAN'T catch the birds. The only way he will learn this is from experience. I let my Brittany hunt up and point snipe from an early age. After I flushed them, he would be off chasing them. Eventually with a combination of him learning they were uncatchable and also with me instilling the STOP command, he steadied up. Brittanys are quite excitable as a rule, but they are also smart and will work out what works and I wholeheartedly agree with Casso's comments above. I believe that it is important for the
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You should perhaps contact the IBR or Independent Bird Register. Someone may have posted their lost hawk on it. Cheers
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I bet they are still cheaper than a Vizsla though
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They sound an ideal hunting companion. Out of curiosity how much would a well bred setter cost? Cheers
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Thanks for sharing Andrew. What are they like when working woodland? Do they range too far out or will they keep in touch with you? I like what I have heard about setters. Derry Argue used to breed his own line a while ago and the book he wrote gives some good information about them.
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Hi mate Its a case of if she learns to adapt. Last year on the same bit of ground, I bolted 6 rabbits out. She caught 5 of them, sometimes more than once, but couldn't hold them. She finally nailed and held the sixth rabbit, so I fed her up and went home. A similar thing happened the next few times we went out, so I ended the season. Before the injury, she very rarely lost any quarry she got a foot to. The thing is, she is a smart hawk and uses her brains, so I thought what the hell, I would give her more chances to learn. If she carries on like this, I will be very happy.
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She nailed another rabbit today. Caught it immediately, but it broke free, but she set off after it again into a strong head wind and secured it. Cropped up again and a couple of days off.
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Well I have started flying my female imprint gos who has a damaged foot. This bird rarely if ever let anything get away previously, but unfortunately due to tendon damage she has had a difficult time holding quarry. Last year I bolted 6 rabbits out for her one day and she caught 5 of them. Sometimes she would catch them a couple of times before they would get away. She eventually held onto the last one, so was cropped up. I had her out last week and she nailed a mallard and then a few days ago she caught 2 rabbits, letting the first one get away, but thankfully she held the second one.
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In the UK you don't need a license. Though some birds have to be registered with an A10 certificate. For the likes of Harris' Hawks and redtail hawks no certificate is needed. You should start off by reading some good books on the subject. It will stand you in good stead and you will learn the basics. Christmas is coming up so its a good idea to get your nearest and dearest to get some as a present...LOL There are a few posts already on falconry books. Try Philip Glazier's Falconry and Hawking to begin with. All the best.
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You should try and get out with as many people as you can that are flying a variety of birds. You mentioned getting a Harris', which are great hawks, but you may be more suited to a different species. Are you going to hunt with the hawk, or just fly it for fun?
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There are a few clubs in the Yorkshire area. Try and contact them, they may be able to put you in touch with someone willing to guide you.
