Different Bird Different Training

[legacy2013 52]

S i have a friend that during her life has owned barn owls buzzard eagle owls etc all trained to the fist, if say i ask her to help me train a red tail/harris hawk will her knowledge be alrite for this or are they completely different and may she cum unstuck, thanks

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Ye mate they are all trained relatively the same way

[charlie caller 3,654]

But if you get a red dont keep dropping its weight to try and get a response or you will end up with stitches, find the weight you get a good response at and work on that, they are not Harris hawks, and if taken too low will go into fasting mode, any lower and you will be having a trip to casualty, they take longer to get going but are quite awesome when the penny drops

Edited October 1, 2014 by charlie caller

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Ye I've heard that, took mine to 1lb 14oz 1/2 today and she was bang on. Holding her at that then will take her up a little bit at a time

[legacy2013 52]

Ok guys thanks for the reply, not sure what route would be best for me with red or harris yet, will mainly be flying pheasant and rabbit,

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Harris haws are generally easier than reds to get results from, however I've always regretted not starting with a red because I love the look and aggression they have. Could do with seeing both before making a decision

[legacy2013 52]

Ye i no, on my point of view though i love the look of the harris, and from what ive read and research the harris seems to be more of an allrounder, looks arent important though as long as they do the job, will a red do better on hares than a female harris then??

[CrowHawker 227]

I don't think someone with the experience of flying owls and a buzzard qualify to give you advice on any aspect of training a red tail. If your quarry is pheasants and rabbit with the odd hare and for a first bird you will not go far wrong with a female Harris from traditional old lines.

[CrowHawker 227]

Ps think you should try find someone flying the desired bird. And don't forget the telemetry system!!

[legacy2013 52]

Completely agree crowhawker, she doesnt have birds anymore hence why i posted about mentor the other day, to get the hands on experiance, wouldnt spend 2-300 pound on a bird to watch it f##k off and not be able t find it,

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Right attitude to have mate, nice to see for a change lol. Anybody ever flown buzzards at quarry with any success? A mate had one that caught a moorhen once but that was it

[Accip74 7,112]

Make your mind up & then stick with your decision & get prepared......

It matters little on your choice between the two, but take plenty of time getting ready for the experience, making sure very little will come as a shock as things progress.....

I think it was almost 2 years from the time I made my mind up to actually picking up the bird, my mews had been built 8 months & in that time I thought better of the design & changed things....

Don't deviate from your choice of bird, find someone with the necessary experience & get all the gear you will need, before you even think about getting the money together for the bird itself.

Good luck.

[bullet 125]

great advise already given, the big difference with owls is they don't have crop area where you can tell how much food is there, owls food goes straight through to the stomach, you need to learn how much food is given for the next day, I always check by feeling how big the crop is to give me a rough idea for the next days weight, as for harris or red I'd opt for the harris , reds are very good but in the right hands

[charlie caller 3,654]

I would say opt for the Harris, but they do fool you into thinking you are a better falconer than you are, you would learn more, or perhaps become a more careful falconer (about weight control) with a redtail, but at the end of the day its up to you, they are both good birds, reds have more power on hares if you think you will be flying a lot of them I would say get a big male redtail, the main difference in the flying styles is where a Harris will go up a tree, and wait for a rabbit to come out, a redtail wont it will crash straight into the cover to nail the rabbit,(generalising of course) but once locked on the determination a red has is something else

[CrowHawker 227]

I know you say generalisation but every Harris after their first season are the same I'd go like you say for a female Harris! Ps if you get a decent mentor go with what they say and ignore what you've been told.

Edited October 2, 2014 by CrowHawker