Flying Through The Moult

[King. 215]

I was wondering if any of you lads fly through the moult. As in a few lure flights. And daily handling. Or putting the bird into weatherings. Or is the bird confined to the news until the moult is complete and doesent get no interaction at all.

And I've been thinking if a bird was acquired say now being a 20 week old bird. Does it make sense putting the bird into moult ? And would the bird actually moult being so young.

I'm new to the sport of falconry as you probably guessed. But I'm trying to read as much as I can. But I can't ask a book a question lol.

[pointer 543]

I'll be honest and say that I'm ready to stop hunting in a week or two. I started getting her ready at the end of August and have tried to fly my hawk as much as possible. My season has been long enough and I'm also ready to start fishing again as that's as important to me as hunting. I can see why some people want to keep flying their Hawks and interacting with them but personally I'm happy to finish the season on a kill and a big feed from it. Apart from looking through the bars at her twice a day to make sure she's ok and occasionally cleaning her aviary out I leave her alone. She doesn't want me near her at fat weight anyway.

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Yep same here, seasons been long enough now, need a break and get some fishing done. Gonna fly her till next weekend, finish on a kill and leave her be until the start of next season.

[j j m 6,481]

the only birds i flew through the moult were my display birds when i used to school visits and the likes my hunting birds i leave well alone untill the start of another season

[Accip74 7,112]

I think you are asking about flying a late bird, right?

 

I did it with my second male Harris......I picked him up at the beginning of February at 16 weeks old (against everyone's advise).....picked him up on the Saturday & flew him free on the Sunday of the following wkend & then proceeded to hunt with him until the start of May. I then put him down to moult & he was ready to go again by September, feather perfect....I wouldn't recommend it, I had my reasons, but it can be done easily.....

Incidentally.....I handled my first goshawk (parent reared) right through the moult with no problems & ready to fly again in September, again feather perfect....Atb

[muttley94 74]

Im new to falconry and so cant speak from experience but im currently reading Martin Hollinshead's 'the complete rabbit & hare hawk' (only pages in so may be different later in the book) but here he talks about flying through the moult and states many advantages? Its the first book ive read but it was extremely highly recommended on this forum and so far has been a very informative read!

[pointer 543]

I don't think I could fly a hawk through the moult. We can't hunt on the dales areas due to ground nesting birds and nobody wants to disturb game birds. Even on local land stuff is breeding and the cover is bad enough in September/October never mind in the summer. Then there's nests full of young birds and squirrels will have young in drays. It must be a nightmare to be standing underneath a hawk that's eating it's fill of chicks in a high nest.

There can't be many harris hawkers whose birds don't take the odd accidental bird out of season. It would be impossible to avoid this happening if the hawk is following on but it's going to happen a lot more in the breeding season, it might not make much difference to numbers on the ground come the season because a hawk is just one more predator killing stuff alongside wild birds of prey, fox, stoats, weasels, cats and badgers but I wouldn't be keen to do it.

[bullet 125]

I couldn't fly through the moult as its family time, sometimes the hunting season can become a bit of a chore after a while, because I fly in the mornings sometimes I have to force my sorry arse out of bed,lol

when the weather starts to warm up its harder to get the weight off a bird and you will find it needs to be taken lower than that of around winter time,

plus everything is breeding

I know some folk who jump their bird up all through the non season, but then you've got to dedicated that time to it pretty much every day

I prefer to just fed it up and put it away,

just my opinion

[pointer 543]

I'm going to stop flying mine after next weekend. I'm about finished now but I don't start fishing until April so I'll mess about for another week or so. I'll power wash her aviary and put her away with a big lump of food. I won't think about hunting until mid August because I'll be too occupied with fishing or in my case I'll be too busy losing fish or blanking but either way hunting will be forgotten.

[martin hollinshead 13]

As Muttley mentioned, I discuss summer flying in The Complete Rabbit & Hare Hawk.

However, this kind of flying with a hunting hawk has to be gone about carefully. I would recommend lure pursuits (out of the hood) and a training field the hawk only associates with such pursuits.

Martin

[bullet 125]

my bloody male come in to condition today, flirting like a good un,lol