Harris hawks for pheasants

[SportingWhippetdog 21]

Hello everyone, I plan on purchasing my first bird this year, being a Harris hawk, and plan on hunting it over game crops for pheasants on open hedgerow type terrain. just asking what would be the most effective way in which to hunt them and what the most realistic way of catching pheasants would be over a cover crop. also whether a female or male is better for the job or if it matters. Thanks

[Elchapo 3,092]

21 hours ago, SportingWhippetdog said:

Hello everyone, I plan on purchasing my first bird this year, being a Harris hawk, and plan on hunting it over game crops for pheasants on open hedgerow type terrain. just asking what would be the most effective way in which to hunt them and what the most realistic way of catching pheasants would be over a cover crop. also whether a female or male is better for the job or if it matters. Thanks

Female if your going be going on cock pheasant males will take them but a good strong cock bird can give a Male a hard time , I like to fly my female off the fist at pheasants if I’m kicking them up at my feet but in all honesty you will miss ore than you catch however if you get her following on and going from tree top to tree top you can account for a lot of pheasants as when your walkkngbthe cover crop the hawk can see them running through and drop in on them , yes it’s mugging but you need to fly a Harris hawk to its strengths and of the fist at cock or been pheasants isn’t one of them , yes there are harris hawks out there wich will take pheasants on the rise or will follow the pheasant till it makes cover and then will drop in and take them and yes there will be people who will say that there Harris will take pheasant in fair flight but if that was the case lads wouldn’t be flying goshawks if Harris hawks could do it , I fly a female Harris hawk and she’s had couple pheasants but mainly dropping in on them unexpected , when your bird has its first one run your arse of to get to it and dispatch it as quick as you can because a young harris taking a kicking of a a strong cock pheasants with a decent set of spurs isn’t fun and can put them off , 

also if there is a chance that the birds could of been shot at its best to rip the Brest of the pheasant open and see if there are any marks (evidence of shot been in the Brest ) if there is trade the bird off as if it swallows shot from a shotgun it can get lead poisoning, I normaly have a rabbits back leg in my pocket and if my Harris hits a pheasant and I pull it’s brest open and it looks like it could be carrying shot I trade it off to a rabbits leg , better safe than sorry ,

 

have fun ,

[SportingWhippetdog 21]

Great, thanks