My old boy who is a imprint Harris is 15 still takes rabbits and magpies very clever bird with a great attitude!your being a bit neigheve What's wrong with a bird being put in a breeding pen bred if it's proven itself in the field rather than just being hunted once a week?
It's like any part of falconry you get your bird for the type of quarry you have and a male Harris is not the bird for squirrels I couldn't fly a male at them nowing what could happen not worth the danger male red on squirrels now were talking!
Just spoke to a old friend about his male Harris on squirrels he wishes he never did it as when fling in the woods for rabbits etc when he misses he then goes up into the canopy searching dreys out I thing to out to try duck moorhen this year mate don't bother with the squirrels. I do like Cajun squirrel tho:)
I wouldn't actively go out hunting them personally with a male see lots of reds do it and do it well. If he was to hit the head all good but I've seen a male that had his whole foot from the ankle bit off
I breed birds I do not sell them cheap some of my birds do stay in very big clean pens all my breeding birds are flown and proven before being bred and only sell to falconers who have experience or a mentor that I meet first hand. And i do charge alot i put the work in!does that make me a bad un?
If you killed a buzzard that got in the way youd be f****d. A buzzard would make short work of a peregrine if it got caught. Buzzard killed one of my male Harris hawks season before last on the last day of his season b*****ds!
I think it's more to do with the falconer you do get the odd few a mate of mine flew peregrine terceil that would steam up to a kite but would not go up just kept landing on the floor and his brother owned and trained by the same bloke was a great game hawk.