beginner into falconry

[jaundrell 123 0]

hi, i have been interested in keeping a brid of prey for quite a few years, however at the time i didnt think i was old enough to keep one. im 17 now and am able to afford the up keep of a bird. Now im able to keep them finacially and have the time to fly one i was wondering what bird to get so i know what to read up on and what specifications i need to keep it. I was thinking something along the lines of either a Harris Hawk or a Red Tail Hawk but im open to suggestions, any help and advice would be great!!

 

 

Thank jaundrell 123.

[Parabuteos lad 878]

harris hawk, if you get a male you will learn weight management alot better read up, buy dvds (the bob dalton ones are good), if you can afford it a lantra course would be the way to go about it

[jaundrell 123 0]

thanks very much why male not female though?

[blade1of1 59]

males are smaller and easyer to handel and i think a red tail would be alittle to much for first bird mate .And as for books and dvds it is a good thing read up as much as poss mate and if you can find some one local to you to take you as your mentor you will ov gained another step up the ladder.

[jaundrell 123 0]

thanks for the advice guys much appreciated!! an im in the south wales area outskirts of Newport if anyone is close that wouldnt mind helping me?

[EskdaleHawks 8]

Male Harris would be ideal,They are less likely to be as moody as the females can be,they can take everything a female can with the exception of brown hares and you will also have more fun once you get one going. A male Redtail would make you think harder to work things out. There is no such thing as a LANTRA course, it is an award. There are falconry courses with the LANTRA award ' Begining falconry' attached. You do the course which incorporates the modules of the award and you are assessed at the end of it to gain the award. Hope this helps, Good luck!

[ozzieowl 53]

you need a mentor,hope someoe helps you out.

[Parabuteos lad 878]

There is no such thing as a LANTRA course, it is an award. There are falconry courses with the LANTRA award ' Begining falconry' attached. You do the course which incorporates the modules of the award and you are assessed at the end of it to gain the award.

 

allright, calm down

[j j m 6,539]

mate first see what land you have available to you and whats on it,next find a good mentor to show you the ways its better then any dvd bud,hope you enjoy the sport ive over 30 years experience with all birsds of prey and im still learning every day ,if i can help in any way please contact me

[blade1of1 59]

yes mate jjm is correct and i was so lucky to find him as a mentor as this is my first season and carnt wait to start manning again as was a little late last year as molt kicked in so i hope every thing goes well for you mate

[j j m 6,539]

thanks blade mate not long now to flying and hunting with your bird bud you have built up a good bond mate

[RIOHH 30]

Hi, although the harris ia a very good beginners bird i personally reccomend the redtail, they are not as fogiving as a harris therefor you learn alot more respect for the birds, they are also alot more critical on the weight management side of things although they are a big bird and you are not going to kill it easily, you only have to ever so slightly out on weight and they will just blatently refuse to do anything. This is just my personal opinion on a starter bird.

 

As it has already been said first off get yourself a mentor and some land. Once you have land look at what quarry is on it this will give you a better idea of what bird will suit you best, there is no point getting a male harris if you want to hunt hares for example. Hope this helps.

 

If you are ever near derbyshire or want to come up for a day or 2 give me a shout.

 

ATB martin

[liftboy1 0]

If i was in your shoes, i would forget about what bird etc, first think do i have the time to put in with the bird? And land, what game do you have? There is no point having a sports car with no road to run it on. There are far to many birds for sale due to no-time + loss of permission, its a sad state of affairs as I am sure some of these birds are crackers or have the potential to be, but are regarded as other peoples problems. Notwanting to offend anyone, just my opinion.