AlBrown 61 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Just thought I would introduce Tiree my hunting partner, he was bred last year by Andy Stratford. I collected him late on in the season and he was as good as they come. Took 3 weeks to get him flying well and bang on weight to get killing. He started his account at 1lb 9 3/4oz and ended at 1lb 12 1/2oz on his last hunting day at the end of February At the minute he is happily moulting out in seclusion at the top of the garden. Looking forward to September and getting going again. This year i am going to concentrate on more feather than fur early on and then come mid November will let him ave a good mixture through the week and will let him have each Sunday off! His first bird This one caught me out when it bolted below us His last pheasant of the season Closing in All in all a very enjoyable bird to fly and nothing I could complain about, even had a few guests out who flew him while I worked the ferrets or the dogs and hopefully got a few more interested in our great sport. ATB Alex 2 Quote Link to post
mick1212 389 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 look forward to seeing him in his new suit september 1 Quote Link to post
BEARINATOR 2,867 Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Some more good pics there mate , I've never flown a gos yet but it's on my list 1 Quote Link to post
AlBrown 61 Posted June 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Some more good pics there mate , I've never flown a gos yet but it's on my list I was lucky enough that my mentor flew Goshawks so that's where I started, got to admit in some ways I wish I hadn't. My first 2 parent reared males sadly died during the season and pretty much felt like hanging up my glove. But the bug just got me and on I went and glad I did. Tiree is a pleasure to hunt and is more imprint like in his tenacity while hunting and his manor on the fist. On a few occasions he has pretty much dozed off on my fist when things have got very slow. can't wait for the new set of feathers for him to trash if he's anything like he was last season. One flight in particular sticks out, we were working the dogs along an embankment looking for pheasants, and a brace of cock birds lifted. Tiree took one on really well but was beaten to cover (brambles and black thorn) he went straight up and turned on his tail and then tear dropped and crashed through the top of the cover and hit a cock bird which when we got there about 100m the cock bird was stone dead. Had to take Tiree to the vets then as he had a small cut under a wing and had him xrayed to check for thorns, thankfully a couple of days later he was fine and no worse for trying to brake his neck. He ploughed into brambles god knows how many times after rabbits and pheasant trashing his tail in the process. Anyhoo will have to see if he's as brave or foolhardy this year. ATB Alex 1 Quote Link to post
AlBrown 61 Posted June 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 (edited) A wee vid of Tiree trading off, none of the bad manners thankfully bearing in mind this was only his 3rd bunny and 4th kill. http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q49/Islathegos/?action=view¤t=MOV00133.mp4 My mentor who I had over from Germany (expat military) and his first pheasant with his home bred female gos, also got a cracking Kliene Munsterlander (dog) she is one of if not the best working dog i have ever seen. On the same day Tiree took his first brace of birds a cock and a hen and tripled out with a long flight on a bunny. A well rewarded bird who had the next day off ATB Alex Edited June 21, 2012 by AlBrown 1 Quote Link to post
AlBrown 61 Posted June 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 More action shots a couple more to come 1 Quote Link to post
AlBrown 61 Posted June 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Now mentoring a mate who started last year, gave him a couple of days out flying Tiree while I worked the ferrets for him, this was his first kill. The slopes on this land a re about 45 degrees and you can get some very long slips depending on how daring you are. This year organising a 2 day hunt with day one on the hills and day 2 on the fields after game birds. I am taking the camera and video camera may have the Fieldsports guys there hopefully. Now looking forward to September and getting going again ATB Alex Quote Link to post
arcticgun 4,548 Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Thanks for sharing the pics mate quality shots , birds in amazaing condition, the lad is lucky to have such a decent mentor 1 Quote Link to post
AlBrown 61 Posted June 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Thanks for sharing the pics mate quality shots , birds in amazaing condition, the lad is lucky to have such a decent mentor He is a cracking bird and as easy going as hell unless your running or flying away from him, but was a sod for damaging feather by going after bunnies more like a Red Tail battering through any cover to get at them, and Andy has been great to teach and is like a sponge soaking everything in, all he has to master now is leather craft and he'll be sorted. Will be keeping a close eye on him through this season and he knows I am literally just round the corner (400m away). Alex Quote Link to post
j j m 6,533 Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 top bird bud happy hunting 1 Quote Link to post
furgle 14 Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 more cracking pics mate 1 Quote Link to post
mick1212 389 Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 lokks like some decent land you have there goodluck for the season 1 Quote Link to post
jasper65 6 Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 looks a cracking P/R Gos . Nice to see a bird that knows he's a Hawk without all the mantling over their kills, he looks very contented on his Kills without a worry in the world what the falconers doing, this is testomy to his handling. you see so many birds badly picked up off Kills it shows when they are on quarry, He looks very contented and settled with you Alex ... Tony Quote Link to post
AlBrown 61 Posted June 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 looks a cracking P/R Gos . Nice to see a bird that knows he's a Hawk without all the mantling over their kills, he looks very contented on his Kills without a worry in the world what the falconers doing, this is testomy to his handling. you see so many birds badly picked up off Kills it shows when they are on quarry, He looks very contented and settled with you Alex ... Tony TY Tony. I have put a hell of a lot of time into the bird, and there's one thing I hate to see is a possessive hawk on a kill. I try not to go for multiple kills far at least the first month, and as a wee trick I allow him to pluck all he wants then introduce a measured amount of chopped bunny with plenty of casting on the kill and allow him to gorge on the bunny and when he's done give him a front bunny paw to really top him off. But in reality he's had maybe 70 to 80g of real food and a huge crop for it. Always a happy hawk with a full crop. ATb Alex Quote Link to post
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