flying weight and hunting weight

[imc65 0]

i have a female redtail and first day i got her i manage to weigh her ,,2lb 12oz so i maned her her and drop her weight over a 4 week period to a weight 2-08 this was the weight i had her flying free.. which i was pleased about so i slowly increase her weight as she is following on etc ive trained her to dummy and wing lure,,,no problems now she is 2-10 and some days she is as good as gold next day same weight its like she saying i will do it in my own time ,, yet last week she went to a tree and spotted a pair of pheasants and chased the female as male went other direction but she missed so she came back and positioned herself back in same tree i got her down and was walking back and the male made an appearance and she was off after him she missed him by a whisker ,,, now that day she was 2lb 9.3 am i right in thinking she stubborn

[sycamorebirds 6]

I would say no she's not stubborn she is still too heavy. A bird can weigh the same weight in 3 different ways. She could be 2-10 going up in weight (not Keen), 2-10 coming down in weight (very keen(possibly aggressive) or 2-10 steady (kenn responsive and obedient). I would say if she was loose at 2-8 then keep her at that until she has had a few kills and put her weight up slowly.

[charlie caller 3,654]

 

Good advice,all I would say is tread carefully,dont bring the weight down fast,shave a bit off try the bird, the last thing you want is a mega aggresive female redtail,cos it will hurt, it sounds to me that your weght of 2lb9.3 is getting somewhere close,but only you can determine that mate by trial and error,best of luck,sounds like you have the makings of a good hunting partner.

[j j m 6,538]

Has the bird reached it's peak at fitness that is also a keen factor to look at

[redtailhawk1 84]

Don't forget she will put muscle weight on as she gets fit and more responsive as she is manned. Keep a diary that will tell you her best weights. Record what you fed her, weights, exercise she has had, weather (temperature) and how responsive she is that day and any quarry caught or chased etc. I did not get the best out of mine until I actually read my diary lol.

[redtailhawk1 84]

I would say no she's not stubborn she is still too heavy. A bird can weigh the same weight in 3 different ways. She could be 2-10 going up in weight (not Keen), 2-10 coming down in weight (very keen(possibly aggressive) or 2-10 steady (kenn responsive and obedient). I would say if she was loose at 2-8 then keep her at that until she has had a few kills and put her weight up slowly.

 

Always try to hunt mine coming down. Bring her weight up on a kill (good feed) then bring her back down for the next outing.

[charlie caller 3,654]

I would say no she's not stubborn she is still too heavy. A bird can weigh the same weight in 3 different ways. She could be 2-10 going up in weight (not Keen), 2-10 coming down in weight (very keen(possibly aggressive) or 2-10 steady (kenn responsive and obedient). I would say if she was loose at 2-8 then keep her at that until she has had a few kills and put her weight up slowly.

 

Always try to hunt mine coming down. Bring her weight up on a kill (good feed) then bring her back down for the next outing.

Got to be the best way of doing it,rather than just trying to hold the bird at flying weight for ages,worked well on my last female Harris.

[the.. hunter 4]

tack her down in weight half an oz at a time untill she is responsive to you all of the time as soon as your glove goes up she should be on her way if she is hunting at that weight then when you bring her down she will try harder more offften than not giving her more sucess. you can then after a few weeks start building her weight up aggain but aggain half oz at a time untill she messes you arround aggain you then know that thhat is your limmit for a little while

[j j m 6,538]

As above

[charlie caller 3,654]

tack her down in weight half an oz at a time untill she is responsive to you all of the time as soon as your glove goes up she should be on her way if she is hunting at that weight then when you bring her down she will try harder more offften than not giving her more sucess. you can then after a few weeks start building her weight up aggain but aggain half oz at a time untill she messes you arround aggain you then know that thhat is your limmit for a little while

Spot on excellent advice.