New To Falconry

[SouthSouth 11]

What bird would you say is best to start out with?

[arcticgun 4,548]

assumming you have done your reasearch and found yourself a mentor and spent a year or so in the field learning the ropes etc then the best bird is the one that you have a passion to fly hunt with and own, its also wise to piuck the sort to complemement the sort of permisson that you have , falconry 90% preperation 10% hunting, all vry good when it comes together.

 

Worth reading Underrstanding the Birds of Prey by Nick Fox, Falconry and Hawking by Philip Glasier, Art and Practise Ema Ford also worth reading after the other two books, finding a mentor local to you is also advisable matem they can show you the ropes first hand, plenty think its the right game for them after seeign a display or youtube vid, however the reality is often very different, birds live a hell of a long time in captivity, its a huge daily commmitment, not half as bad as some like to make out, however its does eat a lot of your time, holidays etc go out the window, wives become enemies lol a year or two preperation rewading and learning getting out , maybe join a club like the BFC and one of its regional branches, that would give you insite if your struggling for help and opportunities, thats what they should be there for to promote the sport and help folk wishing to look into it, best of luck howver you go mat

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

What he said, then either a harris or redtail is the generally accepted species to go with

[CrowHawker 227]

As above Red tail is the better first bird IMO

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

  On 24/08/2013 at 10:31, CrowHawker said:

As above Red tail is the better first bird IMO

Male or female? Id love to fly a red in the near future but not sure on the sex yet, if i got a male ive got the feeling that i would then want a female for hares but as i fly alot in woodland a male would be better, how well would a male do on them

[CrowHawker 227]

Males can catch hares the only thing a female has on a male is weight a male red is similar to flying a stocky female Harris I would want to be carrying a lumpy 3lb plus female atound

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

when the time comes i will look around for either a small female or big male. Wont be for a few years yet unless something bad happens, i think redtails are one of the nicest looking birds, they look mean as hell lol

[SouthSouth 11]

Thanks guys

[arcticgun 4,548]

heard a lot say the redytail is the best starter bird, makes sense , more a classical approach is required, good weight management, mannning and hadling required and little room for unpunished error, Harris maybe a little to easy or so it may seem, depends largely oon who is training who, intelligence is a good thing if we learn to respect it and channel it correctly,

 

When it comes to hares enter carefully weight the odds in the birds favour as much as possible get in a finish what the bird will struggle to handle at first, its abotu confidence, not always about weight, confidence leads to bottle and thats leads to sucess, fitness also a major issue as well that often leads to frustration when it comes to chasing and holding hares, a bird that is on a decent weight and feels strong bold, knows team work will always have the odd sucess