I'm Sick Of The Wind

[pointer 543]

I'll be in touch then mate. Heavy rain stopped us doing much today but she got to catch a rabbit.

[pointer 543]

Yesterday was a washout, I knew it was going to rain a lot but still went out. She got to catch one rabbit but the rain started coming down so heavy that it wasn't worth trying to continue. Once home I kept checking the weather to see if there was a chance of flying her but the rain didn't eased off.

 

This morning looked like it was going to rain again but we managed to get a bit done. The hawk got wet but is now dried off and back in her aviary. She caught four and missed a few more so it was a good couple of hours. We set off back home just before the heavier rain started. I'm glad I've got something done this weekend with the weather against us.

Edited January 19, 2014 by pointer

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Shes doing well mate, nice one

[Accip74 7,112]

Nice work mate.....;-)

[pointer 543]

Cheers mate, I'm just glad we are finally getting some hunting done. With the lowest rabbit numbers in living memory and the windiest, wettest season on record everything she gets to fly at is a bonus. I'm still learning and so is my hawk, things should only get better with time.

[Dave C 63]

Yeh everything has been against you mate, but sounds like her catch ratio is quite good

[pointer 543]

Yeh everything has been against you mate, but sounds like her catch ratio is quite good

If I take her to somewhere that has a few rabbits etc running around then I'm confident she will do ok. As you know the dales aren't what they were a few years back. We are having to use ferrets to provide rabbits for the hawk, something which I would never have had to contemplate just three years ago. Until the rabbits come back in numbers all I can do is try and get what we can. "Round the doors" is far worse though and very hit and miss, with so many lurchermen and lads with air rifles going after the same few bunnies it's hard work.

In saying all of that I've made too many excuses this season, yes the wind and rain and lack of quarry is a major issue but I should have got off my arse before now and got onto the dales areas weeks ago and travelled if necessary. There will be areas full of bunnies and woods teaming with pheasants and squirrels but all I've done is sit and moan lol.

[pointer 543]

[Accip74 7,112]

Yeh everything has been against you mate, but sounds like her catch ratio is quite good

 

If I take her to somewhere that has a few rabbits etc running around then I'm confident she will do ok. As you know the dales aren't what they were a few years back. We are having to use ferrets to provide rabbits for the hawk, something which I would never have had to contemplate just three years ago. Until the rabbits come back in numbers all I can do is try and get what we can. "Round the doors" is far worse though and very hit and miss, with so many lurchermen and lads with air rifles going after the same few bunnies it's hard work.

In saying all of that I've made too many excuses this season, yes the wind and rain and lack of quarry is a major issue but I should have got off my arse before now and got onto the dales areas weeks ago and travelled if necessary. There will be areas full of bunnies and woods teaming with pheasants and squirrels but all I've done is sit and moan lol.[/

 

 

I knew a lad in England, we very rarely hunted together, but we compared how we'd got on, on a weekly basis..........he would be complaining about lack of quarry on the same bit of permo he visited every week, while I was driving all over the place, sometimes the drive would be longer than the hunt! He thought I was mental & I couldn't understand why he wasn't doing the same as me lol.... But my bird was always served...................I did quite a few hawking wkends in Yorkshire, but sadly not the dales, I'd of loved that ;-)

[pointer 543]

I've travelled all over Britain doing other hunting but I don't know anyone else that hunts with hawks. A lot of the land I worked lurchers on I can't go on because the keepers are worried about a hawk killing grouse or even the pheasants. There's even issues with the big woodland areas up here now because red squirrels are in them.

I'm confident that I'll get to go on more land next season and there's a few places I just haven't found the time to hunt on yet but it will happen. I'm lucky I have mates that have invited me onto their permission after checking it out with the keeper and farmers. I'm grateful for that, it has helped immensely over the last few weeks.

[Accip74 7,112]

Yeh it was very difficult at first where I lived, most land was keeperd & they don't like hawks, I got lucky with some people I met & it got better & better.....

[pointer 543]

That's what I'm hoping will happen for me.

Getting back to excuses the weather forecast here looks terrible for the next week lol

[pointer 543]

Well the weather has ruined any chance of doing much this week. I would have taken a day or two off work if the weather was favourable but there didn't seem much point with the wind and rain. I was up the dales at first light yesterday because the met office were stating the wind wouldn't be too bad for the first two hours. Sadly the wind was horrendous and there was no chance of flying her, I'd still be out there looking to recover her I should think lol. I got back home and was able to fly her locally but there's not much about and the wind was still too strong for her to properly fly at anything. Still she loves the wind and all that soaring around got her some exercise.

There was no chance of flying today up the dales but I still look her up just in case the forecast was completely wrong. It wasn't and we were met with strong winds and sleet which then turned to snow. The dogs caught a few rabbits and put pheasants up whilst running bunnies into sets and marking others. With the right conditions a hawk would murder rabbits up there but as yet I haven't been there once when you could have a good go at it. Even when I've caught a few rabbits there's only been a small amount of time to get something done.

As it is I hope this season is a one off wind wise, if we are in for these conditions every season now as some scientists predict I think it is extremely hard for the working man to get out enough. It is for me anyway.

Edited January 26, 2014 by pointer

[pointer 543]

I took a day off work as the weather forecast for the weekend was bad. The hawk had a good flight catching the rabbit as it was going into a dry stone wall but I couldn't help her quick enough and after I'd jumped the wall I saw the rabbit fight its way free and run up the centre. There were a few other flights with her flying over the wall trying to catch the rabbit as it came out the other side and she was rolling around with another but as they went into a patch of reeds she couldn't get a grip on it and it escaped. The hawk was unlucky today but got to drop on a couple of rabbits that the ferrets had knocked about so even though they were easy the hawk got to grab a hold of something and was fed from one before we set off home.

 

Thanks to will.i.am off here for doing the ferreting in freezing conditions. The rabbits didn't want to bolt today and my mate had to dig a few out of the rocky ground. Once the wind arrived it was time to go and as I was feeling the cold I was glad to get back in the car if I'm honest.

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Nice high perch there, wish the weather would let up her, hasnt stopped raining at all today