Falconry Advice

[pointer 543]

I totally agree mate and I would hate to think any of my posts would imply that hunting a Harris hawk can be done with limited time and commitment. No other hunting I've done has caused me so much worry and stress. The difference between working a hawk and a dog is vast, I found the dogs easier. I spent more time hunting with dogs because the weather didn't affect them but my hawk has me constantly thinking about how things are going, worrying about the weather, fitness, am I putting enough quarry in front of her etc etc etc.

[Accip74 7,112]

To be honest pointer, with a male harris & gos I usually only hunted twice a week, with the exception of maybe an hour after work until the clocks changed & a two week Christmas break.......very occasionally I lamped.....

With both hawks I took anywhere from 68-101 head, sept-feb, according to my diary's........ This was mainly rabbit/pheasant & occasional various, over 14 different locations I hunted on......

With good weight control, good land & a very stringent exercise program, with a lot of contact......you can get good results & most importantly please yourself.

Of course it's common senses, that you should get these birds out as much as possible, but it shouldn't seem impossible to the average working man.

[Accip74 7,112]

.....best catch I had was 2010 Boxing Day......male harris....3 rabbits & 1 cock pheasant by lunch time......a wkend bird :-)

[pointer 543]

For me its not just about if a hawk can perform at the weekend or whatever but the fact that the weather has stopped me doing as much hunting as I wanted to. Fitness and a good working hawk is one side of it then there's the owner that wants to be out several times a week because he enjoys it. I never had the best of lurchers, I was lucky enough to see some good ones but my dog was out regularly. Sometimes maybe pushed too much. So I guess what I'm saying is I feel the working ability of an animal isn't directly in line with the amount of work it sees. If that makes any sense lol.

[Accip74 7,112]

Yeh it does mate.........I'm not trying to contradict what is essentially sound advice here, but if I'd of followed that wisdom to the T........I wouldn't of took up falconry......

& without wishing to sound mellow dramatic, it change my life! for the better & forever, in lot of way's I hadn't even expected.

 

It takes just as much commitment to get it right twice a week as it does four times a week & I know I'm not the exception....

[charlie caller 3,654]

In some ways it could take more commitment to get it right twice a week, personally I think the singular most important factor in having a good hawk/dog/ferrets, is good land, if there is nothing to catch problems will manifest themselves, especially with a bird as intelligent as a Harris.

[pointer 543]

I can see what your saying, I've found the weather and the lowest rabbit numbers in my lifetime have been the over riding factors of my season, yet the books and threads on places like the IFF forum mainly go on about the time needed. Give me the rabbit numbers that were about when I worked lurchers and I'd have easily tripled my kill count this season and spent less time doing it.

 

I've found it hasn't been as simple as I thought it was going to be, I held off getting a hawk until I had no other commitments in my like except having to go to work forty hours a week.

I suppose I expected time/commitment = success. That the more time I could put in would equal more success but in reality my local hunting spots produce little and I can't get to the better ones apart from a day off work or the weekend. There even with low rabbit numbers still an issue by ferreting we can quickly bag a few rabbits see some good flights even on the missed ones and be done in a couple of hours.

 

But I'm glad Im flying a hawk, I moan apart the negatives constantly but I've enjoyed this season more than any other doing other things.

[pointer 543]

In some ways it could take more commitment to get it right twice a week, personally I think the singular most important factor in having a good hawk/dog/ferrets, is good land, if there is nothing to catch problems will manifest themselves, especially with a bird as intelligent as a Harris.

That was my experience until I started getting onto better land, or rather onto land containing more rabbits anyway. I won't be making the same mistakes next season...........hopefully not.

Edited March 20, 2014 by pointer

[Accip74 7,112]

In some ways it could take more commitment to get it right twice a week, personally I think the singular most important factor in having a good hawk/dog/ferrets, is good land, if there is nothing to catch problems will manifest themselves, especially with a bird as intelligent as a Harris.

I 100% agree.