Thinking Of A Redtail

[charlie caller 3,654]

Well if you do decide on a red, assuming you havent,I have a couple of contacts for men who breed superb redtails mate.

[sean goshawk 189]

http://m.birdtrader.co.uk/eagles/golden-eagle-for-sale-uk-seller/507776.

 

You want a hare bird theres one came up on bird trader

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

I can go and see a golden eagle fly whenever I want pal without all the hassle so I'll leave it haha

[david901 165]

 

Your gos is unlikely to be very successful on wild partridge and pheasant unless its flown fairly regularly to keep it fit.

Although you can do jump ups etc that helps to keep them going, but nowhere near as good as regular slips on gamebirds.

 

Just another thing to consider....Lol

This is what I found, but maybe not so much a fitness issue, rather motivation.....

 

I failed to put enough game birds in front of my goshawk, with enough early success......although he did make some fine kills on pheasant, he ultimately became wed to rabbits & my dreams of a gamebird hawk drifted away with his interest....

It got to the stage where he would hardly bait at pheasant breaking cover.....

 

.....that said, he would always put in a real convincing effort on partridge, despite the fact we rarely put them up & had little success.....

There just seems to be something about that marriage of partridge & goshawk....

 

I think pheasant can be quite intimidating for some males. They can be hard enough for the females to hold.

If you could pay to go on a shoot and fly at young inexperienced quarry that may help.

But that means paying for your sport and some shoots are quite dear.

I think most goshawkers have to do this unless they are lucky with enough wild quarry.

I have to do this myself if I want to fly gamebirds.

[pointer 543]

When I thought my Harris was never going to work with my pointer I gave serious thought to what I would obtain next. I think most people want a go at hunting with a goshawk so I looked into them. The trouble is once I started to want one I started to kid myself that I would get it out enough, get enough quarry in front of it etc. etc. Common sense eventually returned and I realised that due to my working hours, available land and quarry numbers and the fact I enjoy hunting with Harris Hawks I should stick with them. Like yesterday for much of the season I can get my hawk out after work for a short time before darkness falls and she will often fly at something whilst following on. My Harris is now working with the dogs so it's not an issue anyway.

I find working full time and flying my hawk often enough to justify owning her is very challenging. Often I'm at work in glorious weather and the weekends are wet and windy. I think I just about manage to get out hunting enough and even with low quarry numbers where I'm able to fly a hawk I can make it all work..........but only just. The hunting with a Harris can be repetitive I suppose but so is anything we do if we do it often enough. I see the numbers of rabbits and hares that others are taking with a Harris hawk and I envy them especially those that can fly their Hawks from the soar above dogs. For me there is so much more that can be done with just a Harris that for now I'll stick at it.

 

I've known a few people move from Harris Hawks to other species and for whatever reason it didn't last long. The theory of what they were going to do spattering all that quarry with the faster birds just didn't happen it seems, unfortunately it appears many cant go back to the humble Harris and leave the sport altogether. Good luck with whatever you decide mate part of me wishes I was able to fly a Goshawk.

[david901 165]

When I thought my Harris was never going to work with my pointer I gave serious thought to what I would obtain next. I think most people want a go at hunting with a goshawk so I looked into them. The trouble is once I started to want one I started to kid myself that I would get it out enough, get enough quarry in front of it etc. etc. Common sense eventually returned and I realised that due to my working hours, available land and quarry numbers and the fact I enjoy hunting with Harris Hawks I should stick with them. Like yesterday for much of the season I can get my hawk out after work for a short time before darkness falls and she will often fly at something whilst following on. My Harris is now working with the dogs so it's not an issue anyway.

I find working full time and flying my hawk often enough to justify owning her is very challenging. Often I'm at work in glorious weather and the weekends are wet and windy. I think I just about manage to get out hunting enough and even with low quarry numbers where I'm able to fly a hawk I can make it all work..........but only just. The hunting with a Harris can be repetitive I suppose but so is anything we do if we do it often enough. I see the numbers of rabbits and hares that others are taking with a Harris hawk and I envy them especially those that can fly their Hawks from the soar above dogs. For me there is so much more that can be done with just a Harris that for now I'll stick at it.

 

I've known a few people move from Harris Hawks to other species and for whatever reason it didn't last long. The theory of what they were going to do spattering all that quarry with the faster birds just didn't happen it seems, unfortunately it appears many cant go back to the humble Harris and leave the sport altogether. Good luck with whatever you decide mate part of me wishes I was able to fly a Goshawk.

Some wise words mate.

As long as you are enjoying it and the bird is well kept, That's all that matters.

[bullet 125]

 

You'll get hares with red tail if you give the bird a chance to catch one .as it took me the second season to get a hare with the gos as I showed her plenty just never got the head hold right.and the best way to work a red tail is on the soar with springer running the cover for the bird

I thought they would be great for hare hawking, there just didn't seem to be many using them as serious hare hawks........maybe a fashion thing? Or a fitness thing.....

 

im on my second year of trying for the hares with my female gos, she's had a good 4 now in her grip which have all got away, she flown about 10 now in total(one today) and she seems more determined each time, its not as easy as it looks and hares are tough buggers, she flew a good field length to get at one today which she wouldn't normally do, I was finishing the day flying her up as one got up a good way from her but she was like a rocket after it, sadly I didn't get to see the end as they both rounded a hedge together out of sight, but she was up the nearest tree by the time I got there

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Looks like my thinking ends here. Have to move house and at least for this season I won't be keeping a bird. Have to sell the female earlier than I would've liked :-(

[bullet 125]

Looks like my thinking ends here. Have to move house and at least for this season I won't be keeping a bird. Have to sell the female earlier than I would've liked :-(

sorry to hear that, you'll get back in to it wont you?

[pointer 543]

Shit mate you can't catch a break. Like I said yesterday for most of us getting out with any hawk often enough for a full season is a big challenge.

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

I hope so mate. Just the new place isnt right for an aviary. I'm proper gutted tell you the truth

[Accip74 7,112]

Sorry to hear that mate, it happened to me a few years ago & I completely lost my momentum with the hawking.

 

Hope you get back to it in the near future. Atb

[jakk 6]

I've flown both reds and Harris hawks. If you want to hunt hares with a red you have to show them nothing but hares ideally, if you fly rabbits they won't try to catch hares. You aren't gaining or losing anything between the Harris or the red in truth. I breed red tails, I work for the biggest goshawk breeder in the uk and I still fly a Harris. It's not about the challenge it's the enjoyment. A Harris will improve year on year. Goshawks learn their craft and chase game in quite a predictable fashion. I can have my Harris waiting on, off the fist, ferret rabbits to her.

Stick with the Harris and watch her improve,

Jakk

[Jay later 4]

Hi anyone n ireland know we're to buy a Harris hawk I've cash an aviary ready pm me I'm co down thanks