Getting Back Into The Game

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Going to see a man about a female redtail x harris for the coming season. Bit of luck I'll be putting a deposit down to pick the chick up in 4 months time. English pointer pups started showing promise too so with any luck this season will be my best yet. Good times ahead

[muttley94 74]

Look forward to hearing about it and good luck if you do!

 

whats the reason for your choice in a hybrid if you dint mind me asking? Haven't heard about too many people with them is all

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Well that's the deposit place. Antagonising wait now

 

To be honest mate it was spur of the moment. The bloke that showed me the ropes had the pair a few year ago. Now this pair isn't how usual harris/reds are bred as they are a male Harris into a female red rather than the other way so they are more harris like than they would be the other way round. Anyway this bloke sold the pair to a mate of his and in three years he's only managed to hatch one female which apparently is smashing the hares. I was at the blokes house while he was on the phone to the man with the pair telling him he's got three chicks so I thought f**k it I've always wondered about them anyway so I'll have one. I did have a redtail in mind anyway but might aswell try something completely new.

[muttley94 74]

ah right gotcha! I suppose if they are quite hard to come by and you had the chance why not! I only asked because I've seen some people talk about benefits of them but others who are against it and dont see the point, personal preference I guess!

 

Will be nice to see how it comes along anyway good luck and enjoy the wait

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

Cheers mate. I can't see the advantage of them myself. A good harris is the best hawk put there imo. Just a joy to fly but I fancy something else. Suppose I'm just not ready to let go of the harris to much yet haha

[Rowan 308]

Nice one mate , would love to hear how you get on . amongst others I flew a female harris for 6 years and loved it , the day I sold her I almost ran up the road after the car to get her back.

I have regretted it ever since , but at the time with work commitments there was no option.

 

even looking to move house this year to have more room to start hawking again.

[muttley94 74]

Cheers mate. I can't see the advantage of them myself. A good harris is the best hawk put there imo. Just a joy to fly but I fancy something else. Suppose I'm just not ready to let go of the harris to much yet haha

 

haha I can imagine! Im hoping to get my first bird in the next couple of years (situation allowing) and am gearing towards a harris I think, I've got a fella who's taken me out with a peregrine a few times and said he can guide me through it and there wouldn't be an issue with it being my first bird but I'm unsure! not sure my nerves would hold out flying it free to start with (I imagine anything is terrifying let alone the distances his goes away only to return) and I think in terms of land availability I have will gear itself more towards a Harris or Gos, would love to have a sparrowhawk but I think for my first bird and without someone to help me that may be a little too much! I absolutely love all birds of prey and the different flying and hunting styles, just a case of picking the one I want to start with I guess!

 

Been trying to decide for about 3 or 4 years already and I've still got a couple to decide but from what Ive seen Harris' seem very versatile and fantastic hunters if done right!

[muttley94 74]

I haven't managed to find anyone to get out with with a Harris or a gos yet either so hopefully I can do that next season and it might help me make my decision!

[david901 164]

 

Cheers mate. I can't see the advantage of them myself. A good harris is the best hawk put there imo. Just a joy to fly but I fancy something else. Suppose I'm just not ready to let go of the harris to much yet haha

 

haha I can imagine! Im hoping to get my first bird in the next couple of years (situation allowing) and am gearing towards a harris I think, I've got a fella who's taken me out with a peregrine a few times and said he can guide me through it and there wouldn't be an issue with it being my first bird but I'm unsure! not sure my nerves would hold out flying it free to start with (I imagine anything is terrifying let alone the distances his goes away only to return) and I think in terms of land availability I have will gear itself more towards a Harris or Gos, would love to have a sparrowhawk but I think for my first bird and without someone to help me that may be a little too much! I absolutely love all birds of prey and the different flying and hunting styles, just a case of picking the one I want to start with I guess!

 

Been trying to decide for about 3 or 4 years already and I've still got a couple to decide but from what Ive seen Harris' seem very versatile and fantastic hunters if done right!

 

Mutley a HH is a great hawk in the right hands, but so is any hawk/falcon.

It depends on which quarry you have available and how you want to catch it.

IMO on average you will probably catch more head of game with the HH per season [ though not necessarily ]

They are at their best flown following on and given a lot of freedom to fly.

But I will stick my neck out here and say to me falconry is not about catching lots of game,

but is instead the spectacle of a hawk pursuing evenly matched game. The harder the quarry, the better the flights.

Some of the best sport I had was flying at crows and I don't mean car hawking neither.

The HH is an easy going, easy to train hawk and easy to hunt.

As P. Glasier once wrote - you would need to be a poor falconer to fail with a HH.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[muttley94 74]

 

 

Cheers mate. I can't see the advantage of them myself. A good harris is the best hawk put there imo. Just a joy to fly but I fancy something else. Suppose I'm just not ready to let go of the harris to much yet haha

 

haha I can imagine! Im hoping to get my first bird in the next couple of years (situation allowing) and am gearing towards a harris I think, I've got a fella who's taken me out with a peregrine a few times and said he can guide me through it and there wouldn't be an issue with it being my first bird but I'm unsure! not sure my nerves would hold out flying it free to start with (I imagine anything is terrifying let alone the distances his goes away only to return) and I think in terms of land availability I have will gear itself more towards a Harris or Gos, would love to have a sparrowhawk but I think for my first bird and without someone to help me that may be a little too much! I absolutely love all birds of prey and the different flying and hunting styles, just a case of picking the one I want to start with I guess!

 

Been trying to decide for about 3 or 4 years already and I've still got a couple to decide but from what Ive seen Harris' seem very versatile and fantastic hunters if done right!

 

Mutley a HH is a great hawk in the right hands, but so is any hawk/falcon.

It depends on which quarry you have available and how you want to catch it.

IMO on average you will probably catch more head of game with the HH per season [ though not necessarily ]

They are at their best flown following on and given a lot of freedom to fly.

But I will stick my neck out here and say to me falconry is not about catching lots of game,

but is instead the spectacle of a hawk pursuing evenly matched game. The harder the quarry, the better the flights.

Some of the best sport I had was flying at crows and I don't mean car hawking neither.

The HH is an easy going, easy to train hawk and easy to hunt.

As P. Glasier once wrote - you would need to be a poor falconer to fail with a HH.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

 

Thanks David, I totally agree and think thats the best attitude! in fact the times I've been out with the peregrine we've been after Snipe or blackbirds (under license) and we've had some fantastic flights and very exciting stoops but not actually any catches! We could go for easier quarry and be more likely to catch but where is the sport in that! I think I'm a bad luck charm as he seems to get them every time I'm not around! but never the less its great to see him in action! I am a keen angler and airgun shooter and I am perfectly happy to sit out all day and not catch/bag anything, being outdoors and enjoying nature for be is always nice, that being said everyone does love a catch or kill!

 

my main quarry around me is rabbit and pheasant, I get a lot of pigeon and squirrel with the airgun but doubt I would be targeting these with a hawk! My perms are all mainly small plots of land such as small private stables and grazing land, sometimes the odd farm, which is why I dont think they would particularly suit a peregrine, but to be honest I would be happy to travel the distance and put in the effort to get different permissions better suited to different styles if thats what I decide! and I think my dad knows some spots he used to fly his HH which arent strictly perms but are just rough empty land, so Im not too worries about the land issue

[david901 164]

Muttley only you can decide what kind of falconry you want.

If you have someone decent that can advise you and bounce questions and ideas at, then that will help your decision.

One word of warning though, you said most of your permissions are quite small areas, a Goshawk can go a hell of a long way on a pheasant flight [if its any good...LOL]

 

All the best

[muttley94 74]

yes thats true, well they arent that small, sorry maybe that gave the wrong mental image, I just mean not the very open areas I've flown the peregrine in!

 

but thanks, appreciate the advice, I always like to hear and to take other peoples views and opinions on board

[NIGHTSHADOW 3]

Hi all looking for a guy on here that breeds Harris x Red tail ,can any one please help ,many thanks John

[j j m 6,533]

Good luck with it mate I flew a female red tail on hares 5 years ago lovely birds

[Accip74 7,112]

Good luck with the new project mate :-)