re: Teague's Ongoing Hawk /Falconry Thread - renamed for clarity

That's awesome.Beautiful Raptor.

And:

Rabbit hang*

quote:

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I notice most of the kills are squirrels and rabbits, and you mentioned that some of it is due to area and some of it is due to what Hawkeye views as prey. What about game like pheasant? Do people use raptors for that as well? Seems to me that would be fascinating to see.

(And now I'm gonna run off to google and youtube instead of waiting on a response )

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Well, if you didn't find it on youtube and google, yes some people hunt pheasant. Most game birds and ducks are hunted with goshawks and various falcons. I've seen pheasant and even ducks taken with red tails, but I don't think either is common. Cooper's hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and sometimes male harris's hawks are used for smaller birds, like quail.

quote:

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Another question -- how would you describe the relationship between the raptor and the handler? I know you've indicated that they aren't pets, and I wouldn't expect them to be, but after a couple of seasons can the handler expect to form a sort of working relationship with the raptor? From what you've described it sounds like it's largely motivated by feeding/regulating food intake. Is that always the case, or in time will the raptor adopt more "domesticated" (for lack of a better word) tendencies where the strict system of diet regulation becomes less critical?

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I'd say it's a working relationship.

There's two main categories of falconry bird; imprint and passage.

An imprint is a bird that was taken from the nest at a young age and raised by the falconer. Those birds see you as a parent, and later a mate (as I understand it). I'm only in my second year, and have no experience with these. But, I do think they can be a little more "tame". However, weight management is still very important. A hawk that isn't hungry isn't motivated to hunt, and will respond to your call when he's good and damned ready.

A "passage" bird is one that was trapped in its first year after leaving the nest. This is what I have. These hawks will also tame down, but maybe not quite as much as an imprint. They soon recognize that it pays to stick close to you and watch for fleeing game in the fields. Every one is a little different in how "tame" they'll get, but I assume the longer they're kept the more tame they'll be.

Both types of birds have their pros and cons.

hawkeye better not try this shite

I seent it and your red writing made me chuckle

Alright, nevermind then.

Haha! Ladyhawk was a red tail.

The season ended Sunday. We finished with 32 rabbits and 11 squirrels. Not spectacular, but not bad for two newbies who got started a month late this season.

Yep, he's currently being fattened up for the molt. Looking forward to seeing his adult plumage.