re: Caught a Rabbit

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Me too. I saw a falcon or hawk on TV one time catching ducks in the air. It would scare the duck off the pond and get it flying, then knock it arse over tea kettle in the air. Cool shite.

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Yes, lots of people hunt ducks with falcons and goshawks. A few people have had a little success catching ducks with red tails. I may give it a try someday if I can find a good place with ducks.

this is wild! i remember you talking about falconry the other day, never put together that you hunt with it! so after you catch a hawk, how long does it take to know that you are its "master" or whatever? does it have a cage in your house or does it just hang out in a tree at night? can you walk outside in the morning and call her and she just comes and lands on your arm?

ive got this hawk by my camp that just hangs out there, guess she has a nest or something there, shes always hunting and getting things, pretty neat to watch!

i've

holy shite! thats was wild! ive never seen an eagle in the wild i dont think. I see that hawk all the time, how much bigger is an eagle than a hawk? im a bird retard

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how long does it take to know that you are its "master" or whatever?

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It usually only takes about 2-4 weeks with a red tail before you can start flying it free and trying to hunt. They never really recognize you as "master." It's more like you're the source of an easy meal.

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does it have a cage in your house or does it just hang out in a tree at night?

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Most birds are kept outside in a "mews" which is a building built to house hawks. Most are 8x8x8' or larger. Some people do house birds indoors, especially things like Kestrels or other small falcons.

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can you walk outside in the morning and call her and she just comes and lands on your arm?

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Not really. If I'm planning to hunt it usually goes more like this: I go out, unlock her mews, take her up off her perch much like you would a parrot, and bring her into my utility room and weigh her. If she is within a certain weight range that I've learned is the right weight for her to hunt, I put her in a specially made box and throw it in my truck and head out. It all depends on how well I guessed about how much to feed her the day before. The temps outside make a big difference in how much weight she loses, so you have to take that into account.

so if you hunt her that day, she eats some of what she gets, if not you feed her frozen mice?

can she go off and hunt on her own for herself if you dont want to go buy mice? or do you have to take her hunting?

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I see that hawk all the time, how much bigger is an eagle than a hawk?

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A golden eagle, which is the largest in N. America and the one you most often see people hunting with can weigh 9-14lbs. A big red tail weighs about 3lbs.

It is next to impossible to get a license and an eagle in the U.S. though. Most of those videos are in europe.

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so if you hunt her that day, she eats some of what she gets, if not you feed her frozen mice?

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Yes, I buy her frozen rats. Hopefully if she keeps improving I won't have to buy any more rats. Or, I might take the .22 out for a few days and try to stock up on squirrels.

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can she go off and hunt on her own for herself if you dont want to go buy mice? or do you have to take her hunting?

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No, she wouldn't come back. When we hunt the only thing that keeps her coming back to me is hunger. When she kills something, I clip the leash to her before she eats. If she doesn't kill anything, I throw out the lure with some food on it, and clip her to it as soon as she comes down. I can also call her to the glove with small bits of meat, but that's not as dependable as the lure, which is sort of like a reward at the end of the day.

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Ok, now I'm calling bullshite on all of this. No way a Gump is smart enough to do math and shite.

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It's definitely the hardest part for me.

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On our lease, you've got to be quick to pick up your ducks or a hawk will get them.

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Haha, yeah, I guess that could be a problem. Duck hunters have to use steel shot, right? Hawks are very susceptible to lead poisoning.

Haha, I am afraid I'm going to catch somebody's lap dog. Sometimes I hunt around town and near houses.

Having my own army of hawks to keep the neighborhood cat problem under controll would be sweet.