re: Teague's New Falconry/Hawking Thread

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Don Dubuc shows a group that hunts old school, falconers.

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I'll watch the video at home. It's blocked at work. I've heard of Matt, but I don't remember where.

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Are you able to train the birds to go after squirrels and rabbits specifically? Or will they hit a stray cat out in a field? Or is that too big? Just curious... I'm guessing a cat might give the birds a bit more trouble?

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With birds that are raised from hatchlings, there is some degree of "teaching" them what they can catch. They can sometimes be taught to take on game that they might not ordinarily target in the wild. But, for the most part it's just instinct. With trapped birds like mine, they've usually already figured out what isn't worth their time.

I've heard of hawks attacking cats, but they usually seem to have a pretty good idea of what is prey and what is a predator capable of hurting them. I was happy to see Ava turn down a shot at a coon last week.

Ah, yes, I remember who he is now. He also wrote a book on American Kestrels in falconry that I read a few months ago.