Just a thought, If the hawk is injured It could go to a rehaber for some recuperation time and the completion of the molt that way the hawk gets a fresh start before being released to the wild and Zach can trap another bird come trapping season. A small donation would help defray the cost to the rehaber. This site has a search by state for rehabers www.livingwithwildlife.com/ jim
To be honest, i think the bird's injury is old and to late to rehab. We wouldn't have kept it after it was trapped, but we got it the last day of trapping season and i was afraid my son's (and my) frustration level would dampen. When the bird was trapped it weighed in at 42 ozs. It must have been eating something. I'm confident that she will be alright on her own. Zach had a great time training and flying her. He learned a lot and now it's time to move on.
One of the other tricks when using dead bags is to use only the front half, or just the head -n- neck. It's like the butt doesn't even exist... hawk gets conditioned to grab the front end.
It is amazing how many falconers have different little tricks of the trade when it comes to training, conditioning and flying their birds! LOL I have two techniques I hold very secret for getting a bird to stand on the fist with no bating on the first day and also hood training the first day! It makes training so much easier!
Aahhh, sorry my children. Those are two of my secret that i will never share. I'll take them to my grave. It made me think of two years ago when I had trapped a passage red-tail. I had my apprentice at the time holding it and trying to mann it and then he had to leave for about an hour or so. The bird was horrible and the disposition was fierce. My apprentice actually told me he was nervous around him but he was doing a good job with having him stand on the fist and putting him back as soon as he bated. He left and I began working with the bird on manning and hooding. By the time my apprentice came back the bird was standing on the fist and taking the hood like I had baught it already trained. My apprentice about crapped his pants! LOL He also asked how I did it and I told him "I'm good at training". he has pestered me ever since but I won't say.
At the same time I had also trapped a passage hen prairie and one of my friends up in Salt Lake City also got a passage tiercel prairie. We talked each day. The first day my bird was sitting on the fist with no bating and totally hood trained. he didn't get his manned or hood trained for aobut a week. by the time he got his bird trained a month later I was already out in the field. Without looking in my records......I believe she was trained and hunting in 9 days. After she intermewed the first year though she decided she didn't like waiting on for birds so she started hunting cottontail and jack rabbits. It made me mad but they were awesome flights.
Why would you have " Secrets?" I mean for such a extremly rare sport there ant that much competition. Unless its extremely embarresing how you do it.... ;D
I know how to keep them on the fist. First you go down to the hardware store and buy a staple gun, 1/2 inch staples will do....... ;D I've tried superglue, but the results just aren't the same
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion................ and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."
Noel, that answers the bating question. Now, what about the hooding?
Eddie, i have to agree with Alex here. If you have a training method that would benefit the sport Share, man, Share!!! Call it the "Birdguy Manning Method", "Fast Eddies Fast Hooding" If nothing else, write it down and have it published after you die. You'll sell more copies of it then anyway, just ask Edgar Allen Poe ;D
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion................ and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."
Sorry, me-no-sharey-me-secret this time. It is a very humane technique and does absolutely no harm to the bird and it really does work that quickly. I stumbled upon it by total accident and when it work I figured I would try it on other birds and it has worked every single time so far. I actually did not expect it to work on a wild prairie falcon because of their nasty disposition but it has even worked on them so far.....just have to be cautious of them biting me while I do it. I have not tried it on a owl yet but I don't hunt with owls. It's a pain in the butt.
HHhmmmm, writing it down and having it published....... that is a darn good thought I had not though about so I'm glad you mentioned it. Maybe I'll revise my will and put it in that and have family or friends publish it. On my next birds next year I think I'll tape it for proof that it works and send the tape to the publishers of falconry mags. Thanks for the idea!!!
"""I actually did not expect it to work on a wild prairie falcon because of their nasty disposition but it has even worked on them so far.....just have to be cautious of them biting me while I do it.""" Hmmm....Sounds Kinky.....
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion................ and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion................ and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."