Post by birdguy888 on Sept 4, 2004 16:28:50 GMT -5
Pheasants are very, very strong. It definately takes a good hen to take down pheasants on a regular basis. Here near Price we have a bunch of pheasants which are pretty easy to get. Most of them stay on top of the plateaus and when the see you they just start walking down the side so you can easily sneak up on them and your hawk has a fast, downhill flight at them.
My guess is the speed would probably help but pheasants are damn tough birds! If you got a large tiercel he may but I'd like to have Bob's Henzilla chasing pheasants just to protect the bird.
Post by birdguy888 on Sept 17, 2004 16:57:15 GMT -5
Because they are such strong birds I definately recommend a large hen. A lot of times you can get up higher than them to relase the hawk so it has a fast, downward flight at them to help gain the speed and the hens have the strength to kill them more easily.
keep in mind, killing pheasant is at the END of the flight. Most pheasants fly faster and get to top speed faster than red tails. Usually it will take more than one flush, so your bird has to be in good condition obviously. Pheasants fight too, so make sure you are there to help if you havn't done it before.
Keep an eye on where it puts in, call the hawk over, and reflush. Rarely have i heard of pheasants being taken by a buteo on the first flush.
I've heard of quail doing the same thing. How large of a male RT to you think it would take to kill one. Also I know its been said before but what would you guys recommend for a first year bird a male RT or a female. I figured that a female would be easier to watch for weight managment but I really want to get a large male. What is the largest male you guys have ever seen or hear of? Do you guys ever hear of male RT taking pheasent regularly? And what is the main quarry for male RTs? I have heard that in most cases, not the rule, that most squirl* hawkers use females. Do the males surpase females on any particular quarry?
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather
Post by birdguy888 on Sept 18, 2004 17:50:55 GMT -5
Here's my 2 cents again. All my hen RT's have been able to take phesants on the first try. However, my tiercels have been able to bind to them we we had to be there within seconds to disptach the phesant as it was kicking the crap out of the tiercel. My one tiercel, Izzy, was feroscious though. I constantly had to cut him out of bushes with a hack saw and a hatchet because he would chase rabbits into the bush and then dive stright down into the center of the bush to catch the rabbit.....total pain in the butt. His wrists were so scared from injuries that when you looked at him you could visually see huge bumps of scar tissue on both of them. As for squirrel hawking hens are the way to go and make sure you use chaps. Squirrels are extremely mean and can do a bunch of damage to the tarsi of the hawk if not protected with chaps. I suggest that when you trap your RT that you put the chaps directly on so that you don't get the bird manned and trained and then have to do it again when the chaps are put on. That way the bird learns to realize that chaps are just a part of it. Hen vs. tiercel really depends on yor quarry. If all you have is cottontail rabbits then a tiercel is great but if you have a lot of jacks and hares, then a hen is the only way to go!
I have a viriaty of game I can provide good slips for. I have a spot were the cottontail rabbits are so abundent its amazing. But I also have a great place for jacks. And there are alot of snowshoe hares on my hunting grounds as well. Ducks are huge in my area, there are thousands of them as well as geese. Pigeons too but I don't know if I want to set my bird up for disepointment. Although I have heard of redtails taking pigeons, is this true? I really don't know what to think about that. But your the expert right Eddie!!! Also what do you think about a tiercel redtail on pheasent though. Is it worth a shot? I know they have the speed but what about weight? Whats the maximum weight on a tiercel redtail that you have ever seen?
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather