The traditional system is horrible, and the reason so many falconry birds are lost with their leashes. The technology came out of the 1600's. Use some variation of what the Coulsons use, but the main thing is to stop carrying a perch leash. Every perch should have its own leash that is secure. Read this, take it to heart, and your hawk will be much safer.
The traditional system isnt horrible, I've never lost a bird using it for 6 years. If your falconry knots are tied properly, you won't lose your hawk. Just don't be lazy and stop checking the usability of your equipment ( practice proper husbandry ) . The reason most Hawks are lost with mews equipment is assuming you won't be affected by improper husbandry, relying on laziness over preparedness. Traditional bow perches and tethering have been used for 4,000 plus years. There's a reason it's called " traditional" because it works.
The coulsons tether is a wire chord. One that works well for their Hawks, but can be terrible for wild Hawks who bait repeatedly . Using a leash with a little bit of give/ flex is a better choice for wild trapped Hawks.
Last Edit: May 22, 2016 10:34:06 GMT -5 by echotadog
It is good to have an end to Journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the End. - Ernest Hemingway
The fact that careful falconers don't lose their hawks using the traditional system, doesn't make it a good system. It is inherently more dangerous from an engineering standpoint than the Heinz Meng system. The proof is that hawks are lost every year in numbers far too high. I have not lost a hawk in fifty years, but the traditional system is still a system that makes a single unit out of the leash, swivel, jess, and anklet. That is poor design and not tolerant to mistakes.
You still don't mention why it's a bad system in your complaint . On traditional, It's a good system in that it works. As you mentioned it's multiple parts not a single system as you allude. Mechanical clasp fail, a lot more frequently than a knot and swivel does. The only time I've had equipment / leashes fail was precisely when using scissor clasp, carabiners, dog leash clasp, etc.
Last Edit: May 22, 2016 20:02:12 GMT -5 by echotadog
It is good to have an end to Journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the End. - Ernest Hemingway
I just wrote several paragraphs and it was lost when screen minimized. Look at the two systems, the weak points, and consequences of failure at those weak points, assuming equipment is well maintained. Weak point in traditional system is the repeated knot tying and handling. Failure results in death most times. Five hawks I know of personally were lost with leashes in Texas over the last decade, four RT’s and a saker. Three rookie falconers, two veterans, one with 30 years who claimed to have never lost one with leash before. All lost because of tying/handling errors, and only one hawk recovered. Weak point in Heinz Meng's newer system is the snap, where it should be, though in the eight years since quitting traditional, I have never lost a hawk because of snap issue. Consequence of snap failure, which violates our assumption above, is a hawk flying around in field jesses. Snaps, swivels, and leash are attached to the perch.
Incidentally, the Coulsons now use Toby Bradshaw's wire rope for leashes, but don't recommend it if you are tethering a jumpy hawk. It does not affect the basic setup. Matthew Mullenix uses their system, but without wire rope.