Hawking near roads

[snafu918]

So I didn't see a thread on this subject, but I may have just missed it so if it's out there let me know. For now though I'll just ask, how many of you guys hunt near semi-busy to busy roads. I know in California there are some falconers that are very limited in the places they can hunt, but I just wonder how safe it is.

The reason I ask is that there is a railroad track that runs alongside a major road right by my house and today without trying I got 5 different cottontail slips in 30 minutes. Now my brain says don't hunt there because of the road, but damn 5 slips in 30 minutes (like 500 yards of track)!!

[falco]

Hey, i would do what you think is the safest for the bird. I grew up in AZ and i personally would fly jacks with a female RT, cuz boy are they EVERYWHERE!!!! I dont recall seeing a lot of cottontails but hey, its sounds like you found a good spot. Try this, push the cottontails as hard as you can and if they dont try and cross the road, your bird shouldn't have reason to either!

[snafu918]

Ya I thought about getting two bush bi7ch3s to help me by going out up wind and walking toward me and having them stagger themselves so that the one closesest to the road was further ahead of the other so that the rabbit would be less inclined to run toward the road...

What you said about the jack is true, I live near some great spots for jacks so I too am hoping for a big femal red so I can bring the pain!

any other opinions on the road situations, experiences good, bad , ugly?

[Master Yarak]

Cars, trucks and hawks don't mix well. I know of a couple of people that did not even fly close to a road that lost birds to vehicles. I think its a bad idea and you are asking for disaster. If it can go wrong it will. Find another place. How many rabbits equal a dead bird. The risk just does not seem worth it.
Yarak

[snafu918]

Ya, Yarak you're just reinforcing what my conscience is saying. It's just the first place that I have found nearby with cottentails, not Jacks.

[raptrlvr]

Well, like you said, Californians with few places to fly. If I want to get away from the roads, I am going to have to drive about 60 to 70 miles one way. This morning {and almost every morning} I headed for the one large field that we still have around here that is flyable. Its about 22 miles from my house. The first thing I do is to drive up and down the heavily traveled road and remove the dead carcass. I was there yesterday and removed 3 bunnies and 1 jack that had been hit by cars. Today, only 2 bunnies dead in the road. Then I beeped up the eagle and started flying him by about 5:30am. This road is right down the street from Etiwanda High School and the road is completely packed by about 7:30 to 8 am every school morning. That gives me about 2 or 3 hours to get my hawking in. This field is the most popular field in Southern California for falconers and in all the years we have flown it, only one bird to my knowledge has been hit by a car in or near this field. That was this last year. A friend was flying a female prairie falcon and the falcon caught a pigeon and carried it onto the freeway where it got hit by a cement truck. Thats the only one I know of.

[Falcon Boy]

You could always start on the side near the road, walk it back and forth, that way the rabbits have to break away from the road to get away. Not 100% but atleast a tad better i'd imagine.

[raptrlvr]

There are fields on both sides of this road. The rabbits run across the road to get out of the field that your flying your bird in. Especially the jacks. The jacks are out in front of you just circling the fields. They don't go down in holes. The road is really only bad during school arrivals and departures. Of course its a really long straight road and the kids{damn kids} love to race each other on it. Just Kidding on the kids.

[grappler]

It is a pain, because a lot of warrens are close to roads or railway banks

We have the Luxury of Ferreting over here so by standing roadside and slipping it usually works by bolting the rabbit away but if not you just do not release the bird.

Still a pain though.And i try to avoid

[kenbro77]

I have been spotting an area my self that the tracks run along the road. It is about 5 miles long so plenty of area. The road is 4 lanes but not to heavily traveled. There is a spur about half way that goes through a field to a plastics plant that is a couple of miles long. I will probably try there first.

[rt]

I personally try and stay away from roads as much as possible I know it is hard due to sprawl and the soo called progress. I was flying my redtail hen last year and she was soaring around a field and then she flew about 200 yards out across a road and landed on its bank only 10 feet from the pavement so I was real worried due to the fact that its was a busy road. Old murphys law came out like always a sporty car was coming down the road with a bunch of guys in it yelling out the window and blowing the horn trying to get my hawk to fly, she was facing the road by the way so I yell as loud as I possible can and give them the finger and hoped they would pull over because my beating stick and me would be beating more then briers. Well they left the scene and she flew back out over me but it was not a good feeling at all. Plus electrical lines usually go hand and hand with roads where I am, and they are a big NO NO.

[grappler]

Had a couple of Arseholes the other day pass me while the bird was on the fist trying to scare it to fly.

But they got their arses kicked as we drove back we saw the car parked outside a cafe.


The rest i can't put on a Family site