Has anyone here taken Blacktailed jacks with a redtail? What was the bird's hunting weight and general disposition? Do you think speed, aggressivity, body mass, foot size, hunting style, or something else is most important to have in a redtail if you want it to take jacks?
Aurelia - General I ------------------------------------------- "It's not about the style of the flight; it's about the blood on the glove"
Post by Falcon Boy on May 24, 2007 18:09:17 GMT -5
waterbug said:
Has anyone here taken Blacktailed jacks with a redtail? What was the bird's hunting weight and general disposition? Do you think speed, aggressivity, body mass, foot size, hunting style, or something else is most important to have in a redtail if you want it to take jacks?
If you get your bird up on a pole and he will chase them, it will just be a matter of time before you get one. Are you flying this weekend out there or keeping him moulting? Since your bird is kinda small he will have a little rougher time, but if THH can handle it Alki will be ok. Just get him the height advantage of the pole and you should be OK.
Just my advice having only flown jacks once and not with my bird.
Last Edit: May 24, 2007 18:09:37 GMT -5 by Falcon Boy
Falcon Boy Apprentice Falconry Administrator
Ethics make the individual, not the other way around.
my mrt chased and hit every jack that gave him the chance but i was having some real problems keeping his claws sharp so he never could hold on long enough for me to get there. he hunts at 865g and I flew him mostly off a T-perch and from the fist.
Has anyone here taken Blacktailed jacks with a redtail? What was the bird's hunting weight and general disposition? Do you think speed, aggressivity, body mass, foot size, hunting style, or something else is most important to have in a redtail if you want it to take jacks?
If you get your bird up on a pole and he will chase them, it will just be a matter of time before you get one. Are you flying this weekend out there or keeping him moulting? Since your bird is kinda small he will have a little rougher time, but if THH can handle it Alki will be ok. Just get him the height advantage of the pole and you should be OK.
Just my advice having only flown jacks once and not with my bird.
i think she just meant in general..
hey Aure, try emailing Danny, i heard he flew that MRT he caught after jacks from a small soar and off the T perch...
Post by dirthawker on May 24, 2007 18:32:46 GMT -5
well out here we hunt the jacks and it all has to do with the tenacity of the bird. not weight, foot size, color, or any of that just how badly does the bird want to kill that rabbit. my brother in laws FRT weighed 915 gr and killed jacks like crazy it also has to do with the setup on the first one confidence is everything. once they have done it and it turned out well they should do it just fine.
Yeah I'm talking about in general. I dunno if Alki will chase jacks but he'll sure have a bunch of chances in August. Fat right now, staying with Wendy this weekend. He was hesitant about chasing a very large domestic that we found at Woodland Park and after not deciding the damn thing went into its hole so he missed the opportunity. Okay so the pole is important, good to know. We have to hunt off of it down there anyway. Danny was the one who didnt want any mrts going on his jack trip in Kearney, he said only females until Simone was adamant that Chase could get one given the right opportunity. I'll email him though. Im mostly thinking that if I decide Alki isnt cut out for falconry in the end of August then in Sept I'll try to get one that is, at the smallest, average male size so we'll have a more realistic chance at jacks. Both Wendy's and Simone's mrts are about 800g flying weight (average for here), so even then uthawker yours is a bit larger. If Alki with his 650g gives chase to a jack, I'll do my best to help him subdue it. I just think he'll be intimidated.
Aurelia - General I ------------------------------------------- "It's not about the style of the flight; it's about the blood on the glove"
Post by profalconer on May 24, 2007 19:14:10 GMT -5
in my opinion if you start a mrt on cottontail and really get him going on them then he might just have the confidence and be aggressive enough to take jacks. with a 650g bird thats asking a lot of him. but once he has a bad experience with a jack he probably wont go for them again. if jacks are all you have you are probably better off with an average female. from what i have heard from someone who has flown the average and big birds the big ones tend to be clumsy and dont catch as much as an average size bird.
Post by Falcon Boy on May 24, 2007 19:17:28 GMT -5
I disagree, birds can definatly tell the difference between jacks and CT's. If it were me i'd start on jacks first and get them going on that. If it knows it can take CT's easily it doesn't really have a reason to chase jacks
Falcon Boy Apprentice Falconry Administrator
Ethics make the individual, not the other way around.
Post by profalconer on May 24, 2007 19:28:15 GMT -5
i see what your saying. i understand that. but if the bird hasnt really killed anything yet then it should take something easy at least a few times before it goes for a huge jack. thats advice my sponser gave me when i asked him about going for jacks with my female. but it is all up to you and your bird if its going to take jacks or not.
Last Edit: May 24, 2007 19:29:51 GMT -5 by profalconer
Post by dirthawker on May 24, 2007 19:31:01 GMT -5
the male HHs take them all the time. it all will have to do with the birds personality. I feel that FB is right if you let them get used to taking cottontails they will be less inclined to go after the harder jacks. I have seen it with allot of birds push of 3 jack flights waiting on the cottontail to come along and then decide that the CT isn't coming. so alright if I have to type of thing I will goo after the jaaack if thats allll you are going to show meeee darn
Post by crbhawking on May 24, 2007 20:23:55 GMT -5
I think that it is all about confidence, and if a bird of decent size has the confidence to take a jack than it can, ir not it will back off, I have had some insedents with a cast of harris( male, female) the pair were good cottontail hunters, but obviously not very confident about taking a jack and let two or three pass before finally taking a quick stoop and grabbing some fur. This is about the only inncodent I have had with jacks, but it shows how birds won't take something they aren't confident enough to take
just my thoughts
" Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH" -Patrick Henry
Yeah confidence is def. big. I've seen a FHH turn completely off rabbits, except will give a 15% chase sometimes. BUT, will give all he@@ to squirrels. My FRT missed a good bit of rabbits before getting one, then missed a bunch more (half of the time she would pull fur due to dull talons). This killed her confidence. Once we got into squirrels she started excelling and eventually she killed 13 times in a row. Confidence confidence $
I agree that confidence is big, the my bird caught the first rabbit it chased (a CT) and the next hunt the first thing he went after was a jack and not a small one.
If you start hunting in august there should be a good number of young stupid confidence builders if you know what I mean
Post by Master Yarak on May 25, 2007 6:30:20 GMT -5
Certainly confidence is a major contributor. Entering is also important. Most Jack chases I have seen cover quite a bit ground. Fitness is crucial. Size does play a role as well where the Jack is hit. Make in quick and expect a few to break lose. Yarak
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away