as soon as I can put together the weather the time and Marry's weight all at the same time I'm there. The ground squirrels are just coming up (which are a speceis of prarrie dog or prarrie dogs are a species of ground squirrel not something I'm going to waste time over arguing. they are a challange to hunt. they do not normally venture far from their holes and you got to hope your bird and your self are looking at the same dog.
It is very common here in Utah and the surround states to take prairie dogs with buteos, short-wings like the gos and coopers' and with prairie falcons!
We slipped the birds on ground squirrels before releasing them to make sure they could hunt. I don't remember a problem with bites... we didn't use chaps... but that was a long time ago.
Post by birdguy888 on Apr 20, 2004 14:12:23 GMT -5
No matter what ground quarry you hunt there will be bites. However, I am kind of traditional in the fact that I don't use unnecessary equipment on my birds like chaps. They do not have it in the wild. It only takes one or two bites from ground quarry for your bird to immediately learn to only attack the head of the quarry and dispatch it quickly so that it will not bite it. Tiercels seem to take a bit longer to realize this compared to hens!
I'm new to ground squirrel hawking so if you have any tips on getting close enough or on getting the bird to chase the same dog you're looking at? Chris Foster
Actually out here that is easy.....they are everywhere. All you hae to do is take your bird out of the vehicle and release it. As soon as it sees one, it heads off after it trying for the closest one and if it disappears, the bird flies towards another one that has its back turned towards it. it is definately an element of surprise since they have very little vegatation or bushes to conceal themselves in.
we got the same thing here if there is any open ground and they can dig in it the dogs aare there. And the marmots. they are everywhere. And the ranchers cann't shoot them within 400 yards of the highway. They are beginning to ask if i can come around and cut down the populas. I also fallow the archers around the fields and clean up the after math.
400 yrds from the highway? Are there like Cops everywhere enforcing that law? We have a 100 yard from any building or highway structure law but none of the farmers listin to that.
But that sounds great! Now not only are you finding game for your Hawk but your also making happy neighbors as well.
That is really cool of the farmers. We have a bad problem with praire dogs and rabbits here digging so many holes that the earth sinks down and makes huge "pond like structures" in the farmers fields. They are not allowed to shoot them and the Division of Wildlife Resource told them I could bring the hawks and falcons out and take care of the problem and they all said no because they hate hawks and falcons because they kill the phesants and quail! it is just so hard to keep inbred people happy! LMFAO
Amen to that. I use to work with my bird in the front yard to keep from the distraction the rabbit cage the dove cage and the trees that are in the back yard. When I moved to the back yard, more privacy and it cut down on people driving off the road trying to see what I was doing. 2 weeks in the dront yard nothing, 2days in the back yard I get a visit from the F&W officer. inbreds rejects from HeeHaw what ya gonna do?
don't even talk about people hitting the curb.....I hae had that happen so many times it is amazing. needless to say, I USED to have a chain link fence around the yard but don't anymore! LOL The one thing that makes me even more mad is when I'm out walking a bird and a car pulls up and lays on the horn. You would die if you heard my foul mouth screaming at them! ;D
hole chicken scratch haven't had that one yet. Nock on wood. I've had people stop to talk, I've had cows stop to check out my bc trap, it was home made and was a rabbit in it at the time, My wife say that maybe it has to do with having horsemen in the area and they hate it when people do that to their horses. don't know ? I love watching them drive off the road though. ( ;DEvil sinister laugh)
Post by birdguy888 on Apr 24, 2004 13:33:22 GMT -5
Cows....yuck! I've had them step on my trap and almost every year I get some stupid, attentive person that sees the trap as they are going down the road and pulls over to see what it is and runs over it! Can't the general public just leave us falconers alone and not be so nosey! LOL