I don't think anyone can really give you a training method that will work out for you exactly. In my opinion, training is a combination of your ideas, your sponsor's ideas and other falconer's ideas.
I don't think anyone can really give you a training method that will work out for you exactly. In my opinion, training is a combination of your ideas, your sponsor's ideas and other falconer's ideas.
ya exactly other falconers ideas thats y im asking this i want to know what kinds of training methoids u used they all have the same base principal "teach the bird that u bring food and where ever you are food will be" yea i know u need to teach that to the bird but i want to know what the experiences of others were and how they got their bird to see them in that light
This is how I have gone about early training in the past:
Make sure the mews is pitch black, newly trapped hawk on bow perch. Use a very small flashlight to "light up" the glove and offer a tid bit (I like to use beef heart) once you get the bird to take it offer another, and maybe a tiring to get him to pull on the glove and step up... all this time only light up the meat so the bird cant see you at all, you just blend in to the darkness... gradually increase light levels over several days and "show" more of yourself in the light to the hawk...
Once the bird learns to eat from the glove progess to steps jumps and flights... I find you can usually double progress from the day before as a general rule. 1st a small easy tid-bit to get the pump primed... followed by an easy request (usually from where you started yesterday) , then another from where you left off from yesterday... the onto increases for todays training session, usually ending up about 2x the distance as on the previous day (This works with creance work as well). You know you push to much if you dont get an instant response. The bird should sort of get into a routine... so that once you start they are eager to keep getting food. Just make sure you dont feed to much, it is easy to do because this part of training is exciting (atleast to me ) Preweigh the food and cut it up into tidbit sized pieces... 6-10 chunks plus a few smaller ones and a bigger one/tiring is what I like to do depending on weight/response.
Then I mann alot in from of the T.V. (dark room, walk across lawn at night.. or hood). Then "intoduce" the hawk to the light, trying to do the same things we just did only now outside... You will find that they forget the early training, so just be content with stepups for the first session outside. I usually perch the bird on the lawn at about this time as well, depending how they do riding the fist.... The rest is downhill from here...
The training with the flashlight helps when the weather is bad, as you can do jump ups in the mews... and the hawk already associates the light with food...so it makes training this easier... also if you ever have to fly at dusk and stay out a little longer than you should have... teaching a hawk to come to a flashlight is a lifesaver!
I usually do some night-time training sessions every once in awhile to remind 'em. Use a creance until you know they can be trusted...