Hawking perch

[waterbug]

We just bought twenty acres in Christmas Valley, Oregon. Aka jackrabbit central of the world... Well there aren't any trees, and I'm trying to find a good way to make a tall hunting perch so I can put a few in the field. One of my sponsors suggested a normal 4x4 post, but once installed it would only make about a 6ft perch, so that doesn't seem very useful. I have a pole perch and the bird rides it well. I'd just like something taller (15 - 20+ ft?) and steadier, and am not sure how to make one without piecing two 4x4s together with metal supports, which could just break anyway. What do you all use when hawking in very flat treeless sage-filled fields?

[dirthawker]

1 1\2" pvc pipe and its collapsible

[waterbug]

Yeah I already have a pvc pole perch. I definitely like the take-apart ability. Well maybe this is the best there is.

[jfneumann57]

Hoaw much work do you want to put into it?

[profalconer]

just soar hawk a female on those jacks... i cant tell you from experience but that would be really fun i think. too bad you would have to trade up to a female. you would have to wait untill the thermals come in which i heard isnt the best for soar hawking. there is a video i have seen on soar hawking redtails on jacks and it is really windy and on a large hill.

[jfneumann57]

I soar hawk but we don't have jacks here in nc

[waterbug]

Hmm.. If Alki doesn't work out I will probably try for a female next season so I can actually have a chance at the jacks. But I'm giving him all of August to start catching stuff, and half of August will be spent down there chasing cts, quail, and possibly some sage rats. Considering that (and that my sponsors both have males) I don't mind putting work/some money into it. If you've got an idea neumann (besides possibly hiring someone to install a wire-free telephone pole.....) I'll probably try it.

[justice]

FWIW.......I live in Illinois (don't get me started !) and there are various groups & organizations that will assist you for free, or for a very small fee, with providing trees, native grasses, etc for improving wildlife areas. I happened to see an informerical bit on one of the public access cable channels the other morning while I was getting ready for work. Here in Illinois, you can get fish for stocking streams, trees, wild grasses and flowers.

You know what else you might try is to contact the local wildlife rehab club and tell them you have 20 acres where you would be THRILLED for them to release rabbits, ground squirrels, deer and ducks on ! !(SINISTER MUWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH) You could let them put up Kestrel boxes, blue bird houses...all sorts of stuff !!!

Worth a look I guess if you bought the property....you're going to have it for awhile....might as well get started planting trees now and makin' it Falconry Friendly !!!


HTH !

[moredtailboy]

go to the hardware store and by a painters pole its retractable and sturdy

[borderhawk]

Here's an idea, maybe you could check with the local utilities company and see if there's any culled or old poles that they would otherwise throw away? Otherwise, I'd say two or three people carrying telescoping field perches, and planting fast growing trees for the future are probably what I'd do.

If there's no choice of perches at all, I would think any good hawk would be resourceful enough to start soarhawking on his/her own, without requiring the training or a hill.

[Bob Dale]

I've heard of RTs soarhawking but i've only seen one. My friend Dave had one for the past two seasons (which is very unusual for him. He always releases his RT in March and gets a new one in the fall). He kept this one specifically because it would hunt from a soar. I think he said that it was the only one he ever had that would do that. He's been flying RTs for over 25 years. Dave said the b ird just started doing it on it's own. No training involved.

[borderhawk]

from what I keep hearing that seems to be the trend regarding soar hawking, either they do or they don't.

[dirthawker]

soar hawking is the same as any hunting. train them to do it in the right conditions and they are hooked. especially with a RT they are already have the predisposition to soar. my HH used to do it and I have even seen a gos that was trained for it dont know why though with the gos. in my mind you can get any RT to soar hawk you just have to want them to do it and take them out in good conditions for it. allot of the soar hawks that I have seen and hunted it is like walking with a kite with no strings

[waterbug]

Zada has soared before but usually stops quickly because we have so many trees up here. I will be flying her down on our property in July, so hopefully she will pick it up again quickly.