That looks like a regular bow perch unless I am mistaken. I have never heard of a U-perch, but I am only a first year apprentice also. To answer your question though, the bow perch is a very common perch in falconry particularly used for Buteos and parabuteos.
You are mistaken, most bow perches are around 30 inches wide and use a sliding ring to which the hawk is tethered. The U-perch however does not make use of a sliding ring and judging from the photo the perch does not appear to be more than 6 inches wide. If you would have scrolled further down the linked page you would have found that it is an "evolution" of the ring perch.
I haven't had any experience with them and don't know anyone who has, but I do know you can get a machine shop to make you a regular size bow perch for around $90. It seems like a pretty good idea to me and I don't really see any cons.
The reason I wanted to know if anyone had experience with the perch is because it is so small and does not use a ring. I don't plan on using the perch for weathering, I am mostly planning to use it for travel and the smaller size looks to be more convenient and practical for traveling compared to a regular sized bow perch.
i know Chuck and he uses those "u" perches he makes and they work, just another idea on a modified bow perch and space saving too. and even if you put a ring on it, that would probably work too.
I go hawking with Chuck and have seen his U-perches in use at his home. They are well made and perform flawlessly. One of the gripes that I have about some of the models on the market is the use of too thin a rod stock. Chuck uses larger-diameter, stainless steel material that will hold both the falconer and his/her bird without a problem
Keep in mind that the raptor needs only the width of its stance plus an inch or two on each side for a perch. Anything larger is overkill.
Plus, the price is right And yes, Chuck is an engineer.
I fooled around with several standard bow perch designs that I still use, and after reading Steve Martin's article in the mid 1990's Hawk Chalk, built a perch like the one U-perch. I don't use the sliding ring, the perch is so small it never fouls the leash. I called it a U-perch because I make it out of a commercial U bolt. It is just a variation of a bow perch as posted above, but works better than any perch I have used. This perch is similar to the perch used by the Coulsons with their Harris hawks. Theirs has a small flat at the top and they employ a light sliding ring. The advantage of no sliding ring is that you can put the perch in a smaller enclosure, and the leash is tied on the side where the bath pan goes. You center the perch leg with the leash, and it maximizes the size of the enclosure.
Post by bayouhawker on May 22, 2016 6:48:39 GMT -5
Matthew Mullenix uses the same perch the Coulsons use and I like the idea they have but I would rather the traditional tethering system as apposed to the new(I think I will start a thread on this)
The traditional system is horrible, and the reason so many falconry birds are lost with their leashes. The technology came out of the 1600's. Use some variation of what the Coulsons use, but the main thing is to stop carrying a perch leash. Every perch should have its own leash that is secure. Read this, take it to heart, and your hawk will be much safer.
The traditional system is horrible, and the reason so many falconry birds are lost with their leashes. The technology came out of the 1600's. Use some variation of what the Coulsons use, but the main thing is to stop carrying a perch leash. Every perch should have its own leash that is secure. Read this, take it to heart, and your hawk will be much safer.