falconry

Brianmeath

Dose anyone here hunt with a bird of prey? Was thinking of starting something new. Would like some advice.
Thanks

Ape Owners

Yeah theres a few on here that do,myself included.Already a couple of threads up on forum about it.Heres 2 of them,cant seem to find any of the others,maybe one of the mods will throw up a few links to them.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057124156
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056098103

Cass

I've linked to a five threads in the post in the first link Ape Owners put up.

Here it is just in case.

Brianmeath

Thanks lads,
I am at a very early stage and plan on doing lots of research before I do anything.
Just another quick one for ape owner,
Are harris hawkes hard got in ireland?
Thanks.

dodderangler

Brianmeath wrote: »

Thanks lads,
I am at a very early stage and plan on doing lots of research before I do anything.
Just another quick one for ape owner,
Are harris hawkes hard got in ireland?
Thanks.

Unfortunately Harris hawks are not hard to get which leads to a lot of clowns having them for the sake of it.
I've seen a lot on donedeal this year and not a lot of lads selling them will care if they sell them to someone that doesn't have a licence. This leading to a clown having a bird of prey. I sold mine to a lad I know who has a lot of experience and licensed and the bird is doing very well. I just hadn't got the time.

Brianmeath

Ye have been reading about birds impounded by none licensed holders. Are there any breeds you could recommend?
Would you get another harris in the future?
Thanks.

bulleyes

I got a Harris this time last year. I can say without any hesitation its the best thing I've ever done. It takes a huge amount of time to train and hunt her correctly but the feeling you get when she locks onto a rabbit and looks over her shoulder to see where you are is priceless.

Shes almost finished her molt and I just cant wait to get back in the field with her.

Training was a new experance for me but I was very very lucky in that I have an excellent mentor who is more than willing to help me out with everything.

Do your research and try to find someone close that might take you out for a few hours hunting but remember the set up costs are high, it takes a huge amount of time to do it correctly but he rewards are great.

dodderangler

Brianmeath wrote: »

Ye have been reading about birds impounded by none licensed holders. Are there any breeds you could recommend?
Would you get another harris in the future?
Thanks.

If I had time to hunt a bop I'd get a Harris. But working 6 days a week 8-6 I just don't have the time and it's not fair on a bit to be kept locked up for 6 days a week and flown for one.
Find someone close that'll be your mentor and make sure your gonna be dedicated to him, listen to what he/she tells you and if needs be write a lot of what he says down.
Can be so easily to mess up on a bird

Brianmeath

My work suits as I work 8 to 3 & I work in a large estate. I need to get some books any recommendations?
Are there any websites or forums I can join?

dodderangler

Brianmeath wrote: »

My work suits as I work 8 to 3 & I work in a large estate. I need to get some books any recommendations?
Are there any websites or forums I can join?

Irishfalconryforum.com is the place to start. Lads on that are sound lads and any close enough to you would be glad to help.

bulleyes

dodderangler wrote: »

Irishfalconryforum.com is the place to start. Lads on that are sound lads and any close enough to you would be glad to help.

I think that forum is gone now ?

Brianmeath

Ye I think its closed down. Was going to go to a center but would say they will charge a lot for classes. Dont know of anyone in my area that dose it.

dodderangler

Brianmeath wrote: »

Ye I think its closed down. Was going to go to a center but would say they will charge a lot for classes. Dont know of anyone in my area that dose it.

Centre will charge a fortune. I asked when I started and was told 500 for 4 days.
You'll need a mentor that still has a bird like the one you get and can point out what to do right and what your doing wrong.
I don't do it anymore but ape owners is sound skin and have met him few times. He knows hell of Lot more than myself and he'd be the lad to ask

goshawker

falconry basics by tony hall, falconry and hawking by phillip glasier, both very good books, read and read and then read some more try get in contact with someone near you it will surprise you how many falconers/austringers there will be close to you, first time bird a harris or a redtail fully parent reared would be the way to go, a fit male redtail is hard to beat, you will learn more with a redtail than you will with a harris,

dodderangler

A fit female Harris is hard to beat aswell though. I was always told to avoid a red tail as a first bird as they can be quite aggressive and I seen first hand how aggressive they can be but in saying that I've also seen a bad female Harris that was quite aggressive too.
Are you flying a gos?

goshawker

any bird can be aggressive without proper manning, a good fit male redtail is hard to beat it will teach you more about falconry than a harris, ive flown and trained redtails,harris goshawks,(i love manning a fresh eyas, when you get the bird eating from the fist for the first time it always gives me a buzz) a good friend of mine flies a male redtail and it is something else, it is the fittest bird i have ever seen, and he hunts it from a soar as well as hunting from the fist, it also follows on like a harris brilliant bird, a redtail will accept a dog more easily, i sold my gos a few years ago and im flying peregrines now, my younger brother flies a big male harris

Brianmeath

I ordered a couple of books so will do plenty of study before I make the move. Do ye happen to know of anyone around meath who hunts with hawks?
Thanks.

bulleyes

It’s not a great time of year for Falconry. All the hunting birds will be in the middle or near the end of their moult so most won’t be flying or even handled at the moment. This years eyases will either be in the process of imprinting or the early stages or training while some of the parent reared birds will still be with the parents.

Falconers with young birds will be busy manning and starting to train. In a couple of months time the hunting will be in full swing and there should be much more activity. As far as I know there are two clubs currently operating in Ireland. The Irish Falconry Club, they had a nice display at Birr Game fair at the weekend and the Irish Hawking Club, again a nice display at Borris Game fair last year. It might be worth joining one or the other of these and going along to a couple of field meets. Falconers are a friendly bunch and any I’ve came across are always happy to help.

I only started last year and read copious amounts of books while waiting for my bird to be ready but I reckon I learned more in my first few hours out in the field hunting with a friend and his bird than I did in all the books I’d read.

I’m based in Carlow so not much help to you as a local hunter but it you don’t get sorted locally and still have an itch in a month or so when my Girl is back flying after the moult drop me a PM and perhaps we can arrange a couple of hours out either down here or up in Meath.

If I ever get as far as 50 posts I'll put up some pictures.

Brianmeath

Cheers lad, I have some of the best ground in the country to hunt so you are more than welcome to come up to Meath when your ready.
Can offer pheasants, duck, rabbit, squirrels.
I have two working spaniels if you want to hunt your bird over them.

dodderangler

Brianmeath wrote: »

Cheers lad, I have some of the best ground in the country to hunt so you are more than welcome to come up to Meath when your ready.
Can offer pheasants, duck, rabbit, squirrels.
I have two working spaniels if you want to hunt your bird over them.

Good on that la for the offer. Most falconers will help you. Unless his bird has hunted over dogs before then the spaniels will be useful but if not then the bird won't fly.

bulleyes

PM sent to Brianmeath

Ape Owners

A few pics of my female harris pre moult.

cw67irl

Great thread lads I had no idea hunting birds like these could be owned here!!!

dodderangler

Jorala is looking mint Sean.
How was the head count for last year?

Brianmeath

She a beaut. Exciting Times ahead & I will be in touch bulleyes.
One more question for ye, is it hard to source to harris hawk?

dodderangler

Brianmeath wrote: »

She a beaut. Exciting Times ahead & I will be in touch bulleyes.
One more question for ye, is it hard to source to harris hawk?

Plenty of breeders around. Just be sure to get a pr bird and in it first year. Don't buy someone else's fcuk up. Lead to bad habits and you won't really learn.

goshawker

if you plan to buy a harris, buy a fresh eyass of the year, 100% parent reared 18-21 weeks old, alot of breeders will have birds ready in around now, but do your homework try source someone near you to help you, if you do go into it, invest on some telemetry they are worth their weight in gold,

Ape Owners

dodderangler wrote: »

Jorala is looking mint Sean.
How was the head count for last year?

16 fur,4 feather.Lost a lotta days with poxy weather.

Ape Owners

Look into the research first Brian,pm me if you got Q n A. .Hope you took the time to read all those links that were put up on the thread cos at the end of day "the bird comes first and foremost"

bulleyes

Finally reached 50 posts so I'm allowed to post images now. Here's some pictures of my "Princess" taken in March this year, the day I put her up for the moult. Any feather damage is the result of a very hard hunting season. The lighter colours are just her juvenile feathers. She's much darker now.
If these images work I'll put up some hunting pictures too.

bulleyes

Here's some hunting success images. I'm not the best photographer but you'll get the idea. Sorry about the ugly guy that keeps hanging around the bird.

I really must do some work now.

dodderangler

I've never known anyone to good their Harris. Is there a reason as to why you hood yours?
Also I noticed with my bird that I had she didn't seem to preen her feathers as much as she did in her second year.
And her feather looked in Shiite but in her second year she preened a good bit and loved her showers

bulleyes

The Hood was a personal choice. I too don't know anyone with a hooded Harris but you'd be surprised how easy its made my life. Its apparently very difficult to make an older bird to the hood so I decided to go with the hood initially and then If I decide at a later date its not for me I can just leave it off.

dodderangler

I miss doing it but I just havint got the time to fly a bird at all.
Is she finishe her moult or near the end of it?
What she flying at?

bulleyes

I can imagine how you feel. But its better to have no bird than one you don't have time for.

She's finished her moult but not back on the glove yet. I think it will be about 3/4 more days before the manning will start again. Cant wait.

Have no idea what weight she'll hunt at this year. She started last season at 1.14 and finished at 2lbs even. Both hard hunting weights. I caught her up a few days ago after 7 days without food and she was still 2.8 so quite a bit of weight to loose yet. This warm weather is slowing down the weight loss big time.

Ape Owners

Still a week or so before I'll start dropping her weight down,hope to have her going by end of month anyway.Quick question for ya Bulleyes,that FM in pic,on 434,yeah?.Just its nice to know who's on what .

bulleyes

Ape Owners wrote: »

Quick question for ya Bulleyes,that FM in pic,on 434,yeah?.Just its nice to know who's on what .

Its the FM800 on 216.

Ape Owners

bulleyes wrote: »

Its the FM800 on 216.

Cheers,on 216 myself here in wicklow.New FM 100 on way from the states.