suggestions when buying a harris hawk

[TwoHawks]

i will b gettin a harris hawk 2wards the end of the year r there ny do's and dont's things 2 look out 4 thing i should know 2 big 2 small i av considered the female would this b the best choice wot does ny1 think of male harris hawks. i understand 2 leave with the parent birds 4 as long as poss 16-17 weeks i av a breeder in mind who as been breedin birds 4 a no. of years lives in same village. not flown hawks 4 a good 20 years started of with kestrels, buzzards, owls etc ur veiws plz 8-)

[Fires59]

you will learn alot of here but try and get out with someone

[TwoHawks]

yea will do ty

[TwoHawks]

could ny1 suggest 1 or 2 excellent breeders of harris hawks possibly in the derbyshire, south yorkshire, nottinghamshire area failing that ny reputable breeder of harris hawks

[Tony15]

try mike from teeside, he was advertiseing a few weeks ago, just look at the members list

[Harris]

i will b gettin a harris hawk 2wards the end of the year r there ny do's and dont's things 2 look out 4 thing i should know 2 big 2 small i av considered the female would this b the best choice wot does ny1 think of male harris hawks. i understand 2 leave with the parent birds 4 as long as poss 16-17 weeks i av a breeder in mind who as been breedin birds 4 a no. of years lives in same village. not flown hawks 4 a good 20 years started of with kestrels, buzzards, owls etc ur veiws plz 8-)

Ok firstly, I would say slow down a little, nobody can tell you which bird to get, as it depends largely on a number of factors including the type of land you wish to fly and what type of quarry you wish to take. As you have stated a HH, I assume you wish to fly at the all the regulars such as rabbits etc. so size of bird and sex isnt really an issue, as both will take this type of quarry. If you haven't had a bird for 20 years, I would strongly reccomend you find someone in your area who is willing to take you out, although most peoples birds are now down for the moult, alternatively find a centre in your area and try to get some work experience. Please don't take this the wrong way but if you get a bird this year I fear you and your bird may become another statistic.

[KenHawker1970]

Ask the breeder if you can collect the bird after at least 20 weeks. It should be rock steady. There are loads of good breeders on here so just ask away.

Ken

[Barbary Boy]

Ask the breeder if you can collect the bird after at least 20 weeks. It should be rock steady. There are loads of good breeders on here so just ask away.

Ken
20 weeks? the season will be over by then?

[DeadDogs]

Leave the young Harris for 20 weeks or more if you can...less chance of it screaming.Sometimes some breeders will try to palm them off early to save feed,not a good idea.

[Pitbull]

20 weeks? the season will be over by then?

the first maybe but hopefully many years in the future though

[Claire]

as for male or female large or small it really is down to personal preferance, many on here want the biggest female they can find. I personally would go for a male. If you have had birds before especially a kes you should be ok with weight control but if you could get out hunting with someone it would be of great benifit to you. I'm guessing that you didn't hunt with previous birds and hunting is a whole differnt ball game to just flying. make sure you are happy to and able to dispatch quarry before you are out with a bird and have to do it, I think the best person to chat to is the breeder you have in mind. I expect he would take you out hunting before you got your bird. I know my breeder would, mostly to vet the person buying lol

[ChrisRobbo]

Depending on your quarry available i have both a male and female harris if you take hares out of the equation then i would get a mhh. Just my preference my male excels in woodland and cover where he can squezee through some tight gaps after rabbits. But it depends on your land.

As for taking from the breeder a well handled bird at 16 weeks should cause no problems! If it makes you feel better feed the bird through a shoot in its mews for 3-4 weeks without you being part of his life. I personally see no need in this.

Just alot of forethought and ask around then you should not make the same mistakes others have. Like me get the bird out and hunting as soon as possible.

Hope this helps.

[TwoHawks]

i do have access to someone who i go out with regularly,it is infact the breeder,the bird would be left with the parent/ foster birds for a good 20 weeks. its just nice to gather other peoples views when considering other birds as alot of u fly harrises. does any one have any views when first taking the bird home regarding feeding, fed on the fist straigt away or no contact or as little as possible for aweek or so:?:

[ChrisRobbo]

I would suggest starting with a well known training method from one book or person and stick to it! Don't try and mix training methods just yet!

[Jeremiah Johnson]

20 weeks In my personal opinion is Over the top !!!

Sorry but thats my personal opinion

[Mick Postin]

I'm in a similar position...looking forward to getting a HH later on in the year...done the course, been hunting, etc but would appreciate the opinions re male or female...timing etc. Fully agree with the possible confusion re different methods but would also appreciate opinions re M or F HH given land available which gives access to rabbit, pheasant, magpie, crow but little or no hare, in a reasonably wooded environment. Just canvassing opinion...?:-|

[HappyHarris]

i will b gettin a harris hawk 2wards the end of the year r there ny do's and dont's things 2 look out 4 thing i should know 2 big 2 small i av considered the female would this b the best choice wot does ny1 think of male harris hawks. i understand 2 leave with the parent birds 4 as long as poss 16-17 weeks i av a breeder in mind who as been breedin birds 4 a no. of years lives in same village. not flown hawks 4 a good 20 years started of with kestrels, buzzards, owls etc ur veiws plz 8-)
Hi TwoHawks, I'm a newgal myself but I'm with HARRIS on this mate - I've been flying three Harris' with an experienced guy, two female and one male - one aged 4yrs the other two around 8-9months old. They are all fantastic but it is crucial you consider what land/quarry you will have access to, and also my personal observation has been that though the female is bigger and therefore a little more robust, the male HH is far easier to work with, less fussy and less attitude etc - very greedy even when full so great for hunting or 'display' work. The older female is a hunter through and through and will hunt whatever - and that does mean that if you are hunting on land that also has pheasent or grouse etc and it's out of season you have to be aware and know that she will still hunt it - she didnt read the rule book you have to be there to do that all for her and be responsible enough not to hunt if you think it may become a problem or find land that is better suited. Good Luck with it all - but try to go out with a serious Harris person and see for yourself would be best ;)

[GosFlyer]

I'm in a similar position...looking forward to getting a HH later on in the year...done the course, been hunting, etc but would appreciate the opinions re male or female...timing etc. Fully agree with the possible confusion re different methods but would also appreciate opinions re M or F HH given land available which gives access to rabbit, pheasant, magpie, crow but little or no hare, in a reasonably wooded environment. Just canvassing opinion...?:-|

for your first bird you may find a male better to gain confidence in handling a harris. the females are powerfull birds. and the males will take your available quarry, it will be easier to manage the weight, and males can be more nimble in a confined wooded area, plus they eat less and cost less, if you are going to fly in dense woodland you will need to consider telemetary.:rolleyes:

[Claire]

I'm in a similar position...looking forward to getting a HH later on in the year...done the course, been hunting, etc but would appreciate the opinions re male or female...timing etc. Fully agree with the possible confusion re different methods but would also appreciate opinions re M or F HH given land available which gives access to rabbit, pheasant, magpie, crow but little or no hare, in a reasonably wooded environment. Just canvassing opinion...?:-|
with the quarry you mention I would say a male, you can take bigger quarry with a female but personally I think you get more variety with a male.

[KenHawker1970]

20 weeks? the season will be over by then?


That would be from the hatch date.
The advice I have given in my post is from my past experiences with young harrises. It worked for me. Im not here to start any arguments, just to give some advice good I hope.

Cheers Ken.