SquirrelHawker
10-08-2006, 02:48 AM
Hello,
I am a third year falconer here in the U.S.. I've very successfully flown a Redtailed hawk for the past two years which I released back to the wild in June. I have finished my state required two year apprenticeship and have been upgraded to General I falconer. I'm going to pick up a 20 week old FHH 8/29 to train for the upcoming season. This is going to be a new experience for me, as I am planning on trying some different training techniques than what I did with my RT. I'm using operant condition as used by falconer Steve Layman with verticles and restrained pursuits to start the process of physical conditioning and wedding to game. I won the Apprentice Falconer Of The Year Award by the California Hawking Club for 2005 for my outstanding progress of animal husbandry, success flying my RT "Rio" on various wild quarry, such as jack rabbit, pheasant, gray squirrels, and my volunteer efforts for the State of California Department of Fish & Game in raptor conservation. I'm looking forward to reading posts on falconry and how it differs from what we do in the U.S.. Falconry in the U.S. is one the most strictly regulated of all sports. I am lucky in the sense that my family farms walnuts and we live in the middle of 1000's of acres of walnut farms where I hunt the gray squirrel. I will be hunting , bunnies, and jacks for the first half of the season until my HH has learned a good footing process before I attempt to fly her on gray squirrels.That is the norm for hawking here in Northern California. I can literally walk out my back door and start hunting for suirrels, but have to travel a short distance for the jacks, and bunnies. My sponsor called It "Life On A Nut Farm" :rolleyes: I am one of the few falconers in the state of California that successfully, and actively hunts for gray squirrels. I use my own design of squirrel chaps made by Gary Brewer(Master Squirrel Hawker in the U.S.).. I am looking forward to learning different techniques, and reading your posts on how people around the globe excel in the sport of falconry.
Best Regards,
SquirrelHawker
I am a third year falconer here in the U.S.. I've very successfully flown a Redtailed hawk for the past two years which I released back to the wild in June. I have finished my state required two year apprenticeship and have been upgraded to General I falconer. I'm going to pick up a 20 week old FHH 8/29 to train for the upcoming season. This is going to be a new experience for me, as I am planning on trying some different training techniques than what I did with my RT. I'm using operant condition as used by falconer Steve Layman with verticles and restrained pursuits to start the process of physical conditioning and wedding to game. I won the Apprentice Falconer Of The Year Award by the California Hawking Club for 2005 for my outstanding progress of animal husbandry, success flying my RT "Rio" on various wild quarry, such as jack rabbit, pheasant, gray squirrels, and my volunteer efforts for the State of California Department of Fish & Game in raptor conservation. I'm looking forward to reading posts on falconry and how it differs from what we do in the U.S.. Falconry in the U.S. is one the most strictly regulated of all sports. I am lucky in the sense that my family farms walnuts and we live in the middle of 1000's of acres of walnut farms where I hunt the gray squirrel. I will be hunting , bunnies, and jacks for the first half of the season until my HH has learned a good footing process before I attempt to fly her on gray squirrels.That is the norm for hawking here in Northern California. I can literally walk out my back door and start hunting for suirrels, but have to travel a short distance for the jacks, and bunnies. My sponsor called It "Life On A Nut Farm" :rolleyes: I am one of the few falconers in the state of California that successfully, and actively hunts for gray squirrels. I use my own design of squirrel chaps made by Gary Brewer(Master Squirrel Hawker in the U.S.).. I am looking forward to learning different techniques, and reading your posts on how people around the globe excel in the sport of falconry.
Best Regards,
SquirrelHawker