Just a few questions regarding falcons

[Palmer]

1.Can you free loft a falcon at flying weight?

2.Are they easier to train to a hood than a hawk?

3.Do falcons need any "specialist" training etc, i know you train to a swing lure etc?

Thankyou for your time

[SeagulBasher]

hi ed
i wouldent addvise free lofting a falcon unless its in a serclusion pen as they tend to be quite active and restless in flight pens at hunting weight that is and before you know it they've bust all there feathers on the wire
i would say there better to hood than shortwings if you do it right nothing worse than a hood shy bird hanging upside down squawking its tits off and dont try hunting them until you are sure they are fit enough for the job otherwise they get p***ed off and stop trying all the best if you get one nothing finer
colin
:supz:

[Palmer]

hi ed
dont try hunting them until you are sure they are fit enough for the job otherwise they get p***ed off and stop trying all the best if you get one nothing finer
colin
:supz:

Much like hawks in that respect, Thankyou for your advice

[Jack]

I free loft year around, but then my mews are built with that in mind. Not an open aviary. Here in the US we have federal guidelines that we must follow. But staying within that guideline I have come up with a mew design that works for just about any hawk or falcon, so I get by with it. I think most people block a falcon during the season so they are easier to manage.

I couldn't really say one is easier than the other, but I will say that for me the falcons have been real easy as compared to the accipiters. RT's and Harris hawks have been easy to hood, but I have had a few accipiters that simply refused to take the hood. I think it might depend heavily upon who is doing the hooding. I am not the best at it for certain.

I think falcons do require some sort of formal training for them to be worth their keep. Falcons are very specialized raptors actually. Not like a hawk. Flying from the hood or just slipping a falcon at a group of birds distant will work. Lots of people do it. But if you want to teach a falcon to wait on, just use the lure for it purpose rather than flying it to the lure. If you are intending to fly crows and such, lure flying will help get her fit for it. But for waiting on, it is not a good thing. You can put aside all the traditional methods and get yourself a kite. A big one.

Jack

[BFC 007]

yes
yes
&
yes
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