harris hawk live quarry

[NightOwl]

what is the best way to enter your harris hawk to live quarry?
your experiences and thoughts most welcome.

[Adam Barrett]

My female harris would never have anything to do with the dummy bunny so from the outset i used a real dead rabbit this helped me with pic ups ect and the as soom as a live bunny was flushed under her she knew what to do she missed the first few but after she realised that these were harder to catch than the ones on string she started nailing them every time.

It only took her three attempts on a dead rabbit before she realised what to do.

are you having trouble entering yor harris?

cheers

[Jiff]

hi night owl, i'm new to this but like you when the time came it's a bit confusing,my intention was a dragged carcass but when the time came i couldnt get hold of one for love or money,once sky flew free the first couple of times on the training field,i just extended her free flying to the hunting field,i'm very fortunate to have land with a good head of rabbits,as i was using ferrets i hunted sky off the fist(to protect the ferrets innitialy)when i seen her reaction to bolted rabbits which was good i just bombarded her with flights untill eventually she nailed one,after quite alot of misses i must add,but them early sessions were the best for me never knowing when the first one was going to come,

[NightOwl]

jiff - did she try to nail them right from the off?
did you drop her wait further from flying free to nailing rabbits?

[Sparrow Hawker]

Hi NightOwl,

What’s your land like, there's a few members from the Wales area, who might be able to help you out if your short of land.

Entering can be a very frustrating time for the falconer; engineering an opportunity for the bird to have a good chance of a kill is extremely difficult. Quite often the bird seems to just sit and stare at the quarry as if in awe of it.

I just kept persevering and eventually the time will come, if the day drew a blank I would end it with some lure flights with the dummy bunny?

It took my harris a few outings and his first kill was a rabbit with mxy not a spectacular flight but a start.

All The Best,

HH

[Jiff]

night owl, my first attempt at free flight saw me track sky for a day and a half before catching her again,i realised i had her to high and she'd gave a false impresion of her reaction,when i look back it was an easy mistake to make with my perticular bird as even today,if i feed her right up from a kill,by the time i drive home she'll still react positively for food on the glove she's a glutten,anyway i droped her weight gradualy and flew her free at 2lb 4oz,she was 2lb 6 oz when i tried to fly her free,i know what you'r thinking,but as i said i thought i was having an instant reaction on the creance,it wasnt till i reduced her that i realy experienced instant,as i said before i couldnt get a rabbit to use and sky was comming on in leaps and bounds so i took her to the farm,the first day i just walked,no ferrets,she chased anything she seen,came close on a couple of phesant but i dont think she knew what to do when she closed in,now i was at the point where sky was flying free,hunting and returning under control,my confidance was now starting to grow,next i introduced the ferrets into the equasion,sky was already fermilliar with the ferrets but hunting together needed working on,sky was exposed to rabbits constantly while we were out,with the help of the ferrets,she chased with commitment but it was a while before she nailed one,she's now on 14,we'v had some good days together,but we'v had bad ones when it's taken all day before every thing clicked, i seriously put our success so far down to a good head of rabbits,good ferrets and above all else a bird that hasnt needed any encouragement to hunt.

[GDN]

It just depends on the bird i think. I had a male harris last season and he showed no interest in rabbits or anything else i put up for him. Even if i dropped his weight yet he would follow on come in from any distance and seemed more interested playing in the wind. This year i am flying 1 of his sisters. No dummy bunny work. Had her out flying (just messing about and following on) and she chased a pheasant that flew past her so i thought i guess she is ready. First day out hunting with ferrets she chased 2 rabbits and a hare that she put up.

[NightOwl]

been busy with the bird the last few days. she has had 3 rabbits up to now . just needs to learn to get going after them again after she crashes in after one. she seems to be a bit sticky footed sometimes when i am casting off at a rabbit. this is being done due to her not being 100% with the ferret. she is alot better now. first time out she was baiting right away when the ferret was taken out but by the end of our session she was calming down. flew her today at 2lb 2 1/4oz and she was going well. going to devon for the weekend with a few goshawks just as a spectator. can't wait to get my own. just awsome watching them go.
next time out with the harris i think i'll try her up in a tree on the last earth we ferret to see how she goes as she pays no attention to the ferret now. hope i haven't spoke too soon..

[Goran]

Before season started I was feeding my birds with domestic rabbit heads for a week.Few baggies for a male and they should start hunting.Today I had #38 & #39 with a 2004 male.