Car Hawking

[AdeyHawk1970]

Ive seen a lot of car hawking on youtube with various hawks.The only falcon i have ever seen is an american kestrel.Are any other small falcons ever used.:?:

[Tacatanach]

Ive seen a lot of car hawking on youtube with various hawks.The only falcon i have ever seen is an american kestrel.Are any other small falcons ever used.:?:

I've heard of carhawking merlins, but have never seen it done. It is common with non falcons though- sharpies, coopers, goshawks, hhs are all carhawked here in the US in various conditions.

[Harris]

Might be worth pointing out that it is not legal in the UK, unless the vehicle is stationary at the time of the slip! :yawinkle:

[AdeyHawk1970]

Thanks for the info mate.I know it is illegal in the uk but thats why i thought are american cousins would fill me in as they seem like the car hawking experts;)

[Red Herring]

Why would you ever wish to chuck a severall thousand pound bird (or any bird for that matter) out of a moving car?:confused:

[Grey_Squirrel_Hawker]

was out with my mate and his tribred last weeknd, slippingn out the windo at crows, lol, stationary vehicle tho.

[FrenchKes]

On french military airport, we flew a tiercel grey Gyr X Peregrine on crow and rook by car hawking. At the end, this bird come back on the fist!:-P

[Dude]

Ive seen a lot of car hawking on youtube with various hawks.The only falcon i have ever seen is an american kestrel.Are any other small falcons ever used.:?:

I flown my female lanner(I know its not a small falcon...) from car on starlings(pest controll in the grapes...) and on turdus species in wintertime.

[FrenchKes]

on youtube, go to "goose hawking" for example!

[MilleniumFalcon]

me and tyson, my merlin have done played a few rounds of golf.
i mean, had a few car hawking trips.
they have never been to successfull though, although he does fly well.
he ends up ripping the prey upas he doesnt know where to take it back. more practice needed for lil ole tyson!

[SakerYZF]

Done this with large falcons, again only using the car to get close to the gulls, its a neat way of entering young potential gull hawks...

[FrenchKes]

then, there is ethical problem!

[Svato]

Do you think I can do carhawking with my female kestrel? Targets: Magpies :?:

[RyanSinTX]

It’s kind of pointless to slip a falcon other then a kestrel out the car window, most time it’s the thrill of that big stoop we want to see.

If you talking about pursuit flying the bird has such a huge advantage coming out of a car there isn’t much of a pursuit. Most car hawking flights I have seen on average go way less then 10 meters (there are always exceptions though).

I hate to pour gas on the fire, but unless you have some kind of physical disability that limits your mobility what the point of car hawking anyway?

[Jack]

Way back a million years ago falconers used to fly falcons from horseback. Just a different mode of transportation. However, It was usually done in a much different manner. Slips might go upward of half a mile. Most car hawking is done today on birds that are feeding or bathing in the ditch next to the roadway. I have done a bit of car hawking at night from the bed of a pickup truck as it was slowly driven through pastures and weed lots. And I have flown falcons out the truck window. I would spot something perched in a small bush out in the middle of a pasture and would slip the falcon out the window and then drive as close as I dare. The falcon stays in wait on and pins the birds down. I then get out and physically flush the quarry. Not really much different from riding a horse or walking up on them. They are not down in the ditch as I toss a falcon out the window on them. I fly them for the fun of it. So I really do not see the point in window hawking as it were. Car hawking can be very sporting indeed, but not window hawking. That is like raping nuns or something. Has to be a sin.
The only way you are going to be really successful with a small falcon is to choose a primary quarry and stick with that. There will be the occasional odd flush, but consider it a bonus. If you choose dove, stick with dove and you will develop a fine dove hawk. If you just go out and try flying anything and everything the falcon will never develop into a consistant killer. Especially if it is tail chasing out the window of a car.

Jack