Problems entering a male harris

[Adam Barrett]

i know it gettin late on in the season to ask you all this but here goes.
:?
For the last few weekends iv been flying my harris and a friends male harris wich he is trying to get enetered before he puts it down to moult.

Anyway today we went out on some killer land my fhh had 1 inthe first 10 mins so i boxed her up and put her back in the car so we set about trying to get the male entered.

we walked through the cover and soon flushed two rabbits-HO he was of like a rocket in direct persuit he was about a foot of it when it hit the cover and he swung up on to a near by fence post. i ran in to the cover like a mad man and reflushed the bunny and HO he was off again almost pacing the rabbit. we managed to flush about four more rabbits for him and it was the same every time he just wouldent connect-

this has happend for the last two weekend he wants the bnnys but doesnt seem willing to connect.

im pretty much a newcomer to all this and i told him to drop his weight but this doesnt seem to be doing any thing apart from make him vocal- i dont know what else to suggest-is the quarry to demanding for him as a first kill? is it just convidence?

i never encoutered anything like this myself so i really dont know what to suggest. ill tell him to get his ass on hear aswell :wink:

cheers guys

[ChicM]

For what it's worth, my male was the same on the first few flights at rabbit. What seemed to change the pattern was when we went out hunting with other birds (all males). Maybe it was the competition that made him try harder, I don't know, but once he had his first there was no stopping him and he's lethal now. All I can add is persevere. Once he'll take rabbits, he'll take anything!

[Adam Barrett]

So do you think if he saw my bird kill it would help?
they have flown together in the past and seem to get along fine-just never hunted as i dont think my female would ever let him near her kill?

[Goran]

She does not have to let him close and for you is better to leave it like that.He has to see the action.Weight, even he becomes vocal and not weak, will help.How is he on the rabbit lure?Was he hunting birds before this or why is he entered this late in the season?I found males are harder to start on rabbits if they heve been hunting birds in the begining.

[Adam Barrett]

He doesnt belong to me a mate got him about two months ago fresh out of the aviery?!

He is great on swung lure but never used the rabbit lure apparently he just started chasing!

He has never killed a thing.

[Goran]

Take him in the field daily and not feed 'till he catches.Try with your female in a cast.I used to fly three birds at a time and it is easy.

[ChicM]

All I can say is that he flew rabbits similar to how you describe. Then we were out with Varmint's team and he chased along with them, saw them kill a few times and the next time a bunny came out a hole he nailed it first. It was an extremely short slip so I guess the rabbit didn't have much of a chance. :oops: But the fact was he was off the fist first, on the kill first and therefore he got the reward. I let him stuff himself until he almost burst - that got his attention!

Weight-wise he was exactly the same weight that he first flew free at. Now he's killing at almost 2 oz heavier and I like that a lot more - not happy personally about keeping them on the edge of real hunger for too long. Means to an end tho.

Hope this helps...I'm no expert!

[HawkWind]

Hi .... get the dummy bunny out !!!! Fly him for 4/5 days at the dummy with a good feed of beef tied round its ''neck''....don't try and hunt , just take him for a walk (fly him from the glove ) and get a mate to whip the dummy out and run with it. Watch where he hits it ... then let him feed, and bring him home. It will teach which end to go for, and save him from a good kicking !

This way he gets a kill and a fed everytime he goes out... great for his confidence :-)... best of luck

[BlueHawk]

Might also help if you try some really easy slips (i.e get the ferrets and some holes that dont give too much cover for the rabbits) My female was late entering this season and was a bit reluctant at first, but she nailed one about 10ft out and now she won't give up until the rabbit puts in, even then she still puts her beak up the hole!!

Cheers

G.