Training a competition bird

[CanadaManada]

Any Americans or Canadians on here with Skytrials stories?
Are guys flying their gamehawks in competition or are they training their birds strictly for skytrials? All I've been told is along the lines of "Kite or balloon. Birds hog-fat. Baggie pigeons."

Justin

[BarbaryHawking06]

Any Americans or Canadians on here with Skytrials stories?
Are guys flying their gamehawks in competition or are they training their birds strictly for skytrials? All I've been told is along the lines of "Kite or balloon. Birds hog-fat. Baggie pigeons."

Justin

you could equally ask the Spanish on this forum as there are dozens of competitions each year and some bird are only trained for Sky trials, while I can't imagine anyone in the US or Canada train a bird just for that (more opportunities to hunt wild game there) But yet most Sky trial winners in Spain are hunted game hawks. They seem to learn more than just from flying pigeons.

[SharpTail]

I have been to a few Skytrials and know several people who have flown in competition. It is safe to say that most of the falcons are flown at wild quarry, including ducks, Sage Grouse, Sharptailed Grouse, and Prairie Chickens.

Even though some falconers fly there birds at high weights, there are other reasons that falcons while in competition rake away also. During one flight a top contenders falcon left the area after some dill rod was showing some spectators what the wing span of his goldie was by causing it to bate from his fist as the falcon was mounting. The hyberd was recovered 11 miles up the valley.

During this most recent trials in Utah there were some pointing dog training happening about a mile north where pigeons were being flushed and shot that got the attention of more than one contestants falcon.

[CanadaManada]

Thanks guys.
More please, if anyone has anything on the kite/balloon training of the birds.

Justin

[Hawkmaster]

YouTube - Dual in the Sky Pigeon vs Falcon

[Craig S]

love the video

[Sean D]

YouTube - Dual in the Sky Pigeon vs Falcon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg4x9_pDH-I&feature=user)

Very enjoyable:lol:

[Haskins]

top video:supz:

[Little Joe]

GO PIGEON GO!!! Hahaha!:supz:

[Hatchero]

i can't say about recent years at the Utah sky trials but in years past there were a number of folks that were pretty much training their birds to win that trial-- lots of pigeons served at or near where the event is usually held. i was somewhat involved in the early ones but became disillusioned by the mixture of money with the event--that and the fact that i think training a bird to chase pigeons is (in my opinion) mostly a bad idea. my hybrid was the first hyrid to win (1981)in what was to become a long list of hybrids it was also the last bird i threw a pigeon to as well.
Jim

[CanadaManada]

i can't say about recent years at the Utah sky trials but in years past there were a number of folks that were pretty much training their birds to win that trial-- lots of pigeons served at or near where the event is usually held. i was somewhat involved in the early ones but became disillusioned by the mixture of money with the event--that and the fact that i think training a bird to chase pigeons is (in my opinion) mostly a bad idea. my hybrid was the first hyrid to win (1981)in what was to become a long list of hybrids it was also the last bird i threw a pigeon to as well.
Jim

That's an interesting view, Jim. Thanks.
BTW, did you see my pm re: tundra falcons?

Justin

[Jack]

A storm cancelled the last local sky trial here, but 2 years back I attended one. My tiercel was hot and I was hoping he would account for himself. As I pulled up to the huge open field I could see what looked like about a 40 acre lake next to it that was just loaded with ducks. I had been flying my tiercel on ducks along with most everyone else there. You can see how this was sizing up. I never did take him from the back of the truck.

Jack