im a happy chappy today

[Moses]

just bought my first falcon a luggar/saker


haha she is so beautiful


of course im a beginner but i aint that stupid coz i got him to keep it their for 6 weeks or as long as it takes for me to get trained


it started one of my customers i asked him a few weeks back while he was in the shop, do u know anyone near glasgow who has a falcon mate, he told me yes one of my friends does he has loads.

so 2 weeks later he got me his number and details, he stays near loch lomond and runs a fishery where he works in carbeth near drymen, pheasant and rabbit area loads of em their.

all i wanted was someone to train me before i go for a hawk or something, this was before i joined here, brian has been so helpful, thanks brian i will bring it up when i get trained a lil bud :D.

so i spoke to him yesterday, he told me come on up anytime u wish, i dont charge to train fellow falconers , its s sport he helps young kids and anyone to get a hang off.

sounded just like oor brian , helpful and generous, i went to his house today, this guy who works in drymen and God what i shock i had :D amount of birds he had, i went to see him earlier when he was at the fishery he didnt bring any birds with him for hunting today he was with his lady and motorbike, it was his day aff so he was just fishing so he told me to come to his house later and i did


this is what he had

1 gyr/saker
1 luggar/saker, both so beautiful the gyr/saker still getting trained its still young the luggar is a trained killer, it hunts pheasants, ducks, fur and crows, it luvs crows he told me.

and he had a most beautiful buzzar, he got it from a rescue centre, i cant believe how massive it was like an eagle and so tame, it didnt even nip and he didnt wear a glove either, so tame.


and he had 2 barn owls , ferrets and a bengalese owl for lamping

and 2 harris hawks one his and one his mates.

these female hawks were huge and he let me handle them all , his mates hawk was nice and tame but did nip a few times it didnt hurt, it was alot bigger than the falcons which i was shocked at, i thought falcons would be bigger.

then i handled the ones i really liked the falcons, the gyr was nice and not nippy and just a lil hyper didnt want to be held, but still nice.

then i held the luggar. falcon the experienced one, man it was small but my God the power of its nip, it still hurts after 2 hrs :D

so small but the bite was 6 times nippier than the harris hawk, harris hawk bite i didnt feel at all.

but what a bird, so beautiful , well i decided i wanted that one, so asked him a favour to keep it their till he trains me and he said im available at work 5 days a week, u can come everyday if u wish and he is gonna teach me to hunt and handle and feed and make perches with logs and astro turf and train and also make leashes and jessies.

i met his mate at his house he trained him as well he had a harris hawk nicest of people

and varmint aka adrian knows him, adrian its stephen from carbeth fisheries mate, he asked me if i knew adrian perth fishery, i said oh aye he is in the same club, he recommended u alot, said u were awesome and one of the best in scotland, well done mate :).

this guy was very nice and helpful and generous, i got a good bargain coz i was a beginner

i will get the scale, gloves, perch , hoods and jessies and leashes for free , i liked the gyr/saker but he said the luggar was better for me coz im a beginner and its well trained and a experienced hunter

i wish i was fully trained i wanted to bring it home

white and grey, beautiful the luggar/saker was

im glad this forum is here, i can share my happiness with u guys, this site helped me alot and so has the mods and members

thanks to u all :)

[OutOnAWing]

good luck,lugger do hav a mind of there own,but thats the fun of them

[Moses]

mate r they tamer than peregrines , cheers bud God willing i hope i get used to it :D, very nice though

[BrianM]

moses, moses your far too keen by half. so you have bought this bird , but the guy is looking after it for you ?? did you get any garentee that if anything happens to it while its in his care HES responsible.. iam not trying to tell you off or anything but i feel that you have rushed into this

[Moses]

moses, moses your far too keen by half. so you have bought this bird , but the guy is looking after it for you ?? did you get any garentee that if anything happens to it while its in his care HES responsible.. iam not trying to tell you off or anything but i feel that you have rushed into this
i have rushed into it bud but i couldnt help it , so beautiful

mate if anything happens he will give me the other ones, he is that kind of guy, he has a good reputation mate, heard about him alot before

but i def agree with what u are saying, he didnt want the money yet till i collect it he said he will keep it for me and i paid him a deposit bud

he actually gave me alot of stuff with it that he wasnt gonna, coz i told him i need to save up for stuff and training, he said its cool i will give u everything u need

he is gonna get his mate to make me a transport box too and also he is a mate of my old friend from easterhouse too.

mate if u pass by gies a shout he told me to phone a day before i come up so he takes the bird to work with him

he has the rights to his boss's land all yr round and not seasonal. pheasants, birds etc

so come along :D with baldric mate

[Shaun Byrne]

Good luck Mate, you'll need it!
Why is this guy getting rid of such a good bird? Are you sure its a Lugger/Saker and if so who bred it? Luggers are not known to be very good hunters mate so ask for some kind of proof that it has even been entered.
One last thing mate, all game is seasonal, this is dictated by law not the land owner.

[Moses]

mate i hope it is, lanner or luggar saker , it was white and had a sharper beak than the gyr /saker and harris hawks
he told me i could take any but he recommended this one coz it was experienced

he told me to come up anyday at work and he will bring the bird and show me how it hunts mate

i dont know who bred it bros its registered at the ibr and also had a chip in it to track it.

hawka i asked him that about the seasonal but thats what he said i will ask him again cheers :)

he had alot of birds their mate , he keeps them and trains them and then sells them after a few yrs

it was like a petty zoo at the back the amount of stuff he had so many bloody perches and 4x4 foot avairys and big ones

mate if i want i can get him to give me the gyr/saker instead if its better

what do u think

cheers

[Moses]

mate give him a wee call he said its a luga luga saker a 2x luggar 1 times saker whatever that means

[Kevin Massey]

hell i've seen it all

[Moses]

hell i've seen it all


lol :D once it gets used to u, does it stop nipping

[Gaz]

:?: :?: :?:

[OutOnAWing]

i should think the mother was a lugger and the father a lugger/saker. its usually the female first, well it is round here.sounds a nice bird.you'll hav to get a pic of her moses

[BFC 007]

ooaw-i thought its the father first?

[OutOnAWing]

im not sure,its a long while since we've had a hybrid. i've just checked some old paperwork and your right squire,i stand corrected

[BFC 007]

cool

[Kevin Massey]

who cares!!! its a joke yes?

[OutOnAWing]

:?: :roll:

[Sprout]

Is this for real?

[Sprout]

Hopefully if the new plans from the Hawk Board regards a falconry qualification pass through there will be some accountability for people selling birds and we will be spared this sort of thing.

[Darren]

http://yelims1.free.fr/Animaux/Animaux23.gif

[HawkMan69UK]

no way.....no disrespect but am i reading this right newbe falconer secound hand bird no training(falconer)....recepie disaster

[Darren]

http://yelims1.free.fr/Animaux/Singe01.gif

[HawkMan69UK]

tommorrow im gonna buy a dolphin cause the look beutiful :chain:

[OutOnAWing]

not necessary along as the falconer good to his word and is willing to train him for the bird

[Finnish]

Nice one darren :lol:

[OutOnAWing]

where are u guys getting these other smilies

[HawkMan69UK]

but the guy does not know what he wants saker lugger lanner budgie

[Finnish]

:plasma:

[Darren]

http://yelims1.free.fr/Animaux/Animaux40.gif

[OutOnAWing]

we're all started at the bottom,give the guy a chance.
we were all learners once.

[Darren]

http://yelims1.free.fr/Animaux/Animaux24.gif

[OutOnAWing]

allright darren i give up tell me :twisted: :yawinkle: :yawinkle:

[HawkMan69UK]

every one gotta learn somewhere i agree but you gotta know yor subject i hope he turns out to be cracking bird and falconer but get your equipment training and background knowledge wayyyyyyyyyyyy before you get a long wing hitting you square in the back cause your too slow on the lure... oppps :lol: maybe thats just me :axe:

[Moses]

i should think the mother was a lugger and the father a lugger/saker. its usually the female first, well it is round here.sounds a nice bird.you'll hav to get a pic of her moses

thanks mate will do :)

will try to get a pic next week

[OutOnAWing]

no been there, done that but it was my a**e,but may be cos i'm a woman it when for a softer landing :lol:

[HawkMan69UK]

ouch :oops:

[Moses]

every one gotta learn somewhere i agree but you gotta know yor subject i hope he turns out to be cracking bird and falconer but get your equipment training and background knowledge wayyyyyyyyyyyy before you get a long wing hitting you square in the back cause your too slow on the lure... oppps :lol: maybe thats just me :axe:

yes u are right mate i do agree with your posts, the guy gave me his word the falcon will be fine and he will be their to train me so i thought it would be ok

will give it a try but thanks for your smilies and posts :D

[BrianM]

i hope none of you guys take this as a reflection of me... this guy posted that he wanted to take up falconry and was looking for someone in this area to show him the ropes.. i said i would do it ,, but from the start it was peregrine this peregrine that.. if i told him once i told him a dozen times the bird comes last... and it wouldnt be a falcon..,, i spoke to him last night and invited him to come and see my set up and birds next sunday as he works to 6pm every night ( i told him that i didnt have the time for a bird with hours like that ) anyways now he has gone and bought a falcon ,,, and thats all he has bought,, no glove scales even mews,,,i despair... i dont blame moses i blame this guy who the hell sells a falcon to a green novice

[HawkMan69UK]

moses i do wish you good luck and any help along the way you need you will probebly find it here but you have to understand lots of people get into falconry for the wrong reasons ie the birds look pretty.. do your background there are thousands of years of history in our sport take awhile to read some of it not just the quick new solutions becauce most are not new just revised.. good luck with falcon and pester if you have to the guy you bought him from for knowledge :goodman: right back to where the new smilies coming from :twisted:

[Sprout]

And we learnt first!!!

[HawkMan69UK]

no glove scales even mews,,, moses stop get ya money back and listen to brian

[Kevin Massey]

nope Brian.......dint think any one will look at it as a reflection on you ...after all what you have advised him on is about spot on...

and what you say there is about spot on as well........only thing is if moses thinks this is a good site with sound advise....why the hell don't you use it there m8y.
after all forums can be a use full place to pick up good information...but no one will help you if they cant take you seriously !!!

[Moses]

i hope none of you guys take this as a reflection of me... this guy posted that he wanted to take up falconry and was looking for someone in this area to show him the ropes.. i said i would do it ,, but from the start it was peregrine this peregrine that.. if i told him once i told him a dozen times the bird comes last... and it wouldnt be a falcon..,, i spoke to him last night and invited him to come and see my set up and birds next sunday as he works to 6pm every night ( i told him that i didnt have the time for a bird with hours like that ) anyways now he has gone and bought a falcon ,,, and thats all he has bought,, no glove scales even mews,,,i despair... i dont blame moses i blame this guy who the hell sells a falcon to a green novice



thanks brian mate, he gave me the gloves, perches, hoods, leashes and jessies mate along with the falcon

i only bought it not coz of the looks as u know i wanted a peregrine thats why i wanted yours, and u told me to start with a young hawk, coz the guy gave me his word he will look after me and train me i thought why not give it a go.

and hawkman69 thanks for your kind words but , i felt a lil hurt when i read your post first the other ones only coz u were right, made me feel real guilty coz i know i should have gone for a hawk and trained myself properly .

i hope to God i got it right, he is only a 20 min drive from me as well as brian is too.

and hawkman i just saw your last post before i submit this yes bud he gave me all the stuff and the mews im getting one built next week, the bird is with him till the next 6 weeks or so and i will get used to it while training with him

and then im gonna man it while its here in the house maybe then go hunting not alone but with the guy who sold it to me and his mates, they all have falcons and hawks

cheers

[Moses]

nope Brian.......dint think any one will look at it as a reflection on you ...after all what you have advised him on is about spot on...

and what you say there is about spot on as well........only thing is if moses thinks this is a good site with sound advise....why the hell don't you use it there m8y.
after all forums can be a use full place to pick up good information...but no one will help you if they cant take you seriously !!!

sorry mate i do understand, i should have

[Will]

Moses, the first piece of advice you need is to get a book! See the thread on " Hawking and Falconry For Beginners".

Secondly, you need to take your time and meet the right people. The 'right people' will not try and sell you a bird!

A little patience now will pay dividends in the end. Good luck!

[HawkMan69UK]

moses your obviosly very keen but take the advice people are giving you ask this guy maybe you got it wrong and get a young one after you do some training if he cares about his hawks he wont have a problem with this

[Sprout]

Keep your money mate and learn first, it'll save a lot of heartache and pain (for the bird as well as you). Go out with the blokes who have offered advice and TAKE their advice. As you've probably realised already this is a very contentious issue with everyone here, no offence but with the current anti-hunt feelings etc it only takes one person to bring the sport into disrepute by not knowing what they're doing to ruin it for EVERYONE.

[Kevin Massey]

A little patience now will pay dividends in the end. Good luck!

very wise words

kev

[Moses]

Moses, the first piece of advice you need is to get a book! See the thread on " Hawking and Falconry For Beginners".

Secondly, you need to take your time and meet the right people. The 'right people' will not try and sell you a bird!

A little patience now will pay dividends in the end. Good luck!

thanks mate will do :) and thanks to all of u


i will speak to the chap and see what he says, he had a harris their i asked him if he can sell that, one was his own for rabbit and training kids, he didnt want to sell it the other was his mates

i actually asked him for the buzzard as well as the luggar, buzzard was the tamest and didnt need to hunt , i dont know what came over me when i saw them, i thank God for eyes to see these beautiful animals, so lovely

[OhMyGod]

If I were you mate, I'd be asking alot of questions on hear. It's obvious you have made your mind up what you are going to do (despite brians advise which you must have knows sounded like good advise) so I will not advise you to get you money back, as I do not believe you would anyway.

Brian gave you some advise and you have not taken it. This may be a bad mistake for you but try and get as much knowledge as you can now.

There must be soo much you don't know about!!! Why are you not asking for help already, with things you are unsure about.

[Sprout]

Don't get any. Listen to the advice being given

[Moses]

If I were you mate, I'd be asking alot of questions on hear. It's obvious you have made your mind up what you are going to do (despite brians advise which you must have knows sounded like good advise) so I will not advise you to get you money back, as I do not believe you would anyway.

Brian gave you some advise and you have not taken it. This may be a bad mistake for you but try and get as much knowledge as you can now.

There must be soo much you don't know about!!! Why are you not asking for help already, with things you are unsure about.

i would have asked for alot of advice mate why i didnt was coz the man i bought it off said he will teach me everything and his mates too he makes furniture, equipment and his own mews and all the training and food wise he said i can get it from him at cost, he always has boxs in his freezer etc

see i stay in shawlands mate he is near lochlomond its not that far at all only 20 mins or so and where i work it only takes me 15 mins from their to get to his work place

i swear if he wasnt gonna teach me i would have never gone for it at all, just when he gave me his word i said ok.

[Gaz]

Any body know anything about pigs???..sorry,abit off thread..its that i heard you cant educate pork :!: ..oh..still on thread afterall :twisted:

[Shaun Byrne]

This has got to be a wind up!!!

[OhMyGod]

Difficult place to be as a novice, hard to say no.

I personally would still be asking plenty of questions on hear, it's not always good to learn from one person as you'll find out.

There MUST be somethings you feel you need to find out about

[Moses]

Any body know anything about pigs???..sorry,abit off thread..its that i heard you cant educate pork :!: ..oh..still on thread afterall :twisted:


u talkin about yourself gaz, u a pork pie or something


learn some manners would u

[HawkMan69UK]

gaz you already know about pigs ive seen some of the women you slept with ::bio:

[Gaz]

learn some manners would u
whatever

[Moses]

gaz you already know about pigs ive seen some of the women you slept with ::bio:

haha nice one mate , thanks u cheered me up :D haha some man i was having a downer till i saw this post, class

[Moses]

learn some manners would u
whatever


my dear, u sound like u having the time of the month, take some period pain killers , u will be all fine

[Gaz]

:mrgreen: :supz:

[Shaun Byrne]

PLEASE someone tell me this is a wind up :twisted:

[Finnish]

I dont think it is mate.

[HawkMan69UK]

moses easy on gaz hell drive to scotland tonight ....he has forgetten more than you will learn for quite some time mate...i :drinkers:

[Kevin Massey]

moses u aint an arab are u?..............only because i have a big bucket of sand here for sale !!!

[Gaz]

only because i have a big bucket of sand here for sale !!!
You wanna learn some manners dude :finga:

[Kevin Massey]

moses are you sure you have put your date of birth right on your profile?

[Moses]

PLEASE someone tell me this is a wind up :twisted:

it isnt mate

im gonna speak to the gentleman tomorrow and ask him if its possible to hold on to the deposit till he can get a hold of a hawk, i dont want to ask for my money back, it will be messing him about, coz he is a nice guy and was very helpful.

mate he is a hawk trainer, had alot and adrian varmint will be able to tell u about him, he knows him, so stephen said guy said himself this falcon he told me about was just ok for me as a harris is coz the way he trained it, so he said

im new to this mate and i took his word

guy is giving me a 6 week course for free along with it

but will speak to him anyway

[Moses]

moses are you sure you have put your date of birth right on your profile?


im sure mate, i made a mistake mate doesnt mean im the butt of your jokes

but if it makes u happy your welcome

[Will]

Moses, please remember the first consideration is always what's best for the bird, as with any animal. Anything else is secondary. I wish you all the best with whatever decision you make.

[Shaun Byrne]

Moses if you're not winding us up, here are a few things to think about:

1. Under no circumstances buy any bird of prey!!
2. Take a deep breath
3. Buy some good falconry books
4. Under no circumstances buy any bird of prey!!
5. Go on a falconry course
6. Go out with an experienced falconer
7. Under no circumstances buy any bird of prey!!
8. Buy all your equipment.
9. Read some more books
10. Under no circumstances buy any bird of prey!!
11. Do another falconry course.
12. Consider starting with a Harris, Redtail or Common Buzzard under the watchfull eye of your mentor.
13. Fly it succesfully for 5 years at least.
14. Find a falconer to take you out flying Longwings for a season.
15. Consider buying a decent hunting falcon and fly it at least 4 days a week during the season and serve it well.

[Kevin Massey]

no the only reason i ask ....... there is a lot of wanna-be junior falconers go through this forum and get a far better responce than you have had.......but there again the look listen and learn..........yes you get the comment in " i wanna get an eagle"........but they dont just go out and do it...

you are going to get a lot of flack thats for sure.......buy if you could see this trend as others do you would see why....between your avitar and your gung-ho approch.....u come over as immature ( thats rich from me i know)(( maybe i'll take a little heat of you for this now :lol: )

kev

[Shaun Byrne]

no the only reason i ask ....... there is a lot of wanna-be junior falconers go through this forum and get a far better responce than you have had.......but there again the look listen and learn..........yes you get the comment in " i wanna get an eagle"........but they dont just go out and do it...

you are going to get a lot of flack thats for sure.......buy if you could see this trend as others do you would see why....between your avitar and your gung-ho approch.....u come over as immature ( thats rich from me i know)(( maybe i'll take a little heat of you for this now :lol: )

kev

:supz: Nice one, MR Mature :D

[Gaz]

immature ( thats rich from me i know
"Ang on,got to wash the kettle out...its all black :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[Kevin Massey]

**** off

[Finnish]

:lol: :lol:

[Gaz]

**** off
Dont be so childish :finga:

[Kevin Massey]

i want my ball back.........now leave me alone :butthead:

[BrianM]

after alls said and done there has been a failure here.... i said to moses over and over again NOT to buy a bird, he failed to listen, this guy who has sold him the bird has failed moses and the falcon ( by introducing the two)......a sorry situation,,,

[Finnish]

I agree with you Brian.

[Kevin Massey]

brian are you still offering to take him under your wing?

kev

[OhMyGod]

I feel that if you want to fly peregrines in the future and like the idea of longwings, as opposed to hawks, you would be better off getting a longwing first. And not a hawk. If you have the time to fly it most days. You can always go before work.

Pure lanners are a good beginners bird. You could learn what you think you need to know from this guy, and hear, and get yourself a lanner when they are hard penned in a few months.

Lanners are quite underestimated birds and are capable of hunting well.

A lanner will be far better at hunting then a lugger, and much easier to manage, and tame down.

If you have contry with either:-

partridge
teal
woodcock
snipe
maggies
birds from hedges

[Finnish]

If you take him you must take his bird as well.....

[Moses]

after alls said and done there has been a failure here.... i said to moses over and over again NOT to buy a bird, he failed to listen, this guy who has sold him the bird has failed moses and the falcon ( by introducing the two)......a sorry situation,,,

brian i swear mate my intention was to just get training from him, nothing else instead of travelling far away and doing it he was local

i only went to see him about training and while talking i was convinced that i dont need a hawk and this falcon will be ok and he would train me till im ready .

me being new mate to me their was no difference between a hawk and a falcon, thats the way it was put to me and i went for it

honest to God my attention wasnt to even get a bird at the mo till i train properly, i even asked u that if i do buy a bird can u keep it at your place for me brian while im training, and u said no the bird should be the last thing in your mind, and i did agree

but when my intention was just to get training and your tempted to buying this bird and been told u will get back up and its just as easy as a harris hawk , i felt maybe he is right.


sorry brian about this mate, should have listened to u properly

[BrianM]

mixed feeling about this chaps,,after talking to moses for afew days now he has done the very opposite of what ive asked,,, and as he says he has this new guy to train him, the only difference is i wasnt looking to sell him a bird

[OhMyGod]

Just because you are a beginner does not mean you have to start with a broadwing guys does it!!

We all know this is pompus **** and not the correct advice.

A beginner who likes longwings can easily do his homework correctly, hang out with other falconers, get prepared and buy a lanner AND do it justice!!!

Saying he HAS to get a broadwing first is total *****.

[Kevin Massey]

the only difference is i wasnt looking to sell him a bird

good point to start on that brian...better to learn off some one who's only gain is personal satisfaction.....has to be a winner that

kev

[BrianM]

Just because you are a beginner does not mean you have to start with a broadwing guys does it!!

We all know this is pompus **** and not the correct advice.

A beginner who likes longwings can easily do his homework correctly, hang out with other falconers, get prepared and buy a lanner AND do it justice!!!

Saying he HAS to get a broadwing first is total *****.
not when you work from 8am till 6pm 6 days aweek as moses does and certainly not when youve not got ANY equipment or a place to keep a bird

[Kevin Massey]

Just because you are a beginner does not mean you have to start with a broadwing guys does it!!


i dont think any one is saying that here...its the "ive just bought 1"that has every on concirned thats all
kev

[Fox]

People are so differant dont you think?

When i started i read loads of books and got all the furniture, orderd my redtail and waited 8 months for the bird to be hatched and ready!

My red was 22 weeks old when i got him i did want him sooner but the breeder would not release him till he had grown up mentally he said.

What a shock i had when i got him home, he was hissing and trying to foot me and i thought to myself "what have i let myself in for".

It took hours and hours of manning to calm this beast down, but now i can touch any part of him and he does not mind at all , or he just tolarates it.

This season he has caught 5 rabbits and i am sure he will be even better next year!

All i know has come out of books and i have never spoken to a fellow falconer. I might be doing things wrong but i just dont know . I can only judge by my bird and he seems well ok.

I am the oppisite of Moses and find it very hard to ask for advise but it has all turned out all right.

[ColdZero]

Moses, you shouldn't ever get a bird imo. READ BOOKS, learn as much as you can from forums like this, then after you think you have learnt as much as possible from reading, spend the 6 weeks with this guy and buy ALL your stuff fist. Meaning mews, having phone numbers ready if the worst happens etc. All you should be learning imo from this guy is confidence handling and flying birds, and seeing hands on how they should be flown. IMO.

If you had atleast tried to learn, and had a better excuse other than 'they are beautiful birds'...then maybe i would think you should learn and get a hawk. However, you did not.

[LanczSpringer]

Bloody hell thats quick!

I have been intrested in falconry since I was 8 yo, and still no bird!
I have joined a club, met a local guy who is teaching me, read what must be 20 -25 falconry books and bought all the equipment bar telemetry and still not got a bird yet!
I know its hard but I see it that I didnt have enough spare time in my life to do a bird justice, (I will do soon though last exam 18th may!;-) )

All I can say is slow down, read books!
Be a sponge and soak up all the info you can get on falconry, once you have done this for a little time you can sort the wheat from the chaff and understand what is good advice.

Swallow your pirde mate, phone him tell him you have changed your mind and that you are not ready for a bird yet! After all why would he want ot keep a harris hawk for training kids if a falcon was so easy!

[Varmint]

This guy is a Hawk trainer? and i know him? what is his name?

Well guys i have to question someone (bird previouse owner) who is willing to sell a bird to someone who knows so little, has no equip and accom?

I dont care what species of bird it is?

And as for starting with a long wing? Be honest Guys, Falconry is the sport of Hunting wild Game with a trained BOP, not flying a falcon to the lure everyday.

How long did it take you guys to learn to swing a lure? To hood a bird? To handle a bird in training and house the same bird without breaking feathers?

How many of you could offer a longwing a flight every day of the season? i struggle and i do it full time?

Big, Big Mistake Moses.

Ill tell you what mate? give me a PM and come and spend the day with me foc, ill give you an idea of whats involved before you get the bird, and if you still want it after, thats fair enough!

[Finnish]

Big, Big Mistake Moses.

Ill tell you what mate? give me a PM and come and spend the day with me foc, ill give you an idea of whats involved before you get the bird, and if you still want it after, thats fair enough!


You can't refuse an offer like thet Moses!!!!

[OutOnAWing]

moses,you will never find two falconers that agree on the same thing,the only thing i will say is to also find an alternative food source than your trainer(just in case u fall out),a good bop vet(because bop hide that theiy are ill til the last moment and then often thats often too late).although i do agree a bit with OMG,there are too many buzzards ,harris' and owls that hav been used as a training tool only to be dropped for the DREAM BIRD when they're finished.take your time, if the bloke is for real he will hold the bird for longer if your not ready.pick lots of brains(although a few are a bit dodgy on here :lol: )and enjoy, thats the main thing,falconry is not a chore, its a love.you WILL get there if u persevere. GOOD LUCK
P.S alot of choice of what bird u fly comes from what land that U (not someone elses) hav aquired for flying and what time u dedicate to it.

[Bod]

Moses

Do yourself a favour and lose your deposit if necessary for your sake, the sake of the bird and the reputation of falconry.

In the words of Max Bygrave "Let me tell you a story".
I have had an interest in ornithology since I was a lad. BOP have always held a special attraction for me and about ten years ago I thought I was ready for my own HH. I went out with a chap who had a HH but then I thought about if I was ready for the commitment. I had 3 young kids at that time a job, were I didn't know what time I would be getting home or even which day. I decided not to get a bird.
That desire for a BOP has burned in me ever since.
Last November I decided the time was right. Kids growing up, change of department at work, set hours, weekends off.
I posted a request for advice on the forum regarding which bird to get, clubs to join etc.
I found a Harris for sale close to where I live and I went and put a deposit on it, just like you.
The breeder said he would hold the bird until I was ready.
I got home went on the forum and more advice had been given. The advice was don't get a bird yet wait till next year. Wrong time to get one etc.
My heart sank mate, but I was to stubborn to phone the breeder and lose my deposit. I was also too embarrassed to tell the forum what I had done.
4 weeks later I was in possesion of a male Harris.
Had concerns regarding the condition of the bird, but just had to have my own, so I could mann him over the Christmas period.
36 HOURS LATER MY BIRD WAS DEAD!
Had a PM done and he had E Colli, septicemia a damaged cere where he had flown into the wire in the previous aviary, under weight and was in a very poor condition according to the vet.
I tried talking to the breeder but he wouldn't give me my money back, although it was pretty clear the bird was in a poor condition at the time of sale. I had tried to do things right as I had insured the bird the day before I picked him up, booked him into the vets for a MOT the following week.
As a compromise the breeder offered me a female Harris for the difference in price between the male and female approx £100. The vets bills had come to well over £100.
Having checked with the vet I decided to take the female as I thought I could at least sell her and get some cash back.
Anyway mate I still have her, cause I love her. I worked through Varmints book and had her flying free fairly quickly.
I am putting her down to moult at the moment (unless advised differently)because I have been advised not to enter her on young bunnies that will be above ground very soon.

Long winded I know mate, but I was still stubborn enough to have a bird, didn't want to lose my deposit, but it cost me a lot more in PM fees. Might have ruined a bird cause she hasn't been entered etc etc. Oh and the worst thing of all a bird died, because of my impulse and lack of experience.
I know you have the advantage of an older bird, the word of the seller that he will train you and provide all the necessary equipment etc etc. But do yourself, the bird and the reputation of falconry a favour and stand back.
I think the majority of postings here from experienced falconers is 'Don't do it'.
Don't want to hear 'Told you so'. in a few weeks or months.

Get our with the chap who has offered the bird to you and see how it is done, give yourself a year or so to learn the basics then make a decision.

Good luck mate

[Falconer]

Loads of good advise m8
Burning question is will he listen :?:

[Hawkmaster]

Wow this is a hard one, the guy has doone something and we all JUMP on him from a dizzy height.

Loads of good advice, so how can we help and only be positive or please sit this out, .............please!

I believe if the bloke is getting one to one training he can jump straight to a falcon, I have taught people that had already gone and bought one and had it in their possession, so instead of making things worse, we solved it.

We all know why we should start with a broadwing because there is more to falcons, although I think they are dead easy in most cases to train.

Lets do the RIGHT thing, all of us, including Moses!