Experiances with Female Gyr/Peregrines, Anyone?

[Jonathan526]

I'm weighing the idea of gamehawking a female Gyr/Peregrine hybrid. Recent CITIES regulation changes have made these birds a little more accessible. My main quarry would be Black ducks and Mallards but, I wouldn't be opposed to chasing Canada Geese. Anyone have expireance with these birds? I've spoken with a couple people on this side of the pond and I've heard some incredible stories. I heard a story of an imprint female hybrid that chased down a grouse that flushed while she was still on the fist. I've also heard that its more difficult to keep their pitch, but nobody I talked to utilizes kite training. Stories, advice are all welcome.

Jonathan

[Hatchero]

I'm weighing the idea of gamehawking a female Gyr/Peregrine hybrid. Recent CITIES regulation changes have made these birds a little more accessible. My main quarry would be Black ducks and Mallards but, I wouldn't be opposed to chasing Canada Geese. Anyone have expireance with these birds? I've spoken with a couple people on this side of the pond and I've heard some incredible stories. I heard a story of an imprint female hybrid that chased down a grouse that flushed while she was still on the fist. I've also heard that its more difficult to keep their pitch, but nobody I talked to utilizes kite training. Stories, advice are all welcome.

Jonathan

fine falcons if you can keep them challenged--and that will take some doing. ducks are not any sort of challenge for a female GP they can catch most ducks off the fist. as you had mentioned as have being done, mine caught sage grouse off the fist on a few occasions. i was not able to get mine to really fly like i would have liked and knew she was capable of, in terms of pitch, she was just too efficient on any sort of game you could find for her--that went for chickens and sharpies as well. she did manage 7 ducks in one afternoon but that was like kissing your sister in terms of thrill factor. i have had similar problems with female gyrs, that is why i do not fly either anymore. i suppose that if you want to spend a bunch of time working your bird on a kite or similar contrivance than you might be able to pull off some occasional sport but i guess the the question begs--why bother when there are so many better choices?

Jim

[Little Joe]

You can have great fun with her on any water bird. Go for quality flights from pitch instead of large bags.

I have female Gyr x Pere as well and she looks a lot like your bird. Is it a 50/50 and what were the parents? (Black Gyr I assume, but which peregrine?)

Any chance of seeing bigger pics of her?:rolleyes:

[Jonathan526]

My avatar is of my tiercel Gyr/Peales, if I was to get this female she'll be a light colored Gyr/Peales. Something I learned from an old East Coast guy, Lou Woyce: "falconry should be qualitative not quanitative." I'll post pics if the deal goes through. I'll use whatever contrivances I have to in order to get her performance to be stylish. Hell, hybrids are already a basturdization(sp) of the sport, why not pile on a couple contrivances if it makes it more enjoyable, right?

[Little Joe]

My avatar is of my tiercel Gyr/Peales, if I was to get this female she'll be a light colored Gyr/Peales. Something I learned from an old East Coast guy, Lou Woyce: "falconry should be qualitative not quanitative." I'll post pics if the deal goes through. I'll use whatever contrivances I have to in order to get her performance to be stylish. Hell, hybrids are already a basturdization(sp) of the sport, why not pile on a couple contrivances if it makes it more enjoyable, right?

Thats the only mature attitude to have, hi 5 mate. You read Ray Turner's book, "Gamehawk: Field and Moor" ?

I'm a bit of a traditionalist (flying a hybrid, granted), so I prefer to forego too many gadgets like kites and the like if I can help it (hate lines, even creance lines), but to each his own. At the end of the day we just want to get the best out of our bird and have a quality hawking experience.

Lovely male then, sorry. Cant wait to see pics of the girl if you get her. My female's almost through her first moult and turning into a sexy beast. Black gyr x Black shaheen. Will post pics as soon as she's done - looking all scruffy now.

[FalconerDillon]

Steve Sherrod told me that he prefers female gyr/peregrines and kite trains them all. I was visiting a falconer friend in Oklahoma and went out with Steve and saw his female black gyr/peales clobber a mallard from a grand. He also flies grouse, so this might be his ultimate justification for the female hybrid.

My worry would be flying a large bird like that in Jersey. I'm always very impressed by how some longwingers manage to fly their falcons in the tight setups that they have. All of the female hybrids I've seen eat up the sky and fly incredibly wide. I would be a nervous wreck flying one in your area.

Dillon

[Jonathan526]

Its funny that you mentioned Steve. I was speaking to him on the phone about keeping a female's pitch and he seems to have a builtproof formula. The tight set up issue has been considered but my friend and I are going to give it a try anyway. A famous motorcycle racer was once quoted saying: "There's a fine line between hero and an idiot." I think flying a longwing no matter how big in New Jersey you're liable to always be seen as the later. Honestly, if I'm successful you'll never see me post anything on here about it, I'll probably post if something goes wrong. I'm not a huge fan of lines, strings, fences, I had a very bad experience where my first hybrid got tangled. If it happens again, I'll burn all my kite paraphenalia and reluctantly switch to pigeons, I mean some form of winged contrivance.
I'll post a pic of my tiercel if any will fit. Here's a link instead

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8508777@N05/2711071760/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8508777@N05/2711071760/

[Chamokane]

I have not personally flown a hybrid, but a friend that I hunt with quite a bit has a female Gyr/Anatum that he has flown for the last six years. He started her on a kite and I remember him complaining that she was taking a long time to get the idea, but a slow starter is not always a slow finisher. By the middle of the first year, she was consistently flying at about 800 feet and taking ducks, geese, and pheasants. She got whipped by a pair of geese and quit them for a while but she has not hesitated to take them since her second year. I remember one that she killed stone dead in the stoop, hitting it between the shoulders.

He didn't use any pigeons, but tossed pheasants to wean her off the kite.

Most years, he takes a trip or two for grouse and she takes them also. She takes Huns when she gets a chance but he tries to avoid them because she spent the night out once in her first year when she carried a Hun into a tree just before dark.

My overall impression of the bird is that she is a high flying, stylish game hawk with a devastating stoop. She is sweet natured and very faithful. She makes me think of an Anatum on steroids.

If anything ever happens to one of the Anatums that I am flying now, I'll probably try a hybrid, but it will probably be a male because I have no interest in geese but I do like Huns and the male would be a better match for them.

I also am not a fan of strings and lines. When I have used a kite, I attach the lure to the drop line with a little piece of Velcro so the falcon can fly away free with it with no strings attached. I attach a transmitter to the lure so I can find it if the bird finishes the tidbit and comes to me before I get to her. This is probably not a good idea in eagle country.

[Chamokane]

I forgot to mention that my friend's bird doesn't seem to require any maintenance training to maintain her pitch, she just likes to go up, could be the Anatum influence, I don't know.

Good luck.

[Jonathan526]

Hey Dave, I appreciate your input!!! Are you referring to Jeff R.? I have a close friend that stayed with a Jeff in Washington for a year. In fact this same guy is where I've gotten most of my warnings about female hybrids. This same guy has 3 pure anatums and swears by them. I'll stop flying hybrids and probably fly passage peregrines if they ever open them for take in New Jersey. Thanks again

[Little Joe]

I have not personally flown a hybrid, but a friend that I hunt with quite a bit has a female Gyr/Anatum that he has flown for the last six years. He started her on a kite and I remember him complaining that she was taking a long time to get the idea, but a slow starter is not always a slow finisher. By the middle of the first year, she was consistently flying at about 800 feet and taking ducks, geese, and pheasants. She got whipped by a pair of geese and quit them for a while but she has not hesitated to take them since her second year. I remember one that she killed stone dead in the stoop, hitting it between the shoulders.

He didn't use any pigeons, but tossed pheasants to wean her off the kite.

Most years, he takes a trip or two for grouse and she takes them also. She takes Huns when she gets a chance but he tries to avoid them because she spent the night out once in her first year when she carried a Hun into a tree just before dark.

My overall impression of the bird is that she is a high flying, stylish game hawk with a devastating stoop. She is sweet natured and very faithful. She makes me think of an Anatum on steroids.

If anything ever happens to one of the Anatums that I am flying now, I'll probably try a hybrid, but it will probably be a male because I have no interest in geese but I do like Huns and the male would be a better match for them.

I also am not a fan of strings and lines. When I have used a kite, I attach the lure to the drop line with a little piece of Velcro so the falcon can fly away free with it with no strings attached. I attach a transmitter to the lure so I can find it if the bird finishes the tidbit and comes to me before I get to her. This is probably not a good idea in eagle country.

I like what I hear! Your idea with the lure sounds appealing to me. Making mental note in bold black letters, thanks:idea:

[Chamokane]

Hey Dave, I appreciate your input!!! Are you referring to Jeff R.? I have a close friend that stayed with a Jeff in Washington for a year. In fact this same guy is where I've gotten most of my warnings about female hybrids. This same guy has 3 pure anatums and swears by them. I'll stop flying hybrids and probably fly passage peregrines if they ever open them for take in New Jersey. Thanks again

Yes, Jeff's hybrid is the bird. Her mother is a sister of my female Anatum. Pretty amazing what a guy in a wheel chair can do.

I'm sure that, like all types of birds, individual female hybrids will vary.

Richard's Anatums should be great birds. They are from Joe Terry and out of the same pair that produced the bird that won the Utah sky trials last winter. I think they are half Canadian Anatum and half Rocky Mountain Anatum. The female came from Brad Mitchell. Tell Richard I said Hi.

I agree with you that a passage Peregrine would be fun to try. I flew a passage Prairie for almost nine years and she was a kick. My female Anatum has been lost twice, once for two months and once for five months, so she has spent at least as much time in the wild as a passage bird. I can really see a difference in the way she flies now from the way she flew before she took off the second time. She has the same type of intensity and cunning that the passage Prairie had. She's not always real steady but she will usually find some way to make a kill.

[Chamokane]

I like what I hear! Your idea with the lure sounds appealing to me. Making mental note in bold black letters, thanks:idea:

Just a note of caution: if the kite is up very high, a falcon can carry the lure a long way.

[Little Joe]

Just a note of caution: if the kite is up very high, a falcon can carry the lure a long way.

Point noted. Need nice open country to do that.