Opocno

[Postolka]

Have anybody ever been to Opocno in my country? I mean falconry meeting every October.

[Finnish]

Never even herd of the place tell us more. :!:

[Goldie]

Yes Postolka I have been a few times and always enjoyed it. I usually go with the eagle party but sometimes I go with the goshawks. Always been lucky with the weather as well considering it is october.

[Postolka]

Every year(first week in October) there is quite a big falconry meeting in this town. photos: http://krecan.cz/sokolnici/index.htm

[MickeyDredd]

Hoping to go this year, a couple of mates were there two years ago and had a great time (budvar about 10p per bottle!!)

[Hawkmaster]

Great link and pictures too, many thanks! Are you in any of them?

[Postolka]

No, I am not. Maybe I am not as good-looking as birds of prey.

[Gaz]

Never even herd of the place
Lee,this is the one that Leon is going to,he invited us that day we were in Dodge city,..you know,when the cop wanted to take him away :mrgreen:

[Goldie]

To give you guys an idea of what goes on, it is held over three days,
Thurs Fri Sat. It is attended by falconers and followers from all over.
People who actually fly their birds are mainly Czechs with a few Germans,Austrians, at least one Frenchie that I know of and possibly one or two other surrounding countrys. Birds flown are Eagles Gosses and Falcons. A few Harris's have attended over recent years. If you have looked at the link Postolka listed above you will see many owls a kessie and one or two others,these do not form part of the hunting groups There can be varied amounts of birds turn up each year, but as an indication between 10-15 eagles, up to 20 gosses and the same with falcons, plus a few HH. Hawking parties are split into groups. If these were the numbers that appeared, groups are likely to be:- 2xgroups of eagles, 2 or3 groups of gosses being joined with the HH and a couple of groups of falcons.
Each day starts with a ceremony in the castle grounds (pictures with the arches) where the president of the hawking club makes his speech accompanied by the horn blowers and welcomes the falconers etc. The groups then head off to their designated hunting ground for the day, can be upto an hours drive away, but usually a lot less. Spectators follow the group of their choice.
When you arrive, there is ALWAYS a tavern/pub where you partake of a beer or coffee, or a bite to eat if you want before going out to the fields.
I have never been with the falconry groups so can't make comment, but the others are what we would term a walked up meet. Everyone is lined up across a field with a falconer near to each end and the rest evenly spaced between. Spectators fill in the gaps. Field master gives the word and everyone moves off trying to keep the line.These fields are huge and one runs onto another. They tend to be a mixture, Grass-plough-turnip-beetroot- with the odd smattering of cane and other vegitation (tend to find the roe-deer in there. The main quarry is hare although the eagle group are always looking for roe as well. Feral cats are also fair game. The ground hunted is chosen to suit the group therefore you wont get pheasant with the eagle group but may well do with the gosses. Incidently the gosses have taken roe as well!!. All birds are flown from the fist and the slip is taken, not by lots drawn but by whoever is nearest !! a bit dodgy in the heat of the moment but it seems to work. There is an abundance of hares and often there can be a couple of birds flying at the same time. At the end of the hunting its back to the pub for more beer, food etc and then back to the castle, All groups return with their quarry and it is placed in the centre of the square that is surrounded by some sort of follage (do not know the significance). Then another ceremony of thanks etc. takes place. This is repeated on each of the three days.
The pictures you see of the tethered birds are taken in the walled garden across the yard from the castle. they stay there overnightor at least most of them do. Some of the faces in the pictures you may recognise as there is usually a number of brits appear. Terry Large goes most years, old Dougie Morgan WHC is a regular, and I have seen Brian Patterson, Jeff McKnight, Charlotte Hill, Geoff Clayton to name but a few.
Josef Hiebler of the Rossenburg Castle fame whom Martin Hollinshead spent so much time with and refers to in his books is just one of the Quality falconers who flys his birds at this meet along with a couple of top notch Germans.
To sum up, its not the best hawking you will ever see and you will likely have better days at your own club meets as the general quality of the flights isn't great, as its pretty much a case of off the glove and catch or off the glove and miss, eagles are not suited to off the glove flights on FLAT terrain and the gosses don't show the same tenacity I would expect, most gos flights are only 50yds and if they miss, only a few of them keep chasing. However you will see plenty of flights and I mean PLENTY.
If like me you want a week away for a bit if craic, catch up with friends enjoy a drink into the small hours, tell a few stories and see some hawking then its ok.
I think I've covered most things but if I can think of any thing else thats relevant I will add it later

[Postolka]

Truth. Thanks, Goldie. My English is too poor :oops: to create this.

[Goldie]

You are welcome Postolka, only wish my Czech was as good as your English :lol:

[EagleMan6905]

Interresting, but I wonder why you say goldens are not suited for off the fist hawking at hares/ jack rabbits/ deer?

To give you guys an idea of what goes on, it is held over three days,
Thurs Fri Sat. It is attended by falconers and followers from all over.
People who actually fly their birds are mainly Czechs with a few Germans,Austrians, at least one Frenchie that I know of and possibly one or two other surrounding countrys. Birds flown are Eagles Gosses and Falcons. A few Harris's have attended over recent years. If you have looked at the link Postolka listed above you will see many owls a kessie and one or two others,these do not form part of the hunting groups There can be varied amounts of birds turn up each year, but as an indication between 10-15 eagles, up to 20 gosses and the same with falcons, plus a few HH. Hawking parties are split into groups. If these were the numbers that appeared, groups are likely to be:- 2xgroups of eagles, 2 or3 groups of gosses being joined with the HH and a couple of groups of falcons.
Each day starts with a ceremony in the castle grounds (pictures with the arches) where the president of the hawking club makes his speech accompanied by the horn blowers and welcomes the falconers etc. The groups then head off to their designated hunting ground for the day, can be upto an hours drive away, but usually a lot less. Spectators follow the group of their choice.
When you arrive, there is ALWAYS a tavern/pub where you partake of a beer or coffee, or a bite to eat if you want before going out to the fields.
I have never been with the falconry groups so can't make comment, but the others are what we would term a walked up meet. Everyone is lined up across a field with a falconer near to each end and the rest evenly spaced between. Spectators fill in the gaps. Field master gives the word and everyone moves off trying to keep the line.These fields are huge and one runs onto another. They tend to be a mixture, Grass-plough-turnip-beetroot- with the odd smattering of cane and other vegitation (tend to find the roe-deer in there. The main quarry is hare although the eagle group are always looking for roe as well. Feral cats are also fair game. The ground hunted is chosen to suit the group therefore you wont get pheasant with the eagle group but may well do with the gosses. Incidently the gosses have taken roe as well!!. All birds are flown from the fist and the slip is taken, not by lots drawn but by whoever is nearest !! a bit dodgy in the heat of the moment but it seems to work. There is an abundance of hares and often there can be a couple of birds flying at the same time. At the end of the hunting its back to the pub for more beer, food etc and then back to the castle, All groups return with their quarry and it is placed in the centre of the square that is surrounded by some sort of follage (do not know the significance). Then another ceremony of thanks etc. takes place. This is repeated on each of the three days.
The pictures you see of the tethered birds are taken in the walled garden across the yard from the castle. they stay there overnightor at least most of them do. Some of the faces in the pictures you may recognise as there is usually a number of brits appear. Terry Large goes most years, old Dougie Morgan WHC is a regular, and I have seen Brian Patterson, Jeff McKnight, Charlotte Hill, Geoff Clayton to name but a few.
Josef Hiebler of the Rossenburg Castle fame whom Martin Hollinshead spent so much time with and refers to in his books is just one of the Quality falconers who flys his birds at this meet along with a couple of top notch Germans.
To sum up, its not the best hawking you will ever see and you will likely have better days at your own club meets as the general quality of the flights isn't great, as its pretty much a case of off the glove and catch or off the glove and miss, eagles are not suited to off the glove flights on FLAT terrain and the gosses don't show the same tenacity I would expect, most gos flights are only 50yds and if they miss, only a few of them keep chasing. However you will see plenty of flights and I mean PLENTY.
If like me you want a week away for a bit if craic, catch up with friends enjoy a drink into the small hours, tell a few stories and see some hawking then its ok.
I think I've covered most things but if I can think of any thing else thats relevant I will add it later

[ScuffMan]

Hi JOE,
Seen an Eagle DVD just this week end, it was a newbie but I forget the title, filmed in America. The Male Eagle in it was being flown off the fist at Jack Rabbits around some industrial sites and he was mustard.

[FredrickFogg]

Hi JOE,
Seen an Eagle DVD just this week end, it was a newbie but I forget the title, filmed in America. The Male Eagle in it was being flown off the fist at Jack Rabbits around some industrial sites and he was mustard.

That would have been Joe and his eagle! :supz: :supz: :lol:

Fred

[Ben C]

Interresting, but I wonder why you say goldens are not suited for off the fist hawking at hares/ jack rabbits/ deer?

He didn't...he said they weren't on FLAT ground..........these fields are HUGE with scrub that Hare's get to easily if there are not 20 eagles in a line battering them to oblivion....:supz: :supz: :supz: :supz:

As much as by luck as by judgement is the phrase..........