Best Gender of a Harris Hawk for a beginner

[Moses]

its time soon when i get my first harris hawk and im glad i kept that falcon for a week and it made me appreciate how much hard work it is to look after a bird of prey and u need to have time and thank God the lad was good enuff to take it back but let me borrow it for a week to see how i got on, it taught me a good thing not to rush in in the future , but have time and experience and learn a lil first and read as much as u can.

thanks to everyone here for their help, brian, adrian, hawkmaster and gaz's constant slagging helped me alot :D cheers it was for the better and thanks to all others

i had alot of time the last 4 weeks and it should have been the time maybe i got a young hawk and trained it

but well summer is coming will have alot of time then, so wanted to know whats the best harris hawk to go for coz im a beginner and new to it

would it be a male harris or a female

cheers and pls gaz dont say nothing to demoralise me again pls :D


cheers

[Moses]

dont know if u guys saw the pic of the falcon i originally got and put a deposit down for it

its here

brian actually bought it from the guy he swapped his peregrine for it

a beautiful bird, brian says she is a right good flyer still a bit vicious being a luggar.saker doesnt like anyone touching it :D


here


http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3171

[ColdZero]

try looking around the site a bit, this has been debated a LOT of times :). Basically the general opinion of the forum is 'big male, small female'. It depends on what your main quarry will be...anyway try and find the other threads.

[Kevin Massey]

its time soon when i get my first harris hawk

are you ready for a hawk?

kev

[OutFlying]

its time soon when i get my first harris hawk

are you ready for a hawk?

kev

when you are ready, what are you going to flying at ?

[Ben C]

How much land have you got moses? And whats your mews looking like mate? Love to see some pictures if you have got them. But in answer to your question, I wanted a big female, but got a confident, sqweaking little male......................................best accident I've ever had.

[Shaun Byrne]

Go for the biggest male you can find.

[Hawkmaster]

It does not matter, sort everything else first. Maybe someone can find the thread where we listed everything needed before you get your bird, or have you seen it?

[Moses]

hawkmaster i havent bud

benc im moving house soon and already got permission on a couple of lands to fly with a fellow falconer but wont be just yet probably mid july before it happens and the mews will be built then , i had a look at brians and the one in huntly falconry will be similiar to them


but will def get some training beforehand from adrian and brian

[Wightwings]

Go for the biggest male you can find.

thought you were a little male convert now H4? :shock:

Any how Moses a male prob best based on land, quarry etc etc and ONLY when you are ready.

:D

[Moses]

lol @ wightwings haha that made me laff :D hawka luvs a big malehood .manhood :D just joking hawka sorry :D


thanks mate, is it true though that if a male harris gets kicked from a rabbit he looses his bottle where a female is fierce she just dont give a damn , hmm typical females hey :D

[Steve L]

Dont think that is true about a male harris m8 i would say its all down to how you train your bird regardless of gender you will only get out of your bird what you put in to it, im a beginner myself so i could be wrong.

[Shaun Byrne]

Go for the biggest male you can find.

thought you were a little male convert now H4? :shock:

Any how Moses a male prob best based on land, quarry etc etc and ONLY when you are ready.

:D

Noooo!! Big male, small female :D

[Moses]

Dont think that is true about a male harris m8 i would say its all down to how you train your bird regardless of gender you will only get out of your bird what you put in to it, im a beginner myself so i could be wrong.


cheers bud just the guy with who originally gave me the falcon had a few harri's he told me not to go for a male coz they cant take hares and coz of his past experience with them loosing their bottle after a few kicks it put him of rabbits too

[OutFlying]

Moses, but what is your harris going to be flying at ?

[Dave Whitt]

My advice would also be large male small female, I used to fly a large female 2lb 6oz and the wife flew a small male 1lb 3 1/2oz as a cast when flying at rabbits the male would easily out pase the female and grab the rabbit first but without the females help he never would have held then, but he was s**t hot a magpies and partridge

[LanczSpringer]

I am getting a male this year!
its going to be my first bird but i have been waiting about 17 years for it!!!! lol

Male on maggies cant wait, main quarry will be rabbits but i would love to get some of them orid maggies!

This time next week I will be out on the pi*s just finnished my last exam for my part time degree (chemistry work have sponsered me on day release).
then a week of to start the prep work for mews construction.

Cant wait!!!
but in the mean time back to revision :-(

[Shaun Byrne]

Good luck with the exam Lancz, lovely looking dog you got there lol!!

[Moses]

Moses, but what is your harris going to be flying at ?

mate mainly rabbits, hare and pheasant in pheasant season the guy who gave me permission has alot of rabbits and pheasants coming into his woods and land

but will be mainly rabbits


i do like a rabbit curry not stew :D


thanks jacko and lanz all the best bud :) what kind of exam is it u are doing

cheers

[OutFlying]

small female then

[Moses]

thanks mate :)

[Ben C]

or big male! :)

[Sean]

im getting a male, and i dont give a **** what size it is, just as long as its 1lb 4oz+ or so

[Coedhirion]

My first year male Harris flew at 1lb 9.1/2 oz. He took rabbits up to 4lb 5oz, plus cock pheasant!!! not sure if he had a hare, but he did have a real big chicken....woops. No one told him that he was sposed to give in if he got a kicking. He just hung on and sank his talons in harder and beat em in to submission. Took him a while to learn to take big rabbits right and a bit longer to learn to hold a pheasant long enough for me to get there to give him a hand. Wouldnt swop my male for all the F.H's in the country, he's sharp, fast and even took on a fox one day, so no coward :lol: :lol: An I love him to bits.. roll on end of moult :!: :!: :!:
Just make sure you get a real reputable breeder, its possibly more important than the sex of the bird. Rubbish birds are 2 a penny, a good one from a good breeder is what you want ...Good Luck :!: :!:

[OutFlying]

I thought the thread was for the best harris hawk gender for a BEGINNER not which is the best gender of harris hawk. You will have a far greater chance of success on rabbits with your first harris if it is a female - yes you can catch rabbits with a male but it will require a bit more skill and better weight control. The small female will provide the best (easier) option when flown at ground game for the first time flyer.

[Ben C]

With all due respect Outflying (you have far more experience than me so don't take this at all personally :) :) :) )Er.......104 kills in the first season.......half of that rabbits, then pheasants, squirrels, woodcock: my first hawk and if you are asking.......I slipped A LOT of the rabbits. YES YES numbers don't matter, I Know........Two other 'friends'.....both parent reared females.......1 MOUSE and the other stoooopid person gave up.....in my very very very humble opinion not the sex or size, how its reared, how fiesty the eyass is and how prepared you are etc etc etc etc :)

[OutFlying]

Benc, as you say it is how prepared you are - but which is the easiest option - which has the wider weight range - which is easier to take rabbits ? All females take them easily, males do and can take them but not as easy as a female. I aimed the reply as a general reply to which gender is best for a beginner, if your prepared and have the time both will do the job easily - but if your read the original post - how prepared are they ?

[Tim Laycock]

simple question- simple answer.
Either sex will suffice, but you will almost always achieve more with a female.
simple as that.
(If only it was always so easy!)

[carl robert]

depends what your flying land is like? and what quarry u will be hunting mate

[Dean York]

Get a female m8. As stated by outflying I think. Some males need to be flown smack on the right weight especially in the first season to even think about taking rabbits and Pheasant. With a female you will have a lot more scope, ie you can get away with a female being a little heavy to a degree were as some males need to be flown sharp. Until you have had enough experience with weight control fly a female. Dont get me wrong males can be brilliant, but as I say the weight control can be quite tricky and can have the beginner scatching his head and it can be so frustrating even for an experienced falconer at times to get a hawk hunting.
Good luck and female everytime for the apprentice..:cool:

[Sean D]

Guys this thread is over 3 years old PMSL:lol:

[Sean D]

Guys this thread is over 3 years old PMSL:lol:

Just looked again and its over 4 years old:lol:

[whitewings]

then the hawks dead by now then

[Dave G]

then the hawks dead by now then

funny you should say that ???

[MickeyDredd]

....but it wasnt a harris.......;)

funny you should say that ???

[Dave G]

....but it wasnt a harris.......;)

thank god for that ;)

[MickeyDredd]

Indeed, bloody goshawkers......:lol:

thank god for that ;)

[Ned]

Mike,Gos and washed meat spring to mind.

[WeeDodger]

holy MOSES

Whatever happened to him, he was a character.

apart from the obvious.

[Sean White]

10 years, 3 hawks, 3 species - all alive and well. How many have you killed in the last 2 years never mind the last 30?

MickyD.... How many has he killed ?

[MickeyDredd]

Sean

For clarity, my ever-changing sig doesn't refer to Moses.

Moses's heart was in the right place, just not surehis head was. maybe best to close this thread as not fair on him this being brought up again.

Mike

10 years, 3 hawks, 3 species - all alive and well. How many have you killed in the last 2 years never mind the last 30?

MickyD.... How many has he killed ?

[Shaun Byrne]

**** me, this thread has brought a few memories back.:roll:

[Sean White]

Sean

For clarity, my ever-changing sig doesn't refer to Moses.

Moses's heart was in the right place, just not surehis head was. maybe best to close this thread as not fair on him this being brought up again.

Mike

Mike.

I think most would relalise your signature has nowt to do with Moses pmsl...