head counts

[Jiff]

hi guy's n gals,
just currious to know, some people claim 100,150 and 200 head of game per season with a single bird, if you start you're season early you're looking at october for ground game,other game is governed by open seasons which i believe is novemberish, if you end it late you're talking march, if we round the season off to say 26ish weeks,lets say we're privalidged enough not to have to work and can hunt when we want,
bareing in mind we fill up on the last kill,generaly the day following would have to be missed so infact the days available are halved,lets also imagine we have no fammily so theres no other distraction from hunting lets also imagine we have un-limited access to unlimited land so we can hunt new land each day where the game is untouched and less wary, lets also imagine we have a pair of ruby slipers that we knock together and end up at home....................just currious to know how you put together a 200 head bag for a season.............just currious.

[HawkMan]

I dont think ill be getting near these targets of 100 .
Im just doing it for the pleasure of getting out in the country side with me bird and ferrets and kids and a few mates .
Ill keeep the head count anyway ,and as long as i beat yours ill feel ok,lol
Happy hunting
Johnny
This year will be my first proper season !

[Miguel Gomez]

I Started in August on land without any rabbit control whatsoever. So 300 acres on one side with no rabbit control, 800 on the other with no rabbit control. Add to this we have 2 shoots surrounding both of them and bisecting the middle leads to pretty rich countryside, with a lot of very stupid pheasants (during the season, ahem!). Also some days we would catch a rabbit and a pheasant, or a couple of rabbits. In one session we took three, but that was far far too many so we stopped trying. On top of that I added the smaller stuff, moorhen, coot, crow, pigeon, woodcock, rat, squirrels etc.

Now before we get all the rubbish about killing machine etc etc blah blah blah YAWN :) :) this was my first and my last season counting in this manner. I shall become far more selective because it isn't going to sustain me or be fun if I keep blasting at rabbits and pheasant in this way, I am not stupid and I know what to aim for. :) :) It served its purpose for a reason and in the following seasons this groundwork will pay dividends.

[Ben C]

Sorry that me I thought I'd logged on :)

[OutFlying]

hi guy's n gals,
just currious to know, some people claim 100,150 and 200 head of game per season with a single bird, if you start you're season early you're looking at october for ground game,other game is governed by open seasons which i believe is novemberish, if you end it late you're talking march, if we round the season off to say 26ish weeks,lets say we're privalidged enough not to have to work and can hunt when we want,
bareing in mind we fill up on the last kill,generaly the day following would have to be missed so infact the days available are halved,lets also imagine we have no fammily so theres no other distraction from hunting lets also imagine we have un-limited access to unlimited land so we can hunt new land each day where the game is untouched and less wary, lets also imagine we have a pair of ruby slipers that we knock together and end up at home....................just currious to know how you put together a 200 head bag for a season.............just currious.



Jiff,
Partridge season - 1st September - February 1st
Duck - 1st September - January 31st
Pheasant - 1st October - February 1st
Corvids - open season.
Rabbits - open season.
Woodpigeons - open season.

Headcounts mean nothing without all facts being evident i.e how many times did you hunt, how many multiples are taken, what quarry is caught, how it is caught etc.
You don't not need to feed up on the last kill everytime and lose days hunting. A hawk can perform day after day at the same weight if kept in a high condition and fed on quality rations without any negative effects. So if you start early say mid to late August and start on corvids and other pest species, your hawk gets fit - the partridge / duck season starts and your hawk is on them with a good level of fitness, the pheasant season opens and then you have a fit confident hawk taking many different species of quarry. The headcount starts climbing if your flying 4-5 times a week. I usually end up with around 100 feathered head per season with not more than 2 head per day without much trouble. This is with a male finnish gos.

If wanted head counts of 200 +, it would be achiveable but I wouldn't have the hawk providing the type of flights I want at feathered quarry. If you flew rabbits on good land and ferrets then huge head counts would be possible - if that's what you wanted.

Yours OF.

[Pete Smith]

Requirements: Confident Gos, fly day or night 6 days per week at rabbit, game birds and Corvids.
....**** flights? depends what, and when you slip at.

Fly for 20 weeks, 6 days per week @ an avg of 2 head per outing = "Bingo" 240 head per season.
Pete.

[Shaun Byrne]

I average 50 to 80 kills per season with Harris's Jiff. Thats 3 to 4 hunting days per week, mostly on Rabbits. Mostly I go for single kills and select slips where possible, unless I'm hunting woodland, then its following on.

[ColdZero]

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[OutFlying]

CZ,
Read my original post again, I stated a head count alone means nothing until you look at all the facts - BUT if your hunting regularly and successfully then a high head count WILL result.

When you go out you should aim to catch something, if you don't you then analyze it and work out why you didn't catch i.e was there any quarry, did your hawk fly well, too much cover etc etc. But if you hunt 3,4 or 5 days a week for 6 months and your catching low numbers with a hawk then something is wrong. Either your methods or land isn't suitable for a successful season - do something about it if you want the best from your hawk or carry on as previously and enjoy a hawk not performing to its best.

OF.

ps why does it have to be a gos to get high numbers or catch mixy rabbits ? I can catch over 100 feathered game (no mixy or more than 2 a day) no problems each season, I have the right land with the right amount of gamebirds on it together with a pointer and the time to get out there and fly.

[Jiff]

i was just curious! :lol:

[OutFlying]

Hope you got the required answer :wink:

[Jiff]

lovely :lol:

[Liam Hay]

head counts are bullshit imo, who cares. If you catch 300 myxi rabbits with a gos on perfect land etc...its worthless

Argumentitive again? I can honestly say the best season i ever had with a MHH was 171, and 147 of them was Pheseants, its down to available time and land. I am very lucky with what i've got but some one who flys at weekends will never achieve the fitness and finese of 6 day a week bird.

[Goldie]

[I can honestly say the best season i ever had with a MHH was 171, and 147 of them was Pheseants, .

Did the game keeper not complain when you let your HH into his pheasant pen? :lol:

[Tim Laycock]

Was anyone ever got near their full quota on a Blackbird licence?
If you have then Big respect goes out to you!!!
I have not!
didnt make flying a spar any less fun :mrgreen:

[Jiff]

my farmer asked me if i'd seen poachers on his land as his weekend shoot produced no birds at all, i was too embarrassed to tell him that the bi-daily visits by me and sky had scared his birds to neibouring land,i just told him i'll keep my eye's open for the thieving gits.

[Tim Laycock]

Got me thinking
Its strange isnt it? The reaction of other falconers when you meet them in the field.
You tend to witness extremes of human behaviour!
It is usualy a very affable affair with a short exchange about the days sport so far, but can also be an explosive and sometimes violent encounter even on shared permission land.

slightly off topic. But just a thought :D

[Jiff]

black bird you hang out with the wrong sort fo people my mate,explosive ! i hav'nt met that many falconers,but the one's i;ve met have been far from explosive and/or violent,the excepsion being jiff, only joking :lol: usualy with all game persueants there's a sence of bravado and/or agresion they have to keep this up to hide theire ever present softness for nature,aftr all who's going to believe a butterfly loving jesse.

[Tim Laycock]

A guy once came over to us at Malham with a Red tail on his fist and just kicked off!
Pushing people and bawling in thair faces.
He was told to put his bird down or **** off sharpish!

He thought about it for half a second and then ****ed off sharp without another word :|

[Jiff]

i baught a female harris hawk that no matter what....just kicks of regardless of who's hand she's on,i told her if you don't stop it's over.........she said **** you jiff!

[Tim Laycock]

I knew a girl like that once :mrgreen:

[Shaun Byrne]

[I can honestly say the best season i ever had with a MHH was 171, and 147 of them was Pheseants, .

Did the game keeper not complain when you let your HH into his pheasant pen? :lol:


:D :D :D

[Ben C]

head counts are bullshit imo, who cares. If you catch 300 myxi rabbits with a gos on perfect land etc...its worthless. If you catch 5 steroid injected athlete rabbits then thats more of an accomplishment. Theres no way of comparing 'head counts' and anyone who uses a number to boast about the efficency of their hawk is not too bright to put it nicely

When you get your hawk CZ, if you can, in all honesty say you were happy with 5 open ground pursuits at rabbit in its first year then you are a liar. And on top of that you have done you hawk no favours!!! As OF says numbers represent a functioning hawk doing well with a good owner. However this 'number crunching' needs to be tempered with a change in stlye over the seasons. You have GOT to provide for your young hawk, its no good pretending otherwise. A season represents 1/20th of what the hawk is going to do (i.e 1 year out of 20). Thats not much to ask from a good owner is it?? :) :) :)

[Tim Laycock]

When you get your hawk CZ, if you can, in all honesty say you were happy with 5 open ground pursuits at rabbit in its first year then you are a liar. And on top of that you have done you hawk no favours!!! As OF says numbers represent a functioning hawk doing well with a good owner. However this 'number crunching' needs to be tempered with a change in stlye over the seasons. You have GOT to provide for your young hawk, its no good pretending otherwise. A season represents 1/20th of what the hawk is going to do (i.e 1 year out of 20). Thats not much to ask from a good owner is it??

Correct Ben!! :D 8)

[ColdZero]

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[Tim Laycock]

Fair point CZ, Im sure your hawk would not be very happy with 5 either, regardles of how good!

[ColdZero]

...

[Ben C]

In the long run yes but not at the level you and I are at mate :) :) And anyway you have got to work through the 'pathetic' ones in order to build on the superb ones. And to be fair mate, classing any capture a hawk makes in its first year as 'pathetic' is not very nice to the hawk, in fact its downright disrespectful to the species as a whole. I bet when you were less that one years old you couldn't catch a rabbit with your feet after two misses and a little run over open ground. :) :) :)

What you have to remember is that even people like OF, Blackbird, Screamin Jay, Varmint, Gary T and all the others started somewhere. They have been doing this for years, so they can TELL THROUGH EXPERIENCE when to slip and at what. I bet Pete Smith had loads of poor slips and 'easy' kills when he started. Jackobean must have had a few, he flew a Harris when he was younger. From small acorns grow big oaks. Holding back on getting your hawk killing in its first year and with a newbie owner is a bit like running the marathon against Paula Radcliffe just because you came first in the egg and spoon race on sportsday 2 years ago. :) :) Give your self a chance my young amigo, I know I give myself one :) :) :)

Welcome back BB, good holiday, mate??

[Tim Laycock]

:shock: What you have to remember is that even people like OF, Blackbird, Screamin Jay, Varmint, Gary T :oops: :oops: :D

Spot on holiday Ben cheers M8. downside was the flight home was delayed for 8 hrs :evil:
Still I did get a free cheese sandwich for my trouble :roll:

Good to be back!

[Liam Hay]

my point was i would rather have 5 good flights than 300+ pathetic ones, not that i would be happy with 5.

The best fliights are the ones that get away m8 not the 300 u catch even if u did catch 300 i would average 50 of those to be very good if not top draw

[OutFlying]

Some of the best flights ARE the ones that get away, all of the jaw dropping flights then the quarry doesn't get away. If you don't catch or get plenty of slips your chances are severely reduced of getting the best flights out of your hawk.

OF.

[Tim Laycock]

Exellent point OF
you need the eqantity to get a high level of quality generaly!

[Kornie]

I like to see trinity work REALLY hard for her kills, not sneaking up and jumping on their backs, just me.

[Tim Laycock]

not sneaking up and jumping on their backs
I dont think anyone likes to see this Kornie, unless they are slightly warped :rolleyes: