Harris or red tail

[Dave G]

would like every ones opinion on which is the best first bird out of the red tail or harris hawk,as some say redtail as you tend to be more careful and need more time spent with the bird or the harris as more sociable and better to handle

[Shaun Byrne]

Search around the forum mate, there's already loads of info on this subject. :wink:

[ColdZero]

don't you just hate it when people can't make up their minds :roll:

lol, be more specific, is which bird better for what purpose?

[MickeyDredd]

Either species is an ideal first bird.

[Ben C]

You spin me right round baby, right round like a record baby....right round round.

Each to their own Romeo, one looks better than the other, but the other is a bit more friendly (so they say) :) :)

[Bird_Dog]

Texas just change the state regs to allow apprentices to fly Harris Hawks. There was some debate within the club that HH are too easy; therefore, making it too easy to become a falconer. Personally, I felt that as long as the apprentice uses a wild-trapped HH , there isn't a problem. After all Alask allows apprentices to have passage Goshawks. Seeing that there are no wild HH or Red- Tailed Hawks in England, I might consider whether or not you intend to gang hawk with your falconry buddies. If so, pick a HH. Don't get an imprint RT. RTs once they get going are awesome, especially the big females.

-- BIRD_DOG

[Liam Hay]

golden eagle m8 every time, oh sorry HH or RT, common buzzard m8 u get that hunting succesfully u a good falconer (buteoist) nah seriously what do u want hunt and how much time have U got that way u will get better opinions

[Coedhirion]

as some say redtail as you tend to be more careful and need more time spent with the bird or the harris as more sociable
RomeoHH ....Neither is sociable if you get the training wrong. Both require as much time as is possible. Yes, HHs live in family groups so accept people, dogs, ferrets as part of hunting group in a different way to a red. Even the sex of a bird and the breeding makes a difference, not just the type of hawk. Males are smaller, lighter and faster generally, so its all a matter of pref. and as stated what quarry you mostly want to hunt. A good male Harris will take Hare and Pheasant tho if you train it properly and get it entered well. Get it wrong and you can loose either. :lol:

[Ben C]

u get that hunting succesfully u a good buteoist


Watch it PCHAY......you can only use buteoist in extremely rare situations. A buteoist is a title confirmed on only the very special. :) :)

[Liam Hay]

Watch it PCHAY......you can only use buteoist in extremely rare situations. A buteoist is a title confirmed on only the very special.


_________________

thats what i meant u kill stuff succesfully with a buzzrd u can only then call yourself a buteoist LOL

[Mary Quite Contrary]

The redtails i have seen have been quite a bit slower off the fist than a harris.

[Ben C]

So if you hunt unsuccessfully with a buzzard, then you can be called a para-buteoist :)

[Dave G]

well thanx every one for your opions wot fly a common buzzard at prey lol my ferrets got bigger claws lol ,by the way ive got a male harris and a female red was just wondering wot every one thought about them both as the first bied

[Dave G]

sorry pressed wrong key the last bit is ment to say bird

[MickeyDredd]

by the way ive got a male harris and a female red

Fine choice of birds :lol: :lol:

[Liam Hay]

fly a common buzzard at prey lol my ferrets got bigger claws
i thinku mean ur ferret has bigger claws than a buzzard has talons lol

[Coedhirion]

I hope you have acres of land and plenty of hours and most days if you are going to do 2 birds full justice
Here I would post a smilie, but they aren't working !!!!!!!!

[Ben C]

why have both as a first bird?

[MickeyDredd]

How can you have both as a first bird? :shock:

[Ben C]

exactly............whats that smell?

[MickeyDredd]

I'm pretty sure I not entirely certain what you may or may not be talking about - but then its 3am and I'm ****ed :)

[Ben C]

You type well for a drunk man! Two fridays in a row I've been sober(ish).


Moo :)

[MickeyDredd]

I'm an old git now so pace myself!

[Tim Laycock]

A Red is better for a begginer because more will be learned from it than from a Harris IMO

[BirdMan64]

ya know I supose you could have up to four first birds,,,

one on each hand and two on your shoulders 8)

[Gaz]

Birdman64,..that would be funny if it wasn"t a fact over here that that actually happens :!: :!: :twisted: they want to start so get a Harris,and before you know it they got the customery Gyr/Saker,a Saker and an obligatory owl sat about with none ever going to be flown properly if at all,and then tell people they are falconers :twisted: oh yeah,and all this before they have moulted the first bird out :twisted: :!:

[Tim Laycock]

Gaz. You have just about got those types taped havn't you! :lol:

(I know of a few of those types) :evil: :evil: :evil:

[Dave G]

ive got land and work when i want ive had me male harris for two and a half years just thought i would get me a red tail as i do like the look of the bird , will see how she does as me male harris will take about anything so as you see they are not both my first birds

[Ben C]

In what way do you fly your Harris Romeo? Following on, from the fist, over ferrets, dogs? :) :)

Ben

[Dave G]

fly my harris following on and if using ferrets off the fist as he likes to nail them the little prat, must say he hates dogs will just sit up if he see,s one but as soon as their gone hes ok again but hes a good all rounder takes most things and had a ride on the back of a hare lol

[Ben C]

So how would you fly a Red differently? Would it just be the same but on alternate day etc? :) :)

Have you got any permission on hills etc.

[Bones]

fly my harris following on and if using ferrets off the fist as he likes to nail them the little prat, must say he hates dogs will just sit up if he see,s one but as soon as their gone hes ok again but hes a good all rounder takes most things and had a ride on the back of a hare lol
Can vouch for what hes saying here as i trained the MHH with and for him if you like as he came into the sport a couple of season's ago now but as for the red i havent had nothing to do with that one (yet)as for ferrets yea he nailed mine a couple of seasons ago and also bad with dogs but apart from that not a bad all rounder if i may say so myself
Hows it hanging DAVE :wink:
Cheers PAUL

[Ben C]

WHAT?????

So Romeo....................your flying a Harris you haven't trained yourself for ONLY 2 YEARS and you are NOW wanting to get ANOTHER hawk because they look nice :( :( :(

Is this wise and is this fair mate? Please tell me I am full of CR*P and this is not the case!

[Bones]

Benc take a chill pill mate read what i put i trained it for him along side him ie showed him the ropes and how to go about things mate as he was sold the bird by a knob head who promised to show him how things go with training manning etc etc but when he took his money he didnt want to know so he came to me for advice which i openly gave him and it was up to him if he took it i didnt actually take the bird from him and train it just guided him in the right direction and went out regulary with him and the bird along with my own birds so he could see the end product if you like the other alternative was to leave him with a bird he knew basic knowledge about and the bird would have probably been spoilt if youi know where im coming from mate
Soz for the rant PAUL

[Ben C]

Bones you have PM

[Bones]

Bones you have PM
NO WORRY'S
Hope i got the story right romeo please feel free to correct me where you feel neccersary ok cheers
PAUL
PS speak late rin the week dave ok

[Dave G]

cheers bones who said anythink about flying a red tail different !!! yes like bones said was shown the hunting side of things which i didnt realy know a great deal about but always had my birds well fair in mind good mews ,right food i.e diet and lots of flying ,so ben dont you work or rest your bird as you fly it every day !!!, just think people are quick to judge .as i say i think every one is entitled to their say .how many falconry centres have birds bowed out and never flown how many people have harris hawks in their gardens just sitting there doing nothing bloody loads. if i carnt fly mine then would pass them on to some one that could but i have a couple of farms and should be getting more so can fly them both ,one at a time of coure before i get shouted at lol and work when i want so time is no probs so hope this clears a few things up about me ps chat to you later bones will give you a ring cheers

[Ben C]

Romeo: Don't get me wrong and I am not saying this in any other way than nicely :) :) :)

But if you are flying a Harris the same as a Red why have two hawks when one will be enough? Just because centres and some STUPID people have their hawks bowed all the time doesn't make you doing it right, does it? :) :)

Also if there is any possibility that you can't fly them why have them in the first place? If you don't buy a hawk then you don't have to pass it on, simple as that.

As I said, I am only asking questions not telling you what to do :) :) :)

[Dave G]

well as you can only realy take a couple of kills with your hawks before they get ****ed off ,which could be in the first 5 minutes then thats it boxed up and done to me thats not hawking like to see them fly so take them out different times of the week and give them a good fly for about an hour or so ,you get the fitness and the sport ,so ben what do you fly at what weight and what does it take so your from shrews then i used to see a teacher from that way also spent a couple of months working at abbey forgate just out of town, theres some good land over there as i used to fish the river off the old A5 CRESSAGE catch you soon dave

[Ben C]

Sure is good land mate!!! Have a look at the photo gallery. Where are you based then mate if you don't mind me asking?

Still your gonna have your work cut out in the winter time, what with 2 hawks :) :)

regards

Ben

[SakerYZF]

Why a female RT? You got lost of hares ? Or squirrles even;/

[Kornie]

Female Reds are capable of taking rabbit, stoat and pheasant to...

I had a period of a week when I hunted both a harris and female red. I personaly loved it. When out flying they are quite different. Hunted one, one side of my land, one the other...

[SakerYZF]

Don't get me wrong im not knocking it , i had alot of fun with a male rt last season , just wonderd if he had hares thats all :D

[Bones]

just wonderd if he had hares thats all :D
Thats a rather personal question isn't it
PMSL
PAUL

[Kornie]

lmao, I like it!

Hares are common up here, apparently they are an indicator species of a healthy ecosystem!

[SakerYZF]

Haha! like it bones;) er ecosystem must be a mess up here in anglesey then:P all we'z got is them darn crows:P they can't be n indicator of jack **** :wink:

[MickeyDredd]

SakerYZF

out of interest how did your MRT get on last season, what did you catch with him?

[SakerYZF]

Not that much tbh , it was my own fault really I’d been trying to fly him like a Harris , found him much less co operative , the first thing he bound too was a cock pheasant that broke free, he wasn't really inclined to chase rabbits to start with and refused a few easy ones , he did take a couple though, then I got a job working on a landfill site (controlling the seagulls) and few him there everyday, Its always gale force winds there ( he got very fit)! Then a friends Harris broke her wing and whilst she was recovering he asked to fly him, he got him going on squirrels and caught no more than 6-7 with him, perhaps a bunny in -between, his last catch was a herring gull:P - I bought him mainly because I was moving to Yorkshire and was promised lost of rabbit and pheasant ground, it all fell through so I did my best with him back here.
We don't really have the ground to support a RT here, what rabbit ground we have is far to enclosed, the birds that do best here are Harris’s from T perches and best of all a gos , nothing else comes close, or car hawking which is probably the main way of hunting here , I did get him used to being thrown out of the car window (just out of interest) , he took to it well ,but never came close to anything even what i call "drop on jobs".
Don't get me wrong I think there fantastic and he had the nicest temperament, got very fit and was alot of fun, but I didn't like flying him with so little for him to go at, think it’s a waste of a bird, so I’ve sold him on to a guy with loadsa game for him: D

[MickeyDredd]

I just wondered as I've got a pair of RT's that may well breed next season as she laid this year for the first time. If they do I was thinking if I'm left with a male I might hava go with him.

Anyone had good success with a male RT?