Entering MHH on Rabbit

[Spindle]

Hi Everyone
My male harris has been flying free for over a week now and i cannot enter him on rabbit, he will chase anything feathered no matter how impossible to catch Pheasant, quail grouse pigeon even dove which he has caught, but when got mere feet from a rabbit he just looks around eveywhere else but at the moving rabbit. I know everyone will now start shouting drop the weight drop the weight, but i have droped him from 1lb 9oz out of the aivary to 1lb 4 1/4oz which he is flying at now. Its very frustrating as the totaly impossible flights at feathered quarry god knows how far away are satrting to get very boring! is there any experienced guys out there who have dealt with simmilar problems or knows any techniques for getting him entered?

[Dude]

feed him on a rabbit to let him know the reabbit is food.

[FlameHairedFalconer]

Spindle - bizarre as it may seem a 1/2 oz drop might make all the difference with your harris. My old male HH was entered in his first year (on rabbit) at 1lb 3oz

But as well as considering a weight drop, lure work using a good size rabbit lure (or dead rabbit) is essential. Small males need to build up confidence and need to learn very quickly to grab the rabbit by the head to avoid being kicked off.

Good luck!

FHF

[Hawkmaster]

My male harris has been flying free for over a week now
Maybe he needs to get fit first?

Those weights seem low to me but then I suppose there are some males as small as 1lb 2oz?

[Spindle]

My male harris has been flying free for over a week now
Maybe he needs to get fit first?

Those weights seem low to me but then I suppose there are some males as small as 1lb 2oz?

Id say his fitness is fine i fly him everyday as well as doing jump ups with him in the evening. I took him out again today and as usual he chased everything feathered and also caught a shrew of all things!

[Wightwings]

Id say his fitness is fine i fly him everyday as well as doing jump ups with him in the evening. I took him out again today and as usual he chased everything feathered and also caught a shrew of all things!

why do you think just feather when the fur on relativaty is a tad easier ( most times)........if hes chasing pigeon your going to end up with a very disallusioned bird and get probs.....cant comment on his weight although like said he must ne a VERY small male.......get him an easy slip :wink: :roll: on a rabbit now and he will soon catch on..........

PS the shrew habit can become a pain in the arse........

[North East Harris Hawker]

get yourself a dead rabbit on a bit of string, make sure its cut open so that he can see the meat, pull it along in front of him so its an easy catch, let him feed up, rest him for 2 days then do the same thing after a days (unsuccessfull) flying. once he gets the hang of this its just a matter of time before you flush a live one whilst your out and bingo!

[FlameHairedFalconer]

PS the shrew habit can become a pain in the ****........

Definately!! I did learn to tell when my harris was 'mousing' as opposed to properly hunting. He was singularily poor at catching mice tho, but brilliant on everything else :?: :?: lol

[Wightwings]

pmsl.........brilliant..... :lol:

[Coedhirion]

Hawkmasters got it correct...hide a dead (preferably still warm) bunny..walk up to area...pull it out of cover on end of string and shout HO. If the bird isn't tempted, keep give it little tugs and he should land on it. Give a few more tugs till he has got a good footing, then help him break in. Feed up on it.
If the bird is too light he may know he hasn't the strength to take a rabbit yet. A week isn't that long to get him fit. It almost sounds like self hunting, have you tried upping the weight?????

[Spindle]

Took him out again today an once again he chased feather, got him right up close to a mixi rabbit, and i mean so close i could have caught it! he landed next to it 3 or 4 times then finaly the rabbit found its way back in to cover. The bird has me at my wits end :D as other than this issue he does everything else to perfection.

[Hawkmaster]

USE A DEAD RABBIT and let him eat of it. Matt also had that last season we even had to almost force the MHH on the carcass. The next day after he ate off it he caught one and went on from strength to strength

[FlameHairedFalconer]

....or take him out with a make hawk (another male) This worked for my ex who had a 2 year old imprint ex display MHH that flew AWAY from rabbits (dead or alive) Once he had seen mine catch one - he caught his own the next day.

[North East Harris Hawker]

they only need to feed a couple of times from a dead rabbit to learn that it is a food source. try it and you wont look back

[Jazz1]

Hi Like the rest of the guys have said Get a dead and better still and warm rabbit cut it open so he can see the meat and put it in cover with line on rabbit and your bird cast up on a fence post or tree and shout HO and pull the rabbit out slow the 1st time and let him catch it and feed up on it.A couple of days later do the same again but this time open the rabbit up around the head and this time when he hits it pull it alittle more so your bird get's the feel of the rabbit still running but not to much that he is put of again let him feed up and rest and couple of days.Do this again and after that you should be ok this is how my mate and i got our year old male entered and our 19 week old male had a long fly at 1 yesterday+ a go at 1more just missed it's just getting the 1st one.Good luck
Gary

[HarrisHawk.1.]

feed of dead rabbit . as it had any experience on a dummybunny

[Wightwings]

feed of dead rabbit . as it had any experience on a dummybunny

why???......dont need to the real thing is better

[North East Harris Hawker]

the whole point of the dummy bunny is for once the bird understands that rabbit is a food souurce. Then the DB can be brought out and used as a training aid.
very handy when your bird is hanging back whilst following on. the DB makes a brief appearance near you, the bird takes to the wing once its sighted and begins to learn that wherever you/the dog are THATS where running rabbits will be seen, eventually the bird will fly ahead of you watching for whatever you flush to run into its direction

[Wightwings]

i appreciate tha NEHH........just wondering why HH1 considered it to be a pre-requisite to introducing before and "encouraging" some informative feedback

[North East Harris Hawker]

mm should make interesting reading!
theres no hard and fast rules, im sure some people do get by using just a rabbit lure, ive had all the chew trying to get a bird entered and getting it to follow on properly, im just going by what worked best for me

[Wightwings]

:supz: :supz: :supz: 8-)