Harris problems

[GoshawkRST]

Hello Everybody!

I have a few problems, I hope you can advice me.

I have an male harris hawk, dual imprint, and i have some trouble with it. He's caracter is just to good (like a parrot) but is not AGRESIVE in hunting ! He is just damn lazy ! Well, i've tryed many things to make him more independent, but nothing.... It's just too bloody different from other harris hawks I've seen, and when I get in the field the last time with 4 harris hawks, they all seemse so agresive with the rabbits, and mine just too different, like a mascot or something ! I have cut hi's weight a little bit more, but nothing !
If I release bagged pigeons with that box (for falcons) , and the harris is performing well, catch them in very long tail chase. In real hunting, is just to lazy.
I have tryed to " punish " him, when he is flying slow and fail to catch, I go home withouth rewarding him, until the next day when we try again. The second day, he fly again well but is not interested in wild prey. Is just to tame.... Shall I start doing LOTS of high jumps with very few meat ?

[NGuruve]

i think just get his fitness up and try huting himon easy slips in thicker cover maybethis could work but im no expert

[Dude]

look m8 I already start a thread with this prob coz we have tthe same have a look on this http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=9114 or look 4 it on kevs forum!

regards,
Dan. :)

[Barbary Boy]

what do you mean by hes a duel imprint? do you know how he was reared?

[Starsky]

Hello Everybody!

I have a few problems, I hope you can advice me.

I have an male harris hawk, dual imprint, and i have some trouble with it. He's caracter is just to good (like a parrot) but is not AGRESIVE in hunting ! He is just damn lazy ! Well, i've tryed many things to make him more independent, but nothing.... It's just too bloody different from other harris hawks I've seen, and when I get in the field the last time with 4 harris hawks, they all seemse so agresive with the rabbits, and mine just too different, like a mascot or something ! I have cut hi's weight a little bit more, but nothing !
If I release bagged pigeons with that box (for falcons) , and the harris is performing well, catch them in very long tail chase. In real hunting, is just to lazy.
I have tryed to " punish " him, when he is flying slow and fail to catch, I go home withouth rewarding him, until the next day when we try again. The second day, he fly again well but is not interested in wild prey. Is just to tame.... Shall I start doing LOTS of high jumps with very few meat ?
have you flown him to a dummy bunny or a dead one?

[Starsky]

what do you mean by hes a duel imprint? do you know
how he was reared?
why would you want to duel imprint a harris anyway?

[GoshawkRST]

... Dude !.... I have the same problem like you m8 !!!! Just that I have the harris only from 3 monts. Mine also chase, and only when he needs to catch, he didn't do it !!! I have the same problem, just like you m8 !!!
I have also cut his weight a little more (to 20 grams !!!), but still the same response, or even worst (is not chasing like before). So, I believe I need to put his weight a little bit up, and try lots of high jumps. NO ?

My harris also catch bagged pigeons in more that 500 meters, long tail chase !

Dual imprint - the bird was raised by his natural faders in a chamber, but the breeder always enter and playied with the faders and with the young harrises. Never create food asociacion with the eyess, so this harris is not screaming. He was on the chamber with his parents to 5 monts old, then the breeder get him out and let him alone in a large aviary where they used to raise pheasets. There, the bird was hunting (alone) the sparrows that enter the large aviary. The breeder telled me that saw the harris 2 times catching the sparrows, once in the air and the second on the ground, when the sparrow tryied to get out from the aviary. He let it in that aviary some 2 weeks.

When I get the bird (a very tame bird), he was bating to all the sparrows in the field. I use bagged pigeons, he caught them in really long tail chase. I also gave him a bagged rabbit (some 2 kg weight), in the fiel he caught it right away but let it go in sort time. In the house, he killed the same rabbit and let him eat as much as he can ! (some 80 grams or more).
I hade some interesting chased on wild magpies, jays, small birds, rabbits, squirrels.... but not succes. The bloody harris is just pasing by ! He only need to catch it, and will not do it !

What else can i say? Well, he was 580 grams FAT, I flown him on 515 - 520 grams, and today he flew at 503 grams. The same bad response.... I don't want to cut his weight more, since the chest bone is quite evident.

I am thinking to put his weight a little bit up, and try some LOTS of high jumps with few meet ? He is capable to do more than 300 high jumps at 2 meters high, withouth stopping !!! The last time, he get to 280 high jumps, but I did not let him do more, to have him on weight.

I also think to gave him more washed meat (rabbit), to raise his apetite a little more???

[ChrisRobbo]

All that i would suggest having a similar problem earlier in the season is to get the bird at a weight where it will chase hard and build its confidence. By just putting him on a 2kg bagged rabbit this could seriously put back his confidence if anything went wrong.

It is said time and time agian on here get a dead rabbit and drag it accross a field. If he is reluctant to take it still try an eclosed wooded area! This works wonders for first year harrises. The main point is not to get discoraged but to perserver and the reward will be much sweeter when achieved. It may take longer than you think to get him over to fur if he thinks feather is a easier option. Just keep trying the dead rabbit and reward him heavily for catching it until he does so without any hesitation. You may find that he will land on the floor near it the first couple of times don't reward him for this just continue to pull until he takes it properly!
Good luck!

[Jazz1]

Follow what ChrisRobbo has told you and you should not go wrong.
The male that i got about 6weeks ago now Stom(you might of seen some post's on him) was scared stiff of rabbit so cut a few at the back of the head to help him hit the head end and spent about a week just dragging a Rabbit about the field untill he was hitting it and not landing next to them.
Now when storm hits a boltting rabbit he is right on the back of the neck with 1 foot and the other is round the face and he is not for letting go.
Good luck M8

[Pitbull]

where do you keep your HH ? as you said that you gave the bagged rabbit that he did catch, back to him in the house
Do you keep him in the house ( like a parrot )
where did you man him ? was that in the house.
If this is yes then this could be part of your problem.

but just a thought..

[GoshawkRST]

Yes, I have it in the house but not like a parrot. I don't like mascots, but I live in an apartment, so I don't have mews ans stuff...

He killed the rabbit in the house. I did not man him at all, since he came completly tame. I only cut his weight to train it.

[Dave G]

where in the house do you keep him,what about when you moult him out at fat weight he will seriously do some ******** and shoot it 20 ft ,will stink your flat out think you should have had a parrot not a bird of prey mate

[GoshawkRST]

I hade lots of other raptors in house, never had problems with any ! I lived on a house with land and stuff, so I was able to have them in aviary, no problem, but I've moved to Spain, so for 2 years I live in an apartment, till I but the other house and stuff.

So, no problems keeping them inside, right in the middle of the living room.

[Pitbull]

how much do you do with the harris in the house, and how much do you do in the field. i am by far no expert or even knowledgeable falconer but (and if anyone else cares to comment) if you are doing anything in the house like letting your HH feed in the house when it comes to being out in the field it is a far bigger world out there than in the house, at it all starts again with the training.
its just like when you bring a bird from the aivary for the first time and expect it to feed from the fist. if you are going to feed it in the house cause it wont catch out in the feild you are showing it an easy option. If a new bird did not feed on the fist and you fed it on the perch or back in the avary its gonna take the option of where it feels more secure.
when catching baggies unless some one releases it 50 or so yards away from you then the likely hood of it catching it will be high, When do you ever get that close to the quarry out in the field, so yeah fitness will be an issue but again do it out in the feild and not in the house.

I hope someone else can come in on this issue to give advice as mine is extremely limited.

But i must emphisize stop doing anything in the house.

[GoshawkRST]

I apreciate your messege, but not this is the problem. Is not the field problem, I flown him in lots of different fields, and also in company of other adult harris hawks, he fly withouth problems, only that DON´T CATCH the prey. He is ¨hunting¨this wey for about 2 monts or more, and only caught a mouse.... is flying on rabbits, seagulls, squirrels, pigeons, magpies, small birds, pheasent etc.... is flying well, some very good and long tail chase, and when he is on top of the prey and only need to take it, he is let it go and stop in a tree, or even come back to me. It´s like playing with the prey, every time. Bagged pigeons (and preatty strong ones), it catch them on extreamly long tail chase, both in the air or in cover on the ground, is a beast with the bagged pigeons. He never knew that I release the pigeon, since I use that boxt that you use for falcons, and I make everithing so real. Never asociate it with the bagged pigeons. If I fly him on wild pigeons, I have awesome flyights but ofcorse, not catching because the pigeons are far to fast.... also, a good number of bagged pigeons, escaped! I make the bagged thing preatty dificult for him.

I DON´T FEED HIM IN THE HOUSE ! No way!