Texas eyass

[colohen]

Texans
Does any one know if Texas has a eyass take for harris hawks
For non-residents ?
Permit prices ?
Who wood be best to contact for nest location sites ?

[colohen]

Wilded
Most land owners don't object to falconry , if you approach them in the right way Just be nice and explain what falconry is and your intentions . Reassure them that there is no fire arms involved , thats a big factor in my area because most of the land owners lease the land to deer and duck hunters or run guided hunts .
This year I made 10 request to land owners to use there land for falconry . Only one was a flat out NO , and one said he could not cause he turned his land over to his daughter , but he called another land owner in the same area and got permission for me to hunt there instead . I thought that was very nice of him , sense he had never met me before he could have just said no and sent me on my way ;D
If your thinking about the harris becoming imprinted and how much a problem thats going to be . As a rehab I have found ways to avoid imprinting eyass , other wise I'd have RSH's , AK's , GHO's and several barn owls screaming all day and night at my house
But if I had a choose , I'd rather find a nest later in the season with branchers or almost branchers !

[kenbro77]

Man it sounds rough down here in Texas. ???I have lived here all my life from Houston, to Corpus, to Wichita Falls, and have found people in Texas are nicer to strangers than any other state I have visited. Colohen did not say he was going to jump fences, he seems to be taking the right approach and asking permission. Go to one of these little towns and find a Diner open at 5:00 am and you will find the local ranchers. You start talking with these men about something like Falconry and watch their reaction. As far as the chose of bird, I have no clue (pre-apprentice), but as far as the ranchers in Texas, I have known a few over my years and if you do not pose a threat they can be your best friend. Just the opinion of an old Texan.

[wilded]

If I was headed to South Texas to try and find a Harris Hawk nest here is what I personally would do. I would go to the local feed stores and cafes in some of the small communities around where I wanted to look. I would introduce myself to some of the locals and find out who some of the major ranches in the area are and try to meet them for a cup of coffee or while they were having feed loaded. I would then explain who I was and what I was hoping to do. Approach them from the viewpoint that you will be saving some of their quail crop. These guys get $5000.00 and up for deer leases per gun in that country and as much as $200.00 per day for quail hunting. Many will no longer let anyone on their place except their paying hunters strictly because no one else is covered by their liability insurance policies. This has become a real issue in Texas due to some Ranches losing suits where some idiot hurt themselves and sued the rancher. If you see anyone out on a ranch wearing backpacks or in a group in that part of the world stay out of sight as they are probably transporting drugs. Watch your backside at all times and do not sleep in your vehicle unless you are combat trained and armed. IMHO ;D

[frootdog]

That's all nice, but no one answered the initial questions. Yes there is an eyass take season and it includes HH eyass as far as I know. My sponsor has an eyas HH. The best way to find a nest is to ask local falconers where they are. Some of the falconers in austin, sa, and kingswood might be the most helpfull. The out of state trapping fee is something like $350 maximum one HH can be taken. I assume it would be the same for eyas take, but you would have to email Jennifer Blecha at TPWD for the specifics.

[colohen]

Ftootdog
THANKS !! Thats more of what I needed to know !
I already knew where to find the nest in general . More of what I needed was trapping non-resident license information . $350.00 add that to travel hotels and food cost , ::)I am afraid I can buy much cheaper then trapping or taking a eyasses there !
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[frootdog]

Absolutely. By the time you spend all the $ to trap in TX it's far more cost effective to buy, but most places that have HH fiercley protect them. AZ has a lottery that you have to enter, THEN you have to pay about the same amount of $. A friend of mine just recently got drawn to be able to trap this season.