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Post by Weasel on Mar 4, 2005 0:15:28 GMT -5
Has anyone on the list hunted with one?
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Ooby
Junior Member
Posts: 213
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Post by Ooby on Mar 4, 2005 0:20:03 GMT -5
Ive hunted with my sponsors. I dunno what info exactly you are looking for, but most of the guys that i fly with hunt longwings and/or shortwings and fly a harris for that taste of dirt hawking.
Hell, my sponsors family are the ones who introduced harris's to the CA falconry community.
They are great birds. Almost like a d**n dog haha.
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Post by Weasel on Mar 4, 2005 0:45:33 GMT -5
Just looking for some insight into their behaviors and the like. I have hunted with tons of folks that use Harris's and several live close to me so I chat with them about it alot. I'm always on the lookout for more usefull info into the species I want to fly next....Of course, if a coops happens by....I will fly that first ;D
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Ooby
Junior Member
Posts: 213
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Post by Ooby on Mar 4, 2005 1:02:31 GMT -5
Well, ive spent the most time with my sponsors bird, and she really is almost like a dog. Rarely is she on the glove, she is always going perch to perch. He can point and she will go to the perch he wants. Sometimes it takes a bit if there is more than one perch in the area he points hehe.
She has taken equal amounts of ducks and rabbits. I think you will find they are much like red tails, only with more drive to hunt, and more willingness to cooperate. You can fly harris' fat as f**k and they will still hunt well. When they are dialed in, they are death incarnate. Its the only raptor ive held with out a glove on, and been fine with it. I have had to pull my sponsors bird out of plenty of bushes she has crashed, and i just open the bush up, put a hand in, she hops on and i pull her out. No problems yet, although i know sooner or later she will draw blood hehe.
And im not doggin on red tails, but harris will hunt when fat, they will hunt longer with less success and not get discouraged, they are easier to train, and the plain truth is, they hunt better with partners. Its a cooperative hunting bird, and though we all KNOW that, if you keep it in mind when training the bird, gaining insite to the bird is much easier.
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Post by ccrobbins on Mar 4, 2005 9:00:50 GMT -5
Just looking for some insight into their behaviors and the like. I have hunted with tons of folks that use Harris's and several live close to me so I chat with them about it alot. I'm always on the lookout for more usefull info into the species I want to fly next....Of course, if a coops happens by....I will fly that first ;D (with fingers crossed!) Please find a coopers, please o, please o, please! |
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Post by Weasel on Mar 4, 2005 9:07:24 GMT -5
Ya like coops better?
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Yarak
Junior Member
Whosoever would be a man must be a nonconformist
Posts: 145
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Post by Yarak on Mar 4, 2005 10:38:46 GMT -5
Ooby,
Just a few a of your comments run contrary to my experience. SOME Harris fly when fat that is true, but they hunt much better when at the proper weight. I do not believe they have more drive to hunt. Nor do I believe that they will hunt longer without success before being discouraged. That trait is brought out by the falconer not so much the species. These are just observations that I have learned in my limited experience.
Yarak
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Post by ccrobbins on Mar 4, 2005 11:42:18 GMT -5
Well this is really selfish......BUT I know folks that have harris hawks and could go along with them. I have no clue who is flying an accipiter and often find myself staring blankly off in the distance invisioning an accipiter on my wrist........Not that I like them better, I really have no experience with either. |
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rt
Full Member
Posts: 274
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Post by rt on Mar 4, 2005 17:19:34 GMT -5
Weasel if you plan on flying a coopers you should imprint a chick this spring have you thought about a sharpy they are neat little bird slayers too.
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Post by Baneskeeper on Mar 4, 2005 18:12:52 GMT -5
We have talked about eyas' but he will not be eligible this year because he does not come off my permit until August or maybe July. He wants to go to So. Texas and trap a passage male. I will be interested to see how it does.
Yarak
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Post by Weasel on Mar 4, 2005 18:46:43 GMT -5
Piece of cake.....I'll have the little bas**rd slayin in a matter of weeks.....I hope  |
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Ooby
Junior Member
Posts: 213
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Post by Ooby on Mar 4, 2005 19:06:10 GMT -5
Ooby, Just a few a of your comments run contrary to my experience. SOME Harris fly when fat that is true, but they hunt much better when at the proper weight. I do not believe they have more drive to hunt. Nor do I believe that they will hunt longer without success before being discouraged. That trait is brought out by the falconer not so much the species. These are just observations that I have learned in my limited experience. Yarak Ok, well all the harris' i have been in the field with, (perhaps 10 different birds) would hunt well enough to take game when they were insanely fat. Its true, when down to weight they are a completely different, bird, but i have seen them take jacks when they are 4 ounces over flying weight, and thats a lot for a harris haha. This is why i say they are more drive to hunt simply because if you tried to hunt any other bird 4 ounces oveweight they would most likey sit there and laugh at you, i know my bird would hehe. As for the rest, perhaps i just havn't seen a bad falconer with a harris close up. Perhaps my experience with harris hawks has just been with really good falconers, but if that is the case, they make it LOOK like the birds can't get discouraged. Never seen anyone take 5 jacks in a row with any bird other than a harris, although im sure you could do it with a red tail, its much easier with a harris. |
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Post by Tiercel78 on Mar 5, 2005 0:50:49 GMT -5
Well, As far as hunting HH's I've been around two which belong to the sponser. They really know thier job and are great little squirrel hawks. I've also have had expirence working with about five diffrent educational birds. Now these birds all had diffrent stories on why they where educational. To name a few reasons like imprints and injurys that hinder them from being released. On thing that I have noticed in all of the birds is the way they treat diffrent people.
A HH will take loads of nuts from people that they consider pack leaders or higer members in the group. When I was a kid I had a real hard time with some of the older imprints Ed.birds. These birds where use to older adults working them. I think that they knew I was young and there for "lower on the totem pole". Now, the sponser birds will put up with him patting them on the back. Checking their feet after hunts or being in close quaters with them on the perch. If I tried the same thing with them,The results are way diffrent even though I hunt with them in the field quite often. They will show aggressivness to people they belive to have a lower rank. Now, this behavior would disappear if I worked with the birds on a daily basis and was a source of food.
Harris's are a joy to work with and quite easy to train because of their behaviors. One thing I will say is that they can be a little harder to find exact flight weights. One reason is that they are so willing to hunt a higher weights. An can make chases that seem that they are putting everything into it. Harris hawks are one of the only hawks that will hunt for the fun of it. The sponsers birds have proven that to me.That they will sometimes catch something and hold on to it long enough for him to get get a hand on it. Once he grabs the squirrel/rabbit they let go an continue hunting. Now this isn't everytime but when they are a little heavy it happens more often than not.
So, there is some more info for y'all. Just keep in mind that it these behaviors won't be present in every bird.
Oh, here is some more worthless info! If you want to make a HH yawn. Get rather close to his ear and make a low ahhhhhhhh sound. It has worked on almost every bird i've seen. I had a friend show it to me years ago. I guess makes them feel like they have water in the ear canal.
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Post by frootdog on Mar 6, 2005 22:11:43 GMT -5
My sponsor is flying 2(a cast) right now. I'm sure he would let you tag along one day. Call me and I can set it up. You can ask him all the ?s you want.
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Post by Weasel on Mar 6, 2005 23:33:47 GMT -5
Now I just need to get ahold of him.... |
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