Alf Catherall

If you have woodcock, duck, grouse your into the gamehawking with falcons. You don't need a pure peregrine one of the hybrids can be picked up for less than 1K a nice male Gyr x peregrine would be just the ticket.

I think I met Colin at the centre and once at a barbeque at a falconry get together is he a small dark haired lad?

Apart from time and knowledge you also have to have access to quarry the type of game you have on your land could dictate the hawk you hunt. There is no use wanting to hunt a peregrine if all your land holds is rabbits or ground game. Loads of variables to having success as a falconer you have to weigh up your options before you start.

He has moulted out these photos were taken a few years ago. He's now in a breeding program with another falconer giving semen for AI / artificial insemination he's produced some nice young.

Thanks Yes falconry can eat into your time a bit and it's nice to have an understanding wife! Not an ideal sport for everyone but for those that can make the time it's very rewarding. There are varying degrees of time needed to train different types of hawks some of the falcons train easily with little time needed while some of the accipiter's need a lot more time due to their nervous highly strung temperament. With the introduction of imprints/ hawks raised as very young chicks in human contact until there fully grown and ready for hunting the training part is very quick although the time spent raising them from chicks to birds on the wing can take well over a month.

One more.

Possibly on that photo he did look something like a gos although he took after the Blackspar side in the flesh. I have uploaded a couple more photos that might show the BS in him.

In America falconer lose a lot of falcons to eagles here in the UK buzzards are becoming a problem as there spreading far and wide. If there are eagles on your ground there will always be a danger although they tend to only do damage when your hawk is on the ground on a kill in the air there relatively safe.

I hunted him on game birds wild greys and pheasants he was dynamite on both.

A photo of a male hybrid Gos x Blacksparrowhawk I hunted a few years ago.

Here is one without the lines.

Excellent photo there not easy to snap at the best of times.

Yes I possibly could in Photoshop but is it worth it? Stuck this photo up because its game related and I know you guys like to shoot game and I thought it was a decent enough picture to start breaking the ice getting introduced to the forum.

Not sure I have a talent more things just happen to go right once in a while!

Thanks. I find it hard to take photos of wild greys there just so quick on the uptake you tend to miss focus a lot with these guys.