smilersmiff Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 I find the idae of using birds of prey for hunting totally facinating. How did you first get into Falconery ? I would like to learn more about it can you recommend any good book ? Is it a difficult sport to get started in ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxnet22 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 hi mate and welcome to the watch.firstly there are different levels of falconry ie flying a falcon and flying a hawk,eagles etc.it can take up a lot of time training a bird of prey ie a goshawk of witch is an outstanding bird as is the perergrine .they have to be brought to flying weight to hunt.i have a male harris and this is most probley the easiest to manage for a beginner.there is a lot of books on the market just do a search on google.or try some of the falconry websites.of all the birds of prey my favorite has to be the perergrine .i have seen a friend fly one and they are awesome but i would be the first to admit i neither have the land to fly nor the time to do one justice,hope this helps fella, atb foxnet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiLisCer Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 Hi I am a bit far from you, but if you ever get up this way, you are more than welcome to come out with the birds, both the wife and I hunt with Falcons (Game), Hawks (Both Harris Hawks and Red Tails) and we also fly an Eagle at Hare. Regards Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 As has been said, check out some of the falconry forums, and find yourself a mentor to teach you the ropes. This is mine. Storm 4 yr old social imprint Saker x Gyr NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilersmiff Posted January 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 Hi I am a bit far from you, but if you ever get up this way, you are more than welcome to come out with the birds, both the wife and I hunt with Falcons (Game), Hawks (Both Harris Hawks and Red Tails) and we also fly an Eagle at Hare. Regards Mike Thanks for the very kind offer if I am ever up your way I will take you up on your offer From what I understand if I want to start up in the sport I would have to find myself a mentor, how do I go about doing this ? Is a very time consuming sport ? I work full time but always have weekends free. Do the birds require daily attention and if so how long? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilersmiff Posted January 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 hi mate and welcome to the watch.firstly there are different levels of falconry ie flying a falcon and flying a hawk,eagles etc.it can take up a lot of time training a bird of prey ie a goshawk of witch is an outstanding bird as is the perergrine .they have to be brought to flying weight to hunt.i have a male harris and this is most probley the easiest to manage for a beginner.there is a lot of books on the market just do a search on google.or try some of the falconry websites.of all the birds of prey my favorite has to be the perergrine .i have seen a friend fly one and they are awesome but i would be the first to admit i neither have the land to fly nor the time to do one justice,hope this helps fella, atb foxnet. Hi Foxnet22 thanks for the info. Yes from what little knowledge I have on the subject Goshawks are a good bird for a beginer. How much land do you need to fly one? How time consuming is it training and getting a bird ready to fly ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyB Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) hi mate, welcome, to be perfectly honest with you i would forget the idea of a Gos or peri to start with they are extremely fast birds, i would recommend a harris hawk for your fist bird male or female dosent realy matter only the female is quite a bit larger and is a mean looking thing, thers more to learn than people think and you will need a bit of equipment too, My female harris fat weight is 2lb 8oz, she will fly at 2lb 3oz but she hunts like made at 2lb 1,3 Thers a book called hawking and falconry for beginners by Adrian hallgarth tells you all you need to know but try and find a mentor or find someone to show his his birds or bird to give you some idea, better still go on the International falconry forum loads of lads on there down you way, hope this helps and good luck atb kenny Edited January 6, 2012 by KennyB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilersmiff Posted January 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 hi mate, welcome, to be perfectly honest with you i would forget the idea of a Gos or peri to start with they are extremely fast birds, i would recommend a harris hawk for your fist bird male or female dosent realy matter only the female is quite a bit larger and is a mean looking thing, thers more to learn than people think and you will need a bit of equipment too, My female harris fat weight is 2lb 8oz, she will fly at 2lb 3oz but she hunts like made at 2lb 1,3 Thers a book called hawking and falconry for beginners by Adrian hallgarth tells you all you need to know but try and find a mentor or find someone to show his his birds or bird to give you some idea, better still go on the International falconry forum loads of lads on there down you way, hope this helps and good luck atb kenny Thanks KennyB I have already found the International Falconry forum. I will have a look on Amazon for the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goshawker Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 check ebay buddy for books,if you on facebook there are loads of falconers on it and ye might just get lucky and get out with someone close to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiLisCer Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Thanks KennyB I have already found the International Falconry forum. I will have a look on Amazon for the book. Take a lot of what you read on the International Fools Forum with a pinch of salt - there are some brilliant falconers on there - but more than its share of fools and idiots. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxnet22 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hi Foxnet22 thanks for the info. Yes from what little knowledge I have on the subject Goshawks are a good bird for a beginer. How much land do you need to fly one? How time consuming is it training and getting a bird ready to fly ? you may of misunderstood pal ..defo not a gos for a beginner i have had my male harris for years now and still dont consider myself suitable to fly a goshawk,start with a harris and get in with a mentor or join a club some even do hawk walks pal..best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilersmiff Posted January 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 My first book has just arrived from Amazon Hawking and Falconry for beginners by Adrian Hallgarth. Can anybody recommend any other good reading material for the beginner ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fazer 1000 Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 hi mate i would start with a redtail or harris hawk and they need to be flown every day over the flying season some people put them up to moult over summer then there the room you need to keep them and off course the right food and not just day old chicks i do miss my birds i just not got time at mo to put into one but there nothing like training you own bird to fly free all the best and good look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Actionpigeons Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 I find the idae of using birds of prey for hunting totally facinating. How did you first get into Falconery ? I would like to learn more about it can you recommend any good book ? Is it a difficult sport to get started in ? Hi I am Action hawks as seen in the county mans weekly. If I can help give me a shout. But you are a bit far away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrshiretaxidermy Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Firstly, you need to decide if you have the time available to fly a bird to its full potential. If so, your next question is what land do i have and what quarry base is on it. Then, based on that, you should go for the bird which is best suited to your circumstances. DONT, get a Harris Hawk, if your land/quarry base dictates a Gos or Falcon. Contrary to whats been said, a Gos or a Falcon arent difficult if you have someone experienced to guide you close by. The web is littered with second hand Harris Hawks, being sold by folk who have fallen into that trap. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilersmiff Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Firstly, you need to decide if you have the time available to fly a bird to its full potential. If so, your next question is what land do i have and what quarry base is on it. Then, based on that, you should go for the bird which is best suited to your circumstances. DONT, get a Harris Hawk, if your land/quarry base dictates a Gos or Falcon. Contrary to whats been said, a Gos or a Falcon arent difficult if you have someone experienced to guide you close by. The web is littered with second hand Harris Hawks, being sold by folk who have fallen into that trap. Hope that helps. I have managed to find myself a mentor and he has agreed to let me use one of his permissions to fly my bird (when i get one) The quarry will be mostly Rabbit so I am thinking along the lines of a female HH. My next question is should I go for a inprint or a bird that has been parent reared, I believe there are pros and cons with both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goshawker Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 i would recommend a a parent reared male redtail as a first bird, they are a great bird to start falconry, you will learn more with a redtail and they will teach you manners, also they are ideal for hunting rabbits and will accept a dog better than a harris.. i have never owned an imprint but have seen them and they will give you a sore head lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fazer 1000 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 parent reared harris or red mate you not go far wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunkyed Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 I would go for a common buzzard or a harris hawk. A harris hawk is a better choice for hunting and they are quite easy to train. I would get some experiance before getting your own bird. Falconry: art and practice by Emma ford is a good book. Its got just about everything you need to know. Im training my first bird, its a male Gryfalcon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Billingbear Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 I have managed to find myself a mentor and he has agreed to let me use one of his permissions to fly my bird (when i get one) The quarry will be mostly Rabbit so I am thinking along the lines of a female HH. My next question is should I go for a inprint or a bird that has been parent reared, I believe there are pros and cons with both. Definitely get parent reared and get one from a reputable breeder at 18-22 weeks old so they're not imprinted on you. The reason falconers/austringers imprint birds is that they can be flown at a higher weight. But there are real downsides in terms of agression towards the handler when you take the weight down - they see you as the parent and will bully you for food. It's common to imprint Goshawks, not necessary, and a bit unusual to imprint Harrises Harrises are brilliant birds, very intelligent and in particular you can fly them as a cast (ie several together) since they are one of the few raptors that are social hunters. Nothing quite like a hike through the woods with your pointer and a couple of birds following on overhead..... Good on rabbit and pheasant, if you have hare you will definitely need a female. Good that you've got a mentor; you get lots from books, but there's no substitute for hands-on guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkhawk67 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Would agree with pretty much most of what has been said. You could look for courses near you too. I fly a few birds and it's really addictive so be careful lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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