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It seems a day does not pass by without a box full of e-mail with the question, “How do I become a falconer ?” or “Where can I get a falconry course?” Perhaps the question should be, “Am I a suitable person to be a falconer?” The latter question is not about snobbery or elitism, both to be found in falconry, like anywhere else of course. Falconry is the art and sport of flying birds of prey at wild quarry in a natural environment. That does of course mean that birds and mammals are going to die, and there is every likelihood that you are going to have to kill them. Respect for the quarry should ensure that it does not suffer unduly making a swift dispatch essential. Now this may sound rather blunt and party pooping, but if this aspect can not be dealt with, you will not become a falconer. It will result in undue suffering when your hawk decides to attack some unsuspecting quarry, which you are unable to despatch efficiently. Most other aspects of falconry can be learnt or accommodated with time and patience.What |
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to
avoid. It may seem a silly thing to say but don’t go out
and buy a hawk. It happens and the
hawk usually suffers. Going on a course without talking to several
experienced falconers first could be a disaster. Falconers and austringers fly their hawks
most days during the hunting season.
So who is offering you the course?
This is not to say that there are no good courses available, just be
careful. Many can “talk the talk” but
don’t really come up to scratch except in the department of emptying your
pocket. |
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What
it takes You really need to look at your own temperament and
durability in a serious manner before making any final decisions. Are hobbies just passing fads forgotten in
twelve months? Do you have the
patience and dedication to train a hawk and care for it, even if things go
wrong. You can not bully a hawk into
doing what you want. You have to be
aware of the hawks motivation and needs if you want it to respond to
you. In short, you will only get out
what you put in. OK, you decide to go ahead because you believe you
will be able to provide for the needs of a hawk. The most common problem to be faced is that
of time. How do you find the time to
fly a hawk and keep it fit.
Unfortunately, most adults have to work during prime flying time to
earn their living. I know falconers
in this position who keep their birds fit and in tip top condition. This of course is where the dedication
comes in. Home from work in the
evening and taking that long awaited evening meal, it is all too easy to let
that comforting feeling dictate your evening. Are you going to be standing on top of a
set of steps, jumping your hawk to the fist to |
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keep it fit and athletic, ready for the week-end hunting, or
succumb to the temptation of putting your feet up and watching television? What
you need Having established that you are a responsible person
who can consistently meets the needs of a raptor, you will want to know how
to catch rabbits or game. This is
often the difficult area, because you will soon realise that unless you are
fortunate enough to be a land owner, you will need to have consent to hunt
over at least a thousand acres of land
and probably more. This may sound a
lot of land, but treading the same ground every day will soon diminish
potential quarry. Having found your
prime hunting ground, it is essential to present your hawk with the
opportunity to catch the quarry hidden in the hedgerows and other cover. As a beginner, you will probably be hunting
with a Red-tailed Hawk or a Harris Hawk, meaning rabbit is the most likely
quarry. Rabbits that have not been
hunted will sit around in some areas almost oblivious to your presence, until
you carry a hawk of course. It soon
becomes evident that finding the illusive rabbit is not as easy as first
thought. The obvious tools for the |
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job are springer spaniels, ferrets and lamps. Dogs
for falconry The person who flies a harris or redtail is known as
a austringer and would be inclined to use a springer spaniel. Someone flying a falcon would be inclined
towards a pointer. The decision on
what dog to acquire would be based on factors including available quarry and
terrain. If patience is not your virtue, you will have purchased your hawk
and be now wondering how to introduce a dog. If you are virtuous, you will buy and
train the dog first and introduce the hawk to dog. This is the best way to achieve success
with that partnership and your own with the dog. A Harris that is receiving little service
from an inexperienced dog is likely to take out it’s frustration on the
animals hind quarters. It encourages
the dog to stay in cover but not the recommended way of doing so. My personal experience involves many years working
Springer’s to gun and hawk and for rough country flushing are
unbeatable. When I started flying
long-wings I bought a German Wirehaired Pointer. This bitch was absolutely brilliant on the
open ground and could almost stop on a sixpence from a fast gallop to point
game. Unfortunately, GWP’s have this
thing about them that makes them |
