Within the 1997 edition of the Austringer, I wrote an article introducing members to a relatively new breed of HPR, the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla.  The bitch shown in both photographs, which accompanied the article, had her first litter soon after.
Knowing of her pedigree and working credentials I purchased two puppies. The dog we named Rhu and the bitch we named Freya after the Norse Goddess of Love and Beauty.
I don't intend this article to be how I trained my dogs, but to share with you that special moment when, through the hard work and good nose of my wirehaired Vizsla, the team of hawk, dog and austringer gelled for the first occasion, resulting in our first head of quarry.  Usually I only ever undertake the training of one dog at a time. So it was interesting when training two, to notice their individual traits, as one differed from the other in a number of ways.

My dog was probably a little more methodical, enters cover with little or no encouragement, is a little steadier on point and has a slightly longer concentration span.
The bitch, on the other hand, covers more ground, quarters more naturally, enjoys water work a little more and is the stylish of the two when actually on point. Although hardly top of the austringers priorities she also displays a stronger retrieving instinct.
In the past I have taken my dogs afield with my hawk at the com

mencement of their second season. Maybe one or two have been ready before, but as a rule I have stuck to this.
Not with my wirehaired Vislas however! I'm not an impatient kind of person who takes risks, but at the age of 9½ months I felt they were ready to be taken up to the moors with the hawk (an intermewed female ferruginous) on alternate days.
At this point I'd like to take the opportunity to maybe add a little on the much underrated ferruginous. My experience with this species runs to three individual birds. All have been eyas females, one of which I still currently fly. All have proven, in time, to be efficient game hawks capable of some stunning flying and versatile enough to take a wide range of quarry. One female I flew    solely at graylag geese.
I feel a lot of negative press has been attributed to this species, due in part to people acquiring them as a cheap alternative to a goshawk, then subsequently trying to fly them in a similar manner in unsuitable terrain.
Fitness! (a word that will continually appear within this article) is one of the key components to success with this raptor. It is something you will never truly see if you are unable to fly your ferruginous a minimum of at least four days a week, in all manner of wind conditions.
Strong winds will eventually become your ally, especially if they are conducive in providing lift. From height the ferruginous packs a mighty punch and stoop in the manner of a large longwing. Personally I have initially found that an inexperienced ferruginous is not as comfortable with wind as eagles appear to be. However, repeated exposure and they soon become proficient and use height to good effect.  Rain and the ferruginous do not mix, to a certain extent they are quite literally large flying sponges. Due to their natural habit of landing upon the ground in between flights they quickly soak up

moisture. This is part attributable to the configuration of narrow prima

ries and soft plumage.

I would strongly advise anyone contemplating flying a ferruginous to make their bird to the

hood. This then allows you to keep the hawk upon the fist until a point is produced. Once

these hawks are fit and motivated they seem reluctant to sit the fist unhooded.

A word of warning might be prudent here. It is almost possible when flying this species to become a victim of your own success. Once fit, these hawks are willing to take on distant slips and by distant I quite literally mean anything on occasion of up to ¼ - ½  mile away. If quarry is then taken at such a distance then another of its unique attributes comes into play. That is it's uncanny knack of being able to bolt down any quarry up to and including the size of small rabbits, in the space of time it would take any other hawk to eat a day old chick.  Although not aesthetically pleasing, a step can be taken to counter this ability by keeping the end of it's beak purposely square. This does not prevent things but slows things up and gives you some chance of making into your hawk before it gorges itself.

With fitness comes success, and with success comes confidence. This can in turn lead all too

easily to a self hunting bird, especially within a game rich area. Control must be exercised if you are to remain part of the team and are not elevated to a fell running telemetry fiend!  Fortunately I have found my ferruginous to be extremely responsive to both fist and lure, at surprisingly long distances.   A fit ferruginous needs challenging. My modus operandi, once she has had a number of weeks hard flying and has attained some semblance of fitness, is as follows:  Once a point has been produced, I walk back at least 30-40 yards, place the hawk upon the ground, obviously if dry, then make my way back to the point for the flush.  This enables the hawk to build up a head of steam, which a fit ferruginous can quickly do, it also enables quarry to be in full flight making the hawk work harder, and any head of quarry taken (53 head to date this season) is justifiably earned.   I have found it tactically poor to simply walk in for the flush with the hawk upon the upheld fist. This results more often than not in a short goshawk like chase, usually unsuccessfully.  I am unable to adopt these tactics within an area which isn't conducive to get the hawk waiting on, due to the wide open nature of the terrain. Also these obliging northern rabbits can be found literally hundreds of yards away from the sanctuary of their burrows.

The 2nd February dawned bright with a slight frost (a rare occurrence

this year) with a moderate westerly breeze. Once at our hawking grounds, which consisted of a large expanse of white grass moor, I cast my wirehaired Vizsla on to seek.  No more than 5 minutes later he came on point. Now, I am never in a rush whilst actually out hawking, only beforehand, so I gave the dog the necessary time for him to convince me that his point was true. It was obvious from both his stance and concentration that it was. Being perfectly honest, I wanted the three of us to taste success this day, so I gave the ferruginous the advantage of height provided by a nearby hillock.  Talking reassuringly to the dog I walked forward of the point and a rabbit flushed. The dog automatically sat. Concentrating so much upon the dog as I was, I looked up only to see the very conclusion of the flight. The hawk bound to and secured the rabbit some 50 yards away.

Joy! 0 Joy!  Our first head of quarry as a team. The day after I was lucky enough to be able to repeat the whole process, only this time with my bitch, after our fourth point.

It seems almost unimaginable to believe that all of this could soon become a thing of the past if the anti's succeed in the UK. How on earth anyone can justifiably argue that it should be banned is beyond me. Unfortunately that is just what will happen if we don't take up the challenge before us at present. How long before the lunatics take over the asylum? ...end

 

 

 

 

 

 

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