Falconry Friday!

Utahlefty

Active Member
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272
Hi all, a little new here. This is a recurring post I've done on other forums in the past and if there's interest, I'd love to share again here.

We have three falconers in the family (technically Austringers as we fly mostly large hawks) and currently have two Harris Hawks that just wrapped up their 7th season (just under 500 kills) and a second year Ferruginous hawk (let's call it 30+ kills).

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Awesome! I don’t know much about falconry. What is it you are hunting with them? Looks like a grouse in the picture?
 
Awesome! I don’t know much about falconry. What is it you are hunting with them? Looks like a grouse in the picture?
Mostly jackrabbits with the occasional cottontail. That said, they've killed a couple dozen pheasants (pictured) , some quail and chukars, a few accidental/non-target species like owls, weasels, even a feral cat.
 
so.....who gets the ticket??....the hawk?
LOL. There is a rule called the let-it-lay rule. That is, the bird is allowed to feed on the kill but it cannot be taken into possession and the remainder has to be left behind.

As long as you do this (and report it within the 72 hour window) there is no foul.

I suppose if it happened to you often you might get a talking to though.
 
That sounds reasonable......does the raptor ever really know what you are hunting??
you're supposed to point them in a reasonable direction but they're free-flying and make their own decisions. They do however, recognize specific locations they've hunted before and know what to expect there.

the falconry small game season runs from Sept 1 to March 1 for all species (except waterfowl) so you can reasonably be hunting legal game pretty much anywhere from 9-1 on.
 
so.....you can fill a bag limit of chukar and quail during that falconry season??....rabbits too?...sounds like a lot of fun and.....WORK
 
it is both! generally though each bird is only going to make one kill per outing. The Harris Hawks are good for two per go.

After that they're too fat to be interested. Wild raptors spend 92% of their time perched rather than flying. Hunger is their prime motivator, otherwise they're mostly lazy.
 
I have always wanted to go see a hunt happen I've seen it on TV but never in person.
Those birds are beautiful and amazing looks like fun and an excuse to get outdoors
I rescued an sparrow hawk when I was a kid it had a broken wing took it to the vet he set the wing. My brother and I took care of it for about a couple of months and it was time to let it go.
My mother couldn't wait as we had it in a big cage inside the basement..really made some screeching noises she couldn't stand LOL
 

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