Trapping season!!!!!

[Harris hawker]

I am amped up right now!
Some of you might know what I mean, but to the new people I will explain.

I am a licensed falconer and get to hunt with raptors.
This little guy was trapped last September and was one HELL of a bird!!
Had so much fun with him, but he was promised to another falconer so I no longer have him.
But I get to trap more!!!
So excited to trap a fresh bird soon and get back to bunny slaying!!!
Heck, I'll be happy with the cooler weather!!!

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Very nice that's such an awesome sport. Raptors are so majestic!

 

[FrankT]

I love it, do you video your hunts?

 

[Harris hawker]

Yes I do.

 

[FrankT]

Great!! are they catching or killing the rabbits? Can the rabbit hurt the bird? Have you put cams on the birds yet?

 

[Harris hawker]

The ethical thing is to dispatch as soon as possible. Can the hawk kill it, yes, but it is an prolonged painful death.
So I make in and separate the head from the spine.
A jackrabbit can weight 5-10 #, I saw first hand a jack rabbit buck 2 birds off of it. There is amazing power in a rabbit and hare. Many of birds legs have been broke by jacks and cotton tail.
I haven't put a cam on my birds yet.
People complain about hawks and falcons snatching dogs, terriers and other small dogs.
I can tell you it's not true.
These birds can't fly off with an adult cotton tail, ain't no way they are making off with a dog, unless its a teacup dog.
So I try to keep the weight off my bird and keep the camera off.

 

[FrankT]

Yeah the Harris is really a smaller bird of prey a larger bird could easily carry a cam, actually there are smaller cams that the Harris could carry but maybe cost too much...what a view though!

How long does it take before they will not just fly off and leave you or will they at times?

 

[Harris hawker]

They are a wild bird no matter what.
They will hang out until they tire of you and then leave when they feel like it. There is very little you can do to stop it if your hunting.

Typical bird takes 2-4 weeks to get to the point you feel comfortable to hunt with it.

 

[FrankT]

Is that just from feeding and handling the hawk?

 

[Harris hawker]

Yes,
Obviously the bird fears for its life at first.
But you would be surprised how willing to submit to death they are. You would think there would be a bigger fight for their life, but not so much.
Once the fear is gone and the food starts rolling in they start trusting you.
Basically you turn into an outfitter for the bird.
If you pay for a lease or guided hunt And you don't see anything, you won't go back, I assume.
Same thing for the bird.
If you fly the bird but never produce game, the bird will know it can do better without you.
But if you continue to produce game for the bird to hunt the bird will know life is easier with you.

 

[FrankT]

That is so interesting, so what is the longest one has stayed?

 

[Itsazonik]

So I'm shocked nobody has asked....

How do you catch them?

I don't see someone just running up and grabbing them

 

[FrankT]

They trap them, it was in the name of the topic

 

[Itsazonik]

Yes but how?

 

[FrankT]

remember that cardboard box with a stick and string? I bet they don't do it that way...LOL

Show us a trap and what bait??

 

[Itsazonik]

Hahahaha

 

[Harris hawker]

This is a trap.
It is a bal-chatri trap. There are many types of traps but this is the most common trap, there are also 100s of variations of this trap also.
The bait is sparrow, pigeon, legal doves like a euro collard, rats, mice, other common prey animals the bird might eat.
If the bird doesn't eat rabbit then it won't go after a trap with a rabbit in it. So the bird has to recognize the bait as food.
The nooses work when the bird hits the trap, when it hits the trap it foots at the cage to get the bait.
The hopes are the bird puts its foot thru the noose and when it retracts its foot, the noose tightens around the foot of the bird.
In the wild a birds life expectantcy is 5 years or less.
In captivity I know of a 30+ year old Harris hawk, an eagle can live 60+ years.
I know a guy who trapped a redtail and had it for 15 years before he released her.

Trapping is a lot like fishing, you drive Around till you see one you want and then throw the trap hoping to catch the bird.

 

[FrankT]

and that does not hurt their leg or foot struggling or are you there all the time waiting to catch a bird??

 

[Itsazonik]

This is defiantly a skill worth having

 

[Harris hawker]

and that does not hurt their leg or foot struggling or are you there all the time waiting to catch a bird??

You drop the trap and drive down the road and wait.
It's not legal to drop a trap and leave it.
So as soon as it hits the trap and gets snagged, it tries to fly off, but the weight of the trap won't let it, about a pound or 2 is the weight of the trap, so it flop on its chest and flaps it wings with no success.
At that point you wish you had a freakin funny car so you could cover the 1/4 mile or so in 4 seconds.
So you jump out of the car, cover the bird with the towel, and do the celebratory happy dance, Hi-fives and remove bird from trap.