I took Katana out today hunting with Brandi and Michelle. Her weight was 990. She followed pretty well, but was a little far away. She came and landed on a telephone pole right next to us when we flushed a rabbit right under her. She folded up and teardropped straight down crashing onto the rabbit. This was the first and only flush that she needed to score. She transferred off of the rabbit beautifully. We put her up and continued hunting Harley. We flew Harley for about a hour, flushing several rabbits for her. She finally took off and caught her rabbit, a flight no one saw until we heard the crash and the rabbit screams. We transferred her off the rabbit and continued hunting on the way back to the car.
Another successful day of hunting!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Another day...
So on Monday 2/26, Brandi and I set out for another day of hawking. Katana was a little low: 926 grams, but I figured I would fly her any way. We decided to try to cast Katana and Harley again, as Katana's hunting had improved. It started out well, they both flew to different perches and we paying attention to us. That was short lived. If Katana flew to a new perch, Harley would come and knock her off, and vice versa. We had to break them up severl times. When they were up together, we only had one rabbit flight. Katana had a rabbit run directly under the tower she was on and she folded up and dropped straight down. Unfortunatly, she hit her wing on the tower, causing her to miss. After a couple more crabbing incidents, we separated the two and put Katana in the car.
We continued to fly Harley, giving her a few good slips with excellent chases. She got a hold of one rabbit by the back leg,but could not hold on to it and it got away. After working one side of the field we put her up and brought Katana back out.
Bringing Katana out, it was now apparant that her flight was too low. She took very low perches at first, and then decided to perch on the ground. She followed well, hopping along the ground, and her fist response was great: coming to the fist when called for a tidbit. She did perch in a tree twice, and gave two rabbit chases. Her flights were not as strong as I am used to, so I called her to the lure and ended the hunt.
Even though no game was taken, it was a great day of hawking! We are going to start perching the 2 together again, and then try casting them once more.
We continued to fly Harley, giving her a few good slips with excellent chases. She got a hold of one rabbit by the back leg,but could not hold on to it and it got away. After working one side of the field we put her up and brought Katana back out.
Bringing Katana out, it was now apparant that her flight was too low. She took very low perches at first, and then decided to perch on the ground. She followed well, hopping along the ground, and her fist response was great: coming to the fist when called for a tidbit. She did perch in a tree twice, and gave two rabbit chases. Her flights were not as strong as I am used to, so I called her to the lure and ended the hunt.
Even though no game was taken, it was a great day of hawking! We are going to start perching the 2 together again, and then try casting them once more.
Monday, February 26, 2007
My first double!!
Due to high winds this weekend, we were only able to hunt on Sunday. We were blessed with a beautiful day, though quite warm. Katana was first to fly, and she started out very strong. She was following well, although still scanning the other side of the field from where we were. The first rabbit she chased was a long flight, and I think that she became tangled in the brush allowing it to escape. The second rabbit was a magnificant flight, long and strong, ending in a beautiful wing over. As always when we made in she had the rabbit by the head. Only 20 minutes into the hunt, we decided to transfer her off to a tid bit and coninue hunting. After releasing her she decided to do a little soaring. We watched her circle higher and higher, to about 1200 feet before calling her in to the lure.
About 30 minutes later, Katana took flight over bunny #3 for the day. We all watched as she flew further away, until she crashed again. It took us a while to find her, but she was patiently waiting on her rabbit. I transferred her off for a rabbit leg, bagging my first double!
What a fantastic day!
All alone...
On Wed 2/21 I set out to hunt Katana by myself for the first time. I must say, it gave me a deep appreciation of having friends in the field. With Katana's flight style of long chases, I was exhausted. She gave 8 good chases, including one chase that included 3 flights on the same rabbit. Her persistance is amazing! Unfortunately, at the end of the day we came up empty handed. She flew a long way to the lure, and I think she was happy to return to her box after a nice meal. We'll get 'em next time!
Bunny #5
On Tues 2/20, Krys headed out to hunt Katana. 15 minutes into the field, he kicked up a rabbit. From what I am told, she flew out over the rabbit, and then hovered above it before diving in for the kill. Krys immediately ran over and transferred her off of the rabbit. The transfer went well, and he traded her for tidbits to continue flying her. Unfortunately, when he reached to put the rabbit in his game bag, he discovered that it was gone. Hmmmm......
He continued to fly her for 1 1/2 hours until she was so tired she was taking perches on the ground. Thanks for flying her Krys!
He continued to fly her for 1 1/2 hours until she was so tired she was taking perches on the ground. Thanks for flying her Krys!
Bunny #4
I know there is a hole in the blogging, but technical errors took down my blog. So....
Due to my hectic schedule that has prevented hunting during the week, and also a little falconry withdrawal on Krys's part, Krys has been helping me hunt Katana.
On Sunday 2/18 the TODs headed out a hunting. This would be the first time that Krys would hunt Katana, and I wanted to be in the field. I must admit that it was a little difficult watching him hunt her, even though I have the upmost respect for him as a falconer. Katana has started taking long flights, and flying clear to the other side of the field we are hunting to chase game. This Sunday was no exception. After a couple of long flights and chasing her around the field, she perched on a telephone pole watching. Not neccesarily watching us, mind you, which she made apparant as she ignored 2 rabbits we flushed right under her. I must say it was entertaining to watch Krys try to call her to the glove. She ignores me when I try, so I am not sure why he thought it would be any different. :) We were about to lure her in when she took off in pursuit to the other side of the field. A long flight and intense wing over later, and she nailed it. Krys and I took off running, across the railroad tracks to where she went down. We found her beneath the tree on top of a rabbit. I then had to retrace my steps back to the tracks where I fell, losing part of Krys's camera lense (sorry, Krys!!) All was fine though, and no major damage was done. She trasferred of the kill beautifully, with us allowing her the head as a reward.
Due to my hectic schedule that has prevented hunting during the week, and also a little falconry withdrawal on Krys's part, Krys has been helping me hunt Katana.
On Sunday 2/18 the TODs headed out a hunting. This would be the first time that Krys would hunt Katana, and I wanted to be in the field. I must admit that it was a little difficult watching him hunt her, even though I have the upmost respect for him as a falconer. Katana has started taking long flights, and flying clear to the other side of the field we are hunting to chase game. This Sunday was no exception. After a couple of long flights and chasing her around the field, she perched on a telephone pole watching. Not neccesarily watching us, mind you, which she made apparant as she ignored 2 rabbits we flushed right under her. I must say it was entertaining to watch Krys try to call her to the glove. She ignores me when I try, so I am not sure why he thought it would be any different. :) We were about to lure her in when she took off in pursuit to the other side of the field. A long flight and intense wing over later, and she nailed it. Krys and I took off running, across the railroad tracks to where she went down. We found her beneath the tree on top of a rabbit. I then had to retrace my steps back to the tracks where I fell, losing part of Krys's camera lense (sorry, Krys!!) All was fine though, and no major damage was done. She trasferred of the kill beautifully, with us allowing her the head as a reward.
Falling In Love...
Well, I must admit, my first falconry season began with a rocky start. I set forth on September 30th to trap my bird, excitement in the air. Little did I know the journey would prove long, with days turning to months in search of a passage female. Never a dull moment, we trapped light morphs, dark morphs, a Krider’s hawk, a rufous morph, and even a red shoulder hawk, but none were what I was searching for.
Our excitement mounted October 28th, when I spotted a large dark morph on a pole south of Gainsville. Placing the trap in the perfect position, we drove back to wait. That is what trapping is, in fact, waiting. All of a sudden the bird flew off. Curious, we went over to the trap and there was a man standing over the BC with a pocket knife in hand. He had release our gerbil. What?!? He mentions he thought we left it there. Of course, that gerbil would do just fine in the wild (yeah, right!) Disheartened, we left the gerbil-liberator and carried on our way. I later trapped the bird and had to release it, as it was a second year bird with an incomplete molt. That, my friends, is an entirely different story all together.
On November 13th, I drove to Benbrook to trap a confirmed passage female. Pulling out the scope, excitement ran in my veins yet again. I placed the trap in an excellent spot, drove to a nearby parking lot and waited. With the scope on the bird, I watched her bend and look, obviously interested in the prospect of her next meal. All of a sudden, she quick looking. Swinging the scope to the left I began to search for the trap. A search that would prove endless, as it was never found. Perhaps a nearby passer picked it up, perhaps a coyote, but nevertheless, it was gone. Sorry, Sheldon – it will be replaced.
On Thanksgiving weekend, though, on a weekend trip to Kansas, the desperate search reached an end. 212 hours, about 8,000 miles, and 10 passage males later, I found her. Katana is my dark morph red tail female, and I cannot express the sigh of relief that escaped my lips at the sight of her. Of course the adventure was just beginning…
Katana would not eat. For 8 days in fact. Then she would not hop to the glove. For another 25 days. On Christmas day, she hopped to the glove, and was on the creance 2 short days later. Twenty days later, 7 weeks off the trap, I released Katana for the first time at the THA meet in Abilene. Not knowing if she would return to me, I was scared. I called her to the fist and her hesitation put a knot in my throat. A couple hours later (okay, maybe it was only a couple of minutes) she came back to the fist. Time to hunt! We kicked up a rabbit, as she crashed the brush with no hesitation in pursuit. Unfortunately, she and the rabbit jumped a foot upon impact, and she lost hold. A few more rabbit flights later, I called her to the lure to end the hunt. My face was aglow from how well she followed. Ezra, from US Falconry, was stunned that this was her first flight. She flew ahead, stayed close, and took pursuit to all the game we produced. My hard work had paid off.
The Monday after the meet, Brandy, Michelle and I took to some fields in Fort Worth. Game was scarce, and we were only able to kick up two rabbits for her. The first, she pursued in an instant, and even after the first miss she continued to fly it down. She did, once again, get a hold of it, but lost it in the end. The second, we flushed for her twice, and she nailed it. Seeing her go down, I immediately ran to where I thought she was, unable to find her. I thought that I heard muffled rabbit screams and I was right. Tangled in the brush, Katana had both her feet in a rabbit hole, and on the other end – a rabbit clutched in her talons. We had done it! She was amply rewarded for her kill, transferring her off the rabbit to a quail on the lure (after untangling her from the brush.) My first rabbit in my game bag, we headed to the car, to continuing hunting with Brandi’s red-tail, Harley. It was at that moment, I fell in love. I fell in love with falconry and truly respected the awesome power and grace of the raptors. I knew I had a new love in my life, once that could never be matched. Thank you, Brandi and Michelle, for sharing that experience with me.
Now, Brandi and I are hunting together on a regular basis, and flying out passage red-tails in a cast. Last weekend we watched them soar together, and drop out of the sky to return to the lure. Every hunt is a new experience, and I never know what will happen. It keeps getting better and better with every hunt, and I am thankful for all of the great people I have met in the sport.
Thank you, to my sponsor, Roger, for taking a chance on a new apprentice. Thanks to Sheldon, Krys, Aaron, Brandi, Noel and all the TOD’s for your great support when I needed it the most, and allowing me to be part of your family. While it might be dysfunctional, it can never be matched. Happy hunting!
Our excitement mounted October 28th, when I spotted a large dark morph on a pole south of Gainsville. Placing the trap in the perfect position, we drove back to wait. That is what trapping is, in fact, waiting. All of a sudden the bird flew off. Curious, we went over to the trap and there was a man standing over the BC with a pocket knife in hand. He had release our gerbil. What?!? He mentions he thought we left it there. Of course, that gerbil would do just fine in the wild (yeah, right!) Disheartened, we left the gerbil-liberator and carried on our way. I later trapped the bird and had to release it, as it was a second year bird with an incomplete molt. That, my friends, is an entirely different story all together.
On November 13th, I drove to Benbrook to trap a confirmed passage female. Pulling out the scope, excitement ran in my veins yet again. I placed the trap in an excellent spot, drove to a nearby parking lot and waited. With the scope on the bird, I watched her bend and look, obviously interested in the prospect of her next meal. All of a sudden, she quick looking. Swinging the scope to the left I began to search for the trap. A search that would prove endless, as it was never found. Perhaps a nearby passer picked it up, perhaps a coyote, but nevertheless, it was gone. Sorry, Sheldon – it will be replaced.
On Thanksgiving weekend, though, on a weekend trip to Kansas, the desperate search reached an end. 212 hours, about 8,000 miles, and 10 passage males later, I found her. Katana is my dark morph red tail female, and I cannot express the sigh of relief that escaped my lips at the sight of her. Of course the adventure was just beginning…
Katana would not eat. For 8 days in fact. Then she would not hop to the glove. For another 25 days. On Christmas day, she hopped to the glove, and was on the creance 2 short days later. Twenty days later, 7 weeks off the trap, I released Katana for the first time at the THA meet in Abilene. Not knowing if she would return to me, I was scared. I called her to the fist and her hesitation put a knot in my throat. A couple hours later (okay, maybe it was only a couple of minutes) she came back to the fist. Time to hunt! We kicked up a rabbit, as she crashed the brush with no hesitation in pursuit. Unfortunately, she and the rabbit jumped a foot upon impact, and she lost hold. A few more rabbit flights later, I called her to the lure to end the hunt. My face was aglow from how well she followed. Ezra, from US Falconry, was stunned that this was her first flight. She flew ahead, stayed close, and took pursuit to all the game we produced. My hard work had paid off.
The Monday after the meet, Brandy, Michelle and I took to some fields in Fort Worth. Game was scarce, and we were only able to kick up two rabbits for her. The first, she pursued in an instant, and even after the first miss she continued to fly it down. She did, once again, get a hold of it, but lost it in the end. The second, we flushed for her twice, and she nailed it. Seeing her go down, I immediately ran to where I thought she was, unable to find her. I thought that I heard muffled rabbit screams and I was right. Tangled in the brush, Katana had both her feet in a rabbit hole, and on the other end – a rabbit clutched in her talons. We had done it! She was amply rewarded for her kill, transferring her off the rabbit to a quail on the lure (after untangling her from the brush.) My first rabbit in my game bag, we headed to the car, to continuing hunting with Brandi’s red-tail, Harley. It was at that moment, I fell in love. I fell in love with falconry and truly respected the awesome power and grace of the raptors. I knew I had a new love in my life, once that could never be matched. Thank you, Brandi and Michelle, for sharing that experience with me.
Now, Brandi and I are hunting together on a regular basis, and flying out passage red-tails in a cast. Last weekend we watched them soar together, and drop out of the sky to return to the lure. Every hunt is a new experience, and I never know what will happen. It keeps getting better and better with every hunt, and I am thankful for all of the great people I have met in the sport.
Thank you, to my sponsor, Roger, for taking a chance on a new apprentice. Thanks to Sheldon, Krys, Aaron, Brandi, Noel and all the TOD’s for your great support when I needed it the most, and allowing me to be part of your family. While it might be dysfunctional, it can never be matched. Happy hunting!
First Free Flight!
Finally on Sat, Jan 13th, 51 days off the trap I let Katana taste freedom! I must admit my nerves were out of control when she left the fist, untethered for the first time. It was even harder when she hesitated for a few minutes after I called her to the fist for the first time. But, she remembered. After looking around, she flew from the top of a tree where she was perched, back to me. After that, the entire hunt was uphill. She followed me around the field as if she were an old pro. Every time I called her to the fist she responded, and was rewarded with a tidbit. A whistle blow from across the field would bring her to another perch in front of us, as if she already knew we were there to help her hunt.
Aaron kicked up a rabbit about 45 minutes into the hunt, and she immediately took persuit. There was no hesitation at all, and she stooped out of the tree landing on top of the rabbit that had the misfortune of running beneath her. Unfortunately, according to Aaron, she hit the rabbit so hard that the two bounced up off the ground about a foot and she lost contact, allowing the rabbit freedom.
We had 4 more close pursuits through out the 2 hour hunt, none proving successful. She did give a good chase with each flush, and was amply rewarded with the lure at the conclusion of the hunt. Her lure response was a little weak, but will only improve in time.
I was told that it was unbelievable this was her first time out, and we all had a great time!!
Aaron kicked up a rabbit about 45 minutes into the hunt, and she immediately took persuit. There was no hesitation at all, and she stooped out of the tree landing on top of the rabbit that had the misfortune of running beneath her. Unfortunately, according to Aaron, she hit the rabbit so hard that the two bounced up off the ground about a foot and she lost contact, allowing the rabbit freedom.
We had 4 more close pursuits through out the 2 hour hunt, none proving successful. She did give a good chase with each flush, and was amply rewarded with the lure at the conclusion of the hunt. Her lure response was a little weak, but will only improve in time.
I was told that it was unbelievable this was her first time out, and we all had a great time!!
Introducing Katana
Well, it has been a LONG journey so far. After 212 hours and 8,000 miles, we trapped Katana in Sumner County, Kansas over the Thanksgiving weekend.
While she was a well-mannered Red-Tail from the start, she was stubborn. It took her 8 days to eat, and an even longer 32 days to hop to the glove. She gave me a Merry Christmas by finally hopping on Dec 25th.
Once she hopped, she was Rockin'!! Took her outside to the creance 2 days later, and response was excellent! I gradually increased her distance, moving her to a large field on 12/29. Unfortunately her lure response did not materialize until Jan 9th. I flew her for the last time on the creance on Jan 12th in Abilene, Texas at the Texas Hawking Association Annual Field Meet.
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