Too Much Rain

It rained ALL last week. :( I was only able to take Kat out once, and she became wet very quickly as a result of the days previous weather. On Saturday, the wind was not in our favor, so she had trouble finding places to perch. But, Sunday yielded success. We headed out to an old field from last year, and she was following very well. After several strong flight, and a few more flushes, Katana bagged a rabbit. We hunted back to the car and she put up a few more good fights, but we ended the day with only one. Today, Brandi and I took her out to a field close to home, and we did some more hunting from the fist. It was still pretty windy, and Kat does not like to sit on the fist when it is gusting, but we held strong and she caught her first rabbit off the fist. With all the wind lately, she is getting some great exercise, and proving how strong she really is.
10 rabbits, 3 snakes, 2 grasshoppers, 1 frog, 1 mouse, 1 rat

A Very Blustery Weekend

We had our friend Kevin in from England, so we took the opportunity to head up to Oklahoma to visit our friends Dave and Pam. We had a full weekend of hunting in mind, to include hunting Katana on Jackrabbits as well as watching Dave's Golden Eagles fly. To our dismay, winds were gusting up to 60mph on Saturday, so that put a hold to any plans we might have had. It was even too windy for the eagles. Grudgingly we set out to do some trapping, as there is no wild take allowed in England, so we wanted Kevin to have the full US experience. The wind even discouraged the wild birds from coming to the trap, that is the few that we not huddled down somewhere waiting out the weather.
Forecast showed better weather for Sunday, so we woke at 7am to head out. Alas, it was still windy, especially for Katana. We took her out anyway, and had numerous jacks break in front of us. Unfortunately, the smart little buggers always seemed to run upwind, and Katana knew she did not stand a chance. Of the 2 downwind flights that she took, she lost one of the rabbits and pulled fur on the other. At least I learned that she will chase them, as they are even bigger than I imagined! So the trip was not lost. Also, we were lucky that Aiden, Dave's eagle, had no trouble with the wind and bagged 4 jacks in a little over an hour. What a magnificent bird! I am in awe....
I gave Katana Monday off, and took her out Tuesday yielding many great flights, but no success. She returned to me today, taking one rabbit after sensational performance in the field. her fist response was excellent, and she returned to me after every missed chase. She is dong fantastic! The only downfall she has is that she tried to be too stylish on the easy flights, pursuing with her classic wing-over and stoop. If her aim would get a little better, no rabbit would be able to get away! She gets better everyday though, and her creative attempts make her even more enjoyable to watch, even when she misses. She flies fast and hard, and that is what it is all about.