Plodding along

Things are going along quite nicely right now, I have him flying to 8 feet. Males are very different than females in style and there has been some of that showing through. Bad weather is coming for the next few days so his weight will drop even more (now at 900g). The lure is still an issue as he really doesn't understand what it is for. I'm hoping to have him on the creance certainly by the end of the week.

Training

Small Steps

The weekend has been busy with the funeral and having to travel to Clarksville, Arkansas. Last night we didn't get home until 11pm and then i spent 30 minutes feeding him on the fist and getting used to the whistle.

Shiloh is still at trap weight but that didn't make any difference tonight, it wasn't long before he was hoping to the fist ( about 1-1.5 feet ) . I set him on the screen perch that's about 4 feet high. The usual stretch till you stretch to far happens and it wasn't long before we where hoping more than just once.

Had him eating off the fist tonight, pretty pleased with how things are going, Always interesting when hunger takes over and that little hesitant bend to pick up the food yet watch what your doing is always fun and exciting. Hooding has been going pretty good to. He bates seldom but when he does its like a little rocket going off.

Shiloh

I sent willow on her way. I didn't like flying her so low in order to get her attention, on the creance fist response was good but in the field it just wasn't there. Lure response was excellent and i felt things where just hard work and not fun especially when you know where the game is and your hawk doesn't want to follow or participate. I have been procrastinating over releasing her but shes finally on her way.

My wife's father is seriously ill in OKC. Stage 4 Cancer with only a little time left. On our way up to OKC we spotted a hawk in the perfect setup . I brought my trap with me (just in case) but it had to be the perfect setup. We tossed it out and turned the car around and the hawk fluttered down to the trap. He must have flipped it over so we went to reset it , pulling up he didn't fly off but flew to about 10 feet away. I reset the trap we did another circuit and he was on it. Both feet snared in the nooses.

He is a small male and his trapping weight was 950. Seems to be settling down very well We have a tradition in our family that i can have the hawks but the wife gets to name them. So Shiloh it is.

Headed to law lake but ended up at oklahoma va. Latrell's dad has terminal cancer

all that smells ..... if F%^&&* awefull

We went close to the brier field, just a little further on. We managed to flush 4 rabbits in the end , she didn't follow close so they all got away, since making up my mind that her days where numbered and it was time to release and get something else this has been niggling in the back of my mind.

I lifted a sheet of metal that looked like it had something under it , all of a sudden about 5-6 rats where running every where willow didn't know where to look. I decided to head back to the spot we first flushed a rabbit. I found what i thought was a rabbit hole i then saw a black shape with a white stripe and care truthfully and honestly say said a number of F Bombs and ran.

Unfortunately for me willow had seen it to and was right on it. How to describe the smell, its like something you cant even possible imagine Gaging is not really the word for it either why the hell god invented a animal that produces one of the most repugnant smells ever. It took 20 minutes for willow to let go of the skunk it retreated to its hole.

We were planning to take her to the Kaw Eagle watch tomorrow in Kaw City, She wont be going have trying to wash her down the smell is well still F^&* awful my Giant Hood will never be the same and well the Lure i used to call her in is going in the trash and ill make another one.

I fed her half a quail and will be feeding her up for release next week. One thing that's really been bothering me and this kinda prompted all that is that her weight has been very low just to get her attention this really shouldn't be the case and I'm pretty upset about it, i should have released this hawk weeks ago but i hate to admit defeat and tried a few other things which didn't work.

So back to trapping another hawk we have 2 1/2 months left of the season.

Apart from sunday and monday we have been going out every day to the briar field. We have had flushes on rabbits and rats. great flights and some close calls. The issue i have at the moment is moving her away from those spots to other fields near by its not gone well. She refueses to come to the fist and perches up on top of the nearest pole until all (in her opionon) is lost and then she changes her mind and comes to the fist.

After consultation with my sponsor i have started to look for another hawk to finish the season out and get the experience of another bird.

We went to the rabbit field as i call it again today. Had a number of slips but each time just came up short. I think the majority of what she chased were rats, lots of holes near by with water in them. The problem i have is actually seeing the game we are flushing. The brush is so dense but we are getting flushes and thats all that matters. Response in the field is still a little lacking, hopefully will improve in time. She hunts and doesn't want to know me until she has finished hunting. The plan is to head back out there again tonight and try again. a couple good thing that did come out was she was happy to sit on a t-perch. The pole for the t-perch broke in the field but whilst it was available she was all about it. Also hooding in the field wasn't the battle it had been. Maybe tonight we will be more successful....

Birthdays

It's my sons birthday today. He's pretty amazing ! Recently he has got into chess, When he visits my mother we play chess online for hours, he's pretty good and wins more than looses. One day I'll take him hunting with my hawks one day.....

New Year

This is my second year of being an apprentice falconer, in October i could up-grade to general falconer if my sponsor and i feel I'm ready.My view point right now is i'm not and would be happy to spend a third year as an apprentice. I want to fly accipters but that can wait at least another year. It's also my third year of being involved in this sport. It's funny how it's Monday morning and all i want to do is go hawking. The world is at peace when your out there in the filed no worries about the kids, money the job everything becomes focused on the one thing flushing game and catching game.

I would say the only regret i have this year is is falling out with a fellow apprentice. Falconers get very passionate. We don't see eye to eye on how we go about training our hawks but i can be hard headed when it comes to being shouted at and my back is against the wall. I tend to shut down and push back. Being angry at someone is against my being i don't like the feeling and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, and like most people i also hate not being liked. I would like to go hunting with that person but I'm pretty sure I'm not welcome i think that's sad, the apprentice is pretty sucessful in his environment and more kudos to him ...

Falconers can be pretty passionate there are highs and lows it comes with the territory it is like no other sport. My son in law wants to get into it. He's been out with me a few times, even got lost but that's another story. He takes pictures and videos into work and shows people they don't understand. He tries to explain the thrill of the hunt and that its like no other... its just different. Sometimes when im out in the filed either entering or leaving its amazes me the looks on peoples faces when they see a 2-3lb bird on your fists mouths agape and in awe it's a pretty special feeling certainly not like owning a dog or a cat. Even more special when you know only about 4000 people actually do it in the whole of the USA.

The weekend brought some highs and lows  , Some good flushes on Squirrel and Rabbit, I found a new Squirrel spot some hunters had been telling me about and willow went for it and came close.  I also went to another squirrel spot and flushed a rabbit which wasn't expected, and  again willow came close but we lost it in the re flush.

The lows are we lost control a little so going to bring her weight down a little more and just hunt the briar field for a little while, less distraction and more focus on me. I also need to work on hooding its been nothing but a disaster. I can't take her out tonight as i have to baby sit so we will work on that and hunt tomorrow.

May you all have a prosporus New Year and may your game bag stay full..........