New Camera

My Wife bought me a Key-fob Camera for Christmas. I attached it to a scout transmitter to try it out on the back of Jez.

After allot of editing here is 10 minutes of the 1hr of video it recorded.

One Sunday afternoon.

Went up to Copan with Remington On Sunday. It was the re-opening of duck season here in Oklahoma. In the distance we could hear plenty of shot gun shots. It was our first time out as a team since Remington got sick. It was more of a training session than a hunt getting Jez to fly over Remington and chase game. Building up confidence from both dog and bird. I also wanted to see how Remington was doing in terms of could he keep up with things. So we set off into a new area we hadn't been before to see what we could russel up. I don't normally like prospect hunting but i had 4hrs before sunset and just needed to get out.We saw plenty of small birds still but little else. Most of the Wetlands Development Unit was full of water but it was also covered in about 2 inches of ice. We did get to see a Bald Eagle sitting out on the ice and an immature Bald Eagle in a tree. I had heard of reports of some quail coveys but in the area we went to i didn't see any.

It's amazing how in 2 months copan has gone from being green to brown.

I'm interested in going out to Ellis County and Optima to try and hunt for quail and pheasant in the new year (falconry Regs here in Oklahoma give us until March 31st to hunt both species. If anyone is interested in coming with me you'd be welcome.  I think it would be interesting to see how Jez does on them.

Gift Horses from the wife should always accepted

So my wife surprised me in finding an English Pointer litter locally in Dewey. Now if you know my wife you knwo this is a big thing. She has a love/hate relationship with remington and she likes the purse dogs that are all cute and cudderely. Her favorite saying is i dont want dogs so for her to say hey come look at this litter, well you just got to its kind of like winning the lottery.

With Remington's health issues she wanted me to have another dog but also one the whole family could get involved in. The owner is a Local hunter that was not intending to breed. He had papers for his Sire and Dam but the deal with the puppies was you vaccinated and did everything else yourself.

Ryan Van Zants another local Falconer and Pointer Trainer/Owner came out with me, as i trust what he's going to tell me, he holds nothing back and i respect his opinion.

We had the pick of all but one of the litter that had already been placed. we whittled it down to three possibles a male and 2 females. I eventually settled on one of the female. She was one of the few that kept coming back to me when i walked off and was interested in a quail wing that i started playing with. She also pointed Ryan's son a couple of times as he ran around the yard ( He had been playing with quail all day).

 

We spent about an hour with the owner talking about puppies , hunting before making our way home. Once we got home i went to tractor supply and got specter 5 as she had not been vaccinated and gave her her first dose. She'll live in the house for the first couple of weeks until she can mix with my other dogs.

oh and we decided on calling her Bella.

Winter is finally here

Winter has finally arrived with our first inches of snow. After some consultation i decided to take Jez out and see what he would do. the temps where in the Upper 20's  with about 1inche of snow on the ground the sun was out allowing a small amount of heat to hit the ground.

 

 

We headed out to our usual spot and started hitting the brush. We could both see Mice and Rats running between the grass clumps and diving into the cover of snow.

Then it was on We have chased this rabbit a few times and pulled fir. He was in the same location he had been on previous occasions. Jez had caught him by the rear and i rushed in to secure the kill. Traded him off fairly well and we tried for a double. We caught 3 more voles. I let him have the heads and traded him off for the rest. We had a couple more chases on rabbits but it was obvious Jez was loosing interest.  After about 20 Minutes Jez had had enough and flew into a tree. Pulled a foot up and didn't want to move.

 

 

On Saturday We went to another location (again int eh mid 20's) .I've hunted this pretty religiously for months (time to give it a rest) we tried to repeat the day before we caught 3 more voles and again after 20 minutes Jez was pulling feet up and no longer interested.

Frost bite in Harris Hawks is a worry so i decided to wait until the temps are back in the 30's  Tuesday should be back in the 40's.

I'm looking for another Harris to Hunt with Jez. If anyone hears of one needing a good home i would be interested in talking about it.

On another note was pretty awesome getting out for 5 minutes with my daughter and doing some redneck sledging. Left over Mews roofing panels make great sledges.

Some times work gets in the way

I have been in Share point Training all week traveling back and forth from Tulsa. Dark when i left and Dark when i came back. I knew this before i started the week so we got a couple of hunts in before the weekend was gone.

I took a friend out who is getting more and more interested in falconry , We had some good chases on Rabbits, Voles and Small Birds. Slips have been drying up at one spot and i think the rabbits have got the idea we are coming so we moved to a different part of the field. Just as we got to a brier patch bag the squeal of a rabbit could be heard. I dispatched it and we moved on. Trade off was not to bad. We then moved on and found a nest of Voles he grabbed 2 with each foot. Trade off was good and we moved on. We got on a really good rabbit chase that i thought he was sure to get but at the last minute the rabbit kicked up and behind and hit Jez in the chest. This put him off a little and the rabbit was able to carry on but still with jez in pursuit, By this time the sun was setting and it was time to head home.

Because of the training i feed him up with cold weather due and knowing i wasn't going to be able to get out right now I'm just bring his weight back down ready to start hitting the fields again.

if i take one more step

So there we have it. we took one more step.
We have officially caught more seasoned game with this hawk than any other previous. The feeling is pretty good. In total so far Jez has caught Sorrel, Rabbits, Pack Rats, Voles, Mice and Birds. (34 in total) He has caught 5 things a Sorrel and Rabbits that have a dedicated season. How ever you want to count it i am pretty pleased.

I am pleased i haven't had to use a bagged game item to get him going like a quail or a rabbit. All we are doing is hitting the field every day for 1 1/2hours longer on weekends. He cant hit really think brush but so far it hasnt really mattered. The bird chases are pretty spectacular. Harry McElroy likes the Male HH to a Female Coopers hawk and in his opinion are just as fast but with out all the hang ups a Coopers Hawk has. I flew a passage coopers last year and i got to say i don't miss those hang ups. Its great being able to just pick the bird up and go hunting and know you are going to catch something. It doesn't matter if there is a dog or another person in the field.

Yesterdays hut had a spectacular chase on a sparrow followed by a Rat and Mouse. The sun was starting to set and i have had problems with great horned owls in the past so decided to head home. just as we was walking back to the car Jez was of the T-Perch and in 5 feet there was the sound of a bunny being caught. quick dispatch and a good trade of and we continued our trek back to the truck

As the Falcon Her Bells

This is the book that started it all. I have been after a copy for a while and one popped up for the right price. 30 years later i find myself having the same amount of fun. different birds different game but a total fascination with birds of prey and the game they take.

Times Past and Times Fall

Not a falconry post.

There was a time every weekend i would be traveling to every Race Track in the UK and some in Europe. I was well sort after by the racing magazines to get pictures Porsche, Formula 3 and the European equivalent of Nascar. Seems like a long time ago. Most of the equipment went to pay lawyers fee's in a messy divorce.

Occasionally i pick a camera up and take a few shots. Some times i wonder why i cant get back into it. Was a time when it was my life i would race from one assignment to another.

I look at the camera catalogs and drool , it's got expensive. My wife has taken it up but i just can't seem to get excited about it any more. It seems the digital world has got way to expensive lenses cost 1000 of dollars as do the cameras.

I took these at the weekend when i got 5 minutes.

It's the local park in Bartlesville, where all the ducks are. The leaves on the trees are all turning theses amazing colours.

One more rabbit

On Saturday i took a few friends from wok hunting with us in the field. We chased many rabbits and a few quail. We caught Rats, Voles and some small birds. The look on each of these guys faces (they are all hunters) was priceless. Big smiles all round.

Sunday i went out on my own again plenty of chases on rabbits and some long haul flights on birds. about 30 minutes into it he hit the ground hard and rabbit number 3 was in the bag. Trade off was better than any other. With the Rats and Voles i have been pinching the heads off letting him eat them and carrying them off. I have noticed he burns through Rats and Voles at 3 times the burn rate of say rabbit and quail.
I can't say it enough this year is turning into a fun year for this hawk and I. I only need one more Seasoned (Seasons as in there is actually an official season for it) game item and i will have caught more seasoned game than any other year. I have had official more kills on Rats, Voles, Mice birds and Rabbits than any other bird and any other season. It's pretty amazing feeling going out into the field knowing you're going to catch something , just not sure what.

Remington continues to improve. Right now we are trying to figure out the right dosage that gives him an active life but none of the side effects. right now he is drinking and urinating every hour with a few accidents in the house. I spoke with the vet this morning and we are going to drop the Prednisone from 5mg to 3mg. I'm also having to keep an eye on him as he has been showing signs of aggression to my other dog and growled at me once. I'm putting this down to hunger as his appetite has really picked up and he is starting to gain weight back. I still have him on Rice and Boiled chicken , he cant seem to get enough of it. I have had him running in the back yard after pigeons and started calling whoa when he stands still i let the pigeon go. Rewarding the good behaviour with a pigeon chase.

And life goes on....

My plan has always been to hunt Remington my GSP under my Harris Hawk or in the future a Falcon. We have put allot of hours of training in and have been out on two hunts with both dog and bird.

Remington has never been one to keep weight on and hence i have been feeding him a high energy mix that seems to have worked. He's bone headed and full of energy but a lovable rouge. My wife has a love hate relationship with him which amuses me no end. Hes one of the family.....

Last week end i started to notice a difference in Remington , he had less energy and was loosing weight. On Tuesday i spoke with my wife how i felt something wasn't right. he wasn't interested in eating or drinking and had no energy which is unusual for a dog that is only 18months old.

Of to the local Vet we went and found he's potassium and sodium levels where all out of whack and he was totally dehydrated. The vet felt it was one of two things Addison's  or Leptospirosis.

Yesterday the Vet ran the ACTH stimulation which Remington came back positive for. I hope to pick him up today. He spent the night with an IV to get fluids back into his system and will start a regiment of two hormones and steroids.

Addison's effects the way a dog handles stress. so the next few months are finding out what his stress triggers are and stabilizing his medication. This will inevitably mean he may never hunt but will be a house dog. Stress isn't just negative but can be a positive thing too. I feel however if done right there is a possibility that he may be able to keep hunting. something i know he loves doing.

The medicine he will be on for the rest of his life is not cheap one of the meds he will be taking is Percorten-V 1-800 pet meds has it at $200 the vet charges $270 all vet meds has it for $167. When Remington broke his leg i took out insurance from Best Pet Meds the insurance is $18 a month. Most of this vet bill will be covered but once he his $2500 they will no longer pay for this treatment.

Hence a decision had to be made a vile of Percorten-V contains enough Meds for 2 months depending on where we get it this will be $160-$270 every 2 months or ($1020 - $1620) plus any other issues. Do we spend this or do we decided to put Remington to sleep. The answer from my wife and i was we spend the money and give him the best life possible.

But this decision produced interesting comments from a few different sources which made me think about things. One person said "oh just have the dog put down and get another , you have all ready paid out enough and why pay more. your a better pet owner than me for keeping him".  Another person turned round and said, "well the cost of the meds can only go down"

It actually told me more about these two people than anything else. Both people are Falconers. One person see's the animals in their care as an object to do with as they sees fit. If the animal doesn't reach its full potential they gets rid of them. The other is about finding a solution to getting the full potential. I don't think the person that said the price will only go down really knows what he said or the significance of what he said. In my opinion the first person will never get the full potential out of their hunting buddies because he expects it to all ready be there and when its not he is disappointed and doesn't change tack to compensate for it. This person is then more about results that make them look good instantly than getting the same result but over a diffrent period of time by taking a different tack.

This then got me thinking about other things are the animals that we bring into our lives just a monetary value to do a job to act as a tool and if they don't do the job got rid of or are they something that brings immense enjoyment as they learn we learn. They thought of having Remington put down was to much for me and reduced me to tears. I have had so much fun with this dog but i also don't believe there is not a way to get him to his full potential by altering his med, diet and training.  

I know what Falconer i want to be and it's the one that gets the full potential out of the animals in my care, yes there may be some bumps in the road or hurdles to come but anything is possible. I don't think i can put a money value on them , they are not tools but living things.  In getting the full potential out of my hunting buddies i feel i will then be getting the full potential out of me as a falconer but more importantly as a person.     

Great weekend

Friday and Saturday i was hunting with Kent Carbaugh in the center of town.

We tried 2 different field. His birds where still not at weight so we didn't end up flying them. Jez caught a mouse Friday night and some really good chases on rabbits and birds. The wind was pretty high and a few times you could see he was having fun with it.

Saturday morning was also windy but amazingly cold to start off with, again some great chases on rabbits(Jez was a little heavy) as we where walking near a tree all of a sudden all a dove took to the air with Jez in pursuit. He has chased dove before but this was with intent. The dove decided its best bet was to fly back under the tree and Jez followed it grabbing and pulling tail feathers. The Dove got away but man what a flight. We had a couple more rabbits chases when all of a sudden we got to a grassy area. first one quail popped up and then 10 more.Jez was a little overwhelmed at so many targets and you could tell he wasn't sure which one to go for. Kent and i jsut looked at each other i dont think i have ever seen so many quail take to the sky

Sunday afternoon i got into the field a little later than i had hoped but we immediately started chasing rabbits and small birds. AS we where walking along a small ridge a rabbit decided to take a bolt for it with Jez after it grabbing it by the head. I dispatched it and let him have some, trade off was a lot better this time. The vole chases that followed where out in the open (2 more in the bag) and the bird chase was fast. The bird made the mistake of putting in with Jez hitting it hard. The sun had set so at that point it was time to go home.

Good things come to those that..... well........ Hunt

We have been going out every day, most hunts involved 1-2 rats and 1-2 birds being caught in each hunt. The rabbit chases have been 2-3 in each hunt. on three occasions he bound but for some reason or another the rabbit finally got away. The cover is still pretty think in most places there seems to be two kinds of plants that i haven't seen in the past one has little yellow buds with a thin stem. The plant grows to about 3 feet. the rabbits can move freely under the main bloom but seeing through and crashing through the top part has been challenging. The other plant is well id say very close or must be related to some kind of heather very dense.

Today was different we had a rain shower earlier and i was expecting a storm to come in later( storm never materialized) but we went hunting any way he caught his first bird after about an 20 minutes then we started to get the bunny chases and re flushes. This particular rabbit was trying to sneak past us but never got more than 10 feet.

i traded him off (which wasn't to hot) but we went again and he caught another bird and chased 2 more rabbits into dense brush. One went on to a property I'm not to keen to go on at the moment even though i have permission.

Talking of permissions, even on waste ground never assume you can fly your bird there. I learnt a valuable lesson on Sunday , one that I'm kicking myself over and obsessing as my wife tells me. Also never assume one parcel of land is owned by one person. I found out that 4 different people own part of this property. none of it is fenced , no markers . It took a lot of detective work to find who owned what. All turned out well and i was granted permission but it's not how i want to practice falconry and made me feel immensely guilty.

I like the fact that there are challenges with flying a captive breed bird , food begging , sticky glove but i like the fact when you go out you know there are going to be some great flights and he/she will get something. With work and home life this is fun i can be out for 1hr -2hrs forget about the world and just concentrate on one thing finding those rabbits.

Chasing tail

We have been out hunting all weekend.

Kent Carbaugh came out with me saturday morning. Jez chased and caught a number of small birds. Saw plenty of sign just not alot of rabbits . The brush is pretty thick.

I went back on sunday and we caught small birds again as well as a Rail. Pretty pleased with him , im having such a blast the flights and chases are awesome to watch. It's going to be a very good and fun season.

where are we at.....

We are out hunting most days. Quite a few bunny chases just not quite connecting. Brush is a bit thick in a few fields but that doesn't stop at least 3 chases each outing. He's quite birdy too chasing dove and English Sparrows. I'm enjoying watching him learn and figure things out. I was out with Johnathan Coleman last night , he has an amazing Redtail was great beating brush for some on else and then Johnathan hunting with with me when it was my turn.

i also came across this site http://birdhunterstable.com/ think this will be on my christmas list

Getting used to each other

When i first got Jez this amazing alarm call would ring out when ever Remington came anywhere near him. After a few taps on Remington's nose and Remington learning to not sniff Jez things are starting to claim down. Jez no longer calls out and Remington tries and keeps a low profile. This i probably the closest they have ever been which boads well for when we get them both in the field together.

Got Jez flying to 100 Feet now and even chasing me down on a few occasions at 50 feet. Weather is starting to cool down a little so it's that time to finally go hunting.

Comming right along

Hes now flying to 50 feeet with no issues. Weight is 590grams. We will be moving to a longer creance in the next day or so. My wife took this picture and i'm pretty pleased with it. I have also been training him to the lure which is also going pretty well.

I also found a few interestng articles on Raptor Medicine.

Almost ready

Well we are almost ready to go hunting , I fitted his back pack last night. Took a while to get it right but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. Crappy IPhone picks but you get the idea. This is the first time i have used a Marshall Scout Transmitter so it will be interesting to see how i get on with it.

More pics

Just some pics

Just some pics

New Charge

Meet Jez,

He is a Coulson Harris Hawk out of Ariel and Shadow. 640grams out of the chamber and very calm.

Went down to New Orleans to pick him up over the weekend and hang out with Tom and Jen Coulsons for a few hours.

We didn't get to stay or visit any where else, the drive was pretty boring and extremely long but worth the time to meet Jen and Tom.

Vacation

Been visiting my home town of Manchester England for the lat couple of weeks, visiting family and friends but most importantly my two sons.

I got the opportunity to introduce my sons to birds of prey a the Wild Wings Birds of Prey Center near Warrington.

Obviously we couldn't go hunting but the smile said it all for me. Thanks to Ian Middleton and Mark for making our day. The center is entirely stocked with Birds that have been rescued. I was saddened to hear how people can come to have BOP's in the UK. Harris Hawks selling for $150 or a swapping for a set of golf clubs. No formal training and no permits are required. I'm so glad we don't have that in the USA.

I'm off back to New Orleans in 10 days to pick up my Coulson Harris with Steve Armstrong and visiting a few Falconers along the way. For the moment i'm getting all my gear together.

Still working with Remington on Woah and we seemed to have turned a corner with it last night. I'm thinking about joining the Tulsa Bird Dog Association. The have a mini expo this coming weekend that looks like it will be fun to go to.

North American Falcons and Hunting Hawks

Well after 6 years of me waiting for it, it's finally here.

First impressions is wow ,each volume is the same size as the Harris Hawk Revolution. The only thing i don't like about it is the seem to have dropped the medical chapter it once had. A most definite read for anyone wanting to pursue falconry.

One Slow Summer

Well June is out of the way and allot has happened.

Tech Ed has been and gone and i learnt allot about Team Foundation Server and SharePoint. Also taught a class at the Conference on Team Foundation Server which was accidental but allot of fun.

The OFA Picnic took place on June the 8th and it was pretty good by all standards great turn out and they tried something new with the introductions of Workshops.

A full write up can be read here.

 

I was asked to run for treasurer which i did with some reluctance. I was PR officer for the British in-line Puck Hockey Association at one time and the political just about killed me hence the reluctance. One of the things i am proud about though is i did re-design the logo for BIPHA and the BRSF which they still use to day. So far this has been pretty good we had our first board meeting. I have known Robert Huber a while and he makes all my hoods. Perry White i have gone to for veterinary and squirrel hawking advise. Ken Riddle is now the president and if you can get his book it's a dam good read and in my opinion should be compulsory reading for anyone starting out in falconry..

Rob Huber , Kelly Rawlings and Perry White all got elected too but you can read about it at the above link.

Robert Huber, Kelly Rawlings, Perry White, Ken Riddle and myself.

Ken gave a excellent workshop on imping, Ryan Van Zants has shown me how to one form of imping with Carbon Fiber and bambo , Kens version was a lot more complicated and used beading needles and pieces of feather shaft (Calamus).

Ken Riddle Imping Workshop

I also won a Short Cuff Glove at the picnic, first time i have won anything so was pleased with that.

I have about 40 pigeons right now with still more to come. so plenty to continue my dog training. still working on Woah and using the Delmar Smith and Willow Creek Kennels method of training and so far it seems to be coming along all but slowly (which is more down to me than the dog) David Gowdy also has an excerlant book on GSP training.


Harris Update
Got a call from the Coulsons to say my bird will be ready mid August which will be just in time to get going for the new season.

Fighting Lukiema

We have 2 sets of friends who have children fighting cancer right now. Both have Lukiema,

Malyka's fight can be read about at...

Ben's Fight can be found at ...

https://www.facebook.com/#!/BenMorrisUpdates

Lake Murray and Family Reunions

We headed down to lake Murray, south of Ardmore this weekend for a family Reunion and a spot of camping. I finally got to use my New Fly Rod for a few hours and some flies a friend of mine hand made. Didn't catch anything but it was pretty awesome fishing as the sun came up. Lots of people at the reunion wanted to know about falconry , which is always a good thing.

New Orleans

Some Pictures from my recent trip to New Orleans.