Falconry

Off Topic
41

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Bad ass!

you said “trap or purchase a bird”??? People actually trap wild birds and train them? Thats intense.[/quote]

Yup. I believe the norm is to trap your own bird. I’m still learning, but the instructor said trap and that’s what I’ve been reading. I say trap, assuming you have access. Where I’m at, we have everything from bald eagles to owls. The instructor told me we have red tail hawks here, among others, so that’s likely what I’d be dealing with. Still doing my homework but like I said, it’s something I wanted to do years ago and my initial research lead me to believe it would be too onerous, but I’m finding out it’s not so bad since you can keep and train a bird during your apprenticeship. [/quote]

I’m no PETA-apologist, but that something about that just seems a little… off? Lol.

So, these birds are being caught out of the wild to fly in circles for you?

Out of genuine curiosity, how does a hawk benefit from this at all? Just trying to make sense of this.

EDIT: Post came off sounding snarky, NOT my intention. ^ They’re all legitimate questions.[/quote]
Basically who cares. Just my interjected two cents.

42

[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Bad ass!

you said “trap or purchase a bird”??? People actually trap wild birds and train them? Thats intense.[/quote]

Yup. I believe the norm is to trap your own bird. I’m still learning, but the instructor said trap and that’s what I’ve been reading. I say trap, assuming you have access. Where I’m at, we have everything from bald eagles to owls. The instructor told me we have red tail hawks here, among others, so that’s likely what I’d be dealing with. Still doing my homework but like I said, it’s something I wanted to do years ago and my initial research lead me to believe it would be too onerous, but I’m finding out it’s not so bad since you can keep and train a bird during your apprenticeship. [/quote]

I’m no PETA-apologist, but that something about that just seems a little… off? Lol.

So, these birds are being caught out of the wild to fly in circles for you?

Out of genuine curiosity, how does a hawk benefit from this at all? Just trying to make sense of this.

EDIT: Post came off sounding snarky, NOT my intention. ^ They’re all legitimate questions.[/quote]
Basically who cares. Just my interjected two cents.[/quote]

Well, I understand you have opinions, and I do as well. So I care, lol. I wouldn’t ask a question if I didn’t seek the answer.

43

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Bad ass!

you said “trap or purchase a bird”??? People actually trap wild birds and train them? Thats intense.[/quote]

Yup. I believe the norm is to trap your own bird. I’m still learning, but the instructor said trap and that’s what I’ve been reading. I say trap, assuming you have access. Where I’m at, we have everything from bald eagles to owls. The instructor told me we have red tail hawks here, among others, so that’s likely what I’d be dealing with. Still doing my homework but like I said, it’s something I wanted to do years ago and my initial research lead me to believe it would be too onerous, but I’m finding out it’s not so bad since you can keep and train a bird during your apprenticeship. [/quote]

I’m no PETA-apologist, but that something about that just seems a little… off? Lol.

So, these birds are being caught out of the wild to fly in circles for you?

Out of genuine curiosity, how does a hawk benefit from this at all? Just trying to make sense of this.

EDIT: Post came off sounding snarky, NOT my intention. ^ They’re all legitimate questions.[/quote]

The Hawk lives in a cage and gets to hunt.

A chicken lives in a cage and gets eaten.

44

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Bad ass!

you said “trap or purchase a bird”??? People actually trap wild birds and train them? Thats intense.[/quote]

Yup. I believe the norm is to trap your own bird. I’m still learning, but the instructor said trap and that’s what I’ve been reading. I say trap, assuming you have access. Where I’m at, we have everything from bald eagles to owls. The instructor told me we have red tail hawks here, among others, so that’s likely what I’d be dealing with. Still doing my homework but like I said, it’s something I wanted to do years ago and my initial research lead me to believe it would be too onerous, but I’m finding out it’s not so bad since you can keep and train a bird during your apprenticeship. [/quote]

I’m no PETA-apologist, but that something about that just seems a little… off? Lol.

So, these birds are being caught out of the wild to fly in circles for you?

Out of genuine curiosity, how does a hawk benefit from this at all? Just trying to make sense of this.

EDIT: Post came off sounding snarky, NOT my intention. ^ They’re all legitimate questions.[/quote]
Basically who cares. Just my interjected two cents.[/quote]

Well, I understand you have opinions, and I do as well. So I care, lol. I wouldn’t ask a question if I didn’t seek the answer.[/quote]But that is the answer. Not being sarcastic. Besides, animals like being controlled, don’t let them lie to you.

45

My family always made it a tradition to go into Vermont a weekend a year and while we were up there at Equinox we would always set a falconry trip where you were able to hike with the falcons and hunt with them. Very cool experience, quite expensive, but very well run and worth the hike.

46

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Bad ass!

you said “trap or purchase a bird”??? People actually trap wild birds and train them? Thats intense.[/quote]

Yup. I believe the norm is to trap your own bird. I’m still learning, but the instructor said trap and that’s what I’ve been reading. I say trap, assuming you have access. Where I’m at, we have everything from bald eagles to owls. The instructor told me we have red tail hawks here, among others, so that’s likely what I’d be dealing with. Still doing my homework but like I said, it’s something I wanted to do years ago and my initial research lead me to believe it would be too onerous, but I’m finding out it’s not so bad since you can keep and train a bird during your apprenticeship. [/quote]

I’m no PETA-apologist, but that something about that just seems a little… off? Lol.

So, these birds are being caught out of the wild to fly in circles for you?

Out of genuine curiosity, how does a hawk benefit from this at all? Just trying to make sense of this.

EDIT: Post came off sounding snarky, NOT my intention. ^ They’re all legitimate questions.[/quote]

Actually, falconry is a conservationist act. Very few young hawks make it in the wild. When you capture one and train it, you are actually making it a better hunter and increasing it’s ability to survive when and if you release it. In captivity, they live longer. But you can always release the bird. So the basic algebra is that a hawk in captivity via falconry is likely a hawk that would have died in the wild.

And, the sport is “not flying in circles”. They hunt. It’s a symbiotic relationship. The human is a food source.

47

[quote]PlainPat wrote:
My family always made it a tradition to go into Vermont a weekend a year and while we were up there at Equinox we would always set a falconry trip where you were able to hike with the falcons and hunt with them. Very cool experience, quite expensive, but very well run and worth the hike.[/quote]

Manchester is a cool little town. Did you get to eat at “Up for Breakfast”? Great little breakfast spot.

48

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Bad ass!

you said “trap or purchase a bird”??? People actually trap wild birds and train them? Thats intense.[/quote]

Yup. I believe the norm is to trap your own bird. I’m still learning, but the instructor said trap and that’s what I’ve been reading. I say trap, assuming you have access. Where I’m at, we have everything from bald eagles to owls. The instructor told me we have red tail hawks here, among others, so that’s likely what I’d be dealing with. Still doing my homework but like I said, it’s something I wanted to do years ago and my initial research lead me to believe it would be too onerous, but I’m finding out it’s not so bad since you can keep and train a bird during your apprenticeship. [/quote]

I’m no PETA-apologist, but that something about that just seems a little… off? Lol.

So, these birds are being caught out of the wild to fly in circles for you?

Out of genuine curiosity, how does a hawk benefit from this at all? Just trying to make sense of this.

EDIT: Post came off sounding snarky, NOT my intention. ^ They’re all legitimate questions.[/quote]

by the way, insert “dog” into your question about “hawks” and I can pose almost the identical rhetorical questions.

49

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Bad ass!

you said “trap or purchase a bird”??? People actually trap wild birds and train them? Thats intense.[/quote]

Yup. I believe the norm is to trap your own bird. I’m still learning, but the instructor said trap and that’s what I’ve been reading. I say trap, assuming you have access. Where I’m at, we have everything from bald eagles to owls. The instructor told me we have red tail hawks here, among others, so that’s likely what I’d be dealing with. Still doing my homework but like I said, it’s something I wanted to do years ago and my initial research lead me to believe it would be too onerous, but I’m finding out it’s not so bad since you can keep and train a bird during your apprenticeship. [/quote]

I’m no PETA-apologist, but that something about that just seems a little… off? Lol.

So, these birds are being caught out of the wild to fly in circles for you?

Out of genuine curiosity, how does a hawk benefit from this at all? Just trying to make sense of this.

EDIT: Post came off sounding snarky, NOT my intention. ^ They’re all legitimate questions.[/quote]

Actually, falconry is a conservationist act. Very few young hawks make it in the wild. When you capture one and train it, you are actually making it a better hunter and increasing it’s ability to survive when and if you release it. In captivity, they live longer. But you can always release the bird. So the basic algebra is that a hawk in captivity via falconry is likely a hawk that would have died in the wild.

And, the sport is “not flying in circles”. They hunt. It’s a symbiotic relationship. The human is a food source.
[/quote]

I gotcha now, and that’s a good point about the dog. Seems like a pretty cool little hobby, although I’m sure catching one is a total pain in the ass. Good luck!

50

Would you keep live prey around to feed it?

Make sure you leave that part out when using this hobby to pick up women. lol

This would be why, even though I like snakes, I could never keep one. I’d have a starving snake and a bunch of pet hamsters or mice. :-/

51

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Done it before. Here’s a picture of one of them (steppe eagle). They use these in Central Asia to hunt baby deer.

52

[quote]Charlie Horse wrote:
Would you keep live prey around to feed it?

Make sure you leave that part out when using this hobby to pick up women. lol

This would be why, even though I like snakes, I could never keep one. I’d have a starving snake and a bunch of pet hamsters or mice. :-/[/quote]

oh c’mon. you canadian lasses always trying to play innocent; of course you’ve fed snakes before silly girl!

53

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]Charlie Horse wrote:
Would you keep live prey around to feed it?

Make sure you leave that part out when using this hobby to pick up women. lol

This would be why, even though I like snakes, I could never keep one. I’d have a starving snake and a bunch of pet hamsters or mice. :-/[/quote]

oh c’mon. you canadian lasses always trying to play innocent; of course you’ve fed snakes before silly girl![/quote]

I don’t know what you’re talking about.
0:-P

54

Two references to birds hunting deer. Maybe birds are cooler than I thought.

55

[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
Two references to birds hunting deer. Maybe birds are cooler than I thought.[/quote]

There’s videos on Youtube showing birds (I think Red Tailed Hawks) hunting wolves. I suspected bullshit thinking the wolves were probably pets trained to go down and not really hurt in the process but I ended up believing it. There’s also a bunch of Youtube videos showing birds hunting pretty big goats by dragging them off a cliff falling to their death.