jerries loft
1 post
Feb 19, 2006
12:51 PM
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hey you guys i was wondering what would be the latest time to realese your kit i flew mine yesterday at 3pm a total of 21 pigeons a coper hawk got me and all my birds went really hi were i could not see them no more i lost all but 2 birds that came down about a hour later so far today only 5 have made it back home im really disappointed just wait and hope
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Swamp Fox
13 posts
Feb 19, 2006
1:10 PM
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Sorry to hear about your hawk problem. Maybe some more of them will return. I always fly my birds in the early morning if possible. It is cooler and usually less wind at that time. Also, if you do have an overfly they have longer in the day to find their way back to the loft and do not have to roost in trees or on power lines. The later in the day you fly them the more of a chance of loosing them in an overfly. My opinion.
Marion
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jerries loft
2 posts
Feb 19, 2006
2:14 PM
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so far im still missing7 birds still have time to see if they return i hope so
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Sourland
38 posts
Feb 19, 2006
5:11 PM
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Contrary to what seems to work for others, my best time to fly is later in the day. This time of year early or A.M. flights always result in hawk attacks. The birds that I am still flying (culls and stiffs) are the survivors. They are pretty hawk savvy. Flew today at 3:30 and had an immediate attack by a sharpshin(unsuccessful.) Suddenly three redtails started diving at the birds-the first that has ever happened. Birds scattered and disappeared. After 45 minutes or so, they returned. I climbed on top of the loft and they came diving in one or two at a time and bombed their way through the trap. Last bird came in at about 5 P.M. Ground here was snow covered until Friday. That may explain why the redtails were so hungry. They sure scared the devil out of the survivors. Won't fly again for a week or so. Good birds won't fly until the spring.
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Swamp Fox
16 posts
Feb 20, 2006
5:01 AM
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I think the reason for losing our good birds to hawks, rather than the stiffs, is because they are preoccupied with their spinning and are not real alert to attackers when they come out of their spin. The stiffs are more alert to attackers because they are not performing. To me constant afternoon flying promotes lazier birds. It gets pretty warm down here in the Southeast during the day. The hawks down here don't seem to have a preference as to what time of day it is. They like pigeon for breadfast, lunch, or dinner. I'm thinking about getting one of those traps because hawks are territorial, and if I catch one and take him off somewhere else, maybe it will be a while before another takes over his territory. Just a thought.
Marion
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