Leo
64 posts
Feb 18, 2005
10:31 AM
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Hey , do hawks have any Homing instinct?????
Last Edited by on May 30, 2007 11:10 AM
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highroller
97 posts
Feb 19, 2005
10:26 AM
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Yep, they were being wiped out by DDT. That's been dealt with and now we have a population explosion. I have not heard of anyone advocating an open season on them and don't know if that's the right step, but we should be able to protect our stock without becoming criminals.
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Dan
dkraker@chartermi.net
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BULLFROG
59 posts
Feb 19, 2005
7:07 PM
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oho sorry i miss understood the net thing brass lead and stuff. no sweat some how i think you and leo both are much smarter than that :) i know this is a rough topic for many roller flyers. when i do presentations at my kids schools i also touch on the subject of birds of prey being pests to some and it is a valid point. many people dont know there are other ways to control them. oho well we all will have our views. i may have to struggle with my kits and pay for my leniance but my loss not yalls. i will drop this thread and let it go. the invitation still stands for anybody who wishs to come over and see the birds, teach me a few things and mabey eveb learn a few things. chris
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BULLFROG
60 posts
Feb 20, 2005
9:46 AM
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good luck with your cross breeding deal leo :). i truly hope that you fellas get the fireballs up and rollin agian they were and are great birds. i dont have the time or space to keep another type of bird and i have had to cut way back on what i had for other reasons. here is a thought for you to chew on. if i had wanted to just b.s you and others do you think i would have admitted that my old birds were now junk????? you must have some very ballsy and agressive hawks around you. good luck on the rollers and i hope you have a great season. chris
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donb
4 posts
Feb 20, 2005
7:11 PM
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Bfrog, if all of the hawks were in the hands of professional handlers we roller people wouldn't have any problem. I think you lean a little too far in the direction of protecting and propagating them . there has to be a happy medium. there has to be some method of control. they have no natural enemies but they are getting a lot of reproductive assistance that they did not formerly have. I dont think anyone is in favor of exterminating all hawks. there ere so many now that their natural food sources are no longer sufficient and they turn to easy pickins'. I have lived in the rural south most of my 77 yrs and am familiar with wild populations. when I was a kid we hunted cottontais as agood source of food and there was plenty of them. Up untill the last 20 yrs or so you would frequently see them an the road killed by an auto. While Quail hunting it was not uncommon for our pointers to point rabbits and there was so many we had to train them to ignore the rabbits .Now we dont have to worry about that as you seldom see a cottontail anymore and where we used to find 7 or 8 coveys of quail in a day we are lucky to find even one. so we now have to rely on pen raised quail at $3.00 t0 $3.25 each to hunt. As an experienced outdoorsman I can assure you the population explosion of the various species of hawks have played a major role and are largely responsible for the current situation. As to DDT there was an article in the NBRC bulletin sometime in the last couple of years that was very enlightening on this and cited the the resarech to back up his info.Go back and look it up. If I can get some rainey-day time I will try to do so and post it. I'e been pretty wordy but it's all pertinant info.Not mad at you just telling you a few things I don't think you are aware of. Don.
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BULLFROG
61 posts
Feb 20, 2005
10:06 PM
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hi don i will go look up that article. i have tryed to get the point out but mabey i havent done a good job of doing it. i understand that as the ecosystem changes there are mesures that need to be taken to control the animals who benafit to much from the protection given. we also have the same problem here with quail and pheasents. i cant fill a day limit in a season here. we have a wild cat problem here that adds to the stress on these birds. if only we could get the raptors to hunt cats :) i grew up in vidor texas and i saw first hand what happens when people take it on their hands to fix a problem. those of you familer with that area know what i am talking about. i guess i am just a little touchy. i had a prarie falcon shot from the air while flying it on BLM land by a kid and it has put me on the egde ever since. i get the over whelming desire to go eye for eye but i guess others see it the same way. i had that bird for 7 years i got it when i completed my apprenticeship and used it all through my generals licence. thanks for the info. chris
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Leo
72 posts
Feb 21, 2005
4:43 PM
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You, talk about aggressive hawks in my area?? I catch some in my kit box, That went through the trap after birds and couldnt get out.is that aggressive,,,??? The late Charlie Pendel, a neighbor, that raised Fancys, would let his birds out every morning, One morning he opened the door and a hawk, that had been in there all nite, flew straight to the door opening, but Charlie was in its way, when it got to Charlie ,out came the deadly claws, Charlie was struck in the forehead and down he went,He recieved a terrible gash above his eye, and several others at his hairline,he got his tetnas and old DOC said he was lucky...But like it is in Politics, some will swear its not aggressiveness,,and hawks dont eat pigeons,
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BULLFROG
62 posts
Feb 21, 2005
5:33 PM
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there has been several citys stocked with falcons with the specific purpose of hunting the rock doves aka commies. myself and many others didnt think it was a good idea and think it was a worse idea now. if the restocking needed to happen it should happen in the natural enviroment they were just askiong for problems with that one. i have yet to have a falcon chase any of my birds through the trap but have heard of it many times and yes leo it is aggressiveness. no dout about it. whern a bird locks on it is a single minded killing machiene. i caught a young female prarie two years ago and that girl left scares all over my arms. even through my leathers. there are some out there who are just plain mean. im sorry to hear about your friend. i have heard stories rangeing from that up to an eagle coming down and picking up a 5 year old and carrying her about 15 feet. a prediter is just that a hunter and a killer. the falcon you talked about just killing for fun i am ashamed to say may have been a feral that was taught to knock them down and then recive their food from a handler. there are many irresponcable handlers many unlicenced that will work a birds for a couple years and then turn it lose or it excapes the poor treatment and it will never adapt to wild life agian and it becomes a problem bird for anybody it runs accross. either as a domestic hunter or a physical menice to humans looking to be feed. these birds i strongly advocate being put out of their missery as they will soon starve to death but as strongly want the handler put out of others missery!! chris
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spinnerpigeon
11 posts
Feb 21, 2005
6:12 PM
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Hi all,
I am gonna stay out of this one! lol. I dont like wild hawks when they are taking out my birds. Yet I am trying to become a falconer myself! Talk about two very different hobbies! lol. I have been fascinated with these birds from a very young age.
Caleb
P.S. Bullfrog , have you ever flown a Gyr?
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donb
8 posts
Feb 21, 2005
7:33 PM
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Brian, would you please email me some info on that kit that you put uo first. donb@shareinet.net and thanks, I enjoyed your post.
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BULLFROG
63 posts
Mar 20, 2005
9:56 PM
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caleb good luck on your falconry. have you found a master to apprentice under yet? if i can help you in any way with any questions on the test please feel free to ask. i have not yet flown a gyr but i have flown a hybrid perigrene/gyr. it was a very impressive bird and i look forward to owning one myself. rather expencive though !! i have been concentrateing more on the capture and train programs here. we are working to improve the knowledge of wild breeding for the big wigs to make managment decisions. we are looking at going to california to use our birds at the orchards for crop protection next year. we also fly our birds near the airport to controll the migratory flock birds that have caused several crashes there. as for diffrent hobbies there are 5 of us here in my valley who are now flying pigeons (rollers or homers) and falcons. it makes getting rid of the culls easy :) once agian good luck and have fun in all your flying sports chris
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