Maustongirl19 Thank you for the compliment. I am also excited that trapping season is near as I hope to trap a new red tail. Good luck with the coming season and post video of your experiences.

I'm sure these people take care of their birds well

I don't mean to sound ignorant but how exactly is it a sport?

cheetahlover156 because it involves training, you have to be some level of fit and hunting is a sport, which is what falconry involves.

@@cheetahlover156 because it's an art form and skill to train and maintain these birds

Thats so fascinating! I wish I had the means to get into falconry ! I looovveee watching the red tails by our farm. I will have to settle with my greek cheek conure haha

I had the same opinion as them for a while but after researching the topic completely changed my opinion on the sport and even convinced vegetarian friends on how catch and release was very morale thing to do!

Well I’m kinda surprise you still have him around and I bet he’s a daddy by now.

@@isaacwall4951 He has been returned to the wild.

@Another Shadow I’m no falconer.

Thanks for taking the time to share your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

???? Caught?

The bird went 😮 for about 3 minutes

That's 3

You are right that he does get food, shelter and medical if needed. He's not really killing for fun. It's fun for the falconer but the hawk is always trying to kill for survival. The prey he catches is fed to the hawk throughout the year. The falconer does help with its survival when needed.

I understand what you mean, I misspoke.. i mean it gets to hunt and satisfy their instinctive "thirst for the hunt" as its engraved in their brain... in falconry they get to be birds of prey but without all the negatives that the hunt entails (the fact they are really hunting to not die, to "eat/survival.") So it technically is for fun from my point of view, but obviously the bird lacks the concept of fun, its just doing what raptors do, acting out of instinct, but with the comfort of knowing that if they are not successful, they still have food and shelter provided to them, they get to live a care-free life. These birds always seem in good spirits and you can tell they enjoy themselves, its a win win everyone. I must add! Beautiful animal sir!

But he will miss what he loved like his parents kids wife friends brothers sisters and animals are made to be in nature

Red tailed hawks are mostly solitary the only thing really he’s missing out on is mating

@@Wolf-kh5rp - What he will miss is being killed by another bird of prey, starving to death, being hit by a car and killed or injured and then dying of starvation, being shot by a land owner protecting his poultry, being electrocuted landing on power lines, eating an animal infected with pesticides, having a gut load of parasites that he cannot get rid of naturally, flying into a windmill and being killed, killed or injured by another of his own kind while in a territorial dispute or protecting his meal, being injured or killed by a hurricane, being injured or killed by a prey animal like a rattlesnake, being killed by another predator, flying into an airplane, dealing with temperature extremes that can cause hyper- or hypo- thermia, ...... This bird can live a very good and contented life, and has interaction from his handler, plenty of exercise, and will live FAR LONGER AND HEALTHIER that he could ever do in the wild. Idiots like you watch national geographic or animal planet shows and think these animals live a "happy go lucky" life of play in the wild, when their whole existence is just surviving long enough to procreate, and avoid being caught and torn apart (ALIVE) by some other hungry "happy go lucky" animal! Falconry is a symbiotic relationship between man and 'hawk', where BOTH benefit equally! If it was SOOOOOO bad, then the hawk would fly away instead of returning!

usually train them as yearlings, fresh out of the nest without the knowledge to be able to hunt effectivly, you stick around feed them, they develop their skills till they can hunt reliably on their own then you choose whether or not to release them. caught wild remain wild then set free to become fully wild again is the cycle of falconry.

@@acolyteoffire4077 I had no idea they were fully released again. Thats a beautiful cycle. Thanks for the knowledge.

@@StillStoney it also helps the wild population by alot since many birds dont make it past that first year or so

That’s a passage bird.

+dtj41 Thanks for the comment. Falconry is an incredible adventure.

tushay

Same.

Thanks for the kind comment.

Troy Moody Thanks for taking the time to comment. Welcome to the sport of falconry. It will be a life changing pursuit. Keep me posted with your apprenticeship. If you are on facebook look me up. There are several falconry forums there as well.

Troy moody weird question but are you related to Chloe moody? I know her if u r

Thank you, I'm glad you enkoyed it.

"I can't believe you've done this"

Hawk: "Sorry, my face is tired from ...everything."

•o•

Thank you. I'll check out your youtube channel as well.

Thank you, I hope you'll find like I did, they get better every year.

My experience is limited, but once you get control of the raptors feet they don't put up much of a fight.

@@falconfather69 Like chickens at the hatchery, we carry them by their legs and their is no resistance

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

A small yard is needed to house a hawk, as an 8'x8' mew(hawk house) and a small outdoor area to weather the hawk. Many falconers hunt on public gamelands or get permission to hunt on private land. I have about 30 acres which would be a minimum.

She was thinking, try and confiscate my rabbit and you will need stitches

you do take it from them..slip them a chunk of non training meat. taste different! make certain the meat has hair in it. go home skin the animal freeze the parts you will feed ..keeps wild animal bacteria and virus down. online order whole animals to feed them, clean raised feeders. good job sir ...definity a public service..getting the children involve td cooodooos. thanks for posting

No, good question. The bells are the traditional way of keeping track of the location of your bird. The hawk can be difficult to see and find when they are flying about. Modern falconry now includes the use of telemetry. A small transmitter is attached to the hawk. The falconer uses a receiver to locate the hawk.

Marshall Davis I know I am very late, but what is the hood for?

it helps keeps them calm . :) hope that helps

they are equipped with a GPS tracker so they can be found and the bells help to identify the bird as a falconer's bird.

When it comes to these birds, they are never truly tame or domesticated. More used to humans and what not we might have exposed to them, but in the whole scheme of things they are animals of instinct. You never teach them to hunt or catch prey, or to fly even as fledglings. The really fantastic things about falconry is that the moment you release them to hunt or fly about, its their decision to return, and often they want to. You give warmth, food, security, and you help them rascals too to hunt by flushing prey from hiding places. The bells would not hinder them, but the leather straps that are tied to their legs potentially are. (they can snag though it does not happen often). And most birds nowadays have telemetry transmitters tied to them during hunts, in part so you can find them again and in part to be able to keep track of them. A hunting technique I have seen has had the bird track and mark prey for the human to flush it out so it gets an opportunity to strike. Some birds that actually are released out into the wild turns back up the day after, or even the next year around hunting seasons and whatnot. Rare as these cases are they do happen.

great replies. thanks

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for the kind comment.

No drugs, but that's typical behavior for a newly trapped hawk. Their main defense are the feet. Once you have control of the feet they don't put up much of a fight.

From what I read, the birds go into a state of shock in anticipation of being mauled, that trainers can use as part of the "manning" process to acclimate them to the kind of human environments they may be a part of

Once you controll the feet there's not much they can do. They seem to be shocked at their situation. It hard to believe that most will be flying free to you in 4 to 5 weeks.

I do without actual knowledge think that since it has no hunters, it goes into shock when they get hunted.

Alejandro Dahlgren I think that's probably why. They're scared because the falconer is, to them, a monster that's trying to eat them. The falconer has to prove they aren't going to eat the bird lol

Please elaborate a little on how the trapping process works...looks like it struggles to get free of something...then you throw the blanket which I assume to be to cut off visual input...but then you take it off...I was thinking it was chloroformed or something...in time for you to put that thing that covers the eyes. Apparently not?

Good question. Most red tails don't have much defense once the feet are controled. They don't usually try to bite.and once they are hooded and block their eyesight they will calm down.

it is because the handler exercises authority without aggression

We once caught a Cooper’s hawk trying to eat our chickens (we released it once we were certain it wasn’t hurt), as soon as we threw a blanket over him, he played dead.

I too once thought this sport was very time consuming. It does take a commitment but the time involved is not as much as I once thought. I wish I had started this when I was younger.

Marshall Davis Where do you suggest i start ? I live in south florida.

Start here www.f-h-f.org Check out the Florida Falconers facebook page too.

That's great! Your first year will be unforgettable.

+GoldenChunk It is legal if you have a falconry license. They are used for hunting, not kept as pets.

Yeah I found that out shortly after. Sorry if I came off as a bit rude.

GoldenChunk I didn't take it as rude. Not many people know much about falconry. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

actually you can do this with the right permits and state laws in check and trust me those are no pets they are hunting partners

Pet a falcon lose a finger?

+Chester Kitty Thank you for taking the time to comment. Glad you enjoyed it.

Marshall Davis aw no problem! That video was great...truly stunning stuff. I just sent you a msg via Facebook - don't know if you check that or not. Cheers!

I really appreciate the kind comment. I look forward to seeing your videos. I hope falconry will bring you as many rewards as it has for me.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Like you I had various birds as pets growing up. One of my favorites was a dove I raised from a chick. It flew free and would come when called.

Thank you!

cobratzi1 you need a license to catch a bird

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I became interested in falconry at age 10 but didn't become a falconer until age 48. Contact your state falconry club or association and your wildlife commission to help you get started.

Thanks, this method gets good results, but manning in your home may be better. I hope to make a new video in the Fall if I trap a new hawk. Manning inside seems to make a calmer hawk.

My 2 daughters became super hunting partners as they were growing up. They are grown now and I do miss those times, but great memories.

I do know how you feel. I dreamed of being a falconer since age 10. I didn't become a licensed falconer until I was 48.

Thank you, it is a privilege to be able to work with these birds.

Thank you for your kind comment.

Good to see a young person interested in falconry. Good luck with your apprenticeship.