Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    Hi Peter,
    
    Please tell us more about falconry.  I've always been a big medeival
    buff and been intriged by the great birds.
    
    Thanks!
    
    Keith R>

    You don't need a BIG bird for falconry. Any bird of prey will do.
    If you want to hunt a specific prey you obviously have to select
    your bird accordingly.
    For flying to the lure even a Kestrel or Merlin gives great fun.
    Hunting with a Longwinged Falcon, especially the Perigrin, is not
    easy and only fit for very open and wide areas and gifted people.
    If bushes, buildings or small clearings are your grounds then a
    Broad winged Hawk will be best and most times they are easier to
    handle too.
    Hunting with ANY Eagle should NOT be considered. They are too rare
    to take from the wild.
    Also stay away from tropical species. They just are not hardy enough
    to stand our climate for very long.
    Obviously every kind has its own peciuliarities and special needs.
    A captive bred bird should be preferred although a wild caught will
    almost always have better technique.
    A tiercel is the smaller of the sexes and therefore physically less
    fit to meet the same prey. 
    
    Hunting anything bigger than a hare or duck is not feasable.
    In Holland Herons where hunted with a pair of Perigrines but this
    "High Flying" has been abandonned as a regular practice in the 
    19th century.
    
    BTW obtaining a suitable bird is not easy. It has stopped me 
    even though almost everything else is ready.
    A Redtailed hawk or tiercel should be perfect for my, Dutch, 
    conditions but alas!
    I will give my Cockatoo some extra attention when I get home. It
    has a hooked beak and claws too. 
    
    Peter

    hi
    here's a new twist to coursing that we practice in az..... the dogs
    are a cross between a greyhound and a wolfhound... the prey...coyotes!!
    i call the coyotes into visual distance for fellow who then sights the
    lead dog on the coyotes movement... whoosh and off the pair go.... it
    will take some times as much as 3 miles for the big hounds to catch the
    'yotes and then the fraca starts.. usually it only lasts about 30
    seconds....! 
    as for falconry,, in az. you are only allowed to start with a red-tail
    or harris hawk for your first bird.. the permit allows for capture..
    provided you have met all requirements and inspections.. after you have
    proved your skill and met the next level of tests etc.. you can get a
    permit for falcon.... next and final for a an eagle, american only no
    balded headed eagles allowed any more.... people here usually use a
    brittany for quail.. and we have mearns, gambel and scaled varieties of
    quail... the britt's are trained to point and then on command to flush
    after the hawk has taken wing.... nothing is more classic and romantic
    to see....! i have called several hawks for people wanting to capture
    their first..... always a lot of fun.......
    lds
    

    Thanks for your reply on Coyote hunting.
    I have a picture of a Lurcher and a Saluki tackling one. I myself
    have two Salukis. One of them is the present Dutch coursing champ.
    Would love to have a Redtail or Harris. They are much more docile
    than the Goshawk and our local Buzzard is no good.
    The Harris would be an ideal bird for me. Obviously they are not
    available in Holland at all. Would you know if importing one from
    the States is feasable.
    BTW do you catch eayas or haggard/passager? 
    Hope you can help me getting a suitable bird.
    
    Peter
    

    hi peter
    no i haven't actually done the capturing, just the calling to get the
    hawk to the decoy.. ehich is usually a rabbit skin with a piece of 
    monofiliament attached to jiggle and move the skin to keep the hawk
    enticed... until the net drops..! whatthe heck is a eayas.. i know
    what a haggard is... but never heard of the term eayas... is it a
    term for a young immature hawk..??
    lds
    

    Yep, a young one. I.e. before the first mault