I just came here from another falconry video where the comments are full of cursing and ignorance and hate for the sport. I'm an apprentice going into my second year. I watched this video repeatedly before I was licensed, and even now that trapping season is near. From the bottom of my heart i wanted to say thank you for representing the sport in a healthy light, and answering questions calmly and being respectful to people who may not know much about the sport.
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.
Thanks for your comment and I respect your opinion, but consider this, 70% of young Red Tail hawks die before they reach one year of age. In The U.S we can only trap hawks under one year of age. Most are released after one year in falconry and have much hunting experience by then. The hawk in this video is approaching his 4th season and will be released this Spring. Hawks used in falconry have a much higher success rate than the birds left to nature.
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!
I am in awe. I spend hours each weekend trying to photograph these beautiful birds. I love training animals, this will definitely be something that I will look to get into in the future. thank you for a wonderful and inspiring video.
Awsome training video. I've been reading info and scouering the abundance of information on falconry. Great appreciation with what falconers choose as a hunting method.
Thank you for the peek into your sport of choice. Simply incredible. If i could whistle, get trained and licensed, and had land (and a family that wasn't allergic to birds) lol, I'd definitely try this out
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!
@@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.
so much more was learned from this short practical application of falconry video than many documentary videos could. you can truly learn about the animal by watching this process without some boring narrator analyzing the science of it all
Regular beast master over here. Thats super cool man. What a skill to have. To anyone having some conflictions with your sensibilitys, what he's done here is form a kind of symbiotic relationship with this bird. Before this bird had to hunt. Now it just flys away and when it returns it gets food. Plus this guy gets food if he needs to. It's win win.
I just want to say this is by far my most favorite video regarding falconry on youtube. I'm not sure why. Either the fact it incorporates everything from trap to hunt. Or the fact I just love the light-phase redtails I just don't know but I've watched it countless times. I wanted to tell you I love all your videos and to keep posting them. Thanks again for all your great videos as I believe they are the ones that finally got me to get moving and pursuing this passion of mine. I passed my state exams and found a sponsor a couple months ago and am just waiting on the apprentice season in september to start here in Arizona to start my journey. I'll be starting with a Harris hawk. Hope the moult goes well and hope you have another great season next time!
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.
Thanks! I contacted my Oklahoma State Dept of Wildlife and they were the ones that broke the bad news to me. I contacted my state falconry association and they basically told me I lived too far away. I was told to start reading and if I could show them I really meant business, someone might sponsor me. I was kinda discouraged, but not going to give up. Thanks for your kind words and encouraging videos.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I was a falconer. After two “taters”/Redtails as we sometimes lovingly call them in Georgia and two Kestrels I had to hang it up. Personal stuff got in the way and this isn’t something you can do half way. Anyway watching this video brings back such great memories. To the falconry haters they need a history lesson. If it weren’t for the husbandry skills of falconers the knowledge that was needed to save endangered species like the Peregrine might have been lost. But I digress, happy hunting sir! Many thanks! Makes me want to pull some vines and send some marbles into the trees again. If you don’t understand- It’s a hawking thang. You had to be there! Lol!
Amazing video well done it takes alot of time and effort to accomplish what you did it helped you got the right bird sum are just not made of the right stuff best of luck with him in the future
Great video. Reminds of a baby sparrow hawk I found that couldn’t fly. I took it home and fed it. It grew into an adult and was allowed to be free as soon as it was able to fly and get away from any animal that might try and get it. It would always come to me and keep all those nasty sparrows away from my barn and house. It finally met its mate and they raised many more in my neighborhood. I have always loved these birds and wanted to get another and train to hunt for me getting sparrows. I had a pigeon as a boy that was a great pet of mine thru grade school. That’s what got me started with birds. Thanks for sharing.
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.
Amazing video. I just applied to take the Falconry License test in California. Are all Hawks/Falcons as calm as this one was when you initially caught him? My darn chickens are meaner to me than this bird seemed at first.
I appreciate this video so much. My daughter and I watched this video three years ago when we were just wanting to start out in falconry and it got me so excited. Since then, I've gotten to train and hunt with two red tails for myself. My girl and I are just finishing our second season, and are going to intermew a red tail for the first time. You do a great job of showing all the major moments!
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.
I always wounted to catch and train a red tail but there is no one close to me living that I could learn from.please keep posting your videos for I love watching you and your birds.ps wish you lived close to me.
Hah, he sounds so sad at the end, thinking you might take it from him. My cousin used to have a female Red Tail named Tama, and he took me along on a hunt one time. She nailed a rabbit no problem, but when he tried to clear some brush out for her, she got pretty defensive. Just grabbed onto his finger with one foot and gave him this death stare from hell until he backed off. XD
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
Now Sir you just made me want one bad as ever ,and when I build my Beautiful home I will extremely consider building a fly pen as well as training object post like you. Thank you so much for sharing if your still reading these comments.
You mentioned in a past comment the birds may choose to not come back to the falconer during a hunt. Is Max still with you now? And if a bird does decide to leave, wouldn't the bells on it's legs hinder it in the wild?
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.
I volunteer with a nonprofit in Indiana called Soarin Hawk Raptor Rehab. We take care of all Raptors including hawks. They are so amazing. I just love these birds of prey!
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.
My only advice at this point is to listen and observe your sponsor carefully and to read all you can about falconry. Good to see a young person getting into the sport. Good luck and keep me posted.
This is truly amazing! Great video. Looks like a great way to bond with your kids too. Can you eventually get the hawk to where you can keep the prey for yourself?
This is truly amazing to see. I would've never guessed the hawk would be a wild one at that. You simple trained him to work for you, like man did has with the wild roaming mustangs. Thank you for sharing this video and educating us. I so want to experience this myself. I have a weakness for wild hair.
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.
Excellent Video. Thanks for showing how calm and controlled things should be, and how much fun the birds are really having when handled and kept correctly.
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.
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.
Thanks for the great video. When you trapped the hawk, it seemed docile and calm (but stressed and scared) in the back of your vehicle. Did you drug it to make it not aggressive like that?
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
I've been wondering something. I've seen a couple of these trap videos, and the hawk never fights back. It just lies still with its mouth open. They're not that restricted to the point they can't attack when you hold them. What's stopping them from fighting back?
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.
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?
I've always had an astounding fascination with birds of prey... Red tail hawks being my most favorite... I wish I could train under someone with this type of knowledge... I dream of the day I'm able to have one of these birds this close to me!!
Here in the U.S. we are required to have a mentor during the first 2 years. If you are in the U.S. look online for your state falconry association. They have meets throughout the year and usually allow visitors to attend. This is a good way to meet falconers near you.
I understand and I am too much a perfectionnist... always putting myself into question what could be done better... It makes sense to move away from road and onlookers quickly and check your catch closely. Well done and thanks again for sharing with everybody openly. Salam
I have a double yellow headed amazon parrot named bill that has been living with me for 15 years. We are best friends, but he wont let anyone including me touch him. This bird is more calm than my parrot haha!
Most falconers are passionate about this sport and I welcome the ideas and techniques others as your self are willing to share. I look forward to seeing your future posts. Thanks friend.
As an aspiring falconer here in Missouri this video was very helpful in giving me a perspective on what I am going to be getting myself into. And it only makes me want it that much more. Great job with max and I hope to see more videos soon.
Its an act of congress to get a license but you sir are inspiring. I had an Arabian hawk when I was ten so when I moved to the U.S I wanted to train them again but like I said its a lot of red tape. Thx for the video.
I have been interested in falconry since childhood when I read about it for the first time. I have sadly never been in a position to be able to actually get into the sport, but it will happen some day. Anazing, interesting video.
I had a similar story. I became passionate about falconry at 10 years of age, but it was not legal in my state at that time. I always thought "someday". I waited 38 more years, but it has been worth it. Hang in there.
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!
Great video and brings back lots of good memories of several red-tails I've had over the years. Fastest time from trap to first kill was 7 days. Passage hen trapped on Sept 2, free flown Sept 8, first squirrel on Sept 9th. She was a great red-tailed. Released her two years later and she stayed around the house for a good 2 years and would come to me when called for "treats". Miss the old girl. Looking forward to getting another one in next few weeks.
Marshall, I really appreciate your videos! My life long passion of becoming a falconer has finally came true, and your videos made the long process easier. I have a few videos that I may post soon with my new bird. Hopefully I will see you stop by to visit. First tidbit, first flight, first ... etc. Thank you again for your videos.
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.
Brandon believe me I do understand. I became interested in falconry by age 10, but it wasn't legal in NC at that time. Once bitten by the falconry bug it never went away. I finally became a falconer at 48 and I am now 53. What I'm trying to say is don't give up. It is worth it. Without a sponsor you won't be able to obtain a bird but you can still begin learning. I would invest in a good falconry book. I recommend The Falconer's Apprentice by William Oakes. It is sold by Northwoods Falconry.
Thanks for posting these, I've been studying falconry and the requirements for a while now and while I'd love to get into I just don't have the time for such a commitment at the moment. Always glad to see videos like these though!
this was a great video, thanks for posting! I am wanting to look into falconry and see if this is something I would like to do- it looks very rewarding and a joy to do!
at first I thought you were some hick that wanted a hawk as a pet, but I gotta say.. you are doing great with him. I have hawks living on and around my property and they are really amazing birds and I love it when I can get a good picture of one. It's really cool to see how well he's being treated and how they can adapt to being with people.
@@falconfather69 Maybe you can help me ID the species of one hawk that regularly visits my house here in San Diego. She's a a beauty! instagram.com/p/BmR5dQFgHEi/?
Perfect summary of how it works :) b.c trap to free flight just best video I've seen for the manning part. I've seen a lot of videos with bad ethics. Finally I can watch a video and not tear it apart as a falconer:)
I just came here from another falconry video where the comments are full of cursing and ignorance and hate for the sport. I'm an apprentice going into my second year. I watched this video repeatedly before I was licensed, and even now that trapping season is near. From the bottom of my heart i wanted to say thank you for representing the sport in a healthy light, and answering questions calmly and being respectful to people who may not know much about the sport.
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
Thanks for your comment and I respect your opinion, but consider this, 70% of young Red Tail hawks die before they reach one year of age. In The U.S we can only trap hawks under one year of age. Most are released after one year in falconry and have much hunting experience by then. The hawk in this video is approaching his 4th season and will be released this Spring. Hawks used in falconry have a much higher success rate than the birds left to nature.
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.
I am in awe. I spend hours each weekend trying to photograph these beautiful birds. I love training animals, this will definitely be something that I will look to get into in the future. thank you for a wonderful and inspiring video.
I think I've watched this video like 90 times in the passed ten years. It will always be a favorite
Thanks for taking the time to share your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
two words: incredible and majestic.
That's 3
Great video of an experienced Falconer trapping and training a Hawk. Thanks!
Awsome training video. I've been reading info and scouering the abundance of information on falconry. Great appreciation with what falconers choose as a hunting method.
Totally amazed! I love falcons! And the thought of having on to care for and hunt with is even more exciting!
Thank you for the peek into your sport of choice. Simply incredible. If i could whistle, get trained and licensed, and had land (and a family that wasn't allergic to birds) lol, I'd definitely try this out
the bird loves this, he gets free food, shelter, etc and gets to kill for fun not for survival...
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!
No idea you could train an adult, figured you raised them as babies
Vey cool
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.
This is absolutely amazing. Beautiful bird.
that bird was so surprised when you caught him lol
???? Caught?
The bird went 😮 for about 3 minutes
so much more was learned from this short practical application of falconry video than many documentary videos could. you can truly learn about the animal by watching this process without some boring narrator analyzing the science of it all
Thank you, I'm glad you enkoyed it.
Incredible video! What an amazing bird. I hope I can get into this once I settle down a bit
+dtj41 Thanks for the comment. Falconry is an incredible adventure.
tushay
Same.
This is so amazing I would love to learn Falconry. It is not a pet but a friendship built on trust.
Thank you for the video! I'm going to be getting my first hawk soon and the video was very informative!
Regular beast master over here. Thats super cool man. What a skill to have.
To anyone having some conflictions with your sensibilitys, what he's done here is form a kind of symbiotic relationship with this bird.
Before this bird had to hunt. Now it just flys away and when it returns it gets food. Plus this guy gets food if he needs to.
It's win win.
I just want to say this is by far my most favorite video regarding falconry on youtube. I'm not sure why. Either the fact it incorporates everything from trap to hunt. Or the fact I just love the light-phase redtails I just don't know but I've watched it countless times. I wanted to tell you I love all your videos and to keep posting them. Thanks again for all your great videos as I believe they are the ones that finally got me to get moving and pursuing this passion of mine. I passed my state exams and found a sponsor a couple months ago and am just waiting on the apprentice season in september to start here in Arizona to start my journey. I'll be starting with a Harris hawk. Hope the moult goes well and hope you have another great season next time!
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
Thanks! I contacted my Oklahoma State Dept of Wildlife and they were the ones that broke the bad news to me. I contacted my state falconry association and they basically told me I lived too far away. I was told to start reading and if I could show them I really meant business, someone might sponsor me. I was kinda discouraged, but not going to give up. Thanks for your kind words and encouraging videos.
It was with my first hawk. Now I recognize the behaviors that show a bird is ready and no problems with nerves. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I was a falconer. After two “taters”/Redtails as we sometimes lovingly call them in Georgia and two Kestrels I had to hang it up. Personal stuff got in the way and this isn’t something you can do half way. Anyway watching this video brings back such great memories. To the falconry haters they need a history lesson. If it weren’t for the husbandry skills of falconers the knowledge that was needed to save endangered species like the Peregrine might have been lost. But I digress, happy hunting sir! Many thanks! Makes me want to pull some vines and send some marbles into the trees again. If you don’t understand- It’s a hawking thang. You had to be there! Lol!
This is the coolest thing I have ever seen.
Very well done. You demonstrate obvious mastery of the hobby. I admire your skills.
This is amazing I would love to do something like this even for a day 😁
That is probably one of the coolest things that I've ever seen. Thank you for making this video.
Amazing video well done it takes alot of time and effort to accomplish what you did it helped you got the right bird sum are just not made of the right stuff best of luck with him in the future
Great video. Reminds of a baby sparrow hawk I found that couldn’t fly. I took it home and fed it. It grew into an adult and was allowed to be free as soon as it was able to fly and get away from any animal that might try and get it. It would always come to me and keep all those nasty sparrows away from my barn and house. It finally met its mate and they raised many more in my neighborhood. I have always loved these birds and wanted to get another and train to hunt for me getting sparrows.
I had a pigeon as a boy that was a great pet of mine thru grade school. That’s what got me started with birds.
Thanks for sharing.
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.
Amazing video. I just applied to take the Falconry License test in California. Are all Hawks/Falcons as calm as this one was when you initially caught him? My darn chickens are meaner to me than this bird seemed at first.
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
I appreciate this video so much. My daughter and I watched this video three years ago when we were just wanting to start out in falconry and it got me so excited. Since then, I've gotten to train and hunt with two red tails for myself. My girl and I are just finishing our second season, and are going to intermew a red tail for the first time. You do a great job of showing all the major moments!
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.
You make it look so easy. What beautiful bird. How much land do you need to engage in this sport?
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.
I always wounted to catch and train a red tail but there is no one close to me living that I could learn from.please keep posting your videos for I love watching you and your birds.ps wish you lived close to me.
Hah, he sounds so sad at the end, thinking you might take it from him. My cousin used to have a female Red Tail named Tama, and he took me along on a hunt one time. She nailed a rabbit no problem, but when he tried to clear some brush out for her, she got pretty defensive. Just grabbed onto his finger with one foot and gave him this death stare from hell until he backed off. XD
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
Now Sir you just made me want one bad as ever ,and when I build my Beautiful home I will extremely consider building a fly pen as well as training object post like you. Thank you so much for sharing if your still reading these comments.
You mentioned in a past comment the birds may choose to not come back to the falconer during a hunt. Is Max still with you now? And if a bird does decide to leave, wouldn't the bells on it's legs hinder it in the wild?
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
I volunteer with a nonprofit in Indiana called Soarin Hawk Raptor Rehab. We take care of all Raptors including hawks. They are so amazing. I just love these birds of prey!
Pardon my ignorance but what is the significance of the bells attached to the feet? Thanks for uploading the vid, very interesting.
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
My only advice at this point is to listen and observe your sponsor carefully and to read all you can about falconry. Good to see a young person getting into the sport. Good luck and keep me posted.
lol the birds face
"I can't believe you've done this"
Hawk: "Sorry, my face is tired from ...everything."
•o•
I'm totally happy with what the gentleman dose , because he seems responsible person and also this birds will have better and healthy life
This is truly amazing! Great video. Looks like a great way to bond with your kids too. Can you eventually get the hawk to where you can keep the prey for yourself?
very cool to see from trap to hunt. Also, what a great way to spend time with your daughter.
1:53 hes whispering heeelp meee
I want to teach this to my daughter also. Wow great dad great video.
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 would have shit myself if he flew away on his first free flight
This is truly amazing to see. I would've never guessed the hawk would be a wild one at that. You simple trained him to work for you, like man did has with the wild roaming mustangs. Thank you for sharing this video and educating us.
I so want to experience this myself. I have a weakness for wild hair.
The birds face tho
So funny
You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this almost 20 years now I saw it when I was 17 and it's still is the most amazing thing beautiful birds
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.
One day i will get into this hobby, it looks like it consumes alot of time... which is fun if you have it.
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.
Excellent Video. Thanks for showing how calm and controlled things should be, and how much fun the birds are really having when handled and kept correctly.
Why was he so tame when captured? I would expect a wild animal to be aggressive in such situation.
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.
Fascinating. Thank you for posting this video. It looks like a lot of work, but you have to be proud of your accomplishment in the end. Well done!
Thanks for the kind comment.
Thanks for the great video. When you trapped the hawk, it seemed docile and calm (but stressed and scared) in the back of your vehicle. Did you drug it to make it not aggressive like that?
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
Respect to you sir.. I have nothing but the upmost respect for people who can train these birds.
Thank you, it is a privilege to be able to work with these birds.
I've been wondering something. I've seen a couple of these trap videos, and the hawk never fights back. It just lies still with its mouth open. They're not that restricted to the point they can't attack when you hold them. What's stopping them from fighting back?
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?
Beautiful letting these birds do what they do! 👍
Looking at getting a bird. I'm thinking my attack call will be "WORLDSTAR!!!"
I’ll be doing this for the first time this year. Thanks for sharing!
That's great! Your first year will be unforgettable.
Not trying to rip on you or anything, but is it legal to trap a hawk and then keep it as a pet?
+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?
this is amazing!!! such an incredible thing to watch.
I've always had an astounding fascination with birds of prey... Red tail hawks being my most favorite... I wish I could train under someone with this type of knowledge... I dream of the day I'm able to have one of these birds this close to me!!
Here in the U.S. we are required to have a mentor during the first 2 years. If you are in the U.S. look online for your state falconry association. They have meets throughout the year and usually allow visitors to attend. This is a good way to meet falconers near you.
Thanks for that info... I greatly appreciate it!!😊
Awesome job on recording dates and milestones! Great video!
I understand and I am too much a perfectionnist... always putting myself into question what could be done better... It makes sense to move away from road and onlookers quickly and check your catch closely. Well done and thanks again for sharing with everybody openly. Salam
Thank you for this video! Just breathtaking.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
The most beautiful art of hunting with an animal
This is amazing Mr. Davis! I am glad to see your hard work put to reward! What a beautiful predator in action! WOW! Nice job Mr. Davis!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
I have a double yellow headed amazon parrot named bill that has been living with me for 15 years. We are best friends, but he wont let anyone including me touch him. This bird is more calm than my parrot haha!
The best how to falconry video! Great job.
Most falconers are passionate about this sport and I welcome the ideas and techniques others as your self are willing to share. I look forward to seeing your future posts. Thanks friend.
As an aspiring falconer here in Missouri this video was very helpful in giving me a perspective on what I am going to be getting myself into. And it only makes me want it that much more. Great job with max and I hope to see more videos soon.
Its an act of congress to get a license but you sir are inspiring. I had an Arabian hawk when I was ten so when I moved to the U.S I wanted to train them again but like I said its a lot of red tape. Thx for the video.
Thank you for your kind comment.
Awesome video sir. And thank you for posting it. Its somthing I plan to do as soon as it is the correct season in my state. Very helpful video.
I have been interested in falconry since childhood when I read about it for the first time. I have sadly never been in a position to be able to actually get into the sport, but it will happen some day. Anazing, interesting video.
I had a similar story. I became passionate about falconry at 10 years of age, but it was not legal in my state at that time. I always thought "someday". I waited 38 more years, but it has been worth it. Hang in there.
A great video to show an apprentice before their first bird! Excellent!
How inspiring and taughtful. Keep up the awesomeness.
Such beautiful footage. Thank you for sharing this
+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!
Great video and brings back lots of good memories of several red-tails I've had over the years. Fastest time from trap to first kill was 7 days. Passage hen trapped on Sept 2, free flown Sept 8, first squirrel on Sept 9th. She was a great red-tailed. Released her two years later and she stayed around the house for a good 2 years and would come to me when called for "treats". Miss the old girl. Looking forward to getting another one in next few weeks.
Very nice videoHave always loved birds of prey. They are amazing creatures
Marshall, I really appreciate your videos! My life long passion of becoming a falconer has finally came true, and your videos made the long process easier. I have a few videos that I may post soon with my new bird. Hopefully I will see you stop by to visit. First tidbit, first flight, first ... etc. Thank you again for your videos.
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.
I've always wanted to learn how to do this. This is just O 4 OSUM... Got Mad as respect for you Marshall.
Great video...as a pre-apprentice I really appreciate the information !
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.
Great video, great family. Thanks for sharing.
Brandon believe me I do understand. I became interested in falconry by age 10, but it wasn't legal in NC at that time. Once bitten by the falconry bug it never went away. I finally became a falconer at 48 and I am now 53. What I'm trying to say is don't give up. It is worth it. Without a sponsor you won't be able to obtain a bird but you can still begin learning. I would invest in a good falconry book. I recommend The Falconer's Apprentice by William Oakes. It is sold by Northwoods Falconry.
Excellent video! Thanks for sharing. I have always wanted to do this. Don't have the time yet, but one day.
cobratzi1 you need a license to catch a bird
Thanks for posting these, I've been studying falconry and the requirements for a while now and while I'd love to get into I just don't have the time for such a commitment at the moment. Always glad to see videos like these though!
Amazing to watch how a raptor can gradually build trust in a human handler after being caught from the wild. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Max is a fantastic partner! Incredibly smart too! I love seeing the intelligence of a predatory bird at work.
Wonderful video!! Always wanted to get into falconry, this is very inspiring! I've always loved birds , used to raise pigeons as a youth!!
this was a great video, thanks for posting! I am wanting to look into falconry and see if this is something I would like to do- it looks very rewarding and a joy to do!
at first I thought you were some hick that wanted a hawk as a pet, but I gotta say.. you are doing great with him. I have hawks living on and around my property and they are really amazing birds and I love it when I can get a good picture of one. It's really cool to see how well he's being treated and how they can adapt to being with people.
Thanks and these wild ones are never considered pets. A bond is formed but is quickly lost once the hawk is released back to the wild.
@@falconfather69 Maybe you can help me ID the species of one hawk that regularly visits my house here in San Diego. She's a a beauty! instagram.com/p/BmR5dQFgHEi/?
Thank you so much sir there are an abundance of squirrels and rabbits on my farm so I'll be leaning towards a Red Tail.
Perfect summary of how it works :) b.c trap to free flight just best video I've seen for the manning part. I've seen a lot of videos with bad ethics. Finally I can watch a video and not tear it apart as a falconer:)
Great to see that you two are still partners after all this time :)
Very interesting and inspiring video! Professional demeanor and someone I know I can learn a lot from. I look forward to watching more of your vids!
Thanks for the kind comment.
I've always loved falcons and I hope to start falconry when I turn 14 in March. This is awesome!
This is beautiful work. I enjoyed the video.
Thank you!
You could see the intelligence working in the bird, amazing video
U are a great falconer man !!
good luck!
I hope to begin falconry apprenticeship with a kestrel when I turn 13. Thanks for a great video.
Good to see a young person interested in falconry. Good luck with your apprenticeship.
Thank you for sharing this. It is a great video. All of the scenes were excellent and very informative. I hope it's okay that I shared it.