Pente Flying Free
On Saturday, October 23, 2004 I took Pente over to my girlfriend's parent's home and did creance work. Pente ignored my girlfriend, her parents, the strange location, and worked very well for me. Weight was 2 lbs. 14.2 oz (46.2 oz). That's 2 oz higher than what I flew her last year. I'm taking her out for her first hunt on Sunday. I then buzzed Rigel around their family room. Everyone always finds Pente to be "impressive" and "dangerous-looking" and a bit frightening with those big talons and beak. But they are always charmed by Rigel, who is so "cute"! He also bobs his head most endearingly!
On Sunday we took the plunge! I had to make sure I had everything to return to the field. You need a bit more equipment when actually hunting, than when just doing creance work. When I first lifted Pente up on my fist, to allow her to take her first perch in a tree, she looked around, and looked at me, and almost acted like she didn't believe I was about to set her free. She's not been allowed to fly free since April of this year. But after a few moments, she did take off. I immediately moved east of my home, having decided to work her the first time around my home, just in case. We crossed the field, with me whacking the grass, and hitting some old brush piles. She performed just exactly as she was supposed to. She'd follow me from tree to tree, keeping nearby in case I flushed something. I worked all he way to the end of the field, then went north along the road. This past summer the power utility cleared a section of land to run new power lines. They cut quite a few trees down, and had stacked up the brush into "perfect" brush piles . . . at least I thought so. We worked down the long row of piles, but I never flushed anything from them. At one point Pente took off with purpose across the street. I watched her fly, then heard the chatter of a squirrel, and saw her chase one for a short time . . . but the squirrel won this battle this time, and took a hole or something, escaping Pente. After awhile, after having seen no bunnies at all, I called Pente down, and moved over to the area that is west of my home. This is much thicker forest where I've seen bunnies (and caught a couple). I had also seen a pair of pheasant crossing the road earlier in the day. I had checked my hunting guide, and I'm not in a protected zone, so I can hunt pheasant without anything special in addition to my small game license. But the grass along the ditch is so very thick, the pheasants had moved off, so no chance there. We worked the woods, slowly making our way back towards my home. Pente went down many times on mice, but didn't seem to contact with any of them. On one instance I was able to watch very interesting behavior from her. She had crashed into a thick patch of grass, and grabbed talons-full of grass, supposedly having tried to grab a mouse. She then lifted up with the grass in her talons repeatedly, pulling the grass back, shaking it, and trying to dislodge anything that might be in the grass or in the soil beneath. It was quite interesting to watch her tenacity. She's pull back, shake, then stop and look for any movement. This tactic must have apparently resulted in success in her freedom days. This is part of the interesting side of falconry. You can be near a hawk when they perform that most natural of behavior for them . . . food gathering. And sometimes it is more than just pouncing on small, cute furry things and swallowing them whole, or ripping them up. Although they do a lot of that too! As I was soon to find out . . .
As we made our way closer to the house, I knew I was running the risk of repeating what happened last year with my first hawk, Scimitar. I have a lot of "pet" chickens that run around the yard . . . and this year I have quite a few particularly stupid ones. As the afternoon gets on, most of my normal chickens go to roost, but I have several that I raised this year that stay out very late, into the dark hours, and are also up very early running around the yard in the dark, just inviting an owl to come take them. Well, today the threat came from a hawk. I was working a pile of wood behind the chicken out building, when Pente decided she was going to have chicken for dinner. What did I expect!! These same chickens have been walking ever so nonchalantly around her weathering yard all summer long, teasing her. I think they thought she was some kind of chicken herself, as she had never been dangerous to them. Well, today she was dangerous! She went down on a particularly large rooster. I moved in quickly to help her out, so she wouldn't get beaten up too badly. Fortunately, this was a young rooster, so his spurs were not very long or sharp. Some of my old cocks would have been pretty dangerous! But they also were "smart" enough to go to roost early.
When Pente takes game she becomes a completely different creature. Especially if the game fights back. The life and death struggle keys her up, and all her predatory nature comes out. I have to be careful around her feet, because she can become a bit footy sometimes. I helped to secure her rooster, and put the bird down quickly. After securing my hawk, to prevent her from flying away I opened up the rooster for her to begin eating. I decided for the first hunt I'd allow her to crop up . . . and after all, there was quite a bit of chicken here to eat. After awhile, I removed a leg (which is tough in a big, tough rooster) and traded her off the kill. I took her to her weathering yard, and let her work on the leg while I went and cleaned up the rest of the rooster (lots of feathers), and put my gear away.
So, for the first hunt, Pente did exactly what she was supposed to do! If I had flushed a rabbit, she would have made a good attempt at that. As it was, instead, like my hawk last year for his first hunt, she took one of my chickens. Not a real prize . . . but she did what she is supposed to do! She followed me, and returned when I called her to the fist from time to time. Now it is up to me to find locations where there is "legitimate" game for her take. We will!
As for all that chicken . . . we had some of it the next day, my husband and I. A bit tough! Rigel got just a little too. But it is much too rich. A little goes a long way in such a small bird. I returned to feeding him mice. I hope soon to try him out in the "field" too. I have permission to try at the local co-op for sparrows. Will do that soon!
Hunting season begins!
On Sunday we took the plunge! I had to make sure I had everything to return to the field. You need a bit more equipment when actually hunting, than when just doing creance work. When I first lifted Pente up on my fist, to allow her to take her first perch in a tree, she looked around, and looked at me, and almost acted like she didn't believe I was about to set her free. She's not been allowed to fly free since April of this year. But after a few moments, she did take off. I immediately moved east of my home, having decided to work her the first time around my home, just in case. We crossed the field, with me whacking the grass, and hitting some old brush piles. She performed just exactly as she was supposed to. She'd follow me from tree to tree, keeping nearby in case I flushed something. I worked all he way to the end of the field, then went north along the road. This past summer the power utility cleared a section of land to run new power lines. They cut quite a few trees down, and had stacked up the brush into "perfect" brush piles . . . at least I thought so. We worked down the long row of piles, but I never flushed anything from them. At one point Pente took off with purpose across the street. I watched her fly, then heard the chatter of a squirrel, and saw her chase one for a short time . . . but the squirrel won this battle this time, and took a hole or something, escaping Pente. After awhile, after having seen no bunnies at all, I called Pente down, and moved over to the area that is west of my home. This is much thicker forest where I've seen bunnies (and caught a couple). I had also seen a pair of pheasant crossing the road earlier in the day. I had checked my hunting guide, and I'm not in a protected zone, so I can hunt pheasant without anything special in addition to my small game license. But the grass along the ditch is so very thick, the pheasants had moved off, so no chance there. We worked the woods, slowly making our way back towards my home. Pente went down many times on mice, but didn't seem to contact with any of them. On one instance I was able to watch very interesting behavior from her. She had crashed into a thick patch of grass, and grabbed talons-full of grass, supposedly having tried to grab a mouse. She then lifted up with the grass in her talons repeatedly, pulling the grass back, shaking it, and trying to dislodge anything that might be in the grass or in the soil beneath. It was quite interesting to watch her tenacity. She's pull back, shake, then stop and look for any movement. This tactic must have apparently resulted in success in her freedom days. This is part of the interesting side of falconry. You can be near a hawk when they perform that most natural of behavior for them . . . food gathering. And sometimes it is more than just pouncing on small, cute furry things and swallowing them whole, or ripping them up. Although they do a lot of that too! As I was soon to find out . . .
As we made our way closer to the house, I knew I was running the risk of repeating what happened last year with my first hawk, Scimitar. I have a lot of "pet" chickens that run around the yard . . . and this year I have quite a few particularly stupid ones. As the afternoon gets on, most of my normal chickens go to roost, but I have several that I raised this year that stay out very late, into the dark hours, and are also up very early running around the yard in the dark, just inviting an owl to come take them. Well, today the threat came from a hawk. I was working a pile of wood behind the chicken out building, when Pente decided she was going to have chicken for dinner. What did I expect!! These same chickens have been walking ever so nonchalantly around her weathering yard all summer long, teasing her. I think they thought she was some kind of chicken herself, as she had never been dangerous to them. Well, today she was dangerous! She went down on a particularly large rooster. I moved in quickly to help her out, so she wouldn't get beaten up too badly. Fortunately, this was a young rooster, so his spurs were not very long or sharp. Some of my old cocks would have been pretty dangerous! But they also were "smart" enough to go to roost early.
When Pente takes game she becomes a completely different creature. Especially if the game fights back. The life and death struggle keys her up, and all her predatory nature comes out. I have to be careful around her feet, because she can become a bit footy sometimes. I helped to secure her rooster, and put the bird down quickly. After securing my hawk, to prevent her from flying away I opened up the rooster for her to begin eating. I decided for the first hunt I'd allow her to crop up . . . and after all, there was quite a bit of chicken here to eat. After awhile, I removed a leg (which is tough in a big, tough rooster) and traded her off the kill. I took her to her weathering yard, and let her work on the leg while I went and cleaned up the rest of the rooster (lots of feathers), and put my gear away.
So, for the first hunt, Pente did exactly what she was supposed to do! If I had flushed a rabbit, she would have made a good attempt at that. As it was, instead, like my hawk last year for his first hunt, she took one of my chickens. Not a real prize . . . but she did what she is supposed to do! She followed me, and returned when I called her to the fist from time to time. Now it is up to me to find locations where there is "legitimate" game for her take. We will!
As for all that chicken . . . we had some of it the next day, my husband and I. A bit tough! Rigel got just a little too. But it is much too rich. A little goes a long way in such a small bird. I returned to feeding him mice. I hope soon to try him out in the "field" too. I have permission to try at the local co-op for sparrows. Will do that soon!
Hunting season begins!
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