Backyard Hawking . . . . or "How to Piss off the Locals"
I'll keep this brief! I need to go get my shower and get ready for work. I just finished having lunch with my house-mate, and I'm somewhat calmed down now. Somewhat! The "beauty" of a blog is that it affords me a forum to bitch when I feel the need. That tends to be a characteristic of many of the political blogs out there. I try to keep mine nice, but life can be uncomfortable sometimes. And I feel a need to rant!
Liz and I were going to go hawk back behind Gundersen, where I work. But along the way I decided to try out the other side of Losey by Hixon Forest, and Myrick Park. There is a nice woody area along the marsh. We got out and walked it, and Nina was following well enough, but I wasn't producing anything for her, even though there was game sign. Then, just about the time we were going to leave, she flew off with purpose over the road and into the neighborhood on the other side. No amount of tidbit and whistling was bringing her, so we crossed to the other side under the bridge and went looking for her.
I found her in one of those nice neighborhood yards along the golf course. Get the picture?? Can we say $$$$$$. I went to the door, knocked, and introduced myself to the couple who came to the door. I told them I was a licensed falconer, that I had been flying my bird in the marsh, but she flew over to this side of the road, and was in their tree in the back yard, and could I go get her. The man said "sure". I told him she was chasing the squirrels. I asked if he minded if I let her continue to do that. He said "sure" again. So off I went. I had PERMISSION to be there!!!! I went out back, and assessed what was going on. Nina was up a sizable tree, and after a bit I realized there was a squirrel there. Well, once she bumped the tree rat, I guess the lady inside, not liking that her husband had given permission, or realize that he HAD given permission, came out the back door and said, "You need to get that bird out of here RIGHT NOW". She then commenced to yell at me that how dare I have such a dangerous animal in the city, that the squirrels were her pets, and that I'd better not ever come back or she would call the police on me. Hmmmmm . . . . I was given permission! Now it was being revoked. Thank goodness Nina listened to me and broke off her chase when I produced the lure. She was her typical cantakerous self as I secured her. All I wanted to do was get out of there.
I don't like flying near houses. Unfortunately, game prospects have been pretty hard, and La Crosse is infested with squirrels. This woman is just a very good example of the mindset of a lot of people. Predators are "evil" and all those stupid rabbits and squirrels digging up their gardens and chewing through to get into their garages and attics and eating all their vegetables and bird seed, and girdling their trees are somehow "angelic" or something. I had a conversation with someone just like that recently. She commented how her husband loved the cardinals at his bird feeder, and hated those nasty hawks that come by, and that if they took one of said cardinals her husband would "deal with the situation". I asked her if that meant shooting it. She indicated in the positive. I asked her if she knew this was illegal. She didn't seem to care.
That is the problem with these city-bound suburbanites. They are not in touch with nature. Predation is a natural event. And it's tough being a predator!! They are not evil, they are just trying to eat. Hunting is not evil, but does help to maintain population balance, when we humans have gone and disrupted the balance by eliminating all the major predators. Our meat comes nicely packaged in plastic and styrofoam. The reality of where it comes from is lost on most grocery store patrons.
I wasn't trying to fly Nina in their neighborhood. And if they had not given permission, I would have called her down from the street. She pissed me off!
And I think she's an idiot!
And it's a good thing I'll be giving up falconry for a year or so while I continue to go to school. My hunting prospects are not that great here. And I'm tired of all the restrictions of the city.
Liz and I were going to go hawk back behind Gundersen, where I work. But along the way I decided to try out the other side of Losey by Hixon Forest, and Myrick Park. There is a nice woody area along the marsh. We got out and walked it, and Nina was following well enough, but I wasn't producing anything for her, even though there was game sign. Then, just about the time we were going to leave, she flew off with purpose over the road and into the neighborhood on the other side. No amount of tidbit and whistling was bringing her, so we crossed to the other side under the bridge and went looking for her.
I found her in one of those nice neighborhood yards along the golf course. Get the picture?? Can we say $$$$$$. I went to the door, knocked, and introduced myself to the couple who came to the door. I told them I was a licensed falconer, that I had been flying my bird in the marsh, but she flew over to this side of the road, and was in their tree in the back yard, and could I go get her. The man said "sure". I told him she was chasing the squirrels. I asked if he minded if I let her continue to do that. He said "sure" again. So off I went. I had PERMISSION to be there!!!! I went out back, and assessed what was going on. Nina was up a sizable tree, and after a bit I realized there was a squirrel there. Well, once she bumped the tree rat, I guess the lady inside, not liking that her husband had given permission, or realize that he HAD given permission, came out the back door and said, "You need to get that bird out of here RIGHT NOW". She then commenced to yell at me that how dare I have such a dangerous animal in the city, that the squirrels were her pets, and that I'd better not ever come back or she would call the police on me. Hmmmmm . . . . I was given permission! Now it was being revoked. Thank goodness Nina listened to me and broke off her chase when I produced the lure. She was her typical cantakerous self as I secured her. All I wanted to do was get out of there.
I don't like flying near houses. Unfortunately, game prospects have been pretty hard, and La Crosse is infested with squirrels. This woman is just a very good example of the mindset of a lot of people. Predators are "evil" and all those stupid rabbits and squirrels digging up their gardens and chewing through to get into their garages and attics and eating all their vegetables and bird seed, and girdling their trees are somehow "angelic" or something. I had a conversation with someone just like that recently. She commented how her husband loved the cardinals at his bird feeder, and hated those nasty hawks that come by, and that if they took one of said cardinals her husband would "deal with the situation". I asked her if that meant shooting it. She indicated in the positive. I asked her if she knew this was illegal. She didn't seem to care.
That is the problem with these city-bound suburbanites. They are not in touch with nature. Predation is a natural event. And it's tough being a predator!! They are not evil, they are just trying to eat. Hunting is not evil, but does help to maintain population balance, when we humans have gone and disrupted the balance by eliminating all the major predators. Our meat comes nicely packaged in plastic and styrofoam. The reality of where it comes from is lost on most grocery store patrons.
I wasn't trying to fly Nina in their neighborhood. And if they had not given permission, I would have called her down from the street. She pissed me off!
And I think she's an idiot!
And it's a good thing I'll be giving up falconry for a year or so while I continue to go to school. My hunting prospects are not that great here. And I'm tired of all the restrictions of the city.
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