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Steve Skinner
08-30-2013, 01:08 PM
Hi one & all thanks for accepting me on your forum my name is steve Skinner i live in the south of England in the county of west Sussex near a small sea side town called Worthing at the foot of the south downs, i have a passion for brown hare hawking & in the past flying small hybrid falcons waiting on over hedgerows what we call hedgerow bashing in the UK.

Breeze
08-30-2013, 01:29 PM
Welcome, Steve! East Texas squirrel hawker myself - and a rank newbie, just starting into my second year. But loving it!

Steve Skinner
08-31-2013, 01:25 PM
Hi there deb i tried replying this morning but my computer couldn't find the web page.

Anyway thanks for replying, iv done a bit of squirrel hawking my self but its frowned upon in the UK, i find it a good way of getting a hawk fit & toughening them up my female Goshawk started refusing hares after a couple hard battles.

but after a season on grey's i tried again & she bagged 5 before the end of the season.

Breeze
08-31-2013, 04:25 PM
Hello again, Steve! First a quick comment, so the forum "police" don't get on you. They ask everyone to sign their posts. There's a place you can click in your settings area that will auto sign for you every time - or just type in your name. Either way works!

Regarding squirrel hawking, there are folks in this country that frown on it as well. Fact is, hawks can/do get injured sometimes scrapping with squirrels. But, for me at least, it's the only prey in the area that can consistently be hunted. So, my bird and I hunt them. :D We have both fox squirrels and grey squirrels here; more grey than fox.

Right now there are quite a few grey squirrels living near the house and they pass by Breeze's mews every day. He watches from his weathering yard. Without a doubt, some of these rather foolish tree rats will suffer the consequences of ignoring the presence of a resident Red-tail hawk! One more tail feather to drop, then just wait for hard penning and we will be out after them again! Can't squirrel hawk until he is free flying!

First squirrel he killed last year, after I trapped him, came out of an oak tree right next to the mews. It had been literally coming by each evening and, for lack of a better word, teasing the hawk. This particular night, Breeze and I had just returned from a hunt and he was still out flying free. He nailed the grey. I figure the squirrel gene pool was improved a bit that night!

Steve Skinner
08-31-2013, 06:06 PM
Hello again, Steve! First a quick comment, so the forum "police" don't get on you. They ask everyone to sign their posts. There's a place you can click in your settings area that will auto sign for you every time - or just type in your name. Either way works!

Regarding squirrel hawking, there are folks in this country that frown on it as well. Fact is, hawks can/do get injured sometimes scrapping with squirrels. But, for me at least, it's the only prey in the area that can consistently be hunted. So, my bird and I hunt them. :D We have both fox squirrels and grey squirrels here; more grey than fox.

Right now there are quite a few grey squirrels living near the house and they pass by Breeze's mews every day. He watches from his weathering yard. Without a doubt, some of these rather foolish tree rats will suffer the consequences of ignoring the presence of a resident Red-tail hawk! One more tail feather to drop, then just wait for hard penning and we will be out after them again! Can't squirrel hawk until he is free flying!

First squirrel he killed last year, after I trapped him, came out of an oak tree right next to the mews. It had been literally coming by each evening and, for lack of a better word, teasing the hawk. This particular night, Breeze and I had just returned from a hunt and he was still out flying free. He nailed the grey. I figure the squirrel gene pool was improved a bit that night!

Thanks for the tip Deb i look forward to reading about your squirrel hawking when Breeze has finished moulting.

Regards Steve. (rammishhawk)