Pictures from Back In The Day

[NMHighPlains]

I posted a picture of me in the McGyver thread and though maybe you folks might enjoy some of the other shots I have from BITD.

1983: A golden eagle caught in a coyote trap. I was visiting grandparents at T-Giving. Neighbor called me over, I removed it, checked it out, released it.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Hawks/DSC06400.jpg

1988:
Trapping in the Goshutes for my M.S. Two birds in the hand. I personally caught right at 800 hawks that fall.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Hawks/DSC06392.jpg

Snow in the Goshutes. A lot of tents didn't survive this storm- mine did:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Hawks/DSC06394.jpg

Beating the bush with "Turk" PFHH in Albuquerque:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Hawks/DSC06401.jpg

Chippy, a male PP on a duck, Portales NM while working on M.S. (and writing "Falconry Equipment"- I worked on them one week at a time, alternating):
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Hawks/chippy.jpg

1995-ish:
Working for Greenfalk and getting ready to head down a cliff. Mark Vekasy in the foreground.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Hawks/DSC06398.jpg

Watching prairie aeries on the Snake River:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Hawks/DSC06395.jpg

Coordinating radio tracking- this was my main job for Greenfalk:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Hawks/DSC06396.jpg

2008:
Here's what I do today. (well, part of it.... :) )
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh62/NM_HighPlains/Ranch%202008/P4020012.jpg

[Meagan]

Great photos, it would be awesome is others could share their "back in the day" photos as well. Thanks for sharing!

[Chris L.]

Thanks for sharing Bryan!


yes, please do post more photos!

[tony123abc]

I would like to know more about infiltration systems. How level does the ground have to be, and are they better than the regular septic system. What are your feelings on dry wells for a quick and nasty septic for a hunting cabin in the boonies?
Oh, the hawking stuff was cool too. I am in Elko, them gos hills are right down the road. Some day I will fly one.

[NMHighPlains]

I would like to know more about infiltration systems. How level does the ground have to be, and are they better than the regular septic system.

What are your feelings on dry wells for a quick and nasty septic for a hunting cabin in the boonies?


Ha!!!! That septic tank was an emergency thing. Out here on the ranch, we usually have to do things our ownselves if'n we want 'em done. Our original system clogged (it was running UPHILL!!!), so I quickly researched the Infiltrators and threw a T shaped system in, in the space of a week. That was 4 years ago and so far, so good. They are sitting on the hardest caliche' substrate in the world, but seem to be leaching out to the side okay.

We have a dry pit on the bathroom down at the barn and it's been okay for 16 years, used for 3 days by 10 antelope hunters and just occasional use the rest of the time.

Up in the Goshutes, we used a lime covered pit. It was surprisingly not too bad, esp when it got cold. I rigged up a little drop-flag so that you could see from a distance if someone was in there or not. I'm hard of hearing so "Hey, anyone in there?" wasn't going to cut it for me.

Any more septic tank questions? painkillerr

[kimmerar]

LOL - that's our Tony. He appreciates the small details :). Especially purses. Nice shots - thanks for sharing.

[Lee Slikkers]

Bryan, stellar pictures and history, thanks for sharing.

I'm 41 now and wish I could turn back the clock and pursue a career/life path that would have put me in regular contact with birds of prey/research. Too late in life to "start over" and try that now but such is life...it's always great to read about and see pics from someone who has lived that dream.

Thanks!

[Dennis Samnee]

Yea I second that Lee.What great pics that tell a story of a guy that got to start the dream early in lifeclapp
I started out playing music thinking I was going to make it big,ended up in a iron shop in 77 still playing music.
My dad was a used car dealer and I got a 65 Falcon from him and ended up reading about falcons that lead into falconry.Never found any nests where I lived.Caught a Rt after my wifes chickens after we moved 25 miles south.Released it as it was a hag and then got my falconry permit.That was 87.
Yea ,I wish I would have started young as I am about as obsessed of individual in falconry as you will ever meet.Making irrational decisions in life now just to allow falconry to be practiced at as high of level as possible.
I am a perfectionist and I'm getting older so I should be slowing down but it is getting worse.Hope you all don't have the sickness as bad as I do:D

[Dakota]

Come on you guys I'm getting depressed! 41 is young, real young, I'm 58 and and still have the falconry spirit burning hot. I said this before I met a 72 year old Nebraska falconer back in the 80's that was juming fences to flush duck for his big black falcon, and that evening drank all us younger guys under the table. Wish I could remember his name,( now that is a problem with age) Anyway lets just keep on hunting til we are in the ground! ;)

[Dennis Samnee]

HI Forrest,
I didn't mean to depress you ,I'm 55 and my whole life revolves around this sport.I don't have the stamina I once had, but I'm still out there hawking every day of the season barring drenching rain of course.I plan on doing it till the day I die:D
Dennis Samnee

[mainefalconer]

One of my falconry heros is Bob Winslow of southern California. I'm sure some of you know him. I've visited him on several occassions and hawked with him. He's been active in the sport for about 72 years now! The guy is awesome! And he's still flying a large longwing on ducks with a little help from his wife. He's a real "gem" in our community.

[Lee Slikkers]

Dennis, I am in the same "obsessive" boat as you. It's been an all comsuming aspect in my life since I found it.

I wasn't trying to say 41 is old or my life is over in any way. I guess I poorly coomunicated my envy for those who found this path early in life...both as a sport and especially those who have been able to make a rewarding career involving Raptors.

Any way, great pics and I'd love to see more, hear the stories, etc. Thanks!

[tony123abc]

I noticed the soil. Looks like it would be great for pond liner. I am glad it perks for you.:D Great pics.

[Dakota]

Ok I dug up some old photos. My move out of Texas in the early 80's was to hunt prairie grouse with passage Gyrfalcons. Here is my first year, leaving the field with a fresh trapped Gyr. the second photo was Jim Skidmore with the second Gyr I trapped that year and gave to him. Then the last wahttp://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad246/fjk57/8-22-201055854PM.jpg?t=1282519506s me with "Star" back when I lived off meat only what my bird caught.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad246/fjk57/8-22-201060553PM.jpg?t=1282519612
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad246/fjk57/8-22-201060321PM.jpg?t=1282519688

[Tom Smith]

Bryan, Do you have more photos from the Goshutes? Long ago I was asked by this guy I think Steve Hoffman, through a friend, to write up a description of a bownet station and the associated gear like lure pigeon harnesses and bownet makings. I wrote up a rough draft but the overzealous friend thinking it was finished sent it to Hoffman before it was finished. We never heard anything from Hoffman and I have always been curious if he used anything from my stuff in his trapping stations. I'm most curious if he used my design for a lure pigeon harness.

[Dutch]

Hi Scott,
I too cherish Robert Winslow. He answered many of the questions, I had in the early 1960s. Bob is one of the most well rounded falconers in the history of falconry in the US. He is an accomplished hand with eyass, passage and haggard Goshawks. He focused on Goshawks for fifteen years and sharpies for fifteen years before he took up large falcons. Most importantly Bob is a gentlemen who prided himself that he focusing on one hawk at a time for a very long time.
J. Stoddart

[NMHighPlains]

Bryan, Do you have more photos from the Goshutes? Long ago I was asked by this guy I think Steve Hoffman, through a friend, to write up a description of a bownet station and the associated gear like lure pigeon harnesses and bownet makings. I wrote up a rough draft but the overzealous friend thinking it was finished sent it to Hoffman before it was finished. We never heard anything from Hoffman and I have always been curious if he used anything from my stuff in his trapping stations. I'm most curious if he used my design for a lure pigeon harness.

I have a notebook full of slides from there, but nothing of close-ups of the gear. Mostly pictures of me with a goshawk, me with a golden eagle, me with a Northern harrier, me with a merlin, me with a sharpie, me with 2 goshawks, me with 2 golden eagl... well, anyway....

Granted, this was 1989 (?) but from what I recall the pigeon vests fastened with velcro on the top and clipped on the bottom so that the pigeon hung upside down. It otherwise, was pretty much your standard pigeon pole, bownet, dho-ghazza on a sliding ring, surrounded by mistnets blind setup.

Sometimes credit was not given where credit was due. For instance, my own M.S. was never cited among their official publication list. At this point, I really couldn't care less (*), but for the sake of completeness, they oughta include it.

(*) Like everyone does, I set out to publish parts of my thesis, so I chopped it up into manageable sections and sent it out for peer review. First one came back "Where is X [sample size]?". Oh, well, just an omission...I'll go grab it from my thesis. Guess what? In my thesis- approved by the college Dean, critiqued by my committee, read and re-read by numerous other people including Mr. Hoffman himself- X was not to be found. Not a single mention of overall sample size anywhere in the thing!!!

[Tanner]

I spent a day trapping for the people at Hawkwatch in the early 90's (at their request for an extra set of hands/eyes in the blind), the head honcho was there that day. I would say that giving credit to anyone other than himself, for anything, was not high on that guy's list of priorities. The experience was less than pleasant and I never went back.

[Tom Smith]

(*) Like everyone does, I set out to publish parts of my thesis, so I chopped it up into manageable sections and sent it out for peer review. First one came back "Where is X [sample size]?". Oh, well, just an omission...I'll go grab it from my thesis. Guess what? In my thesis- approved by the college Dean, critiqued by my committee, read and re-read by numerous other people including Mr. Hoffman himself- X was not to be found. Not a single mention of overall sample size anywhere in the thing!!![/QUOTE]

Thanks Byran, I think that may explain why we never heard anything back from him. This was in 1976 and he hadn't trapped any birds yet at that point.

[Jonathan526]

Thanks Bryan and Forrest, old timey photos are always great.