Greetings from Florida

[toneill100]

Been flying redtails at rabbits since 2003. Fun in the cane fields here in Palm Beach County. Looking to try a Harris Hawk for a change.

[everetkhorton]

to NAFEX. Have any pictures of the cane fields. I was surprised to see they still burn sugar cane fields. One of the very few rules on this site is that everyone sign there post. You can use the User CP to have your name added to you post every time you post a message.

[toneill100]

Went to CP to add the signature. I will have to look for some pictures. Burning cane can be very dangerous, as the fire has been known to "leap" outside the field and even destroy trucks etcetera. I have heard the story that a football team in the area waits at the edge of a burning field to try and catch the rabbits running out as an agility drill.

[thunderheartiii]

Hello and to NAFEX.

[tampamatt]

Good to see more FL falconers popping up on here! I've seen pics of cane field rabbit hawking... looks like fun with relatively light cover, I bet you guys get some nice long flights!

[toneill100]

Matt:

Cover is light once they have burned and mowed the fields. We do get pretty long flights if the rabbit decides to run into the open field. Usually, they are pretty good at finding a thicket nearby, for us to try for another slip.

[Yeomanfalconer]

Matt:

Cover is light once they have burned and mowed the fields. We do get pretty long flights if the rabbit decides to run into the open field. Usually, they are pretty good at finding a thicket nearby, for us to try for another slip.

Are you using local, Florida red-tails , umbrinus(eyasses), or northern migrants?

[toneill100]

I have used both. The last was a male Florida redtail. The color of his tail was a dark "brick" red. He was a brancher here in Florida when we found him.

[Yeomanfalconer]

I have used both. The last was a male Florida redtail. The color of his tail was a dark "brick" red. He was a brancher here in Florida when we found him.

That is so cool, I saw active nests along the Florida Turnpike by Loxahatchee. Down in Homestead they were gone by 1975.

[toneill100]

You can kinda see the brick color in these photos.

[toneill100]

[Yeomanfalconer]

Thats awesome Tim, thanks for the Florida fix. It is frozen days like these that I miss it so.

[toneill100]

Glad I could help.

[Yeomanfalconer]

Glad I could help.

Oh yeah, just post some pictures of him on cane field rabbits. That would be the best.

[toneill100]

Me and a former female. I believe she was a passager.

[toneill100]

[toneill100]

You know it is usually me and my sponsor in the field and we usually don't take pictures. He might have some, but I do not. I guess I need to remedy that.

[Yeomanfalconer]

Me and a former female. I believe she was a passager.

Yeah she's from Michigan.

[hawkguy1]

tim.

[MAGASKAWEE]

Welcome Tim, glad to have you with us.

[smallfish]

You know it is usually me and my sponsor in the field and we usually don't take pictures.

[thegreendevil76]

Good deal, more Floridians!

[PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER]

Tim,
You are looking to try a Harris'. Look at your options and to wether you want a male versus female. There are a ton of breeders out there. Do your selection carefully. Get a good blood line (a good blood line equates to a better resale value to a breeder if you decide to try another bird down the line - I had a four year old "white-wing" male that I sold for top dollar to a breeder when I changed over to a Gos). There are many articles on the site about entering your bird early in the process to make the most of your experience.

There is little hesitation when I say that a first year passage female Red-Tailed is hard to match in heavy cover when you need that hard hitting vertical stoop into the thick brush.

However if you have both dense and open fields a good Harris has its advantages.

By the way I was down in Southern Florida last Thanksgiving, there were allegators everywhere. Do you run into or worry about those reptiles in your hunts ?

Jeff

[toneill100]

Good deal, more Floridians!

We can use all that we can get!

[toneill100]

[QUOTE=PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER;176637]
Tim,
You are looking to try a Harris'. Look at your options and to wether you want a male versus female.

First thank you for the kind advice. I ended up taking a female Harris that flies at about 900 grams. Steve Watson, in Alomo California was the breeder. He wild hacks them before selling them. I was a little worried at first, because the bird was so vocal compared to a redtail. This wasn't begging, rather it was resentment, as she stopped as soon as the dog or I were out of sight of the mews. We trained for about two weeks and went hunting. She took a cottontail the first time out from the fist. Ever since then, she is quiet as a church mouse. I really love the responsiveness and determination of this bird, and am extremely happy with her. Before I get to the gator discussion below: another threat you need to watch out for in the field is wild hogs. Happen upon a mother and her babies and your going to have a bad today. See the remnants of a hog I found below.





By the way I was down in Southern Florida last Thanksgiving, there were allegators everywhere. Do you run into or worry about those reptiles in your hunts ?

Whenever you are near canals or a body of fresh water you have to be cognizant of gators. Usually you know they are there, and are able to avoid them. They are either sunning themselves or you can see the telltale eyes above the water. I have even seen momma gator with babies on her back. They are not vicious creatures (meaning they usually don't attack people on sight) and so long as you respect their space you are fine. (If I used a dog I would be a nervous wreck.)

Having said that: I once met a field manager in the cane fileds that told me everywhere in the fields was generally safe for gators except this one particular canal. That was where "Bob" lived. Bob had inhabited this canal for at least thirty years. Several years went by after this conversation and after repeated hawking near this canal I had never seen him. Quite honestly, I thought that dude was pulling my leg. He was not.

One day I came too close to the canal with bird in hand. All fourteen feet (I don't know the exact measurement but he was the biggest gator I have ever seen.) of Bob came out of the water, he started with something that sounded like a low and very loud growl and as he continued forward he opend his mouth open and started hissing. Like a pulling guard, I punched out my fist to launch the bird and used the momentum to turn around and run like the dickens. After I caught my breath, and changed my shorts, I continued on. Needless to say, Bob enjoys a wide berth from me.

[Yeomanfalconer]

[QUOTE=toneill100;176706]

Tim,
You are looking to try a Harris'. Look at your options and to wether you want a male versus female.

First thank you for the kind advice. I ended up taking a female Harris that flies at about 900 grams. Steve Watson, in Alomo California was the breeder. He wild hacks them before selling them. I was a little worried at first, because the bird was so vocal compared to a redtail. This wasn't begging, rather it was resentment, as she stopped as soon as the dog or I were out of sight of the mews. We trained for about two weeks and went hunting. She took a cottontail the first time out from the fist. Ever since then, she is quiet as a church mouse. I really love the responsiveness and determination of this bird, and am extremely happy with her. Before I get to the gator discussion below: another threat you need to watch out for in the field is wild hogs. Happen upon a mother and her babies and your going to have a bad today. See the remnants of a hog I found below.





By the way I was down in Southern Florida last Thanksgiving, there were allegators everywhere. Do you run into or worry about those reptiles in your hunts ?

Whenever you are near canals or a body of fresh water you have to be cognizant of gators. Usually you know they are there, and are able to avoid them. They are either sunning themselves or you can see the telltale eyes above the water. I have even seen momma gator with babies on her back. They are not vicious creatures (meaning they usually don't attack people on sight) and so long as you respect their space you are fine. (If I used a dog I would be a nervous wreck.)

Having said that: I once met a field manager in the cane fileds that told me everywhere in the fields was generally safe for gators except this one particular canal. That was where "Bob" lived. Bob had inhabited this canal for at least thirty years. Several years went by after this conversation and after repeated hawking near this canal I had never seen him. Quite honestly, I thought that dude was pulling my leg. He was not.

One day I came too close to the canal with bird in hand. All fourteen feet (I don't know the exact measurement but he was the biggest gator I have ever seen.) of Bob came out of the water, he started with something that sounded like a low and very loud growl and as he continued forward he opend his mouth open and started hissing. Like a pulling guard, I punched out my fist to launch the bird and used the momentum to turn around and run like the dickens. After I caught my breath, and changed my shorts, I continued on. Needless to say, Bob enjoys a wide berth from me.

Alligators were always the least of my worries. While hawking King Rails (with my tiercel harris)in the swampy east glades I had cottonmouths drop into my lap on more than one occasion. I loved the gators--- for the water holes they made, that would hold ducks, snipe, etc.later in the dry season.

[toneill100]

Come to think of it the pygmy rattlers and rattlers ar no fun either!