Hello from wisconsin

[Amenton]

Hello everyone,

Brand new apprentice here. Finally got my sponsor, passed my test and completed inspection. So excited here, like a kid in a candy store. There are not a lot of falconers around my neck of the woods so I figured this would be a good place to start hanging around so I don't become too much of a pest to the few I do know in real life.

I started attempting trapping a few times for a red tail. Been seeing a bunch of adults and two young passage birds. Both times I saw the passage birds they made one pass at my trap, pulled up at the last second and flew off. Not sure if it is just a common practice or if it's a problem with my trap.

I am using a home-made BC. I made a pyramid shaped one out of green colored hardware cloth. Using a gerbil for bait.



Any thoughts?

Brian G

[JacksonYoung]

Hey, it's awesome to see new apprentices on here. Down here in Utah, you can catch Red Tails left and right with that trap. My trap is similar to your in the pyramid shape. Covering the outside I just put a bike tire to cover the end of the wire mesh. I just put 2 small white mice in the trap, and that seems to attract their attention pretty good. Depends on how fat the bird is however. Some birds will hover over it and then fly away. Some will attack it the second you start pulling off. And others will wait 20 min before they even come down. You just have to find the right bait, and hope for a bird that wants to eat pretty bad. Good luck in trying to catch your bird!

[Chris L.]

Hello and welcome to NAFEX.

I have never used a pyramid shaped BC. I find the lower the profile the better chances you will have of them not flying over or by it. It looks out of place and they can see that. Try decreasing the profile and do a dome. 100 ways to skin a cat and that's how I roll

also you will need to weight the trap down. A big hen RT can carry that BC off.

keep us posted on what you trap

[Amenton]

I do have weights on the bottom of my current trap - I will try to change the profile though to make it less conspicuous.
Thanks
When I catch something - I will post it up.

[southtexas]

I got two stainless steel mixing bowls and put hardware cloth between them and then jumped on the top one and it molded into a perfect dome shape. Really made a sweet BC. Takes a little work to get the top bowl mashed down with the hardware cloth between but when you get it right it really makes for s perfect BC. The bowls only cost me $6 a piece at the grocery store. I've had several people borrow my trap I think it's caught 10-15 hawks now.
Not trying to tell you what to do but this worked well for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ParabuteoJOC]

Hey Brian,
Welcome to falconry! It is hard to tell from the photo, but I think the tails on your nooses might be too short. Here's a way to test them. Close a noose with a pencil and then pull with all your might to see if the noose slips through the tail. Or maybe your noose is a different type. Good luck trapping!

[Amenton]

Yes I have some work on my trap then to do - I like the idea of the bowl.
I have tried to keep my nooses fairly tight - will test my nooses with a pencil here.
By the way - love your book on Harris hawks -

Brian G

[mcogar88]

Brian where in Wisconsin are you?

[Amenton]

I am up in Spooner - it's like an hour and a half south of Duluth.
It's nice an close to hawk ridge where they all migrate south but that's all across the border and then would have to go through all the Minnesota import junk.

[Chasj87]

I agree that low profile traps seem to be more effective. Also Mrs. Coulson is of course spot on with the tails on you're nooses. The longer tails will make it much easier to slip the nooses off a hawks toes/feet when taking off the trap. Unless you don't mind cutting and replacing them every time you trap. You just tug the tail a little and the noose should open right up.

[Kestrel]

Hey Brian are you going to the WFA Winter meet ?

[Amenton]

Yup - already requested the time off - with or without a bird

[Amenton]

Ok so made a few modifications to my trap and a beautiful passage female light morph hit the trap hard. It sure looked like she was stuck to it and I drove up - not flying off and then as soon as I approached with a towel she shook her feet and flew off - so sad.....
I really need to just remake the whole trap.

[Kestrel]

Sometime you just have to wait untill you see her try to fly off and th trap moves when she tried to take off. I've sat and wait 10 mins just to make sure the bird is trpped

[Amenton]

Yes Jojo the wonder boy here was just excited that I probably jumped the gun too much as well.... lessons to learn

[Kestrel]

Did you end up getting a bird ?

[Amenton]

Yes!!

With the gracious help of Frank, the Wisconsin apprentice coordinator, I am now training my first female red tail.
Say hello to Roxanne - roxy for short.




And please ignore my janky perch corner - she does not roost there. Just a temp spot I put a perch while I was moving her around

[Kestrel]

That a boy Frank. Way to help an apprentice out . Good luck with her. Hope to see you at the winter meet

[jjohnsonfalconry]

Frank is a awesome guy, if you ever get a chance to watch him fly his goshawk on squirrels take it.

Justin Johnson

[Chris L.]

Congrats on your first RT. Keep us posted oh how she does