Veloci

[EricADugan]

Rick,
First off she looks great. Can you give me the details of the anklet design you used. I would appreciate it.
Eric

[BrianD]

Ok Rick, it is the weekend. Where are those hunting pics?

[Raptorick]

Rick,
First off she looks great. Can you give me the details of the anklet design you used. I would appreciate it.
Eric

I just use standard anklets without any grommets. Just a smaller hole for the jesses.

[Raptorick]

Ok Rick, it is the weekend. Where are those hunting pics?

Hopefully we can do something this morning. Yesterday she flew at wild starlings but would not give a hard chase. Even at good slips. I think maybe a bit high yet and that's ok for now. She still had some big down body feather coming off last night in her hawk box.

[tumble]

FINE looking hawk, Rick.

[Raptorick]

I should of just gone to church with the wife and kids.
This morning I got typical heavy cooper behavior. Things that she had been totally manned to are about to eat her now. Like on coming trucks. She would not chase starlings this morning at this wieght. Will drop a few more for this evening hunt. She has been at 432 for last two days.
She did show good interest in a bunny that was on the edge of a hedge row. HMMMM

[Kaden Stenlund]

Will coops sonsistantlly take rabbits?

[Raptorick]

It's like a male HH on a Jack rabbit. I field hawked today and jumped a couple of bunnies. All you could see was the grass parting as the rabbits ran. She flew two, but her inexperience showed and she just hovered over them.
Now I was hunting sparrows and LBJs' as it is not rabbit season yet to cover my ass. Alabama does have the leave it lay law and it's a good law thanks to a pro hunting state. I would of just switched her off and let it go free though. Need the breeders for more bunnies when my HH finish the molt.
We did end up with a sparrow. I have the next 4 days off for some mad hawking!

This is such a hot sucky time to be crawling around the stickery over grown fields. I pulled off more damn ticks today and one just now as I typed this. Just got to do what you got to do and now I need a shower.

Velci is a joy on the fist, but showing some resentment and a little distrust on a kill. She wanted to hide her sparrow in the briars. I will work on this a bit.

[FredFogg]

Velci is a joy on the fist, but showing some resentment and a little distrust on a kill. She wanted to hide her sparrow in the briars. I will work on this a bit.

Rick, don't you find that more kills helps this more than anything. I think it is just a matter of them realizing you aren't taking it from them and they are going to get fed. The first 10 or so kills, I dropped the lure with half a quail on it. Some folks let them eat what they caught, but I tend to like to trade them off because they can eat an entire sparrow and still be hungry where I can trade them off to exactly how much I want them to eat that day.

[Raptorick]

Rick, don't you find that more kills helps this more than anything. I think it is just a matter of them realizing you aren't taking it from them and they are going to get fed. The first 10 or so kills, I dropped the lure with half a quail on it. Some folks let them eat what they caught, but I tend to like to trade them off because they can eat an entire sparrow and still be hungry where I can trade them off to exactly how much I want them to eat that day.

yes, I pre-weigh her food and exchange it. Yesterdays kill was 1/2 gone when I got to her. She caught it right over a briar and was hard to get to. She should get better with more kills.
Like a big dummy I was in shorts and my legs are all cut up. I should of known better. I am in Alabama for crying out loud and if it don't bite or sting, It will stick ya! Today I have jeans and chaps on. I am a slow learner.

[FredFogg]

yes, I pre-weigh her food and exchange it. Yesterdays kill was 1/2 gone when I got to her. She caught it right over a briar and was hard to get to. She should get better with more kills.
Like a big dummy I was in shorts and my legs are all cut up. I should of known better. I am in Alabama for crying out loud and if it don't bite or sting, It will stick ya! Today I have jeans and chaps on. I am a slow learner.

Yeah, my first year with my coops, I spent the entire summer walking fields and sweating my butt off and like you, I was stupid and tried it in shorts a few times. Duh, what was I thinking. It works fine out in the middle of those fields walking a fence line, but one catch in one briar patch and you pay for it. I only caught 23 sparrows that summer. I switched to car hawking the next spring with her and caught 217 head in 3 months. Much cooler and easier. LOL

[BrianD]

Congrats on your first kill!

[Raptorick]

Thanks, caught another this morning after a few unsuccessfull attempts. She still needs her weight dropped some. She is acting up. She use to be such a sweetheart on bagged game. Now that she is hard penned and not quite at weight she is kind of footy when I attach her leash.
I really enjoy field hawking in the mornings. It's peacefull and cool with the sun coming up.

Already looking forward to tomorrow morning. Will mix some car hawking in there somewhere this week.

[tumble]

Awesome Rick! Off ya go.

[MGermana]

Congrats on the kills, I would come up and drive for you this weekend but we have some plans Saturday afternoon. I said we would probably go early but was was told that every other time I go out with you I don't get home until late. I guess this means we don't get to play together this weekend... maybe next weekend. I don't know what she is talking about?

[Raptorick]

Congrats on the kills, I would come up and drive for you this weekend but we have some plans Saturday afternoon. I said we would probably go early but was was told that every other time I go out with you I don't get home until late. I guess this means we don't get to play together this weekend... maybe next weekend. I don't know what she is talking about?

LOL, My wife says when we moved here to Alabama there were a lot of happy wives that were glad to see me go! and there will be some happy ones in Alabama when I move again!

[goshawks00]

Rick, just as long as you're making them happy!!
B.

[MGermana]

It's just that Rick seems to keep all his buddies out way past curfew. But hey it's ok because it's always his fault, or at least that is who I blame it on.

[Raptorick]

my friends should be thanking me for taking all the blame and saving marriages when I move.

Velci had some very good long hard pumping flights today and yesterday. She ended up catching a young black bird today. Hopefully I can keep up the pace and she will get stronger and be more successfull with mature birds.

Still a bit heavy but getting closer. Rather nasty on a kill and takes forever to eat.

I've got pictures, but they really don't show anything but a mantling coops!

[BrianD]

Hey Rick, Hows your Coops doing?

[Raptorick]

She is fine? Thanks for asking. We have had our moments. Have a little trust issue I am trying to work out. Not sure why she started this. I have never robbed her.
She field hawks with more gusto then car hawks. When flying out of the car she cackles at them and that warns them. No crows yet, but she usually kills a blackbird/ lbj or grackle a day. Last grackle she caught tried to clear a fence and she shot straight up cooper style.
I did some dog work with flight quail yesterday. Will do some quail hawking when the season opens. Been hearing and seeing some wild ones on my little scouting tours.
Doing more field work with the wirehair and these strong flying quail. It's not hunting I know, but it's just bringing the dog hawk team together. They fly hard and fast and she is panting when were done. I do this once or twice a week. Then hunt wild stuff.
Today I am field hawking. Car hawking is ok. I like field hawking the best and have had some very good long flights. I usually go before dark and have left her out once. She caught a bird and I traded her and then she flew another right at dusky dark. Then roosted in a tree and I could not get her to come down for nothing. So I picked her up the next morning. I kind of have a fly her till I loose her attitude. She can take care of her self if need to. On the other hand I do have telemetry on her and use it often as she hides like a reptile.

Going on my annual spear fishing trip to the Gulf for 4 days this weekend. So will fatten her up and hope not to break her cycle. Oh well.

Thanks
Rick

[Raptorick]

yesterday had some hard long twisting flights at 75 to 100 yards. Very fun to watch. She is now returning to my fist on her own after a long flight and miss. We are starting to click now!

[BrianD]

Sounds like the fun is about to start. Im just getting my fix until trapping season gets here and I can get a passage Coop. Where in Alabama are you located?

[Raptorick]

Sounds like the fun is about to start. Im just getting my fix until trapping season gets here and I can get a passage Coop. Where in Alabama are you located?

Huntsville area.

[Takasho]

Going on my annual spear fishing trip to the Gulf for 4 days this weekend.

I hope we get some pics/stories from this in the OT! I lived in Hawaii for 4 years, no falconry so I occupied myself with spearfishing...

[Raptorick]

I hope we get some pics/stories from this in the OT! I lived in Hawaii for 4 years, no falconry so I occupied myself with spearfishing...

ah! another speareo on board. It's another passion of mine and I put my spear fishing pictures on two other spear fishing forums. I will try to post some later on the non falconry stuff. I got grouper and snapper. Had to chase off some bull sharks. They like a free meal if you let them have it. I poke them and chase them off. Never had to kill one with a bang (ppd) yet.

I pulled the coops out of the mew last night. A bit heavy and feather perfect. I will get her going agian this week. She was noisy after being in the mew. I expected it, but my spear fishing trip is an annual event with friends and will always do it.
Should start killing stuff again soon. Well see how it goes this week after being in the mew 5 days. Hopefully get her back where she was. Things were really clicking and I hated to mew her. She was flying back to my fist on her own after a miss with no reward. She liked hunting off my fist. When they start doing that the killing really starts. No fooling around with lures or going to get them.

[Raptorick]

I have had a few pm's asking about Velci. Thanks for the interest.
I try to hunt Velci everyday. She has been a complete maniac on little birds and flys them with gusto. Kills normally every outing. I work my ass off though for slips and it's hot, muggy and ticky. This week has been nasty and stormy and missed a few days. Like yesterday.
She also came out of the mew after my spearfishing trip very pissed off and for some reason has really taken to hating my boots and the little dog.
I think it is a immaturity thing and will get over it. When she is done eating she attacks my boots. She is footy on kills and I spent lots of time and effort to avoid this when she was growing.
She never did this until she was mewed for 4 days. Not sure it had anything to do with it. Now she stays perched with boots close by when not hunting.
She is still feather perfect.
The mew time as well as the few days bringing her back to wieght did her no good. She still hunts well though and we will work through it by killing lots of birdies.

[FredFogg]

I have had a few pm's asking about Velci. Thanks for the interest.
I try to hunt Velci everyday. She has been a complete maniac on little birds and flys them with gusto. Kills normally every outing. I work my ass off though for slips and it's hot, muggy and ticky. This week has been nasty and stormy and missed a few days. Like yesterday.
She also came out of the mew after my spearfishing trip very pissed off and for some reason has really taken to hating my boots and the little dog.
I think it is a immaturity thing and will get over it. When she is done eating she attacks my boots. She is footy on kills and I spent lots of time and effort to avoid this when she was growing.
She never did this until she was mewed for 4 days. Not sure it had anything to do with it. Now she stays perched with boots close by when not hunting.
She is still feather perfect.
The mew time as well as the few days bringing her back to wieght did her no good. She still hunts well though and we will work through it by killing lots of birdies.

Rick, try dropping her a few grams and the boot problem might go away. My coops did the same thing and I dropped her weight 4 g and she was all business with what she caught and didn't attack my feet after that.

[dirthawker2004]

rick I agree with Fred but make sure you dont get her in the hot zone on weight. if you do it will set you back a long while.

[Raptorick]

Thanks guys,
She caught another field bird this morning. Several tries before snatching one in the air. She is an awsome predator.

Making my own observation from flying western coops since 1980 when the only real coopers book at the time was desert hawking II. I still love that book and I bought it directly from Harry.

Velci has good speed. She has a nastier attitude then most western coopers I have flown. This is the first coops I have never hooded. I will hood my next one and from here on. I don't think it really made any difference with Velci either way. I just like to use a hood and have never had a problem with it. Just wanted to see the difference for myself.
Now if a bird really hates the hood, I would not use it. Just all my coops hooded well in the past.

Now saying that. My best Eastern coops was my last Alabama coopers imprinted the the same way, except feed in Isolation using mirrors. She was a dream and so easy to handle. She got shot from an idiot!
My favorite coops ever was a small western female coops of 11. oz She would take ducks both mallard,pintail and pheasant with my help. Very easy going bird I had in the early 80s and intermewed several times. The kind you never forget and want again. She got better every year. Loved that bird.
This was way before Mikes books were out. Then there were several that came and past with vivid memories of certain hunts and kills.
I have only flown 1 western Male that Tom Gleason and I pulled. He killed himself hitting a fence chasing a quail. Something always seems to happen to coopers hawks eventually. He was a tame little guy of 9 oz.

Right now Velci needs more kills or harder ones. Mentally she is not ready for doubles. Phyisically she is. She is not so vocal anymore and that just seemed to be a baby phase. I am going to drop her another 5 grams.
Her feathers are still perfect. I tried to take a picture of her this morning with her prey and my camera batteries must be dead.

I really would like to try tame hacking next time. Just to see what that would give me.