He's a great dog for chasing squirrels and rabbits. He doesn't really "help" the hawk, as much as compete with her though. He tries his best to catch the critters himself, but seldom ends up beating the bird to the punch.Originally Posted by Squirrelhawkin
The few times he's gotten a hold of a squirrel or rabbit, the RT just slams the part that isn't in his mouth and rips it away as her momentum drives her past... At that point, he promply forgets all about that particular critter and looks for another... He once thought he could sneak a taste of a previous RT's lure, and has since decided that what the bird has is the unquestioned property of the bird!
He doesn't use his nose much, but relies almost exclusively on sight. He also hunts silently, and only barks/yips when he sees a critter. That's nice for me, and the birds quickly learn what that means, but of course it lessens his chance of catching something himself (which I like).
Unfortunately, I couldn't hunt with him much last year. The first RT I flew would leave him alone for maybe 10 minutes, and then she'd go after him with deadly intent. I hoped she'd quit, but after one particularly prickly experience, I decided enough was enough, and left him home. Then, my RT started going after my German SH, so I ended up transferring her to someone who hunted without dogs. I hunt some urban areas, and that bird always scared me in those situations. Too much chance of her seeing someone with a little dog on a string...
I was going to trap a new bird, but then found out a local falconer had a still-in-training bird and a severe shortage of falconry time. I took that bird (and love it!). But as soon as she saw the little JRT she was bating off my fist at him! First hunt was more of the same, so unwilling to play that game, I left Tucker at home for the rest of the season. This bird hunts great over my GSH though...
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