Lost Falcon

[Dakota]

Lost just before dark last night, 31 0z grey 3/4 Gyrx 1/4 Peales, looks exactly like a small grey jerkin. Tel. freq. 216.034. Lost in south central South Dakota near Wood SD. Band #RX086328. Transmitter is on the tail, has anklets.

[Ross]

Sorry to hear, Good luck. Have you gotten a signal?

[Dakota]

No, we were out most the night trying to get a signal but nothing. Started again at daybreak, ran a grid, then tried high points, nothing. He was lost just before dark can't see him going far. We came in to eat lunch and heading back out with seeled pigions.

[GONEHAWKN]

keep us posted and good luck....many of us have been there before and know the feeling.....

[Dakota]

Jedi was sharp at 29.5 oz. He had responded to the lure instantly for three day at 75 yards. We were just getting him use to the kite, a new contraption for me and him. This was just another day, a little hotter but just another training session. I was to call him the same distance while my son held the kite behind me. My daughter was with Jedi when I swung the lure and off he came towards the lure. A bunch of barn swallows lunched there attack like little fighters. Jedi was distracted and banked off to the east. He flew up over some tress and kept climbing, higher and higher. When he finally turned I swung the lure, but memorized about his flying he paid it no mind. He began to drift to the west as every dicky bird in town tried to follow. He went into the setting sun as I directed my kids to watch for him with there clear eyes. When at last he was gone we scrambled for the telemetry the keys to the truck and in a hail of rocks and dust headed to the last know spot, No signal, just static, everywhere we went it was the same, static no signal. I had confidence as the dusk turned dark that he would not go far and be back with me in the morning. After hours of searching for a signal I headed home for a short night. My wife got up with me before first light. I swung the lure first where he was flown then where he was last seen, We got some pigeons and took them to the high ground but to no avail, Started contacting other falconers, no signal, no signal, what has happened, and now almost five days later, no signal just statice that rides across the open plains.
Many years ago I came up here to ths cold prairie to fly Gyrfalcon and hunt grouse, I did just that I learned some harsh lessons and one was that wild Gyrs can easily die, I vowed not to take another. I hung out with some superior grouse hunters that came from everywhere to hunt grouse just like me. Time kept turning an most left went back to there warm states to pursue other careers. I to saw the writing on the wall and went back to school, married a young wife had kids. Then as some of you know, our infant son died at the hands of an incompetent Doctor. Our lives came to a stop. I did not fly any bird, I raised my kids up some and told them of falconry but it was a only stories an some photographs for them. Then I decided the dark clouds had passed and it was time once more to fly a bird.
My oldest is ten and she went with me to Iowa to get the falcon. We were so proud, such a beautiful bird, Mostly looked like a grey jerkin but with Peales too, Got my grouse hawk now its all real once again life is great!
No signal, what did I do wrong, was it to hot, should he be sharper, maybe more manning. Has God not taken enough from me. No signal, and as we continue to search, No signal.
When someone losses a bird, it's much more, we loose our dreams, we loose our friend.

[sevristh]

All of us that have been there know the loss Forrest. Hopefully he will turn up though and things will be righted. Did you check his telemetry before the session? That's crazy that you couldn't get a signal right after he had just flown away.