Happy Dance!!!! lol

[pjdonat]

The anticipation was killing me so I called the Special License office today and found out I got a score of 87%. I have passed my falconry exam. I am so relieved. mwahahahaha Time to go shopping for falconry supplies. rockon
-Paul-

[Chris L.]

Paul,
congrats.. it is a good feeling for sure. Keep us posted on the up and coming season. Also, there are plenty of equipment sellers here on NAFEX, try and help to support them if you can..

good luck

[paganlove22]

Congrats on passing the test. There are gonna be a bunch of us first yr. apprentices this fall. :D

[jfseaman]

Congratulations Paul.

Go shopping and get building.

[threetoe]

Outstanding.

You'll never be the same again.

Chris makes a good point, support our bunch of bird brained knuckleheads.

(Jimmy makes some jesses you could tow a truck with)

[pjdonat]

lol I can't say as I would need my bird to tow my truck home but it is nice to know that should I foolishly run out of gas when out on a hunt I can tie my RT to the front of my truck and get home on avian power and the jesses will hold up to the job. I plan to try and trap a RT this fall. Anyone got Jim's website? I think maybe I will look into those jesses of his. Hey maybe I should get a government grant for alternative fuel research and look into avaian powered vehicles. It could be cheaper using frozen day old baby chicks and three day old frozen baby quails then it is for a gallon of gas. rotfl
-Paul-

[kimmerar]

Congrats Paul

Bill - Jimmy left us. I do have his e-mail if you need it Paul.

Jeff (gyrxpeals) makes some fine leash set ups too!!!

[pjdonat]

Thanks for the tip Kim. I don't have an account with paypal or anything like it. I will have to see what I still need once I get rolling here so I got everything before September.
-Paul-

[kimmerar]

Send me a pm if you need an e-mail for either Jimmy or Jeff.

[pjdonat]

:D Thanks Kim, I may just hold ya to it, when things get settled here and I find out what I need that the kit I am eyeing up doesn't have.
-Paul-

[Lee Slikkers]

Congrats Paul

Bill - Jimmy left us. I do have his e-mail if you need it Paul.

Jeff (gyrxpeals) makes some fine leash set ups too!!!

I've made every combo of para-cord leashes, leather stuff, etc...but I have to say, Jeff makes some of the finest complete systems BAR NONE (plus he's sort of an ok guy too toungeout)

Congrats Paul...embrace the "ride" its a good one.

[pjdonat]

Thanks for the heads up everyone. I hope the "ride" gets smoother from here. My wife was the one who got the ball rolling on this. And now about all it has generated is constant argueing.
-Paul-

[FredFogg]

:D Thanks Kim, I may just hold ya to it, when things get settled here and I find out what I need that the kit I am eyeing up doesn't have.
-Paul-

Paul, a little heads up on any Kit you are eyeing, I don't know how they are now, but many years ago, I got an apprentice kit my first year. You are better off just buying the things you want and need, you sponser will be able to help you decide on what you need to buy and what you can make. For instance, the kit I bought had a pair of alymeri anklets in it that were sized for a red-tail. Yeah, a red-tail that weighed about 20 oz. LOL They wouldn't fit any red-tail I trapped. I still have them in a drawer somewhere. Any one want to buy a pair anklets for a red-tail?

[pjdonat]

The kit I am looking at doesn't include any jesses, but it does come with a whole kangroo hide and retty much everyting else that I want like a triple beam scale and a hood(that hopefully will fit) lol and bells and sampo swivels and all kinds of other good stuff. lol The hood is about the oly premade item in the kit. I have a book on red tails and it has patterns for jesses in the back and idiot proof descriptions. So hopefully even I can't mess it up.
-Paul-

[FredFogg]

The kit I am looking at doesn't include any jesses, but it does come with a whole kangroo hide and retty much everyting else that I want like a triple beam scale and a hood(that hopefully will fit) lol and bells and sampo swivels and all kinds of other good stuff. lol The hood is about the oly premade item in the kit. I have a book on red tails and it has patterns for jesses in the back and idiot proof descriptions. So hopefully even I can't mess it up.
-Paul-

Well, try taking all the items it has and see how much you can get each for individually and see what the total ends up, you may be able to get all the stuff seperately for cheaper. You will want more than one Sampo swivel, probably several pairs of bells ( I buy 4 pair every year from Larry Counce, good bells, I hunt squirrels and my red-tails always beat them up or lose them), and I just use a digital scale bought at Office Max and glue a perch on it. You can get whole kangaroo hides on Ebay for a good price and as far as a hood, you probably will want a size that fits a male red-tail and a size that fits a female, never know what you are going to trap! LOL Jesses and anklets are easy to make, once you have made them a couple times you won't belive you ever thought you couldn't make them. Best thing to do is get with your sponser and start making a list! Fun, isn't it! :D

[pjdonat]

I have to admit I never thought of looking on ebay for a kangaroo hide. lol I will check it out. I haven't ordered anything yet so right now most everything is still negotiable.
-Paul-

[paganlove22]

Heres a link to the scale I just bought in case your interested. Wasnt terribly expensive.
http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=353

[pjdonat]

That is a cool looking scale. Thank you very much. :D

[FredFogg]

Heres a link to the scale I just bought in case your interested. Wasnt terribly expensive.
http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=353


Wow, talk about wierd. I bought my very first scale off Ebay from that same seller, but it was just a scale without the perch and I had to put a perch on it. That is cool that he saw a need and is supplying them with perches now. By the way, it was a good scale, but a red-tail of mine knocked it off a table once and broke it. I just buy my scales now at Office Depot or some place like that. You can get them for the same price and don't have to pay shipping. Also, I would recommend buying 2 scales. I can assure you, Mr. Murphy will come to visit and you will go to weigh your bird to go hunting and the scale will have quit working or your bird will knock it off the table. I always keep a backup.

[FredFogg]

I have to admit I never thought of looking on ebay for a kangaroo hide. lol I will check it out. I haven't ordered anything yet so right now most everything is still negotiable.
-Paul-

I have a Saved Search on Ebay for Falconry with the setting for U.S. Dollars Only. You will get over 300 hits as they have a bunch of stuff on there from the UK. There is usually about 70 hits on there with everything from gloves, bells, hoods, jesses, etc. You can get some good deals and you can get some not so good deals. You just have to shop. I got a used Tracker Maxima 5000/25 for $500 off Ebay, they go for over $1000 new.

[pjdonat]

WOW!!! That is an excellent deal. I will have to poke around om ebay for a little while for the big stuff to see what I can save some cash on. My sponcer recommends getting a triple beam scale, that way the batteries are never dead and the springs and stuff never wear out. Plus he will help me mount said scale to a board so I can in turn mount that to the table to prevent it from getting knocked over and broken.
-Paul-

[FredFogg]

WOW!!! That is an excellent deal. I will have to poke around om ebay for a little while for the big stuff to see what I can save some cash on. My sponcer recommends getting a triple beam scale, that way the batteries are never dead and the springs and stuff never wear out. Plus he will help me mount said scale to a board so I can in turn mount that to the table to prevent it from getting knocked over and broken.
-Paul-

Paul, Absolutely do what your sponser tells you! But you might ask him if you should also get a digital one for if you go to meets or travel some where with your bird. Kind of hard to take a scale that is mounted to a table. LOL A lot of times, I just put my bird in the GH and weigh him when I get him out of the box at where ever I am going to hunt. I usually know that he will be close to weight, but I like to know exactly what he weighs. And what happens when you go to a NAFA meet? Always good to have options.

[wesleyc6]

Paul, Absolutely do what your sponser tells you! But you might ask him if you should also get a digital one for if you go to meets or travel some where with your bird. Kind of hard to take a scale that is mounted to a table. LOL A lot of times, I just put my bird in the GH and weigh him when I get him out of the box at where ever I am going to hunt. I usually know that he will be close to weight, but I like to know exactly what he weighs. And what happens when you go to a NAFA meet? Always good to have options.

Triple beams will wear out and break too. I have gone through a couple. I use digital now too. Nothing wrong with your sponsor's advice. My weigh sells triple beams too. Just keep an eye on the magnetic dampening.

[paganlove22]

Also, I would recommend buying 2 scales. I can assure you, Mr. Murphy will come to visit and you will go to weigh your bird to go hunting and the scale will have quit working or your bird will knock it off the table. I always keep a backup.
I was wondering if I should buy 2 just in case. Guess I will closer to Sept. The shopping list keeps getting longer............:D

[Lee Slikkers]

I was wondering if I should buy 2 just in case. Guess I will closer to Sept. The shopping list keeps getting longer............:D

I've always had at least 2 operating scales...I use a digital as a back up. It is great to always have one on hand no matter what (and that shopping list you mentioned, we...it rarely gets any smaller even when you've been doing this for a little while :D)

[everetkhorton]

Jen:
It nice to have one for the bird and one for the food.

[Lee Slikkers]

Jen:
It nice to have one for the bird and one for the food.

I thought we were just talking about the BIRD scales Ev ;) Yes, Ev is 100% correct. You'll want one for weighing your hawks food too (and this is where a nice small, digital GRAM scale is nice.)

[FredFogg]

I thought we were just talking about the BIRD scales Ev ;) Yes, Ev is 100% correct. You'll want one for weighing your hawks food too (and this is where a nice small, digital GRAM scale is nice.)

Awwww, come on guys, you don't really weigh food do you? LOL I have flown a couple kestrels and a merlin and never weighed food and had them at the right weight the next day. It doesn't take long to figure out what your birds metabolism is.

[Lee Slikkers]

Awwww, come on guys, you don't really weigh food do you? LOL I have flown a couple kestrels and a merlin and never weighed food and had them at the right weight the next day. It doesn't take long to figure out what your birds metabolism is.

I don't with my current HH's but I ahve in the past, even with a "lumbering" RT. It was a good habit to get into when I first was getting a handle on figuring out how much to feed, which food type, etc. I think for someone starting out, weighing their food has value...as does keeping good notes, records, etc.

[pjdonat]

lol Ok, ok I had only posted part of the advice my sponcer gave me. I am primarily looking for a triple beam because they are more durable and will last longer and are far more reliable then digital scales due to not needing batteries and such but for the quick throw the bird on the scale day to day weighing use a digital but atleast once or twice a week weigh it on the triple beam to ensure accuracy of the digital scale. I will have both a digital and a triple beam in time, but since my name isn't John D. Rockerfeller, I figure I would go with more accurate first and then add the digital later to lengthen the life of the triple beam. I need to assemble what I need in various stages when I can afford it. I do want and will have pretty much the best stuff I can get for my bird to make sure it has a comfy life while in my possession. That doesn't mean it won't be getting flown hard a few times a week to keep it in shape.
-Paul-

[everetkhorton]

Paul:
Triple beam can get off faster that a digital scale, they are more expense. 1/10th of a gram is close enough for me. Have you looked on the inter net for scales. I sorry but I have not gone back and read all the post. So this may have all been covered. Yes, I still weight my food, with change temp. and type of food I just got into doing it most days. Just my .02 worth.

[Bodarc]

Paul

If you order a kangaroo hide off of Ebay, be sure you choose one that is vegetable (bark) tanned. They sell chemical tanned hides there too but they aren't as strong as the veg tanned. The veg tanned costs more.

[hawkstir]

I have a digital scale I payed less than $20 for with shipping off ebay. It's been used for four years, dropped on the floor twice, original 4 AA batteries, still as accurate as the day I got it. I have a separate spring scale for weighing food and yes I weight my hawk's daily rations.

[pjdonat]

Well I was told have one of each so you have something to constantly compare against to ensure accuracy. I would use one like once a week as a double check to make sure I am getting accurate readings off of the other. I have been looking at ebay for kangaroo hides and wondered which one I was looking for. Thank you for clarifying that for me. That was probably going to be my next question. I was kinda stumpped at which one I needed to order. :D

[everetkhorton]

Paul:
It is much easier to get something small and put it on the scale, write the weight on the peace. When you want to check the weight just put the Peace back on the scale and see if it weight the same as before. Use something that does not collect moisture. If you get a scale that has gram & oz. there is no problem.

[kimmerar]

I use triple beams because of my kbird. They have to be rezeroed everytime you move them - my desk at work was always different than my desk at home - was not on zero. A nickle will weigh 5 grams to check the accuracy. You have to have a flat surface to put them on - car hood does not work. I recommend if you end up getting a set to make a box to carry them in and be able to weigh on in the field. They can be a pain to work with. On the dial o gram if this little piece of rubber by the dial gets hit it will move. And then everything is off again. GET A BOX TOO. My 02

[Rocky Lanier]

clappback at you

[pjdonat]

I will eventually have one of each for the purpose of double checking them against one another. I don't really forsee the need to weigh in the field as I have a couple good sized fields here at home. We have 80 acres. If and when those fields get hunted out, I always got my uncle's farm (sadly no longer in operation) as a back up and he has 900 acres. I will most likely do the weighing here at home. The bird's weight can't change that much between the 2 minute walk here to the field or the 30 minute drive to my uncle's. So my scales aren't going to be moved aound much at all. Plus I haven't seen anything posted about falconry meets in upstate NY and with my lack of love for driving I doubt I will be attending too many meets. lol I don't ride well in a car either, usually after about 90 minutes of either driving or riding I have contimplated jumpping out the door atleast 3 times cause I am bored stupid. rotfl

[kimmerar]

You should do fine then. My husband ends up using mine alot because mine are always out. Grams are soo important with the kbirds but I've heard not so in the biggers birds. I've never been to NY but it sounds like you are very lucky to have all those acres to hunt in up there. Wish I had that here.

[pjdonat]

NY is not a bad place to visit, but it is expensive to live here. The worst part is when you say you're from NY 99% of everyone immediately thinks of NYC. lol There is much more to it then that. I live in a nice spot. It is a very small town really close to Albany (state capital) and still close enough to being out in the sticks. I was fortunate enough to have been raised on a farm in the country, unlike some of my students in Summit Shock Incarceration Facility who have been uprooted from NYC to a location that is so high in elevation it does not qualify for the term higher elevation in the weather reports. lol Infact when I was up there today I was half expecting it to snow. Anyway, my students having been in a city all their life, they get all excited when they see a beaver or a deer running through the feilds. However they are not fond of it being so cold. I think it was only like 40 today up there when I went to meet the Program Administrator.