View Full Version : New Cooper's
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/066.jpg
We pulled these yesterday evening. Looks like a male and female 6 to 8 days old. Birds will be imprinted then tame hacked. Should be an interesting summer. Kurt
Lee Slikkers
06-11-2008, 09:20 AM
Congrats! Looks like a bundle of fun just waiting there...
FredFogg
06-11-2008, 10:04 AM
Ahhh, the days of down floating every where in the house! Looking forward to seeing others flying coops on here. Congrats Kurt! clappclappclapp
Takasho
06-11-2008, 10:15 AM
Glad to see all the coops on the forum this year! Can't wait until they're all out snagging sparrows, should be lots to read in a month or two! rockon
everetkhorton
06-11-2008, 10:34 AM
Kurt:
Look like a hand full to me. I see you have a food plate in front of the COHA, are they feeding themselves already? What is on the plate and how did you prep air the food?
That's great! Should be interesting to hear how the hack turns out. That's getting to be very popular with shortwings it seems.
They started taking food from the plate last night. Both birds are eating well. I'll post more pictures as they grow, Just talked to the other falconer and they will be hacked out together behind his house as I have a resident GHO about a 100 yds from my place. Kurt
everetkhorton
06-11-2008, 06:59 PM
Kurt:
What was the diet on the plate? Ground up sparrow with no feathers?
FredFogg
06-11-2008, 07:05 PM
They started taking food from the plate last night. Both birds are eating well. I'll post more pictures as they grow, Just talked to the other falconer and they will be hacked out together behind his house as I have a resident GHO about a 100 yds from my place. Kurt
Kurt, are both birds being raised together?
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/001.jpg
Starling is whats for dinner. They'll be raised together until after the hack then we'll train them seperate. The other falconer will take over on Saturday and we'll trade off until the hacking at which time I'll be spending a lot of time at their house. Kurt
FredFogg
06-12-2008, 11:06 PM
Starling is whats for dinner. They'll be raised together until after the hack then we'll train them seperate. The other falconer will take over on Saturday and we'll trade off until the hacking at which time I'll be spending a lot of time at their house. Kurt
Interesting way to imprint? Have you done this before and if so, what advantages do you see from doing this? Another falcone and I pulled our eyas coops from the same nest but imprinted them ourselves, but I might try it this way the next time if there is an advantage. Keep us updated, very interested in this process.
frootdog
06-13-2008, 01:08 AM
This is actually a dual imprint process. The only real advantage I can see is if the birds are to be flown together as a cast. Other than that I would not let anyone else raise my imprint.
Doubtful that we'll fly them as a cast. This is my first attempt at imprinting but I have a good coach and I'll follow his recipe. There's been a couple done like this with a 100% success so far. Hope I can keep up the average. Kurt
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/6-13004.jpg
Todays photo of the little monsters. Both birds are totally quiet, eating well and unfazed by anything around them, including the puppies. Mine's the one with the big feet. Kurt
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/008.jpg
From today after banding. birds are eating well, socializing at Mike's right now with kids and dogs. I'll have them back on the 23rd for a while. Kurt
Lee Slikkers
06-17-2008, 03:06 PM
This is my first attempt at imprinting but I have a good coach and I'll follow his recipe. There's been a couple done like this with a 100% success so far. Hope I can keep up the average. Kurt
So how does this other recipe differ from the McD recipie? Mind sharing it or is it a secret? Thanks~
frootdog
06-17-2008, 07:11 PM
From today after banding. birds are eating well, socializing at Mike's right now with kids and dogs. I'll have them back on the 23rd for a while. Kurt
So how does this other recipe differ from the McD recipie? Mind sharing it or is it a secret? Thanks~
I'm thinking it is Mike McD's recipe and that Mike's house is McD's house. Just a guess though.
The other bird (male) is Mike McDermott's. Mike was my sponsor and we'll work the imprinting together. The tame hack will be at his house as I don't think an imprint would stand a chance around mine with the GHO's here. Trust me, I be following his recipe. Kurt
Lee Slikkers
06-18-2008, 08:37 AM
Thanks ...
frootdog
06-18-2008, 09:22 AM
The other bird (male) is Mike McDermott's. Mike was my sponsor and we'll work the imprinting together. The tame hack will be at his house as I don't think an imprint would stand a chance around mine with the GHO's here. Trust me, I be following his recipe. Kurt
You must have been one hell of an apprentice if he trusts you raising his imprint. Kudos to you. And I take back my earlier comment...I would probably let Mike raise my imprint.
Thanks for the complement but I'm just following Mike's directions. I'm reading and rereading the Imprint II and ABP books while he has the birds this week. I'm looking forward to having them back for a while next week. Both birds are doing well and growing fast. Kurt
rocgwp
06-19-2008, 09:57 PM
What book is the Imprint II? Is the reprrint we've waited so long for?
wesleyc6
06-20-2008, 12:01 AM
And I take back my earlier comment...I would probably let Mike raise my imprint.
No you wouldn't Krys, but it was nice of you to say ittoungeout:D
Yes, the Imprint rewrite is almost complete. Photos are being captioned and new photos may be added. Kurt
wesleyc6
06-20-2008, 01:20 AM
Kurt,
Would you ask Mike two things. First please extend an invite to NAFEX and secondly, ask him if the laws changed to allow apprentices to fly any wild bird of any age if he would be willing to allow his apprentice to fly an imprint accipiter. If you don't mind, I would like to hear what he says.
In answer to the first question Mike doesn't have internet service at this time. I'll try to remember to ask about the second but my guess is he'd want someone to have weight control down before attempting any accipiter. Kurt
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/003.jpg
Picture from today, both birds are getting more active even though you can't tell from the picture. They're starting to walk around some, flapping wings. Feeding is done off a whole carcass with minced meat in it. I'll try and get some shots of them doing something besides setting. Kurt
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/007.jpg
Picture of birds yesterday. Both are growing fast and changing daily. They'll be spending their time at Mike's now until after the hack. 24 hr food will stop this week end and lure training starting. I'll be spending a lot of evenings over there. Kurt
wesleyc6
06-26-2008, 04:28 PM
Picture of birds yesterday. Both are growing fast and changing daily. They'll be spending their time at Mike's now until after the hack. 24 hr food will stop this week end and lure training starting. I'll be spending a lot of evenings over there. Kurt
Kurt,
They are lookin' great. Does Mike like to intermew his coops or does he like to train new ones each season?
I'm not sure what Mike's plans are for next year other than it may involve imprinting a Goshawk (or 2) . Kurt
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/121.jpg
Picture from today at Mikes. Neither bird is aggressive towards lure yet but starting tomorrow they'll only be fed twice a day so hopefully that'll change quickly. Both are doing well. Birds will be tethered starting tonight.Kurt
wesleyc6
07-01-2008, 12:41 AM
Picture from today at Mikes. Neither bird is aggressive towards lure yet but starting tomorrow they'll only be fed twice a day so hopefully that'll change quickly. Both are doing well. Birds will be tethered starting tonight.Kurt
Wow Kurt, they are really growing quickly. How old are they now?
We believe the birds were hatched around the 6th. The nest they were taken from hadn't been scouted beforehand. Kurt
wesleyc6
07-01-2008, 02:56 PM
Wow Kurt, they are really growing quickly. How old are they now?
So around 24-25 days it would appear. Thanks for posting! They look great!clapp
BestBeagler
07-01-2008, 03:01 PM
When do coopers hard pen?
Spent some time with the birds today but forgot the camera. Birds are doing well coming several feet to the lure . Male will jump to a perch but female is still ground bound. May try starting the hack a little early if lure training continues to improve. Kurt
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/001-1.jpg
Birds are spending the day at hack now, male is flying around but female is still staying close. Both birds are doing well and manners are excellent on the bags . Hopefully the female will start venturing farther. So far everythings good. Kurt
Talked to Mike this evening and he said the female started flying around more today. Both birds were aggressive on the bags. I'm leaving for the week to go fishing and maybe surfing on the outer banks and don't know how much contact I'll have with Mike until next weekend. Hopefully they have a cell tower this year. Might be able to update from the coffee shop, otherwise everyone have a good week cause I know I will. Kurt
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/026-1.jpg
Just returned from vacation and went to Mike's today to see the birds. Both are doing well and we got to see a chase through the trees. Weight reduction has started as they;re about 50 days old. Lure response was slow but will improve shortly. Manners are still excellent and Mike's pool is a good place to watch the hack from when it's 98F. Kurt
wesleyc6
07-20-2008, 11:45 PM
Just returned from vacation and went to Mike's today to see the birds. Both are doing well and we got to see a chase through the trees. Weight reduction has started as they;re about 50 days old. Lure response was slow but will improve shortly. Manners are still excellent and Mike's pool is a good place to watch the hack from when it's 98F. Kurt
He is beautiful Kurt. I am not sure, but I think the coop is the prettiest of the juvenile accipters to me.
BestBeagler
07-21-2008, 08:37 AM
After reading Wes’s comment about coopers being one of the most beautiful immature accipiter’s I thought about it and have to agree with him. They really are beautiful. You are doing what I was dreaming of doing this summer, but I couldn’t find a nest in time. From what I gather tame hacking is the way to and is what I am going to try when I get a eyas. Isaac
The hack will end within the next couple of days as the birds are hunting and it's only a matter of time before one catches something. Watched them chase birds tonight before calling them in and they're getting serious. Kurt
http://i92.photobucket./l19/kknickmeyer/001-2.jpg
Birds are still doing well at hack chasing meadowlarks around the fields. Lure response was good tonight and both were aggressive towards the bags. My handling is improving also. Friday will be the last day of the hack unless we need to end it sooner. Kurt
rocgwp
07-23-2008, 02:13 PM
I can't wait to hear your hawking stories. Flying a coops is the most fun I've had in falconry so far. I'm anxious to see if the tame hack has the same affects on your bird it had on mine.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/005.jpg
Birds are doing well, chasing meadowlarks through the fields all day. They've been waiting for us in the evening, there's a little mantling on the lure and bags but they settle quickly. So far I can't see a down side to the hack. Bird's both have well developed muscle. Kurt
I've really been enjoying this thread. Thanks for the updates. The birds look great!
everetkhorton
07-24-2008, 01:21 PM
Kurt:
Great Photo's. I will not be long now. Thanks for posting!
Lee Slikkers
07-24-2008, 01:21 PM
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/005.jpg
Birds are doing well, chasing meadowlarks through the fields all day. They've been waiting for us in the evening, there's a little mantling on the lure and bags but they settle quickly. So far I can't see a down side to the hack. Bird's both have well developed muscle. Kurt
It appears that these two birds have very different looking trains or is that simply the angle of the pic? Your Coopers appears to have a much shorter length to it...
Great thread btw...makes me think I may have made a wrong choice by not tame hacking my male this year.
everetkhorton
07-24-2008, 01:25 PM
Lee:
It is the chasing of those meadow larks that give them the long trains <G>
:D
Takasho
07-24-2008, 02:04 PM
Are the bells on just for the tame hack or will they be flown with bells as well?
Gorgeous birds. rockon
Ended the tame hack today as the birds spent most of the day next to the house. Since it was going to end tomorrow there wasn't any gains to be made continuing. The birds came out of hack with a lot of muscle. I brought my bird home to continue here. She was 527 gms this morning so she has some weight to lose. Some flashlight recall training comes next then it's time to hunt. Kurt
This was day two since I brought Sally in from hack. this afternoon we went to a field that had sparrows and cowbirds. Got 1 good chase ending with the bird dumping into some tall weeds and Sally taking a perch. We were unable to reflush so I called her down to the lure and continued. She made 1 more half-harted attempt before we served the bag.
She still may need to shed a few more grams but I'll hold her here for a day or two first. Weight tonight was 493 gms. Kurt
486 gms this morning. Decided to hunt her early since I'm working this afternoon. One chase on a cowbird but checked off after about fifty yards. Haggard Coop came in from the treeline causing Sally to bolt. Found her along a hay field about 1/2 mile away. She came to the lure quickly which was a major relief. Kurt
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/002.jpg
482 this morning, we had about 2 inches of rain last night so everything was soaked. Got one halfhearted attempt at a cowbird before getting soaked. Hopefully it'll dry out some before this evening.
I've noticed she's not paying any attention to anything smaller than a cowbird, I think it's time to trap some sparrows. Kurt
Today was by far our best day out . Sally's focus was on hunting and not flying to a tree and waiting for the lure. A long tail chase where the bird just beat her to the trees and a flight after a LBJ that bailed into the tall grass and wouldn't reflush. I feel like we're doing more than treading water now, she's at 476 and with a few more shaved she'll start catching. Photo is of a fully flighted quail bag to end the day.Just a fun day for all. Kurt http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/kknickmeyer/009.jpg
Lee Slikkers
08-01-2008, 01:22 PM
Excellent stuff Kurt...they sure are a blast to work with and watch fly aren't they!
This is great, thanks for the updates. Really makes me want to try a tame-hacked coops, or hopefully live where I can hack my next gos. Can't wait to read Mike's article on the whole thing.
470 gms today, first wild kill! Flight lasted about 200 yards before she snagged it about 40 ft up. As I was moving towards her I saw a Haggard Redtail in a shallow stoop coming in from the treeline. I was able to get close enough to blow the Redtail out of the area so no harm done. Sally traded off to the lure nicely after plucking for a bit. ended the hunt then due to the heat.Kurt
wesleyc6
08-04-2008, 10:54 PM
470 gms today, first wild kill! Flight lasted about 200 yards before she snagged it about 40 ft up. As I was moving towards her I saw a Haggard Redtail in a shallow stoop coming in from the treeline. I was able to get close enough to blow the Redtail out of the area so no harm done. Sally traded off to the lure nicely after plucking for a bit. ended the hunt then due to the heat.Kurt
Great job Kurt!!!clappclappclapp
tony123abc
08-04-2008, 11:04 PM
I am with the guys on this one. I have flown a bunch o coopies. That little dark one is the most breautifull coopie i have EVER seen The photo of her near the grass shows that she is stunning. The back of the two together confirms it. The little guy aint bad either. tony
Bryant Tarr
08-05-2008, 01:11 AM
Way to go Kurt! clapp
everetkhorton
08-05-2008, 12:06 PM
Kurt:
The fist kill is like your first bird, you will never forget it. WTGthumbsupp
Went out this morning with Mike. I was hoping for a repeat performence but it didn't happen. Sally was overweight and still isn't chasing anything small yet. She did launch at a full grown rabbit and one morning dove. Served up a baggie quail that she caught in twenty feet. Right after trading her off to her daily ration the field started filling with larger targets. I got careless around the lure and Sally reminded me with a little tatooing on the right hand.
Mike flew his bird next and while it was overweight and the field we where in wasn't producing many slips it managed to catch one on a reflush.
Weather has been hot and humid here with the temps in the mid 80s by 7am this morning. My hat's off to you guys down in Texas that deal with this every day. Kurt
wesleyc6
08-05-2008, 11:30 PM
Went out this morning with Mike. I was hoping for a repeat performence but it didn't happen. Sally was overweight and still isn't chasing anything small yet. She did launch at a full grown rabbit and one morning dove. Served up a baggie quail that she caught in twenty feet. Right after trading her off to her daily ration the field started filling with larger targets. I got careless around the lure and Sally reminded me with a little tatooing on the right hand.
Mike flew his bird next and while it was overweight and the field we where in wasn't producing many slips it managed to catch one on a reflush.
Weather has been hot and humid here with the temps in the mid 80s by 7am this morning. My hat's off to you guys down in Texas that deal with this every day. Kurt
Kurt,
I spent all my life in GA and I would take this dry heat in Texas any day over that humid heat in GA. However, in GA it would get just as hot AND had the humidity. I have been super pleased with Texas weather. You do want to be finished by about 9am at the latest though, because it cooks up quickly right now. Hope the hand doesn't hurt too much. ;)
Actually the footing wasn't a big deal, just a lapse on my part. My hand passed over the lure. A Cooper's certainly has a way of reminding you to pay attention.
468 this morning. temps in the 80's and humidity in the 70's. I'm officially ready for an early fall. Sally has decided she's a Goshawk and flew at two full grown rabbits and bound to one before getting pulled off. One flight at a horned lark she lost in the weeds. I'm hoping she's at 465 tomorrow morning. They're saying it's supposed to be cooler and drier. Kurt
everetkhorton
08-06-2008, 11:23 AM
Kurt
They do have there own way of teaching us. ;)
467 today, she's still acting like a Goshawk. Bound to another full grown rabbit and took a ride before being pulled off. She bent her deck feathers but I was able to straighten them. I see much imping in my future. She also made a half-hearted attempt at a sparrow today. The big birds haven't been in the fields much early, I may do an early and late hunt tomorrow. Weight still needs to come down some but her focus is improving. Kurt
chamokane
08-08-2008, 11:45 AM
Good thread, Kurt.
Good luck with the tail feathers. My first Coops ended up breaking all of his tail feathers over the course of the season. I had no Coops feathers so I imped in pigeon feathers. By the end of the season, he had a complete pigeon tail. He looked pretty funny, but not as funny as he would have looked without a tail.
When I flew a female, I really enjoyed the flights at rabbits even though they didn't put much game in the bag. I have a friend who had one that got pretty good at holding them.
wesleyc6
08-08-2008, 11:48 AM
467 today, she's still acting like a Goshawk. Bound to another full grown rabbit and took a ride before being pulled off. She bent her deck feathers but I was able to straighten them. I see much imping in my future. She also made a half-hearted attempt at a sparrow today. The big birds haven't been in the fields much early, I may do an early and late hunt tomorrow. Weight still needs to come down some but her focus is improving. Kurt
My gos thinks he is cooptoungeout
465 this morning, still having trouble find large birds however she did make two flights at sparrows. She also had another rabbit ride. Best flight of the day was at a passage female Cooper's that buzzed her. She tried her best to fly it down almost binding to it once before it made it's escape. My guess is flying her in a cast is out of the question.
467 this evening. Sally wasn't much interested in chasing anything. Had one flight at a horned lark before she just stared landing in the grass. She should be down to about 460 around 8 am tomorrow and we'll try again. Kurt
I haven't updated in a couple days but Sally has finally started catching sparrows. She's taken 3 in the last three days and hasn't bound to a rabbit in two. Saturday was a good flight in the open and yesterday and today she went into an overgrown bush to snag them. Todays bird in the nastiest part of the bush with her chasing it from limb to limb before grabbing it and jumpimg to the ground.I had to belly crawl to get to her for the tradeoff. I've got to find a new field. Kurt
Bryant Tarr
08-11-2008, 09:52 PM
cool! Congrats Kurt! clapp
Went out this evening with Mike to hunt our birds. His bird snagged one in about the same place mine took one yesterday. Took him twenty minutes and telemetry to find his bird 10 ft away from him. It was nasty.
My bird was probably 10gms heavier than she should have been. She was nasty on the lure and kill. Mikes pointed out a couple of mistakes I was making so I'll work on those the next couple days. Four days in a row that she's taken game, now I've got to fine tune my handling. Kurt
everetkhorton
08-12-2008, 10:26 PM
Kurt:
Care to share what your handling problem were and how you are going to work out of them.
I second that request, if you don't mind sharing.
I'm still letting my hand pass over the lure at times. I'm also picking her up as she steps up without lifting the lure with her then moving away until she's distracted then pocketing it. Small problems can add up quickly so I'm glad he was there to point it out. She's doing her part (catching birds) I just need to be a little cleaner on my end. Kurt
everetkhorton
08-13-2008, 07:16 AM
Thanks Kurt, it is some of those little point that can make the difference.
My, what a difference a day makes. 455 today and it was all about the hunt. It's amazing how much difference 10 gms loss made in Sally. She was slicked down and her head bobbing as soon as we left the truck. Took her three flights before she nailed one in the air and dropped to the ground. I changed my handling around the kill and lure and everything went smooth as could be, no nastiness. She may not make weight tomorrow as I won't fly her above 455. It was all fun again today. Kurt
455 again today. I met up with Mike and we hunted a field filled with sparrows. Sally was ready to hunt as soon as she came out of the box. On her fourth flight she drove one to cover and caught it there. She mantled on the kill longer today but traded off fine. I'll drop her a few grams for tomorrow. She's gone from a Goshawk chasing rabbits to a Sharpshin chasing sparrows in a week. I'll start going for multiples in a couple more days. Mikes bird caught one on it's second flight. The ten acre field we hunted was probably holding over a 1000 sparrows and a couple hundred doves this afternoon. Makes for a short hunt but right now it's about building confidence. Kurt
Bodarc
08-15-2008, 05:44 AM
Way to go Kurt! I enjoy following along with your posts. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
thumbsupp
Bryant Tarr
08-15-2008, 01:53 PM
Way to go Kurt! I enjoy following along with your posts. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
thumbsupp
Ditto!
wesleyc6
08-15-2008, 01:55 PM
455 again today. I met up with Mike and we hunted a field filled with sparrows. Sally was ready to hunt as soon as she came out of the box. On her fourth flight she drove one to cover and caught it there. She mantled on the kill longer today but traded off fine. I'll drop her a few grams for tomorrow. She's gone from a Goshawk chasing rabbits to a Sharpshin chasing sparrows in a week. I'll start going for multiples in a couple more days. Mikes bird caught one on it's second flight. The ten acre field we hunted was probably holding over a 1000 sparrows and a couple hundred doves this afternoon. Makes for a short hunt but right now it's about building confidence. Kurt
1000 sparrows:eek: Do you guys want some help huntin' em?:D
Well, actually there were probably a lot more but I didn't want it to sound too good. It's strange though because there's fields around it that look just as good but are empty. It took the last two weeks to find somewhere worth hunting. Nice thing is there's birds in it all day so it doesn't matter when you hunt, they're there.
Today I met Mike again at the field and his bird was up first catch one on it's second flight,(about 30 yds from the truck). The sparrow dumped after about twenty yards and he grabbed it in the weeds.
My bird took two flights with the one being a start / stop style flight where she snagged it off the ground hanging up about two feet up. She's trained to go down after catching and somehow managed to get through but bent a tail feather in the process. Anyone know where I can get some Cooper's feathers ? I'm going to need some before long.Kurt
FredFogg
08-15-2008, 10:11 PM
Well, actually there were probably a lot more but I didn't want it to sound too good. It's strange though because there's fields around it that look just as good but are empty. It took the last two weeks to find somewhere worth hunting. Nice thing is there's birds in it all day so it doesn't matter when you hunt, they're there.
Today I met Mike again at the field and his bird was up first catch one on it's second flight,(about 30 yds from the truck). The sparrow dumped after about twenty yards and he grabbed it in the weeds.
My bird took two flights with the one being a start / stop style flight where she snagged it off the ground hanging up about two feet up. She's trained to go down after catching and somehow managed to get through but bent a tail feather in the process. Anyone know where I can get some Cooper's feathers ? I'm going to need some before long.Kurt
Kurt,
I imped 3 whole tails on my coops last year, contact a local rehabber, they usually have some in the freezer. I was able to get all the tail feathers I needed from my local rehabber. Imprints seem to have no regards for their tails. LOL
Three tails, sounds like my first Redtail. There's three of us flying Cooper's within 15 miles of me. I hope the rehabbers have lots of feathers. Kurt
I'm surprised with all the Coops that he's flown, that Mike doesn't have some on hand.
-Joby
452 today, bird was flying fat. She had two good long chases before catching one. Both dumped and flushed several times. First was 1 time too many, second was 1 time too few. Sally was nasty again on the kill refusing to eat so her weight needs to drop some more. traded to the lure OK then ate. Should be at 448 tomorrow so we'll see how it goes. Kurt
449 today, hunt was short because of the heat. Two excellent flights, First flight was great as the sparrow kept dumping and flushing through the weeds with Sally following before vanishing in some vines.She returned to my fist quickly and we continued working weed pockets in a cut field. Second flight the sparrow tried flying circles around some weeds with Sally gaining and finally grabbing it as it dumped. Manners were better but she still needs to lose a bit more. Kurt
448 today, weight is getting closer but still not quite there. Flew a little earlier than planned but rain was forecast. Sally had three flights again before taking one in a tailchase across an open field. She actually started plucking fairly quickly this time. I think I'll start trying to double her up now she's had ten kills. Kurt
447 today, was supposed to meet up with Mike but the rains came and it poured. Mike was on the other side of the storm and turned around. I was already at the field and waited it out since the bird was at weight. First flight was the best even though she lost it in the weeds. After that she was wet and ended up taking one at my feet. At first I thought it was a mouse until I saw the feathers. Ended up trading her off to the lure and calling it a day. Kurt
Sally took her first double Sunday, She's still flying at 448 but I need to bring that down a little. Today we would have tried for another double but she got badly hung up in some vines to the point where I had to pull the transmitter off the backpack and cut the vines away. I put her in the GH for a bit but she was still scatty when she came out. She caught one and I fed her up calling it a day. Kurt
BrianD
08-26-2008, 10:09 AM
Sounds like you are having alot of fun. What happen to your camera? ;)
I'd take pictures but anything in my right hand spooks Sally. I never remember to take shots afterwards, call me old. Kurt
Lee Slikkers
08-27-2008, 06:55 PM
Kurt, try laying a tidbit on the camera lense, I bet she'd be ok with it :D
wesleyc6
08-27-2008, 11:00 PM
Kurt, try laying a tidbit on the camera lense, I bet she'd be ok with it :D
If you do that, please have Mike take a picture of you trying to work that out. :D
446 today, all her flights were long affairs as the birds were all in the open. She ended up with two for the day as the temps and humidity climbed quickly. Sally also started flying at rabbits again and took another ride (more bent feathers). Ragweed is going strong now and by the time I leave the field my eyes are just about swollen shut. Kurt
445 today, another double including her FIRST RABBIT!!! Alright, it was a small rabbit but she controlled it instead of riding it. Flight was in short cover and only about twenty feet but she did good and I let her crop up before trading off. Best of all she didn't bend a single feather today. Hopefully she'll be at weight again tomorrow morning as I have to work tomorrow afternoon. Kurt
chamokane
08-29-2008, 10:48 PM
Congratulations on the rabbit. I used to wish that my Coop had an anchor she could throw out when she bound to a rabbit.
FredFogg
08-29-2008, 11:08 PM
445 today, another double including her FIRST RABBIT!!! Alright, it was a small rabbit but she controlled it instead of riding it. Flight was in short cover and only about twenty feet but she did good and I let her crop up before trading off. Best of all she didn't bend a single feather today. Hopefully she'll be at weight again tomorrow morning as I have to work tomorrow afternoon. Kurt
Kurt,
What are yours and Mike's thoughts on rewarding a coops when it catches a rabbit? My coops caught one rabbit last year and I traded her off immediatly to a small tidbit and we immediatly caught a starling and I rewarded her to a full crop on that. She never chased another rabbit. I don't know if it was because of what I did or if it was just because the rabbit that she did catch was tiny.
Mike told me to reward her. If she can control them without trashing her tail it's something else to hunt. I doubt she'll catch many. Kurt
FredFogg
08-30-2008, 01:28 AM
Mike told me to reward her. If she can control them without trashing her tail it's something else to hunt. I doubt she'll catch many. Kurt
Everyone that I have talked to that had their coops catch a rabbit said the tail got trashed, so unless it is a really huge coops, I just can't see it being a good situation, tail wise! LOL But I have to be honest, I doubt if I will hold mine back if she chases one, I just won't reward her for it.
chamokane
08-30-2008, 03:47 PM
My passage Coop only weighed 13 oz (368 g), but she always flew hard at rabbits. Our rabbits only weigh about 1.5 lb, but she was only able to hold two of them. I don't think she could ever have held an Eastern Cottontail.
Still I loved those flights - very fast, twisting, turning flights with the hawk getting bucked off repeatedly and whipping around to grab the rabbit again. They reminded me of the male Coop chasing English sparrows through tall brush. Somehow, she never did damage a feather. (I wish I could have said the same about the male.:D)
446 this evening, I wanted to hunt her this morning but her weight was off. Went looking for a passage RT for my son but didn't find anything. This evening I went to a new field I found that had sparrows. First thing she did was bind to another rabbit which if I would have been faster would have been #2. This time it was full grown and she was pulled off after about twenty feet. By this time most of the sparrows had booked but on her third flight she nailed one that tried to dump. I got to watch her do a ground chase through the weeds for about ten seconds before she caught it. It's amazing how small an area she can sqeeze through while running full tilt after something. Kurt
MadAustringer
09-02-2008, 08:49 AM
This thread kicks booty! Makes me yearn to be trapping my own Coop right now. Please keep it up.clapp
442 today, the pollen filled fields caught up to me today as I woke up sick as could be. I waited until later in the day to see if I improved. Decided I needed to fly her anyway and went out long enough to catch a couple. Sounds like the next two days may be washouts from the leftovers of Gustov.Kurt
Sally was killed today in a collision while hunting. I found her dead in a hedgerow after a long flight at a sparrow. It appears she broke her neck. I'm sick about it. Kurt
zx2run
09-04-2008, 04:24 PM
I am so sorry to hear that!! She was a becoming a wonderful bird! You did a great job with her! :(
FredFogg
09-04-2008, 04:48 PM
Sally was killed today in a collision while hunting. I found her dead in a hedgerow after a long flight at a sparrow. It appears she broke her neck. I'm sick about it. Kurt
Damn Kurt, that just stinks! I know how you feel as I have had a couple raptors die. I thought my coops was dead a couple of times as she flew into a window once and smacked into some brush like yours did and I found her knocked out and thought she was dead, but she came around and was ok both times. They fly recklessly, and there isn't anything you can do about it. You did a great job with her, so enjoy the moments you had and get out there and trap a passage coops and you will get to see the difference. It would be a great learning experience.
chamokane
09-04-2008, 05:08 PM
I'm really sorry to hear it. The loss of a bird can leave a terrible hole.
I agree with Fred, fill the hole with a passage bird. The Passage Coop that I flew seemed to get as tame and bold as an imprint but with better manners. She was a fun hunting partner.
That's terrible. At least it happened while hunting, which seems fitting for a coops. This has been a great thread that I know I got a lot of and I'm sure others have and will as well. I'm with the group urging a passage female coops. After a month with one and getting it going, you'd be able to provide an interesting contrast.
Takasho
09-04-2008, 05:56 PM
Gutted for you Kurt. I hope a passage bird comes your way quickly.
Bryant Tarr
09-04-2008, 06:20 PM
Sorry to hear it Kurt. You did very well with her. They live fast and die hard. We love the former part of that equation, and we're stuck with the latter. I hope you do go get a passage bird!
Be at peace knowing she was doing what she was born to do.
redtailflyer
09-04-2008, 07:06 PM
Im sorry to here that!!!! She sounded like a great bird!
Thanks everyone, right now I'll work on trapping a Redtail with my son. I won't be able to put a bird on my permit until mid-October with the two wild caught limit. Kurt
wesleyc6
09-05-2008, 11:19 PM
What a great story it has been and what a lousy ending. I feel for ya Kurt. I hope OCT will find you rested and ready for another bird. I think you did a great job with your imprint from what you shared.clappclapp
Lee Slikkers
09-06-2008, 10:07 AM
Kurt, so sorry to hear of such a lousy ending to all your effort and hard work...it makes me really cherish the time I have with my imprint as who knows when his time will be up.
everetkhorton
09-10-2008, 07:29 AM
Kurt:
Sorry to hear of your lose. She was giving you 100%.
Thanks again everyone.
It took a couple of days to get over the shock but I'm looking forward to flying again as soon as possible. First off we need to find a Redtail for my son the immies are starting to show up in decent numbers. Come October I'll decide what to do. I'll be trying a tame hack again next year, haven't decided on a Cooper's or Goshawk but I'm leaning towards the Gos. Kurt
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