This falconry video is an introduction to the ancient falconry hunting technique called "Dart hawking" This simple technique is highly effective with small accipiters, kestrels, and even harris hawks
You have plenty of time enjoy Your young life find plenty of hobbies. Then one day you will have time to be a falconer. That will be fantastic. I'm 59 and picking up a harris hawk next month. Keep having fun.
At the same time don’t keep putting it off if it’s something you really want to do... you don’t see too many young people names Doug lol that’s my dads name
So informative as usual. I often wondered if I could dart hawk with my American Kestrel. It seems very advantageous hunting sparrow. I look forward to your videos showing more of this technique in action! Thank you.
adair peery my apprentices and I have done a lot of dart hawking with kestrels, especially in car hawking situations. It has gone really well when they have success the first couple of training sessions.
When I was growing up back in the 1900s 😁 haha I’ve taken a whole lot away from this channel a lot of it non bird related, thanks for being you Ben I may have to take a few pages out of your book
In our country in Central Europe, this technique is now used little, because few falconers hunting with sparowhawk. But it was done that way. The Sparowhawk is ready to hunt on his left hand. You walk towards the prey by obscuring the view with the right side of his body. When you are close enough, you are with your back to the prey Sparowhawk you catch from the bottom right rokoo, your head should be at your little finger, your elbow is up. And from the glove you throw a sparowhawk and at the same time turn to the booty.
Holy crow! 😜 I never heard nor read about this technique in european falconry scene... First i thought you going to talk about releasing. When people does that "paperplane toss" movement. Its also delicate thing😁👍
thank for you video, i loved it. you describe a grat falconry technique. i had used once it with a American kestrel it was a wonderfull experience. best regards from Cuba
I watch your videos repeatedly, sometimes picking up something new with a repeat view, but always enjoying your passion, and the birds, themselves! You mentioned that you had worked with 'Matty' (sp? ) for 16 years... just how long *have* you been in falconry, overall? And, how old is/has been your oldest bird? How many birds do you keep, or work with, at one time? Thanks, Ben, stay well during this crazy, dangerous time in the USA!
WOW!! I've been so curious about falconry as long as I can remember this is an amazing channel I subscribed immediately. Question, what are your thoughts on using falconry hunting as a way of getting meat? It seems like a great sport but if you wanted to hunt with a bird rather than a gun or trapping could it be effective? And what bird/strategies would be best for that? Thank you for the content!
Figured I’d chime in on this question since it was posted a while ago. Absolutely! Hunting game is essential to falconry. Depending on where you are and what you fly you can put plenty of meat on the table. Pheasants, ducks, rabbits, quail, and various other birds and small game are all readily taken with falconry birds.
In an article in National Geographic from the mid 20th century I saw Goshawks hunting with a leather thong around their neck to angle them down for throwing from the fist.
That piece of equipment is called a halsband. I have never seen them used in the USA. The principle of a halsband is half in between dart hawking and just letting the bird fly off the fist on their own. Is someone is trying to actively cast the bird off, it can throw them off balance. So the idea of a halsband is prevent that and give them some extra thrust with the initial launch.
Ben, Any thoughts and experience on training a red shouldered hawk? 2nd. question- how about a video on helping your bird dispatch their caught prey and opening it up for the bird to enjoy safely?
my dad old musket uster ride in his jaket poket instantly lay hands ready ws good to watch at time but as all was things change i did it with imprint kestrel that just because he never stand glove preferd to lay lol woodent mined seeing video on traning a dart bird
Another wonderful video full of information, Ben. So appreciate having you here. I do have a request, as you asked for. Can you speak on bating? I have a lovely red-tailed hawk that I have had for 3 years now. She and I have a great relationship and she has been very well socialized. Earlier this year, she took up bating, real hard off the glove. My impression is she knows it's safe that the leash will keep her from hitting the ground and she just pumps really hard, twisting and turning for a good while. I think she is just exercising really. It's especially worse during molt since we aren't flying. Problem is when she does this at inappropriate times. Like through doorways or in the house where she has the chance to smack into things. I really don't want her to break a wing. Otherwise, she is a calm and very sweet bird (well, sweet for a raptor :-) Any insight into this and what I can do to possibly curb this behavior would be so appreciated. Thanks!
I have done this with two imprint kestrels in New Jersey. I prefer catching starlings like that or from the fist over car hawking. Works great to avoid blowing a slip.
@@micahswett2505 yes, but it may be a little more difficult. I would recommend a male as early in the trapping season as possible. Only use a bird in the trap, no mice. My first bird, a passage kestrel, was trapped to a sparrow on an 89*f or 32*c day on opening day first throw of the trap. His first wild kill was 20 days off the trap. Admittedly it was from a car, but it was my first one. He was well manner enough to handle like that but it didn't work with him much since he didn't understand what I was doing. When thrown he would open up his wings and instead of going forward he would pop almost straight up. If you baggy on a starling like this once or twice it should work. After he has already caught a few set up a bag for him. Use a gentle throw after you are sure he has seen it. Start off with throwing gently with kestrels. If they are not used to it they won't have themselves braced for the sudden acceleration. The result will be their head gets pulled back and they cannot go straight at the target. That's why some austringers use a specialy designed leather strap that goes around the neck to hold during the throw. To keep the head pointed in the right direction. I don't recommend using one and I never have needed one. Just do a baggy with a gentle throw after the bird is willing to tackle starlings or sparrows.
Hi ben.are not harris hawks somewhere between a buteo and accipiter as far as hunting style,but of course not in personality. Is this an accurate description? Thanks
Mike Dun yes that is quite accurate. Their body and build is much closer to an accipiter, but they are more forgiving and trainable like a buteo. But they also have many unique things such as being more social and having the ability to hunt in packs
Yes you definitely can. Just make sure as part of the training process that they have instant success the first several times you try it. Otherwise they mentally won’t make the connection and will become resentful
Carter Smith yes indeed! You are absolutely right. Technically a falconer flys falcons and an austringer flys hawks. For some reason in the USA the term never properly fully gained use, and people here use the term “falconer” to mean someone who flys any raptor. I am not sure why the term austringer never gained use here as it should.
This is very similar to car hawking. RU-vid has videos of this, it is most often for Crows. drive by a flock (murder) of crows of the ground and toss the hawk out the window driving by.
Unfortunately, car hawking is illegal in Ohio. I think it's one of the reasons that more falconers don't use smaller birds here. There actually seems to be an aversion to using Kestrels. Most of the falconers here hunt with either Red tails or Harris. There's a growing number of Goshawks.... but mainly the first 2.
