Athena in Beast Mode-Falconry

[@davepeace4037]

I like the way you do your trade off.

[@ben4x4]

She wouldn't let go unless she couldn't see it. Then it was no problem.

[@stevengeary4261]

Nice video, we don’t do a lot of squirrel hawking in UK but will be this season with my first Red. Really looking forward to it.

[@ben4x4]

Congrats on your first red! I believe they are the ultimate squirrel hawk. I have a 5yr old tiercel Harris's I rabbit hawk with. Our underbrush is so thick, it's impossible to get a flight on video. Without briar chaps and good hunting dogs, we would never have a rabbit slip😂😂😂

[@chicagovasko]

Lol u crack me up you tell commander get back no come here and he listens to u he goes away then comes back. Caught me off guard. Awesome stuff.

[@TheRychanek]

Best of your videos, cannot wait to meet Athena and you.

[@MyYorkshirehawks]

Now that's team work. Thanks for sharing.

[@Falkon1986]

Nice vid man, great quality and all! As always, keep them coming!

[@ТурусбекАбакиров]

дежурний лучше просто.

[@oldschoolhawking8191]

A perfect short video on how to hunt squirrels with a red tailed hawk. Great job! OSH :-)

[@phillipnette777]

Very nice!😁

[@BEEZv4]

Siiiiiick!!!! Awesome video. Thank for sharing

[@bobmyerly7189]

I liked this clip a lot. Red tails rule!

[@ben4x4]

As long as I am into falconry, I will ALWAYS have me a hen redtail!!

[@marilyncatalano6478]

I never appreciated Hawkeye Pierce of M.A.S.H. till now. Newfound respect for all Hawks. Commander, you beauty. Great dog too!!!!

[@ben4x4]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@JeremyThePlayer88]

Athena did a nice, quick job there. I'm surprised you were there for less than 15 minutes. It seemed like Athena was on that tree for a long time, until that squirrel climbed onto the other tree. It gave her the chance to capture it, but only with the help of your "ho, ho"s" and Commander following the squirrel. Once Athena captured it, you were there within just a few seconds and you traded it for the lure really quickly. She didn't seem to mind the trade-off at all! I noticed that you live in Georgia, I'll be moving there within the next year (hopefully). I'll be considering becoming a falconer once that time comes.

[@ben4x4]

That would be awesome!!! We have a very active club and would love to have you come hunt with us!

[@chicagovasko]

He told the dog bless you I instantly subscribed. Glad to see the rest of the video.

[@ben4x4]

Vasko it’s hard to believe we adopted Commander from the animal shelter. He is the best family companion and hunting buddy I’ve ever had! Commander and the hawks learned to respect each other so the hawks do not see him as a threat, they know he is here to help keep squirrels on the move! Thank you for your support and kindness!

[@billyjoel4805]

Great work

[@oldsagerat]

That's some great video ! You need a proper glove. Nothing fancy. Welding gloves are for welding. You can wear a well made hawking glove all day long. Does anyone buy squirrel tails ? You can get a well made glove for thirty bucks. That is a great team you have there !

[@ben4x4]

That's a funny story about my glove. I was out hunting, Karniss done caught one squirrel, so after I've traded her off, I bent down behind a tree to re-load my lure. In that time, I herd her bells. She was after another squirrel. I jumped up and ran towards her. I left my dang glove on the ground and was never able to find it. Had to call her down, luckily the brim of my ballcap was just enough for her to perch on when I called her down. Mepps fishing lures will take squirrel tails. If you send them enough they will ship you some spinner baits. They use the fur of squirrel tails to make their lures. I've purchased another Falconry glove since then, I get mine from Mike's Falconry.

[@thisisconstruction.]

Short and sweet

[@lauraallen7942]

What a talented girl! Do they typically kill on contact or do you have to kill the squirrels for them after the catch often?

[@ben4x4]

As falconers, we help our birds dispatch their catches. The quicker we can get to them and help them dispatch game, the less likely they are to be bitten. In their first year, they learn foot placement. They must learn to go for the head, but miss the mouth. By the time I release this bird back into the wild, she will have mastered her footing skills, so she won't need me to help anymore.

[@lauraallen7942]

@@ben4x4 Love it. Sounds like a very fulfilling lifestyle.

[@curtisrtaylor86]

@@ben4x4 so how does the release back in the wild work? Do all falconers release there raptor back to the wild like at the end of the season? Do some keep there bird?

[@ben4x4]

@@curtisrtaylor86 Some do, some don't. I prefer to hunt with them one, maybe 2 seasons and release them the following spring. By that time they have mastered the hunt, which insures only one thing in the wild, that they won't starve. The 2 redtails I have trapped, trained, hunted with and released, never looked back. I'm trapping 2 this September, one for me and one for my apprentice. That's gonna be some cool footage :-) Also, captive bred raptors cannot be released. If trapped from the wild, they are typically released back.

[@curtisrtaylor86]

@@ben4x4 Oh man I'm looking forward to the footage! I want to get a little better with identification and knowledge of the federal and state laws. Then I would love to find a sponsor for myself!

[@radio_vpn]

Top

[@Kapok6]

NICE

[@madora4606]

A person who likes hawks and is named Athena watches a video about a hawk named Athena. Fate.

[@ben4x4]

I live within 10 miles of Athens, GA. Home of the GA Bulldogs! We hunt in Athens so I thought the name would be fitting 😁

[@madora4606]

@@ben4x4 unfortunately i live nowhere near Athens. Unfortunately for this comment chain, im really grateful i wasn't born there. Not a city person

[@ben4x4]

@@madora4606 Trust me, I'm not a city person either! I just take Athena there cause the squirrels are easy pickings!

[@madora4606]

@@ben4x4 damn. I wish i lived in America. So many birding opportunities

[@curtisrtaylor86]

Why do you instantly cover her kill? Is it so she dont eat it right then so she stays motivated to keep on hunting? Or just to feed her later

[@ben4x4]

Good question. They are trained to accept the lure as a reward for their catch. She gets fed 2 times per catch. One time off her kill, and one off the lure. The more she eats the less likely she will continue to hunt. So, if her daily ration is 70 grams of food, I can divide that up and hope fully catch one, 2 or 3 squirrels a day. One squirrel feeds this bird for 3-4 days. If I let her eat it there, she no hunt no more lol. Everything she catches feeds her during the summer when we don't hunt. I cover it up cause she don't want to let go! But once she see's the food on the lure, I can coax her off the kill.

[@curtisrtaylor86]

@@ben4x4 Thank you for the reply. That makes alot of sense. I appreciate your videos

[@markkirker6642]

I don't know anything about Falconry but what's the purpose of switching to the lure? Why doesn't she get some of the kill? Just curious

[@ben4x4]

Thats a good question Mark. The lure is used for several things. First and foremost, to trade the hawks off their kill. The lure always has a decent sized piece of meat on it. The birds are trained to release their catch once the lure is pulled out. It serves as instant gratification for their kill. Instead of my redtail taking 2-5 mins to break into a squirrel and start eating, the lure offers that meal in trade of her kill. Also, the lure serves as your "insurance policy". What I mean by that is, no matter whats happening around you, the hawk comes to the lure regardless if its hungry or not. They know when they see the lure they are getting a meal. So if my bird starts soaring, flies on land we dont have permission to be on, lands on a powerline, or goes after dangerous game(this hawk took down a sow racoon) the lure can be used to get the bird back to the falconer. Everything my hawks catch, they eat. If I let them eat all they want on a kill, they wont hunt. Falconry birds hunt out of hunger, not starvation. My birds get fed every day. What they catch sustains their diet during the offseason. One squirrel feeds both my birds for 2-3 days. A rabbit can feed them for a whole week.

[@markkirker6642]

@@ben4x4 Thank you so much for the info and the reply

[@chicagovasko]

Lol u almost shut the door on her then tell her hold on girl. Ur funny bud.