Falconry: Aplomados vs Merlins- a comparison

[@RaptorGirlkathy]

Txs, for the comparison, Ben, and your thoughts! Always informative and interesting 👍

[@calebfalconer8671]

Same about the Prarie Falcons. Personally, I would like a comparison of the Prarie and Peregrine Falcons. Also, Prarie and Saker Falcons. Love the channel, Ben! Keep up the great work! 👍!

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

I did a prairie/Saker one a while back. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZm6qmWFhLakrtk But I will probably do an updated one as well. Good idea on the peregrine prairie too

[@kevinp5179]

Great video thank you!! Can’t wait to pass my test I am excited to get started with my first bird

[@junebug97]

How did it go?? You trapping this season???

[@kevinp5179]

@@junebug97 good I passed the test and I am now training a passage American kestrel she has just started coming to the glove outdoors

[@mp9070]

I would love to see some more in-depth information on Prarie Falcons, their preferred quarry, and where they fit into the falconry hierarchy. Keep the great videos coming Ben, thanks. Also, there is very little info on Broad-winged hawks in falconry. I know they aren’t one of the more desirable species, but I imagine they have been used by some.

[@Zombie_Longwinger]

They don’t fit in that’s just it if a falconer was given the choice between a Peregrine Falcon and a Prairie Falcon 99% would probably choose the peregrine. Ask yourself other than the USA and Canada which other countries fly them they aren’t flown in the Arabs states where falconry is taken very seriously indeed. In my country they are given a bad reputation moody, aggressive towards the falconer etc. They are extremely aggressive towards game and hit stuff extremely hard when flown well most people would just choose the simple life and fly a Peregrine there is a reason the Peregrine has been the most highly rated bird in Falconry for millennia.

[@falconryandwildlifevideos6200]

Hello Ben, I live in Argentina where I fly Aplomados. As you said it is hard to hunt with them, you need the perfect field and prey, in some way the same with any bird. Here I see the wild ones hunting all the time as almost any open field with preys for them is occupied by a couple of aplomado. They hunt a lot diving one after the other to spook and catch. They can reach very high speed and the more windy it is, the best they fly, even falconry ones. Weigh management is a dynamic, not a precise measurement just like with a peregrine. Those falcons are sweet and easy, just like a peregrine in the sense that if you feed them well and fly them every day the routine helps a lot getting a bird that will be reliable. The choice to fly them from the fist or on a waiting on flight, or following the falconers is hard to make, as it depends a lot on the prey and field. In my opinion the biggest challenge, at least in Argentina, is to find a way to serve them well so they have success. They love the lure and if you always feed them properly on it they would even come back or leave they're prey to go to it. I am talking of parental bred falcons of course, as flying an imprinted one would be a bit of a nonsense. The difference in flying style and personality between male and female is huge, which make sense as they hunt together in the wild, sharing skills and abilities to catch they're prey.

[@carlobrigante4764]

Hey Ben, great video as always. This channel is great. I would love if you can do a video comparing the foot structure and strength between owls and hawks and falcons. Thanks, keep the videos coming!!

[@birdman5197]

Thank you sir.

[@BeneathTheGold]

Wake up. Make a coffee. Check my alerts…. Ben Woodruff upload. Its a great day already. : )

[@stevehanson5556]

Thanks Ben great production

[@cordycepted4911]

Ever do a video on kites in falconry? Are they ever used ?

[@Desert_wings]

Hey Ben.. loved your video.. can you do a video about hunting with Eurasian kestrels.. thanks a lot and God bless.. 🤗🤗

[@brianhaynes6718]

These are amazing videos

[@quinnhaubner9151]

Thanks Ben!

[@bsdoweidt]

Hey Ben, another great video. 2 things. First, do you have a patreon account so viewers can support you? Second, do you have any experience or information about Barbary falcons?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

I just barely started to set up a Patreon account the other day. I am still figuring it all out and will get it up and available soon. I have flown a few Barbary Falcons. I’ll try to get a video up about them by summer.

[@keerthivasannambiraju955]

What is really interesting is that Merlins may be closely related to Aplomado falcons and American kestrels.

[@sauronthegreat489]

I've actually been wondering about swainson's hawks. Are they ever used ? Also, I'd personally be very interested in a video on rough-legged hawks.

[@gregchardon8060]

Yes thank you!! Been thinking the same.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Normally Falconer‘s will tell you that they are not suitable for use in falconry because of their smaller size, somewhat smaller feet, and the fact that they will often feed on large insects. But this is a very close minded attitude. There are several people who have most definitely hunted them successfully on rabbits. There was one falconer a few years ago who even was doing some gang hawking with his swainsons and a Harris hunting in sort of a pseudo pack. Red tails and Ferruginous both lend themselves more to gamehawking. But both Swainsons and Roughlegs can and have been successfully hunted. If you intend to fly a Swainsons on rabbits, I would definitely recommend getting a female. But the absolutely have been proven on both jackrabbits and cottontails by a few dedicated falconers.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

I’ll definitely be doing a rough-leg video this fall or winter. They are one of my favorites, but I haven’t flown one for years.

[@ΧρηστοςΔιαμαντης-χ4ν]

@benwoodrufffalconry .Hi from Greece,Ben !Thank you so much for your videos and all this information you are sharing with us! What is your opinion about the companion for snipe hunting?Female merlin ,female hobby or a male aplomado? Keep enlightening us!

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Actually, an Aplomado would be a really good bird to try it with. Female Merlins are near perfect for it. A small tercil peregrine is also a good fit. But a female Merlin is perfection for the task

[@ΧρηστοςΔιαμαντης-χ4ν]

@@benwoodrufffalconry Thank you very much !I love hunting snipes with my dog and my female harris but they are too fast for her.Next season i ll try with a female merlin.Have a nice day!

[@davemyers7507]

Hi Ben Dave from California I always find your videos very interesting and energetics I have a pair of captain merlins and a pair of captive Apple amatos I find the merlins how much faster even in the short run so they specialize on starlings where the Apple mottos have a more variety of game

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Awesome comparison!!!!

[@Henry-hy3bd]

So I just so a peregrine in our field and I just thought wow I need to become an apprentice right now so I can trap. I think I was a little too ambitious. I know this takes lots of time and I am doing lots of research. I am going to see if my school library has books on birds of prey or falconry.

[@fouadeladraoui6698]

Wonderfull

[@casualmilklover4585]

I believe I met you at the Utah sky trials this year, you brought your golden eagle. I got a confirmation from Krista edwards

[@anthonyjafolla2139]

On the note about not hunting birds with alpacas would it be possible to fabricate a saddle for the alpacas with a perch on top of it so that the birds can hunt from a vantage point and independent of the Falconer?

[@ashleighshadowbrook6475]

You may have answered this in the backlog somewhere, but has anyone ever attempted to use Red Kites for falconry purposes?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

I have friends who have flown new world kites (much smaller than reds) like a kestrel, back in the 1970’s. I will do a video on those at some point. I know people do train and fly red kites using falconry techniques. But I don’t know if anyone pursues quarry with them.

[@ashleighshadowbrook6475]

@@benwoodrufffalconry interesting, thanks for the reply!

[@waynosburton8557]

Red Kites were a worthy flight in classical falconry with longwings, when numbers were healthy enough in Europe..

[@remyogun8270]

Hey Ben! I've read some accounts from a couple of credible sources that Merlins can/will occasionally kill Red Tailed Hawks. I also read another account from a bird watcher, of a Merlin that stooped on a Cooper's hawk , struck it on it's head a had the poor accipiter dazed in the grass.

[@glennhynes5263]

I highly recommend that you do NOT train an alpaca to "wait on." As an ungulate, the fallout could be devastating.

[@johnlefevre839]

What would a cross breed be like? Anyone had one or heard of one? A merlamado!

[@PalestineinBlood]

Love from Pakistan

[@bocahjarambah3574]

ITU burung apa namanya