Falconry: full process of trapping and training

This video shows my process trapping and training a passage red tailed hawk.
Facebook: / thedesertsportsman
Instagram: / thedesertsportsman

[@russelljoy5308]

Excellent,excellent video and documentation. This is a great example of how to make a video. It was all about the subject and not the person. Most people think they have to be in the video and then spend too much time talking. This is a professionally done video. People who make videos, watch this one and learn.

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement!

[@dimorrissey]

I appreciate you documenting your process and putting it all together. I did a few videos of training my passage RT this season but don't have the patience or video editing savy to make it all into one. I hope you have an amazing season!

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Thanks! Yeah I have been wanting to do this the last couple seasons but just never got around to it until now. Happy hunting!

[@rymeldy1860]

What an amazing process! I decided to look up falconry on a whim and this did not disapoint. So interesting and awesome.

[@torreyball4447]

Great video. Read books as a teenager but left my interest as I got older. Love to see the things I read

[@AmirsAllotment]

Excellent rescues my friend, these hawks are super fast!

[@darrellhoward3199]

She's very calm , seeing as you'd just caught her ! /trapped her ,unless you'd been manning her before videoing , she's a beauty too,what did she weigh in at ?? I'm in UK and have flown reds many times ,excellent hunting birds ..all the best with her .. Darrell.

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Yeah unfortunately I forgot to video the first day of the manning process. She was just over 1100 grams off the trap with an empty crop.

[@alex4alexn]

Amazing video, such a beautiful process and a testament to your patience and care with her, cheers

[@stathispapailias634]

Haven't seen her mantle or get aggressive at all....wonderful temperament. You got a good one.

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Yeah she has been pretty good so far. Obviously a few issues have came up as we learn each other but we have been able to overcome them so far.

[@ryangrace396]

Thanks for doing a full video like this.

[@waynefioravanti4687]

Thank you . Enjoyed watching your video and raptor.

[@mattp4007]

Wow, great vid. Thank you for sharing!

[@MoneyMatters9872]

Wonderful video great documentary ❤ loved how free flight was a success❤

[@1616katerst]

Very well done. Thanks !

[@jrcook927]

That was an awesome vid!

[@jonbrown6118]

That was fantastic. U made it look easy which I doubt it is. Very informative

[@RodriguezReptiles]

Great video can't wait to see her hunt!

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Thanks! Me too!

[@alex4alexn]

How long do you tend to hunt with them, is a season a year? how many season do you usually have with them and are they only bonded to you? Fantastic vid!

[@peopleoftheskywayfishingpi5690]

Thank you very much for sharing.

[@Imamuntaki017]

❤❤❤loved this video

[@GalinasArt]

it not just talented made but very educational, thank you👐👍💗

[@392Hemi-x3]

Nice Job. I've always wondered.. Now i know. Thanks.

[@ashypharaoh8407]

Lovely, thank you!

[@user-ow5zk8lf1k]

Супер 👍 спасибо за видео! Очень интересно

[@chrisbaker3066]

Great video but most of these make it look so easy! Where is the mad flapping ,upside down and screaming every time you try to return her to the glove?

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Yeah unfortunately I forgot to video the first day of manning which involved a lot of that.

[@chrisbaker3066]

@@TheDesertSportsman I spent a month with a falcon who did w exactly what I commented and only grudgingly mounted the glove after that time. ( I was feeding a maintenance ration). I then got a peregrine tiercel and the second day he was jumping to the glove and free flying in 10 days. I have never had to restrict his diet to any extent. I have learned to be skeptical of many videos that I watch though I am only a novice in real terms.

[@kevinmarkey2039]

Nice job

[@Conan_Obrien]

Thanks for a great video. It's nice to see the whole process in sequence, though I'm sure it was a chore to film and edit all of it. Also really liked your mews. Looks well designed. Does your state require inspections or specific dimensions? Also, do you keep your hawk or release and trap a new passage in the autumn?

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Thank you for the kind comment! Yes our state (Arizona) does inspect the mews when you first build it. Though there are no specific size requirements, they will not approve one that is not appropriately sized. So far I have released each year and started over. Just waiting for the "right" one to keep multiple seasons. Plus I am still fairly new to this (4 full seasons under my belt) so I like the idea of learning from training different personalities each year. Thanks again for the comment and for watching!

[@user-ig3kk2tr6m]

How many month did the hawk finish the training

[@QuocAnhNguyenViet-ed9pc]

Harris hawk❤

[@angelgreen3532]

Snatching the lure away from her teaches her that you are competition. You also shouldn't have the bells slapping around that loose - you're going to bruise her legs and hallux.

[@isaaccoronado4782]

Okay question… when practicing falconry maybe not get it right 100% of the time but when you actually become experienced can you make a bird loyal 100% of the time? Or do some birds just have more free spirit than others and decide to never come back to your palm eventually ? Just a question !

[@TheDesertSportsman]

One thing to keep in mind is that birds of prey are not social creatures so they will never get an emotional attachment to you. With that being said, each raptor has it's own personality and some seem better suited for the sport than others. I have had red tails that seemed to never get it so I returned them to the wild and I gave had some that picked up on it right away and almost seemed to "enjoy" my presence. Hope this answers your question. Thanks for watching!

[@anna9072]

Mildly curious, did you choose to catch a female, or was she just what came up when you were looking? Are there benefits/drawbacks to male vs female?

[@katelynncheyanne2937]

I’m not a falconer I’ve only watched a few videos on it but from what I’ve picked up is the females have bigger feet which is better for hunting

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Yeah I was looking for a female as they are generally larger than males.

[@brentfaulkner1980]

What do you feel when you have a successful first free flight? It has to be really exhilarating!

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Yeah it's definitely an intense feeling. Even though you know things will go just fine as she has been reliable up until that point, you still feel nervous about it. Truly exciting for sure.

[@braydenpetersen9100]

How long was it from capture to free flight?

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Each bird is a little different and have their own personalities. I have had one fully trained in 2 weeks but others have taken almost 2 months.

[@user-xe9rv8ht3j]

👍👍👍

[@jesseburk1986]

What was the time frame of these training? days or weeks,

[@TheDesertSportsman]

About a month from trap to first free flight with this bird. Have had some take as long as a month and a half and some take as little as 2 weeks.

[@LIFE_LUX]

How much time its take to be trained?

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Each bird is a little different and have their own personalities. I have had one fully trained in 2 weeks but others have taken almost 2 months.

[@azhawking]

We should hook up and hunt together. Looks like we are both in southern AZ.

[@uncle_norbes]

Awesome i bet its not very easy towork with wild birds.

[@occif2023]

I would be a terrible falconer because I would go get the bird the food when ever it looked at me like she was hungry. The bird would probably train me , LoL....

[@ph1014gaming]

What you feed this falcon ??

[@anna9072]

He said raw chicken soaked in pedialyte (an electrolyte solution).

[@TheDesertSportsman]

Yes during initial training she is fed raw chicken to keep a consistent calorie intake. Once she is hunting she is fed from what she catches, so mostly rabbits. She is always given vitamin supplements specifically for birds of prey.

[@iftikharsahir5282]

Its very brief video in falconary world

[@stanhill3980]

Next time, lose the music its annoying, the caption are not up long enough , justice walk us through it.

[@TheDesertSportsman]

If you don't enjoy it he video feel free to not watch.

[@jonathanchambers4657]

Music wasn't that bad. Thanks for putting up this video. It's very cool to see the process.

[@AngeloProGamerYT]

❤️I want also this beautiful animal but I live in the 🏙 this make difficult to own one 😢 wonderful video I wil help you to reach more views because you are amazing person 🤌