Sport of Kings - An Award Winning Falconry Video by Project Upland

When we think of training gun dogs we never think of having to work with a bird outside retrieving, flushing, and pointing. But in a small and unique community of Falconry training, a gun dog hunting with a bird of prey is the norm. Surprisingly, you will hear it is not the dog that needs to learn to not eat the bird. It’s the bird who needs to learn-learn the dog isn’t going to eat him. We ventured into the field with MassWildlife and the Massachusetts Falconry and Hawk Trust to see first hand the oldest field sport.
We are humbled to announce that the film "Sport of Kings" won the Monocular Video Awards of 2017 in the "Best Professional Hunting Video" Category by filmmaker A.J. DeRosa. It was an honor to have had our film next to so many talented filmmakers and respected brands.
A special thanks to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife and the Massachusetts Falconry and Hawk Trust for making this film possible. As well as the entire upland community for the continued support of the Project Upland platform.
To Find out more about bird hunting Massachusetts check out:
www.projectupland.com/tag/bir...
This is a Project Upland Original Film: www.projectupland.com/
Project Upland is a Northwoods Collective Brand: www.northwoodscollective.com/
These are your stories...
#ProjectUpland // www.projectupland.com // #falconry

[@t2fast]

My father would always say "The King of sports the sport of Kings." His name was Steve Baptiste and he is a true legend of Falconry and Falcon breeding. My dad was one of those that had a huge impact on bringing the peregrine back from the brink of extinction. His artificial insemination techniques were shared with Cornell University and other breeding programs, he also bred some of the best hybrids ever.

[@ChuckDuncan]

Very cool

[@chriswright8114]

that is amazing. I mean, absolutely astounding. the way that you conveniently leave out the fact that he was a convicted smuggler, taking protected animals out of the wild and selling them. always thrilled to meet someone so connected to such a "legend" in the sport.

[@t2fast]

@@chriswright8114 he never took any bird out of the wild and sold it. All birds sold by him were breed in our mews via artificial insemination hand raised and imprinted by him. You can believe what you want but I know what really happened. He had one bird on the property that was not banded and it was not even his and that bird was returned to the rightful owner when the paper work showing proof that it was captive bred was produced. He paid the $20k fine and did the 3 year probation because he had an un-banded bird on property. They do not put your name on a plaque on the Falconers Wall of Remembrance at The Rapture Center in Boise if you are a crook. You can piss in the wind... My Father is a legend and your just some guy named Chris Wright... Have a wonderful life Chris.

[@ericsteinhauer3991]

Steve was an out of the box thinker. Great breeder. Not a smuggler as you say. The feds were adamantly against private ownership and captive sales at the time. Breeding falcons is a very expensive endeavor. The feds didn’t mind “allowing you to breed THEIR birds for free!” It has all changed since then. Captive sales are 100% legal. The peregrine is off the ESA, & a limited wild harvest is allowed. Everyone is happy. The generation of falconers a generation before Steve were responsible for protecting raptors from gun hunters and bounties. They used to be listed as vermin by game departments.

[@t2fast]

@@ericsteinhauer3991 thank you sir for the kind words about my father.

[@davidvondoom2853]

Regarding the rat poison. I hope see more pest hunters that use ferrets and mongoose to clear out rat nests on farms. No poison needed and they do a very efficient job, with immediate results. It can be just as exciting to watch those little ferrets flush out rats as it is to see hawks hunting. The two sports could go hand in hand.

[@HawkMother]

David von Doom Natural rodent control using terriers, ferrets and one fellow in Utah actually uses trained mink. Look it up. It is a growing eco-friendly business.

[@harlowblackadder356]

Yesss...when I brought home a ferret, my dad told me in when he was a kid in the 1920's, the local general store owner always had one running around to keep it vermin free.

[@ZEFFENWULF]

They did that with mongoose in Australia and now they’re invasive

[@harlowblackadder356]

@@ZEFFENWULF Australia seems... special...every several years, I read about an epic Mice Plague, where those bastards swarm like locusts. But then I read about a feral cat problem so bad that ranchers have to hunt them. I dont understand. Lol

[@ZeusEBoy]

God i want to be a falconer so bad. One day I'll be able to start taking the actions to really make it my life but right now ill continue to read and watch content like this and learn what I can

[@komobg6403]

An Egyptian passing through Animals and birds are the best creatures to live with

[@ypedraza87]

This is inspiring and beautiful. I have tremendous respect and I tip my hat to you all.

[@LoryskaEntertainment]

Very inspirational! I’m aiming to become an apprentice soon, so seeing such a unique dynamic between animals is uplifting and plain cool.

[@thefalconersapprentice2226]

Loryska ok if you are aiming to be an apprentice do you have a master falconer to sponsor you and insurance if not get that to to start that’s what I did 6 years

[@karinsomer6952]

Awesome! How are you doing these days? How's falconry going?

[@GIGroundNPound]

Man will have dominion over this Earth, and it is within them to protect or destroy what has been given to him. Blessed are those who take it upon themselves to protect.

[@MackerelCat]

Heart breaking but also uplifting. Beautiful creatures. Full support for the natural approach to pest control through cats, dogs and beautiful birds or prey.

[@SirKingHoff]

Uncle in Erie, PA has a pair of Red Tails and god they are amazing to watch

[@simplyrandom57]

It’s like having a real life Pokémon 🦅

[@hphillips7425]

Good video. I love to watch the birds and dogs working

[@digimon916]

That white bird at 4:58 is a beauty!

[@nyChannel09]

So fascinating to see that the bird flys underneath the duck and attacks from below to take it to the ground

[@legendofzelda2324]

I was surprised by that too. New to falcon watching

[@mixiepalms8338]

we have those rules for a reason in the uk, My daughter is a falconer. lovely video, your birds look healthy.

[@hunterj985]

Because you're not a free people, unfortunately:-/

[@John-lo4xz]

No country has the freedoms americans do. I live in Sweden and we do not even have freedom of speech.

[@JohnSmith-hp5id]

@@John-lo4xz Yes you do.

[@dw2062]

Our raptor populations are smaller, as is their habitat. It is a pragmatic decision based upon numbers. We can fly native species but their captive origins must be certified. Conversely, in many places in the US ferrets cannot be used for hunting, unlike the UK, but there are plausible reasons for this too.

[@williamwallace2278]

@@hunterj985 Stupid statement!

[@Acrisa01]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I used to hunt with a Harris Hawk when I was young, but starting U, I find out that I had no time. Falconry Is the best sport but very time consuming! Keep your nice work and please upload more videos!

[@hunterj985]

Amazon, Google, KZbin... Don't be lazy🙄 It's a tip for any aspect of life.

[@juancarlosgutierrezmurcia6283]

Excelente vídeo, te hace sentir que te encuentras en el campo compartiendo las experiencias. Saludos de Veracruz... Tierra del aplomado

[@shutterchick79]

Interesting. This seems like a very natural way to hunt. Different species can learn to hunt together. My father used to have a cat and two dogs that would hunt woodchucks together. The cat would go into the tunnel to flush it out, and the dogs would kill it. They would then bring the evidence to dad's garage to show it to him. Dad says they were always so proud of themselves.

[@Tom-gn3vv]

I love your video.. I've learned falconry in France, preparing myself to have my first bird. I love the respect you show on your raptors.

[@gregmohr9367]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. I am interesting in falconing and live on Cape Cod so this is useful info for me and others in my position.

[@TheTokkie]

In Lex Burgundy, the earliest written Germanic law there is a law that if you steal someone's hunting bird (falcon, golden eagle etc.) the punishment is for you to be painted with meat and to let the eagle pick it off of you.... another law is if you steal someone's hunting dog you must lick its but in public, I it's no joke if that's what you're wondering! My point is that Kazachs, Mongols, Kyrgyz etc. still use the art today, but it was much wider spread

[@stefanocelio5433]

Simply WOW....!!!

[@NATURECAMHD]

Great video, very informative plus great footage of these amazing raptors.

[@ProjectUpland]

NATURECAMHD thank you! They certainly are amazing creatures!

[@joshuahull9982]

@@ProjectUpland I still think captive bred hawks are better because if born in captivity they don't know any different. I've also heard from a falconer that captive bred birds are easier to train too. As long as they're loved and well taken care of I guess it doesn't matter too much though.

[@justinxiao9098]

@@joshuahull9982 They are harder to train for beginners but easy for experts. If you don't handle him right, captive-bred birds can scream all day begging you for food and be very aggressive towards humans. The wild bird knows how to hunt and does not scream to beg for food and maintains respect for the human.

[@rrmerlin3402]

Falconry is all about catching WILD game with Raptors. All the hunting in this video is staged with farmed raised Pheasant, which can used in early training of raptors to eventually pursue wild game. I'm all for promoting falconry honestly. The accomplished feeling of successfully hunting with your bird is Priceless, says the falconer of 45 years.

[@rihawker1]

Craig Marston The general public doesn’t get bogged down in the minutia. I applaud anybody who is willing to put together a piece of film like this that portrays our sport in a positive light. Having personally hunted with at least one of the individuals depicted here I will tell you that he kills more wild game with his goshawk than probably anyone else you’ve ever hunted with. And he does it in a state that is not known for an abundance of wild quarry. Just two cents from a guy who wants to see his sports stick around without throwing stones at one another.

[@jayjohnson5016]

any suggestions for getting into the sport!?

[@rrmerlin3402]

@@jayjohnson5016 Contact a falconer or the Falconry club in your state, most have a program to help you.

[@jayjohnson5016]

@@rrmerlin3402 thankyou very much

[@thefamilydog6392]

Is there a version of this documentary with out the music? I want to share it with my brothers but they’ll not give it the time of day with that over bearing melancholic mood scape

[@mikeleahy837]

Well fuckem I guess

[@marshabraudrick2792]

just beautiful

[@Mark-gn5rw]

I have a wild red hawk around my property for years Umm? No rodent problems. Haha Awesome video!! From Buffalo NY. Eagles are making a great comeback too here..

[@davemyers7507]

I knew Steve very well he is the front runner for what we have today in the world of falconery. And don’t try and Chet at his table either.

[@falconryandwildlifevideos6200]

Very nice footage Yes in Europe in some case it is posible, for example in France to trap goshawk with a permit to hunt

[@fernandomaggi250]

Awesome video!! Thanks from argentina (land of cassini peregrine)

[@sedamcclurg9699]

OUTSTANDING!! portrayal of our sport. Thank you!

[@denisesalles7248]

Wow, what an inspirational video. Love this and learned a lot! I have a GSP who is a completely failed bird dog, so he'd probably be just fine with a RTH hunting buddy!!!! Thank you for posting!

[@tuckamorecustomknives4550]

Awesome to see a video of actual Falconry practices and not just “pet” keepers. By1964 nesting peregrine falcons were extinct in the eastern United States.

[@krisplummer3991]

Excellent documentary

[@mrwehethefourth]

Very well filmed and edited!

[@tomwolves6953]

Now that's hunting, awesome!

[@ghostrider51500]

Thanks for sharing. Amazing

[@Mark-gn5rw]

Really cool! Best video I've seen in awhile I havent been hunting in quite awhile. But this is way to do it. Respect! Thnx. Really enjoyed this!! Well articulated and informative ..watched it 3x. Love the White Raptor. Is that a Hawk too?. Thnx

[@edmargameplays672]

It's not a sport it's an art🔥 If you agree 👇

[@AmericanAbsolute]

Excellent video by the way. Thank you for your efforts and teachings. I'd like to add that you said regarding these types of birds aren't used anywhere else but in parts of Asia to take fish. .Karzakhstan which is in Central Asia but they hunt with Gold Eagles to take mountain goats and red wolves of that region. They also use Gold Eagles in parts of Turkey.

[@TheTokkie]

In Lex Burgundy, the earliest written Germanic law there is a law that if you steal someone's hunting bird (falcon, golden eagle etc.) the punishment is for you to be painted with meat and to let the eagle pick it off of you.... another law is if you steal someone's hunting dog you must lick its but in public, I it's no joke if that's what you're wondering! My point is that Kazachs, Mongols, Kyrgyz etc. still use the art today, but it was much wider spread

[@serich9722]

Great video!!

[@rejamatin101]

do you mind to tell me what music that you used as BGM in this video? the instrumental music was really heart-warming 😇😇😇

[@bighossoutlaw9395]

Amazing

[@derrickclemons2862]

Awesome

[@oldschoolhawking8191]

Excellent video on the sport of falconry! OSH :-)

[@ProjectUpland]

Sure is an interesting pursuit!

[@gypsyskyy9451]

Wow people upset with the music? I love it.

[@williamwallace2278]

Hunt with a large Female Finn Goshawk from across the pond myself. Good vid.

[@WarioTimeWarioTimeWarioTime]

I’m not sure if I have the responsibility to become a falconer, sadly. But I do have ideas for a VR Falconry video game (if I achieve my dream of becoming a video game developer/designer). It wouldn’t be quite the same experience but it would still be a nice peaceful game.

[@nixadventures3938]

Dude this shits inspiring why is the music depressing?

[@ProjectUpland]

Probably our most favorite critical feedback to date. haha. Thank you.

[@ricardoruiz6329]

I love the music it’s beautiful and also calming

[@jasonr7615]

Not sure if you'll still answer this since it was posted 3 years ago, but I want to get into this but like people are saying, it's a constant commitment. I'm active duty military but don't really leave where I'm at. Is it possible for me to even get into it now?

[@bikingwithbeach2861]

This would be so much better without the sad background music.

[@thefamilydog6392]

Agreed, it’s Sad that someone thought it would make it a better documentary, it’s like every other advert on TV, shame

[@jeeshadow]

well said. I think music choices for News pieces and these KZbin docs always seems to be an after thought. That music is the kind you play when filming people starving or something.

[@jacknickm13]

@Verenase Blessed you obviously don’t know much about falconry. Most of these guys raise these birds until sexual maturity because 80-90% of them don’t make it to this age in the wild. They then release them back into the wild when they have got over this hump and are ready to go reproduce. Some people have even had their released birds come back months after being released into the wild, after mating, because they prefer that life. They hunt for their own food so they still experience this freedom and different tastes. They have the freedom to just fly away if they choose to do so and many falconers know this and accept that if they choose to leave, but many don’t because they prefer being with their keeper and view them as a hunting partner more than a companion. Basically the bird always has the freedom to just fly away and sometimes they do and that’s ok, it’s up to them.

[@barblessable]

too true , check out Nigel Hawkins film on YT no voice over or music just the sounds of nature wind ,rain etc .

[@ripfletching]

I wanna do this in my area

[@nicbentulan]

i heard about falconry from the big bang theory!

[@Desert_wings]

Nice video.. 🤗🤗

[@dutchboyslim5951]

Approx how much does it cost to own a hawk/falcon (food, medicine. misccell) per year?

[@michaelsmulkowski746]

For those confused by the video Falconry is a sport where humans use birds of prey to hunt game.

[@kevinp5325]

I admire the work and dedication that goes into falconry, but I don't get why most people are okay with a human-trained hawk grabbing and killing a living animal but yet will get all worked up over a human-trained hound flushing and treeing an animal for a human hunter to harvest.

[@justinxiao9098]

Hawks are an Unusual creature. They don't see that every day.

[@Zombie_Longwinger]

It’s called hunting humans have been doing it for millennia we eat meat and fish and animal products I bet you wear leather shoes your okay with someone else killing the animal so you can wear them

[@brodyphelan]

where do yo do it in massachusetts

[@eathinplayz865]

Hi ive been trying to talk my parents for a few years to let me get my apprentice permit for falconry ive been saving up money for the express purpose to spend it on falconry stuff any tips on what I should do get read ect ECT?

[@justinxiao9098]

Read The Falconer's Apprentice by William C. Oakes.

[@whisperingoutdoors]

God is so great ain't he! Awesome video guys!

[@heritagefalconry-andywelsh]

Superb!!!!Im hoping to relate the same incentives into my channel, passing on information to those who want to learn and are willing to absorb their real passion and turn it into their reality. Both conservation of the species and its habitat is paramount and falconry is not just a contributer but the engine which will drive us towards environmental and ecological balance.

[@4stringmanagmaildcom]

Cool how they attack from below and behind. Target never sees them coming.

[@johnschnauber1568]

Ireland & parts of Scotland have used falcons to mongolia

[@JD-rc6dn]

How does that work if you flush a hen? Here in MN you cannot shoot a hen pheasant, in the wild. is that different out east? Hard to explain to the raptor it can only kill the boys!

[@ryanbrand3946]

Read the mn dnr rule book on falconry, i know the are allowed at least one hen last time i looked

[@eddies1541]

In NJ you can shoot hens and roosters and the limit is 2 per day

[@brendannielson5292]

The laws differ, but for the most part if your bird takes game that it is not supposed to, you try to release the game as unharmed as possible, if that's not possible you let it feed and cease your hunt for the day.

[@markr5212]

I love working dogs. I'd bet I could work with birds.

[@michaelwescott8064]

Anybody know what the white one was?

[@Shumway03]

Michael Wescott A gyrfalcon. They’re arctic falcons and very beautiful :)

[@Earwynn]

He wants the Falcon doing what’s natural to them? 🙂

[@jasonposey9896]

Looking for falconers in Mississippi. I'm looking for a sponsor.

[@mrrayban6560]

godbless

[@adamforman9264]

Very Nice Hobbie ,...✌😎🐕

[@justinxiao9098]

Not a hobby. It's a lifestyle.

[@afrikandsansir]

Facts on Europe need revision.

[@brianliberante]

I want a pelican to eat all the service dogs at the airports. I'll name him Edgar.

[@anonmouse956]

Why do they always use german pointers in these videos?

[@Zombie_Longwinger]

It’s the Fashion

[@tonynorman6876]

Redtail on pheasant, no chance unless it's a canned hunt. Goshawk or longwing or hen coopers with good dog hybrid gyr and goshawk flights were really good. When I see someone hawking a redtail off the fist in the field I dont listen to a word they say. Unless they are hunting voles

[@markmoore4088]

Get over yourself. Maybe watch and learn from some of these people you think so poorly of.

[@cashbrooks7223]

College is Free on the military

[@jeffaucker158]

How about flying on wild game vs game farm stocked birds? Is the redtail kept in a dog kennel? I don’t think it any unbroken feathers! Kind of a sad representation of the sport.

[@cashbrooks7223]

You need them to pass Boot camp

[@Thugshaker_thequaker]

7:40 In all fairness it’s great that she’s at least talking about this issue. However, the instant level of disparity between cats and dogs and other animals is surprising. They should be valued just the same regardless of domestication status. I’m sure she advocates this but in so saying “god forbid a cat or dog” is taking away from the other creatures. When in reality it would likely take people that aren’t interested in the sport/hobby/lifestyle to experience such an ordeal in order to understand the gravity of the problem. Hopefully we can address this issue on all fronts and move forward with more understanding.

[@markh2355]

The anti hunt people try to sell us that Raptors were shit out by hunters

[@Casper-zw7uy]

dog and falcon now only a ferret and your done

[@SirKingHoff]

mink*

[@Stephen-uz8dm]

@@SirKingHoff *horse

[@islamicchennal1070]

How are you brother please trapping this Bird video

[@ktlivingherway516]

Golden eagles in Mongolia

[@bwidyanto2214]

Everyone : Falcon=sport Me if I ever be a falcon dad : Falcon=family For me it's cruel for these humans to blindfold the falcon, it's like he is a slave

[@Zombie_Longwinger]

They are only hooded when travelled because it keeps them calm stops them being anxious and thrashing around and hurting themselves

[@toomignon]

It is arrogant of you to think that the bird would want to be part of your family. These relationships are based on mutual cooperation and benefit, not human feelings. These are raptors - they have never been domesticated. Falconers bear enormous responsibility for these creatures. Hoods are not “blindfolds” - they reduce visual input so the bird is not overstimulated visually - much like managing the sensory input for an autistic child. Get informed.

[@Zombie_Longwinger]

@@toomignon Domesticate (Verb) “to make a wild animal used to living with or working for humans”. Falconry is certainly the domestication of hawks or Falcons to hunt with man. If the Falcon didn’t want to be part of my Family that’s me my dog and everything else going on in my world and wasn’t benefiting from the situation why doesn’t it fly away ? A Falcon in captivity will live on average three times longer than it’s wild cousins and have access to vet care and better nutrition. Falcons in their initial training respond to food reward later on this is discarded and Falcons are flown very muscled up and robust they come back because they choose too they accept their deal and the situation.

[@toomignon]

Your definition is off. Here is National Geographics definition: “. Domestication is the process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use. Domestic species are raised for food, work, clothing, medicine, and many other uses. Domesticated plants and animals must be raised and cared for by humans. Domesticated species are not wild.”. Raptors remain wild, although cooperating with humans in this context. Congratulations to you on a good cooperative relationship. It’s excellent,.

[@Zombie_Longwinger]

@@toomignon You can domesticate a dog but all dogs have natural instincts to hunt much like the wolf. A captive bred Falcon is not wild at all, all a falconer is doing is tapping into those natural instincts. If anything captive bred Falcons are low quality compared to their wild cousins who are genetically far superior due to natural selection 75% die in their first year of life 25% in the second year. Domestic Falcons (Falconers birds)all survive through the first year and a lot are bred from these mediocre genes that wouldn’t have made it in the wild. Where as in the wild these Peregrines who survive do so because they are exceptionally gifted at killing birds and flying.

[@lukaspatty6431]

so you have to have a license to do shit people have been doing for thousands of years... -.- great...

[@hunterj985]

Best comment here👍👍

[@jeffaucker158]

Don’t fly birds with mews jesses! Lazy, stupid move if you’re hunting squirrels. It’s a great way to have hawk hawk get stuck in the top of a tree.

[@javierdiosdadocriado1673]

It's a nonsense. In Europe we have more tradition o Falconi that in the United States. We use birds borned in cautivity and we take caee of ou rbirds befire the creación of the EEUU. You are not the botton of the word

[@TheTokkie]

In Lex Burgundy, the earliest written Germanic law there is a law that if you steal someone's hunting bird (falcon, golden eagle etc.) the punishment is for you to be painted with meat and to let the eagle pick it off of you.... another law is if you steal someone's hunting dog you must lick its but in public, I it's no joke if that's what you're wondering! My point is that Kazachs, Mongols, Kyrgyz etc. still use the art today, but it was much wider spread

[@Holden_Stuff]

So Europe is better than America with falconry... nice

[@bubbajohn8131]

You should never be able to take an animal out of the wild unless it is injured. John 🇬🇧

[@tripmcneely6519]

I thought horse racing was the sport of kings

[@ryanbrand3946]

I had to stop watching after they blew smoke up my ass twice

[@fluffygang2658]

Let them eat animals a live not for me shocking

[@hunterj985]

Eliminate pesticides, great idea... Let's reintroduce the bubonic plague 🙄

[@hyperion3145]

You don’t honestly think that pests were the sole source of the bubonic plague do you? Everyone was significantly filthier back then than they were now, only states that actually took proper hygiene (like Poland) managed to avoid outbreaks (or Milan, which burned everything and everyone). Pesticides need to be used responsibly, they absolutely can harm the environment and some crops, but wiping them out completely is not an option until there is a “cleaner” solution to pest control (in some cases, there are like introducing other species but that also needs to be done responsibly).

[@hunterj985]

@@hyperion3145 You obviously have no idea what you're talking about, a simple Google search would have saved you the embarrassment of proving you're ignorant... The bubonic plague causes are bacteria called Yersinia pestis. Usually, the bacteria is spread through the bites of infected fleas or rodents. Y. pestis is found in animals throughout the world, most commonly in rats but occasionally in other wild animals, such as prairie dogs. Most cases of human plague are caused by bites of infected animals or the infected fleas that feed on them. In almost all cases, only the pneumonic form of plague can be passed from person to person.

[@josebaeza5128]

Ima do a video with the wild dolphin I trapped and tamed, his name is Poseidon. Tomorrow I’m a trap the rest of his family so I can tame them all

[@Digger927]

I admire falconry but...the wildlife guy at the end trying to convince that the act he mentioned doesn't really impact game and song bird populations enough to matter really pisses me off. That's totally bullshit and he knows it. Here in MO and KS, quail populations have been in constant decline ever since it was enacted. MDC did a study and concluded that an owl, on average, caught one quail per week...that's 52 birds per year for each owl....just the owls. We have several raptors here and they all hammer the piss out of quail populations. I'm not saying wipe them all out but damn...talk about extremes....some population control would sure help the bird species a lot here.

[@kurtisbrown2558]

Raptors are self regulating apex predators meaning they control how many chicks survive depending on quarry, and that as apex predators they cannot be overpopulated its basic high school biology, they are apart of the natural ecosystem where as the likes of domestic cats arnt, studies in california and australia show a single domestic cat can kill an average of 200 small birds and other wildlife a year, each! We breed genetically modified, feed and treat ailments of an apex predator that isnt apart of the natural ecosystem (of small birds). Going off of scientific research the introduced, unregulate domestic cat is a far more serious case for concern in the decline and extinction of small birds along with land management than raptors ever will be. Raptors naturally prey on the weak,the injured, the young and the old meaning the fittest survive not to mention most species of raptor have a 70-80% mortalityrate in their first year.

[@Digger927]

@@kurtisbrown2558 Bullshit....that purely depends on your definition and understanding of "overpopulated" and their source of quarry. Basic high school biology doesn't know shit about managing an ecosystem or we wouldn't have the problems we do now would we. The line about them preying on the weak is also pure unadulterated bullshit, sure they will pick those off if given a chance but they also nail the fit and strong as well. I'll agree with the domestic cat problem but until biologists get off this bullshit like what you are spewing, nothing will ever change and we'll lose our game and song birds completely. Game birds survive based on out populating their predators and at a certain threshold that is simply impossible....all predators are a part of that ratio and none of those predators are actually "self regulating" any more than a domestic or feral cat is. Stop being a lemming that regurgitates everything you read or are hand fed. Get out and study the world and see for yourself how it actually works.

[@kurtisbrown2558]

Im purely a field worker I shoot, i fish and I hunt with hawks. I work hands on with both wild and captive birds, i work as an arborist and as a part time gamekeeper my formal biology qualifications go no further than a diploma (upper high school level) ive seen it for myself and ive also spent alot of time talking to people like yourself, who think facts are bull because their mate said so. I know how game management works here in the Uk having grew up on a farm and working as an underkeeper with partridge and pheasant along with grouse. If you had to kill someone with your bare hands would you choose the weak or would you choose the fit and healthy? It risks breaking feathers or worse. Overpopulated to me is living in excessive numbers of which I dont know of any natural apex predator (we cover food chains apex predators, self limiting traits etc in high school biology) that is in this day in age due to empty headed dimwits killing them because they seen a few or on a more due to change of land management which os the main reason most animals are in decline for example here where I live barn owls were almost extinct (less than 5 pairs) due to farmers using all of the field leaving little scrubland for their quarry to live in which caused a decline in voles and mice, now farmers are paid to leave 'ntature strips' along field borders which has increased mice and vole numbers which in turn has increased thw barn owl numbers over the past 15years it has went to an approx 40pairs now. Humans are to blame for the decrease in wildlife only dimwits and townies (city and town dwellers) think nature is the cause for the decline of nature.

[@tuckamorecustomknives4550]

Brent, do you have a link to that study? I’d like to read it. What kind of owls were catching the quail? Catching them in the daytime or nighttime? Thanks

[@Digger927]

@@kurtisbrown2558 Same old same old, this is the argument of most wildlife biologists here and in spite of them thinking they have a freaking clue, they can't make any gains saving our bobwhite quail. It's because they don't have a clue what the hell they are actually talking about and they won't admit being wrong. I think it's because they actually favor the raptors more than they do the game birds and song birds. I don't know how the fuck they manage to convince people or keep them convinced of this type of bullshit. It's like they tie you lot to a chair in a gd deprivation chamber and brainwash people. I'm not talking out of my ass and I didn't get my info from a friend or "mate". I learned what I know from being raised on a farm and managing wildlife for 30+ years. I have had success saving our local quail through extensive trapping, the last problem I can't legally tackle is predation from raptors. I have what should be prime habitat from nesting and bugging to winter cover and food. I raised game birds for a decade, habitat loss is a pretty minor issue here, the issue is predators too numerous for the quail to populate. Nest predators, avian predators and furry predators. Anyone that says otherwise just don't know what the fuck they are talking about, simple as that. Whenever you can't even keep game birds in a good enclosed pen with a top flight net because owls and hawks stir them up and pull their heads off through the top netting...there's a real issue with overpopulation. Birds like quail are a far easier target than other food sources plus they are bigger and more nutritious than most other food sources so as a preferred source, they get hunted first and harder than anything else. The healthiest quail in the world poses no risk for a bird of prey so no, the argument that raptors only take out the weak is ignorant as ignorant can be. Like I said...total bullshit. Nature has NOT caused this problem, humans have by managing a portion of the ecosystem and creating a bubble in another ignored portion of it. By protecting these raptors completely, it created an unnatural bubble of over inflated population. It doesn't self regulate enough to help game bird species because they are only a portion of the raptors food source. An overpopulated segment of predators like our raptors can sustain itself off our rodent populations yet completely (or strongly contribute to) completely wiping out game bird populations. Overpopulation is defined in this case as being so numerous as to negatively impact game species. Your definition is far too simple. If you have a predator species high enough that it's overpowering the reproductive threshold of quail...then they are overpopulated. A system has to have balance and whenever I can't legally shoot raptor species to protect my own birds or as a management tool then you have a system that's out of balance by definition.

[@troywales983]

not needed ,takes to long to kill its prey ,guns are quicker and cleaner

[@TheWizardYeof]

troy wales Who said it was needed? It’s a connection unlike any other

[@Zombie_Longwinger]

No they are not who wants to be eating a bird full of bird shot guns are boring anyone can shoot it’s not hard

[@JA-ow7yb]

Decompression what a joke, why lead a life that makes you fell that way, life is meant to be simple pal

[@trevorallen9435]

Amazing