I again did my best quiet insertion into the field and we were rewarded in that we found rabbits in an area that just hasn't been producing. If Hope gets a close start none of them can match her speed off the fist, and she usually catches them. The closer they get up the higher the odds that they will come home with us. She was still a bit higher in weight than she really needs though. All the try is still there, it is just that we are missing some of the agility that she needs to make the 90 degree turns. On almost all the rabbits that I put up this morning she was making three or four pounces and restarts on each and every one of them. Some of the misses were due to a wing catching some grass or brush, and a couple of Jacks were leaving little trails of hair behind them.
I have been doing some serious thinking and remembering last season in all of the aspects that made up last season. One of the things that enable a falconer to go from "good" to "better than good", is the ability to recall cause and effect. I believe that I am pretty good at that aspect.
Its been bugging me all this season so far that she is not changing up her attack plans to meet the differing conditions of this season. One would first think that it is the birds fault, but that is a cop out! It is my fault. I finally this morning saw what was happening, and why.
Last year there were so many rabbits that it was no real chore to get 50 Jacks up in front of her. My main goal with her was to perfect her manners, and love of catching Jacks. In that I succeeded. I think that I can say that I personally have never had a hawk with so few faults. I prided myself on the fact that I never fed her without her actually making a kill.
To manage that I sometimes hunted four or five hours at a time. There were enough rabbits to actually do that. The part that I didn't realize was that there were so many rabbits available that sooner or later I would find one that was either very unlucky or just dumb. All I had to do was to keep pushing. The problem that I am having now is that the rabbits are honed down to only the fittest. There is no dumb ones and very few unlucky ones as well.
So what worked for her last year was to keep pushing, direct pursuit, grab them before they got into the bush. That worked the best when they flushed at the last minute. She had no need to learn to get up in the air a bit to pick your spot, rather than take the first shot that presents itself. The burn them down routine worked for her last year. Being out all day is a lot better than tied to a perch watching a Chicken pecking shit in from of the weathering area, so it really didn't matter if she missed a lot of them, sooner or later she would catch one.
Normally and in the past I would at some point decide that which ever hawk I was flying wasn't putting a full effort into the hunt and go home without feeding them. That took care of the problem. The next time they went hunting they generally caught the first one that flushed. The problem with Hope is that she does give it her full honest try each and every time, so I have been staying in the field too long.
This morning she got probably 10 or more slips. Some of them she would crash into the Sage, get back up and do it one to two more times, ending up with a chase that would cover a couple hundred yards. Lots of times, just this morning, she would throw her feet out only to have her wing catch on the grass or some Sage, and spin out. Or climb when they hid and turn over and smash into the bushes in an attempt to catch them inside the Sage Bush. That can be a devastating tactic, only she was "feathering her dive" and not knifing through the Sage. A Goshawk does it and makes it look easy, not so much with a Harris.
It was at this point that I finally realized why she wasn't adapting. She will, especially now that I understand that my "persistence" is preventing her from adapting. In other words she got Trophy's that she didn't deserve. I need her to catch the first one that jumps. She needs to think that there is no later, only now. You only become a winner after you have failed. So once I came to the full realization of what was occurring I made my way back to the car. She had at least four more opportunities at Jacks, and they all managed to get away. Not easy on their part but they were fit enough to make it so.
I got back home after an hour and a half in the field. I only gave her about three tidbits for the whole morning. She was a bit surprised when I put her back in the weathering pen. In fact she thought Jessie might make a decent meal and bated at her on the way to her perch. First time for that. I told her to think it over while she was sitting there.
The TV guy made it, and got our TV loaded up with the latest stuff, and headed back to town. He mentioned, in a wondering tone of voice, that he only passed about 25 cars on the way here.
Jessie was ready to fly, so I ran the drone up to about 240 feet, and it took some real effort on her part to get that altitude so that she could grab the lure.
I had called Tami and made a date to go hawking at the ranch at 4 PM. Karen and I went over at the appointed time and picked up Tami, her mother and youngest son. Her Mother had kindly agreed to carry Gabe while we hawked. Karen paced us on the two track with the car. I like being able to walk until we catch something, and not have to make all of that long walk back carrying a Hawk on my fist.
Yogi was about an ounce high, but time is not a luxury this time of the year. We were just going to have to muddle through the best we could. The very first thing into the field and a Jack jumped right beside the road. Hope crashed into the brush after him, he dodged, Yogi made a shot at him, he made another circle around the Sage and Hope took another shot at him, he ducked and she went right over his head. He jinked and zigged like a pro and eventually he had both of them grounded long enough to make his escape.
Yogi wanted to catch one in the worst way, but it was warm ( 67 ) and extra weight doesn't make for a lot of catches no matter the desire. Poor ole Hope was just doing what she has always done, burn em down and crash into the brush. Again she was getting up more than once. Both Hawks were trying hard, with no real success. We had several of those situations, and while fun and exciting for us none of the other participants were really liking it much.
The two birds together were doing so well. One would try, and the other would take her shot when the first missed. I began to see Hope making a few changes. Three different times she would find the Sage that the rabbit was hiding in and pin him down, waiting for us to get there to run him again. I first realized what she was doing when I saw her with her head in the Grease Wood peering around trying to find where he was hiding. Yogi used to do that, but this is the first for Hope.
They finally caught one and we aren't real sure which one it was, because the rabbit broke away and made good his escape. Both were on the ground when he got loose and neither one could figure which way he went.
We had walked about a mile or more, and finally a Jack jumped and hope just burned him down grabbing him just as he hit a big grease wood bush. Yogi went in after, so I though he should have been anchored pretty well. When we got there however Hope was the only one with rabbit in her feet. The Jack had drug her about under the bush and was on the opposite side from where he was caught. I had to stick my hand and arm into the bush to grab him and break his neck. I was much to busy to take any pictures until every one was secured and fed.
Grease Wood is pretty "pokey"
He had a run in with sombody!
Time for a little liver to celebrate.
I was pleased with the progress that Hope made today. It will take some time, and it will take letting her think on an empty stomach some of those times. All she needs is more experience, which you get by making mistakes.
You only get a little bit of time for Sunrises, It changes constantly.
We have had some bad weather, which means beautiful Sunrises and Sunsets. Its my pleasure to share with those less fortunate.
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