Dec 12th

 I have been "exclaiming" about the rarity of Hope's attitude and willingness to hunt at any weight for some time. Apparently I neglected to explained why that is so "amazing". I was asked recently why Hope was reluctant to get on the fist in the new mews. I hope the answer below will clear some of that up. Unfortunately by using "copy and Paste" the formatting has changed, so this one will not be the normal appearance that you are used to. Too tired to figure it out.

Hawks get used to a routine. If you change it up, they become cautious. Jessie would not stop screaming at me if I changed hats.- Cowboy hat-- ball cap. With Hope - an open enclosure- to a dark room with a little window to fly through.

Most raptors do not hunt when they are above a certain body weight- which is different for each Hawk. Most generally that weight would not be more than 10 percent above a zero fat condition. Hope's zero fat condition weight is 870 grams. Thus her ideal hunting weight should be somewhere between 870 and with a top response weight of about 950. Generally when a Raptor gets close to their top weight, they began to get independent and start screwing off.- not taking the hard shots- getting very selective about what they chase, and just generally showing a reluctance to put out any real effort to actually catch something. I look at it as a "checks and balance system". By not hunting when they are not actually hungry, the prey supply is only used to satisfy their hunger and nothing is wasted. Weasels kill for fun, Hawks for necessity. Great Horned owls will often get into a pigeon coop and kill everything in there, Hawks generally do not. Of interest to me is that Great Horned Owls are reputed to be one of the only raptors to have to relocate due to having wiped out their prey base.

Harris hawks are different from all other raptors in that they are a "social" raptor that will form social bonds with others of their own kind. The young of last year will often help raise the next year's clutch. They will cooperatively assist other Harris's catch food that they have little to no interest in eating themselves. The last time that Hope killed she weighed 1042 grams. That is an unbelievably heavy weight for a bird of her size to want to hunt. She could go for probably five or more days without eating before she would be getting to the point that it would be absolutely necessary to eat something. Harris Hawks like to hunt, and therefore under the right conditions will continue to hunt long after their hunger is satisfied.

So when I stuck her in a strange place, and then try to call her to me, it is perfectly natural for her to be very cautious and indicate to me that she isn't hungry enough to go hunting. Yet when I eventually do get her on the fist, by "hook or crook", nothing changes about her hunting style or result. She still wants to hunt. She just doesn't need to! If she was actually hungry, she would be hanging on the wire and on the fist as soon as it was presented.

Today is her normal hunting day. I hunt every other day, and when she kills she gets almost all she can eat. I could hunt her every day, most people do. If I did I would have to regulate how much she gets to eat. That would change her whole attitude about me and hunting. The important part is that her crop is empty, so a snack is not out of the question. This way, the hunts are the best thing that ever happens to her. It eliminates one aspect for her and that is the need to regulate her weight. Now, the only element that regulates her success rate is if she is trim enough to make the twists and turns necessary to bring a healthy Jack rabbit to bag. If she doesn't kill, she doesn't eat, and we would hunt the next day until she did kill. This to me is what Falconry is intended to be, a contest between two species at the top of their game. Its not fun if its too easy. Right now the Jacks that are still out there have been winnowed down to the point that there are little to none left that are dumb, slow, or just plain unlucky. Every thing is trying to eat them, Eagles, Hawks, Coyotes and Bobcats. They are athletes that are exceedingly smart and tricky. I noticed today that all the Jacks that I jumped did so after the Dogs had gone by, and I was past them before they jumped out to make a run for it. They are masters of "body language", and they can tell if they have been spotted. If I pause every 20 yards or so, they don't know if I saw them or not, and they will break cover. They always run into the wind and uphill if there is any chance to do so. Twists and turns that would make you dizzy. Their intelligence and ability to survive are pretty impressive. She doesn't catch them all, but today she managed to catch the 5th one that jumped.

She was a little better today when I went out to get her. I suspect that she is a bit lighter in weight. I didn't weigh her when I did get her on the fist. We just went hunting. The Cows are now all over the place here, and a brief "stampede" gave us our first opportunity. The Jack dazzled Hope with his foot work and disappeared through the Sage.

My driveway goes along the top of a hill and meanders down to about 150- 200 feet below the ridge line. There is an Alkali flat on the other side of the hill with a couple of acres of Sage down by the creek. I had never hunted it, but I could see Rabbit trails headed that way. Today I determined that I would see if there was a little group over there that I had not molested as of yet. The answer is " not so much". I jumped two Jacks on a hike that was pretty darn steep with little to show for it.

I decided to cross back over and go on the other side of the runway. As we topped over the hill, Hope thought she had seen something and flew in a long circle down over the hill and made a circle down about 300 yards by some Cattle. As she started back, a Jack lost his nerve and broke cover. Both of the dogs had gone by him, but my stopping near him, spooked him and he lost his nerve. He ran down the hill as Hope started back up. I think he hadn't seen her at first, but he soon did, and took evasive action. He made about four laps in a 10 foot circle with the talons just fractions behind his butt, eventually stalling her out long enough for him to beat feet to the bottom of the hill. I laughed out loud at poor Hope, standing there watching him go. She was too tired to chase him any more.

I crossed another fence and started for the second when a Jack jumped again after the dogs had gone by, but this time she was rested and pissed as well. He didn't make it.

I hope that I have cleared this subject up finally, if not ask and I will try again.

The weather is about to take a turn towards winter. I am going to try to keep hunting her as long as I can, at least until the Rabbits begin working on next years supply of new Rabbits. We will see what happens.