Oct 6th Opening Duck and general all around fun.

PUD AND YOGI

This morning we decided to hunt here at the house, since we weren't finding that many in last years spots. I didn't let the Chickens out since we were going to start at 9 am. It was a bit nipply, but we all dressed up for the hunt. Isabel came with Tami this time, leaving Grace to baby sit.

Unfortunately I underestimated the amount of food that Yogi needed the other day and she was a bit too light to enjoy the frosty morning. She wasn't on her best game, and Puddy still hasn't decided that she wants to put forth the effort required to catch a big Jack. Both were fluffed up and resisting my enthusiasm.

Yogi of course went first to the Chicken pen, and of course Puddy went as well. We walked on without them, letting them find out on their own that it was a waste of time. Puddy finally saw the light and joined us. Eventually Yogi came as well. We had a few chases, but it was obvious that Yogi was not on her best game. We jumped a bunny at the rim rock over the creek and both birds took off. Puddy of course was burning up the air to get to it, but I was surprised to see Yogi pass her in the chase. ( I had always thought that Puddy was the faster because she is smaller. Apparently not so. ) The Bunny escaped them both. Yogi decided to try the Chicken house again. Of course when she landed about 5 Jacks took off in various directions that didn't have a hawk in them. By that time I was getting a bit crabby about the situation. Puddy came with us so we walked down and across the creek to try the other side. We didn't get into anything until we hit the heavy Sage on the bottom of the property. Finally after a few false starts, Yogi joined us again. Puddy took off across the creek and did a wingover in some tall stuff that I could not see well. She did not come up again. Yogi also flew over there and took a perch on a Telephone pole. I was pretty sure that Puddy had caught something, but I couldn't find her. She had been so far away and the cover so deep that I couldn't be sure where she was. We looked all over, on both sides of the creek, no Puddy, no indication where she might be. Finally after about 20 minutes Tami found her under the pole. She was lying down on the ground,       ( Tami thought she was hurt, until this beady little eye peeked at her) trying hard to hide the Bunny that she had caught.

It of course was stone dead, and she was so paranoid that she hadn't broken in yet. I offered her a front leg, but it was a bit small, and she wasn't sure she wanted to trade.

I finally convinced her to take it, and then gave Karen the other one to pick her up with, when she finished the first one.

John was having trouble with his allergies, and Karen was getting pooped, so they decided to make their way to the house. Tami, Isabel and I continued on, and crossed the fence into some better Sage. We had just barely started when we jumped a close Jack and the birds were off. Yogi made an extremely long sideways reach with her leg and had the Jack in the butt. She apparently followed up with a foot to the face. Puddy wasn't about to be left out and the Jack was anchored.

  Its a bit hard to believe, but there are two Harris Hawks and an Jack in that pile. It took me a while to sort it all out and get the birds and feet untangled.

I finally figured that Yogi had one of her legs in between the Jacks hind legs with her foot on his head. Then my problem was how to kill the Jack and both of them had all four feet on the Jacks head and neck. Not easy but I somehow managed without hurting either hawk. 

We got them sorted out, and Yogi got a LARGE portion of Jack rabbit, while Puddy got to eat her almost whole Bunny. A good start to the day.

JESSIE

Around 6 PM we picked up Jessie and headed out for the first day of Duck season. Things have been going pretty well with her this year. She has put on some muscle, and has been playing the game so far. Now it was time to get serious.

The young Golden that hunts here and at the house, was apparently feasting on a Jack Rabbit close to where we normally park when we fly the headwaters of Crooked creek. He got up and thankfully cleared out of the area for us. The dogs were ecstatic at getting to go hunting with us. This is Josie's first year, but she fell right into the game as though she had been doing it all along.

We crested the hill and found that the Lake was loaded with Ducks. Jess had taken a pretty good pitch over the pond and when they busted she was among them with enthusiasm. She apparently didn't get the shot she wanted and there were Mallards crashing into trees and flying through them in their frantic efforts to get back to the pond. She went back up and I flushed again. She picked out a Mallard hen and they disappeared behind the trees bordering the Lake. The dogs and I headed that way as fast as I could not knowing how far the Eagle had gone.

  

I helped her dispatch this nice hen and secured Jess, then backed off to let her eat.

Betsy stays with Jessie and is her guardian while she eats.  Josie was having a blast and getting as muddy as she could.

John and Betsy waiting for us to get out of the mud.

Its been quite a day, and we all walked off into the sunset, tired, dirty and very happy!

Yogi on fire

We had our first HARD frost last night. We had about 22 degrees this morning, and it was a bit hard for all us old retired folks to get going, but we managed to be ready when Tami showed up at 9 am to go hawking. I wanted to try the other area that was so good for us last year. Unfortunately it proved to have suffered from an over abundance last year. The numbers are way down.

Puddy was a bit higher than she really needed to be, but Yogi was right on and seems to be on fire. So far her count is 5 Jacks and one Chicken. Doesn't get much better than that.

Thankfully the temps came up a bit on our drive to the field. I re-established permission from the landowner, and we drove to our starting point. We had not gone more than 50 steps into the field when a Jack burst from cover, with both birds in pursuit. Yogi put him in, and as she has recently learned, clawed for height, turned over and crashed through the bushes, coming out with a Jack Rabbits head in her feet.

 I had pulled them out of the bush so that I could get things straightened out. You will notice that the Jacks feet are over Yogi's, trying to push her off, but she would not be denied.

I was able to break his neck and give Yogi her treat, while I got mine.

It was nice to get one so close to the car, because I was able to take the Jack back to the car rather than having to carry it for the rest of the morning. They do get heavy after a while, and this was a big Rabbit.

Yogi's treat consisted of a front leg, which in this case was fairly substancial, so now the edge was off Yogi, while Puddy's edge needed a bit more sharpening. She did try, but she picks her shots, rather than fly with abandon. There is a difference. We were jumping enough rabbits to keep our interest, just not enough to find a stupid one. Puddy did pull hair from at least one, and had three other close calls that could have gone either way.

We were bumping a fair amount of Bunnies, as the populations do not suffer the same declines at the same time. Of course Puddy was really hot for the Bunnies, but could not connect. Yogi is a much smarter hunter, and her time in the wild shows in the understanding of where game hides

and how they are going to act when they flee. It gives her a definite edge. Yogi managed to get her feet on a Bunny in one of the rock crevices, but it was not good enough to keep the Bunny from ripping out, leaving fur behind.

It is a lot of fun to see the two birds finally working with each other, and cutting corners on the game that out maneuvers one, to set up a strike of their own. Yogi on one Jack that Puddy turned, hit the ground so hard that she rolled in the dirt, coming up and trying again.

When we reached the car, Yogi got a hind leg to eat for her efforts, while Puddy only got a front leg for the whole day. She should be a bit more eager the next time she gets a chance.

Oct 2 Puddy and Yogi

Today it was the Harris' turn. We decided to go to one of our old fields and get away from the house and the Chickens. ( they have had a hard enough time) Puddy was a bit heavier than I would have preferred, but Yogi was right down where she needed to be.

We had been in the field only about five minutes when we jumped a Jack. Puddy decided that the Jack was too tough, but Yogi gave chase. When the Jack hid, Yogi again flared up, and finding him again slammed into him in the bush. When he screamed, Puddy changed her mind and went to help.

 The way that they have always worked is a source of amazement to me. If one grabs the head, the other walks away, but if one grabs the butt, the other anchors the head. That was the case here. Yogi had dove through the bush and had managed to get a foot on the Jacks Legs. The Jack then of course started screaming and trying to pull away, Puddy then dove through the rest of the bush and had the Jack with both feet by the head.

After things were sorted out, and each had a leg to eat, we took the opportunity to sit down and rest a bit. When Yogi finished, she joined us.

After we were all on our feet and hunting again, we had a couple more slips. Yogi was trying hard to catch anything that moved. Puddy was being sly and lazy and picking and choosing which flights she would actually try on. Finally we Jumped a Bunny, and Yogi was pushing hard to catch up. The Bunny hid, and again Yogi tried to gain altitude so that she could see him. She made a shot but missed. by that time Puddy had caught up and flew down to the ground. Nothing was heard, so I strolled up to Yogi to see if I could again bump the Bunny. Nothing around, but then I noticed that Puddy was lying down on the ground. I walked over to where she was, and noticed that she had one foot down in a hole, and it was fuzzy. I reached in and the Bunny managed to get loose. I having longer reach, blocked the other end and got the Bunny by a leg and pulled him out. Puddy was glad to relieve me of my burden.

Yogi in the meantime had gone after another rabbit. Karen got Puddy on the fist with a Bunny leg, and I cleaned the Bunny. John took my Tee Perch and went off to help Yogi.

We made our way back to the car, having spent 1 hour and 20 minutes on our hunt. It was getting pretty hot and both birds were hot and thirsty. Two rabbits are enough.

Pore ole Chickens

This is the Moon rise from last night, it was just too lovely to pass up.

The Hot tub had sprung a leak and we had to go to town to get some parts. I wanted to leave early so that I could get back to fly Jessie, so I was up before daylight doing the chores. One of which was letting the Chickens out and feeding every body. I had done so and was putting the Hawks out in the weathering area, when I heard a Chicken calling for help. It is not something that you can misinterpret. I was in the shop preparing to get Yogi, and looked out the side window towards the woodshed, and saw a Coyote run down and catch a Chicken. Luckily I had not yet untied Yogi, so I took off running for the house and a gun. I grabbed my 12 gauge double and pelted out the front door.            

The Coyote was a bit preoccupied, plus he was just outside the yard, so he barely had time to spit the Chicken out and start to run. The first blast spun him around and the second finished him. Both dogs had run over to see what I was so excited about, but I was able to keep them back from him.

I had just been out there and I always throw a scoop of feed to the Pigeons, and the Chickens. The Coyote managed to kill and eat one of the feeding Pigeons, and then decided that Chicken would  provide the main course.

This is apparently where he caught the Rooster, and it was where the screams were coming from. Somehow the Rooster got away from him and fled towards the house.

You can see the stream of Chicken feathers leading away.

This is where he ended up. He was just in front of the wood shed when he caught the Chicken.

I am pretty sure that I got the right one. He was really fat and in good condition right up to the time of the shooting. I was really surprised that he would be so bold as to come right into the yard while both the Dogs and I were out there fooling around. The Rooster limped off, still alive by some miracle.

After the dust cleared and I disposed of the body, we went on to town. When we returned at 4 PM I started looking for the Rooster. Karen retrieved him from the pool, which I had drained just the day before. Apparently one of his eyes was pretty swollen, and he fell in, and wasn't able to get out. At least he had water. Karen shooed him back into the Chicken house. Hopefully he will recover. There is one small chick missing, not sure if the Coyote got him or not. Time will tell.

Puddy fat and cranky, Yogi goes it alone

Jessie got another extended flight exercise this evening. She has been maintaining her slim figure, so she was again able to fly. This time she flew so far out that I could not see her any longer. She did not get out of radio range, but she was faint. When she decided to come back she had to sit down and rest a bit before she made it back.

John made it back from Elko, and Tami decided to join us for a "hawking fix". I went in to get Puddy, who was not too heavy, but just too cranky to come to the fist. Yogi had no such problem and we headed out.

The wind was blowing a bit, and the Rabbits were flushing a long way in front of us. We did a lot of walking before Yogi got an even break at a Jack. She took off after it and it hid on her. She cranked up in a steep climb, looking over her shoulder, and at about 25 feet, turned over and slammed into the Jack in a cloud of dust. It was the first time that she has carried out the maneuver to the end. It is one of the most deadly maneuvers in a Harris Hawk's bag. It is  almost always successful. She had hit it in the head as well, and with both feet. Unfortunately my camera would not work, no matter how I tried.

She was so excited that she would not relinquish the rabbit, so I let her eat all she wanted before I picked her up. John and Tami went off to explore an old turn of the century ranch house. It was a long walk home, but well worth it.

Puddy catches her first one, and a typical cluster %$#@^&*%

Jessie

Jessie this year has been suspiciously nice. So far things have gone so well that I am very wary. I am also trying hard to ride this streak for as long as I can. Yesterday she was sore from all the flying that she did the day before, and contented herself with just flying around at about 100 feet and coming to the lure just like a trained bird. Today she felt better and played on the wind, sometimes so far away that she kept winking out. She finally tired and came back flying straight at me wanting the lure. She was content to grab it the first time and sit there to regain her breath.

I also sat there waiting for her to eat. When she finished I offered her the rest of her meal on the fist.

A great exercise day for her. She is building strength fast, probably too fast. Duck season better hurry up.

Yogi and Puddy

Tammy was fulfilling a promise to Grace by taking her to a Concert of her choice. (Birthday present) John H was off visiting a friend in Elko Nev. so that left Karen and myself to hunt the Harris'. The only problem with that is Karen's Stamina, we were going to have to hunt around the house.

I have two groups of Chickens. One is captive, the other has the run of the place, but generally go in of the evening. I had intended to go to one of the lumps of a hill about 1/2 mile away to get out of temptations way. Karen started pooping out, so we turned back towards the house. The HH's had a couple of flight and some close chases in spite of the rather stiff wind blowing out of the north. We went down by the creek quite a ways from the house, and I jumped a Bunny. Puddy was with me and she burned it down in nothing flat. Her first kill of the year!

I gave her a front leg off it, and we went on with Yogi trying to find something for her to chase. Puddy finally finished her leg and joined us. As we walked down by the creek, working our way back home, we had only one chase down there. As we got closer to the house, I asked Karen how she was doing. As she was telling me that she was about done, Yogi took off after a Jack running up to the house. She soon stalled out and sat on a fence post. Before Karen and I could make any plans, the air was filled with Chicken squawks, soon to be followed by a stream of invective from me. I did my best sprint up the hill, and arrived in the yard to find a Hawk sandwich. She had both Hawks on her. I was a bit too busy to take pictures, so you are just going to have to use your imagination.

I tossed a Jack front leg for Yogi, which she gladly accepted, then another for Puddy, which also worked after a bit. The chicken was stuffed between my legs and under my butt, to keep her from getting caught again. In the accomplishment of that particular feat, sweet little Puddy grabbed my bare right hand, causing the air to suffer once more with feeling. Karen was finally able to hold and feed Yogi and disentangle me at the same time. All the while there was a Jack Rabbit frozen in place with very big, big eyes, watching the whole incident. He may swear off grass forever.

 As for the Chicken, she survived. Might be a bit cooler tonight however. She is also one of my Mothers that I fostered three chicks with. Just glad that Yogi caught her rather than one of the chicks.  Other than that it has been pretty boring around here.

Flight to the Jordan Craters Lava Flow

I decided that today was the day that I was going to document the hidden lakes in the Jordan Craters Lava Flow. I flew them before we ever moved here, but haven't been back with a decent video camera until today. The Drift is so handy because I can turn it on and off in the cockpit, saving batteries and saving editing time. My last camera was either on or forever off. The batteries were very expensive and all in all a pain in the butt. Unfortunately the day was very smoky from all the fires. The weather and the Wind in Sept is about the only time that you can count on mild winds, and longer comfortable flight time. Unfortunately the visibility could have been a lot better. All the fires in Oregon, Idaho and California are making things hazy at best.

The area here is one of frequent Volcanic eruptions. Most of the land is covered in some kind of Volcanic rock, or soil. On the way to the flow I passed over numerous vent holes and older ropy lava flows. The Jordan Craters flow is thought to be only 2500 years or so old, and it is young enough that it has not broken into the normal jumble of individual rocks that one generally associates with these flows. The tops of the lava is "smooth" at least for Lava. There are spots in the flow that have sunken in, or better still the lava tubes have fallen in at certain spots, and the wind has filled them with blown dirt. The birds and the wind have "seeded" them with every thing from reeds to trees.

https://vimeo.com/50340550

This link will take you to the video. The password is as always, owyheeflyer  For some reason the original movie that I recorded had some kind of flaw in it and would not upload until I redid it.

Here is the spot page that recorded my flight, sending a location every ten minutes. Of course each sending is shown as a straight line, but at least the wife would have an idea of where I was if something happened to me.