Falconry, Good/Bad?

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by Jonny

Cheers Pet, yes Alan was right Harris Hawk, they are one of the easiest to train apparently..........

Hehe, is there a story behind that statement by any chance?

[Jonny]

Originally Posted by Gaina

Hehe, is there a story behind that statement by any chance?

No not at all, I was doing a drive for someone who had the hawk and he told me all about them, and let my boy hold it, which was nice of him, apart from that, I know nothing about falconry.........

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

I wish I was just a bit younger or maybe a bit more streetwise or brave or scarey because I'd love to train up as a badger baiter assasin.........
That would be great... all in black... (or full camou - dependant on location) big gun - bigger silencer.....

Stalking the country picking them off one by one when they least expect it - maybe leave some kind of calling card - some badger hair tied with a black silk ribbon....

I'll never understand how someone can get pleasure from torturing an animal - not just hunting it and killing it in a rubbish manner - but actually properly hurting it on purpose to see it suffer and then to draw out this suffering. The worst it seems they can currently expect is a lousy three months in jail I can't help but wish they were left as a chalk outline

is this very evil of me?!

No its entirely understandable - bagsy I get to be your sidekick - although your biggest problem will be that these days a lot of baits dopnt happen in the countryside - instead terrier men are paid to source the badgers and the baits take place in disused buildings, etc. The RSPCA had one "lovely" case where a school caretaker ran a bait in the school hall using gym benches to form the fighting arena.

these people are scum and a quick head shot is too good for them - but what i'd like to do sinks to their level - I wrote a novel about badger baiting once where at the end the boss baiter gets ripped apart and eaten alive by his own dogs ( I couldnt get a publisher sadly - maybe oneday)

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by Jonny

No not at all, I was doing a drive for someone who had the hawk and he told me all about them, and let my boy hold it, which was nice of him, apart from that, I know nothing about falconry.........

Ah, sorry I thought from the photo that you were a falconer .

[Jonny]

Originally Posted by Gaina

Ah, sorry I thought from the photo that you were a falconer .

No No, would love to have a go at it, that guy was really selling it to me. He took his hawk out for a walk each day, he would walk and the hawk would follow him, how cool is that, he also coppied loads of his video's for me to watch, nice bloke...........

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by eeyore

No its entirely understandable - bagsy I get to be your sidekick - although your biggest problem will be that these days a lot of baits dopnt happen in the countryside - instead terrier men are paid to source the badgers and the baits take place in disused buildings, etc. The RSPCA had one "lovely" case where a school caretaker ran a bait in the school hall using gym benches to form the fighting arena.

these people are scum and a quick head shot is too good for them - but what i'd like to do sinks to their level - I wrote a novel about badger baiting once where at the end the boss baiter gets ripped apart and eaten alive by his own dogs ( I couldnt get a publisher sadly - maybe oneday)

There are known badger baiters .... someone somewhere has a list and not enough evidence.......
all i need now is my invisibility cloak..........
Now where did I put it....

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

There are known badger baiters .... someone somewhere has a list and not enough evidence.......
all i need now is my invisibility cloak..........
Now where did I put it....

just mug a passing hobbit for his magic ring

[Gareth W]

Gaina, predator and prey in perfect balance,I dont think so.If these pets fail to catch a wild bird no doubt their owners will feed them, so they remain in peak condition. Our wild birds have to cope with food shortages and the weather. How many of this year's wild raptor chicks will survive their first winter. While the pets are nice and cosy in their aviary.

Im ok with falconary providing these birds are not flown at our wildlife. Gareth

[Chrisg]

Falconers largely do fly their birds at the local wildlife as a form of pest control.

Pigeons and gulls for instance stay well clear of an airport if they've seen a falcon in the area, falconers are frequently paid to provide this service. Crop farmers too welcome both falcons and hawks as a way of helping control pigeon and rabbit collonies.

One other point, the pleasure for most falconers is not in the kill but in seeing the bird fly.

ChrisG

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Chrisg

Falconers largely do fly their birds at the local wildlife as a form of pest control.

Pigeons and gulls for instance stay well clear of an airport if they've seen a falcon in the area, falconers are frequently paid to provide this service. Crop farmers too welcome both falcons and hawks as a way of helping control pigeon and rabbit collonies.

One other point, the pleasure for most falconers is not in the kill but in seeing the bird fly.

ChrisG

Personally I have no problem with falconry for bird scaring even if the odd bird is caught because it's one of the most effective methods - When I was working at RAF Lakenheath there was a man in a little blue van with a harris hawk that scared the birds away from the runway and he did a brilliant job. I can see that perhaps in certain habitats pest control might actually be more humane and efficent with a bird that lamping by a skilled professional gamekeeper.

My own personal yardstick for this sort of thing is to consider if there is a more humane and still efficient way of killing something, if there is then that is how it should be done. If there isn't then it seems ok to me.