| Show What's hats Doing inTHE in- in I THE GREAT OUTDOORS I By By Stan TUg Taggart art i I I r I rog r P. P Claude teaches high school In Salt Lake City Ills His hobby hobby hob hob- by Is falconry That Is he cap cap- ures wild hawkS h-awk and trains them to hunt for him Mr Claude a year 17 veteran of Increasingly popular sport Is the only person In Utah mah who has successfully controlled the th wild and imperious hawk to hunt and kill other creatures for him I met falconer Claude while he te was trapping hawKs In Lost Creek last week and persuaded him to fill me me l In la on the fundamental fundamental fundamental funda funda- mental of his ambi- ambi lous Ious sport spott He lie informed me that he goshawK cousin to the Coop- Coop rs r's and the tailed red hawk Is la he 10 local species which Is most ably equipped with ion on and nd temperament temperament for use usen use n falconry You Yon 81 are probably familiar with ith the goshawk a n large targe blue red eyed chicken thief thaUa just Juat us as Ava savage ravage n Rj nS he hI l This like demon bird will eVEln even at attack attack at- at tack hawks hawk of ot Its own o kind When properly the goshawk tOll gos I hawk Is LI a ft deadly hunter assaulting as- as 1 from ambush so to speak launching short range low altitude attacks attach from the concealment of t trees r e e s II and brush bruh The The g goshawk hawk rides on the fist of the falconer as ns he works I through tir gh Cover over and at the sight o of quarry catapults itself straight I I at Its victim instantly grapples I I I onto It with wickedly hooked I talons and kills This large Jarge t I goshawk I have at home is s powerful pow pow- I erful enough to crush erush a jackrabbits jackrabbit's ja krab- krab bits bit's skull Mr Claude commented commented commented com com- as he showed me a snapshot snapshot snapshot snap snap- shot of his majestic bird standIng stand stand- Ing proudly over the eyed bug-eyed carcass of a slain jack I How on earth do you go about training such a wild and sava savage bird I prodded Mr I Claude My first step after capturing capturIng capturing ing a goshawk he explained It is to place a II leather strap on Its legs This t serves served erve the same purpose as a II collar on a dog To this strap Is attached a II swivel onto which I can hook a II leash Then comes a very important phase of his training I don a heavy horsehide gloves place th the bird on my fist and then pro proceed proceed prop teed to keep him constantly awake for from 72 to 90 hours Of Ot course I n need ed the help of ot a friend to complete this project At first the bird Is very I alert and Is ready to fly at the t I I I I wink of ot an nn eye but after three or ar four di days ds s and nights of ot con enn constant slant lilt petting and fondling heIs heis he ho hoh Is h so broken down mentally that tbt he will eat tat from my hand fount I Then as days pass t f I gradually grad grad- wally ua teach ch him to tu come Orne further lurther for the food which I hold before him Two Jeet four Cour f feet t six feet until finally believe It or not I have the bird flying to my hand from a distance of 01 over feet At this point I I will often oUen require him to make 75 trips of feet during just jus one meal My next sep cep Is s to attach a alon along along lon long line lino to a rabbit and let my hawk attack and kill It t. t Then I immediately walk up Ut to It with fresh meat In my hand My Intention in intention In- In I Is to Impress upon the tha t I have ha come to help i f him hm art and not to rob him so that he wont won't fly away u upon n my nY ap I ranch Broach After pr c practicing this segment segment seg seg- 1 l ment of his adjustment many i times my bird finally learns to i waif with his victim until I appear appear appear ap ap- ap- ap pear on t the scene scene pr preferring the fresh meat ment I I bring in In my hand to that of the rabbit After Aher months of laborious training when training when rm Im confident that my haw hawk haic will kin kill and will stay Itay with Its Ita victim rather than fly Dy then sway away then and only then do I take him bins Into the field pursuit in of game I always keep my bird hungry hungry hun hun- gry enough to kill I keep a aleather aleather leather mask over his head to keep him from spotting pheasants or such things and Ive I've trained him to come when I whistle Then too I always have hove a small bell attached to his leg Jeg strap strop You see he may follow a rabbit Into t tall U grass or sometimes some some- times hell he'll ln c even follow one one down downa n a badges badge hole holc and under such circumstances' circumstances the sound of the bell helps me me meto to locate him The reward of the falconer Is 18 not the assassination atlon of birds and animals nor game In the bag but the emotion that comes from controlling a birdIn bird In Incomparably swift from train train- lag l-ig on one of natures nature's wildest crea crea- creatures tures i J The thrill of ot loosing a wild bird then having ayl h him come come m obediently abed obed fenny to hand that hand that Is the lure hare of falconry If II you you are having any Particular particular lar tar trouble with hawks on your farm fann Mr Claude would be very pleased to to trap live them Simply Simply Simply Sim Sim- ply notify me Stan me-Stan Stan |
