This hunting season I trapped another hawk it turned out to be a Female Red Tail hawk. I named her Koto after my wife protested me naming her Madia. Two of her tail feathers were broken when I trapped her, but I didn't care to much about that because she was fearless, I trapped her in town harassing the local pigeons 
and causing hell to the city squirrels. As a wild hawk she didn't pay me any mind as I watched her closely one day hunting squirrels. Hawks who are accustomed to the city tend to be a lot more tolerant of people and the busy life that the city brings. It makes great for a hunting hawk. She has manned very nice and is very calm around people and dogs. All of these are big plus. Down here in GA we have alot of leaves that are still on the trees. It makes hunting squirrels really tough. However today she scored on a huge buck squirrel. That guy was fat. When I released her into the canopy I saw the squirrel shoot up the tree and Koto saw the squirrel jump into it's nest. Immediately Koto flew to the tree examining the nest 
for a few minutes. I guess she realized that there was a big huge squirrel in there and the risks might outweigh the benefits of slamming the nest. I shot a BB into the nest and that peaked her interest as it got the squirrel to move around in the nest. Koto Slammed the nest throwing her talons into it, but that ol buck squirrel grabbed her leather jess and pulled it into the nest. She had a look on her face like, "What the Hell!!" there was just a pause she didn't know what to do as the squirrel was holding onto her jess inside the nest. After a couple of minutes of analyzing the situation she became furious and started tearing the nest apart. The Big Buck Jumped from the nest circling the tree towards me with Koto in hot pursuit crashing through limbs. The squirrel stopped short of coming down the tree as him and I did some sort of Mexican standoff, He was just out of reach for a good stick whacking and would not move knowing Koto was on the other side. I pulled my daisy BB gun out so that I can pop him and get him to move and when I popped him he stood still holding his ground not moving an inch. Koto Swung around the tree to a branch to see what I was looking at and the squirrel immediately lept towards me. EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!! I jumped out of the way and Koto slammed the ground just missing the squirrel as it bounced from the ground and back onto the tree. But what do you know Ole Buck squirrel was too heavy to move faster than Koto was and she nailed it as it tried to scurry back up the tree. A great hunt and looking for many more this season. Now all I need is 4 more squirrels for my amazing stew.
and causing hell to the city squirrels. As a wild hawk she didn't pay me any mind as I watched her closely one day hunting squirrels. Hawks who are accustomed to the city tend to be a lot more tolerant of people and the busy life that the city brings. It makes great for a hunting hawk. She has manned very nice and is very calm around people and dogs. All of these are big plus. Down here in GA we have alot of leaves that are still on the trees. It makes hunting squirrels really tough. However today she scored on a huge buck squirrel. That guy was fat. When I released her into the canopy I saw the squirrel shoot up the tree and Koto saw the squirrel jump into it's nest. Immediately Koto flew to the tree examining the nest 
for a few minutes. I guess she realized that there was a big huge squirrel in there and the risks might outweigh the benefits of slamming the nest. I shot a BB into the nest and that peaked her interest as it got the squirrel to move around in the nest. Koto Slammed the nest throwing her talons into it, but that ol buck squirrel grabbed her leather jess and pulled it into the nest. She had a look on her face like, "What the Hell!!" there was just a pause she didn't know what to do as the squirrel was holding onto her jess inside the nest. After a couple of minutes of analyzing the situation she became furious and started tearing the nest apart. The Big Buck Jumped from the nest circling the tree towards me with Koto in hot pursuit crashing through limbs. The squirrel stopped short of coming down the tree as him and I did some sort of Mexican standoff, He was just out of reach for a good stick whacking and would not move knowing Koto was on the other side. I pulled my daisy BB gun out so that I can pop him and get him to move and when I popped him he stood still holding his ground not moving an inch. Koto Swung around the tree to a branch to see what I was looking at and the squirrel immediately lept towards me. EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!! I jumped out of the way and Koto slammed the ground just missing the squirrel as it bounced from the ground and back onto the tree. But what do you know Ole Buck squirrel was too heavy to move faster than Koto was and she nailed it as it tried to scurry back up the tree. A great hunt and looking for many more this season. Now all I need is 4 more squirrels for my amazing stew.
8 comments:
What a great hunt! Now if that new hunter of yours could just help me out with a couple of racoons that have started almost growling at us if we walk by when they're raiding the neighbor's squirrel feeder. They're a little too close to my walkway and I'm starting to wonder how a racoon stew might hit the spot one of these rainy evenings.
Rose-- Believe it or not I have the best recipe for coon. the finished dish is having the coon baked with yams. Coon is so delicious. It tastes like a mixture of the best roast beef and brisket put all in one. Were currently trying to get three that have been raiding our deer feeders. I know I may sound like a bit of a daniel boone, but Im a country boy at heart. And ohhh be careful around those minature bears, they will attack you. I knew of a woman in Jersey who had her calf ripped to shreds taking out the garbage and attacked by a coon. If you ever get squirrely and decide to take them, i'll give you the instructions on how to prepare it:)
Wow, that's fascinating. Do you freeze the squirrels in the meantime while waiting to have enough?
I love our squirrels (our house looks right into the treetops) so I don't think I could ever manage to hunt them. But I could definitely make me some baked raccoon. Those buggers regularly terrorize our chicken coop. And they're very bold, being urban raccoons. They even know which day is garbage day and you see them waddling back home on Monday mornings all fat and happy.
Robin-- Yes I freeze them, but I have to skin them right away and gut them. The bird loves the entrails she literally salivates when I pull those aside for her. I on the other hand clip the appendages off, head and skin right away and freeze the carcass. Raccoons are something else. The question is how can something that seems so innocent be so dangerous and delicious. But the fact is they are.My buddy AND I already have a plan. We are just waiting to execute. It should be fun.
Great story! I never thought about urban hawks being easier to man, but it makes sense.
Keep the stories coming.
Doug- Thanks for the Comment!! This is the third Hawk trapped in th city. There is a resident nesting pair here that puts out some monsters. My buddy and I call them 747s his girl that we trapped last year is doing wonderful and was at 1500g. I trapped her sister this year at 1250g, but this was before I saw th other sibling that was everybit of 1600g at th park down the street. She just killed an adult squirrel and was eating it as people walked around her. I got a little closer to her and she flew off with it clearing the canopies as she rose steady. Unfortunately she was later killed by a car as she ate her kill in the middle of the road and some Jack boot ran over her.
Those are some big red tails! I had one that flew at 60 ounces. Meanest girl I've ever worked with. She was terror on squirrels though.
I ended up having to transfer her though as she was getting real aggressive towards dogs and my own personal children. She was scary.
What an awesome post this was, and the comments/responses are fascinating! Found a pitbull song today and thought of you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtGT2apOlKw&feature=player_embedded#!
peace
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