The season is over.
I’ve reorganized the falconry closet. The lures, creances, scales, and such from hawks and falcons past aren’t needed as much now. A hawk such as Smash reduces things to their simplest; glove, bag, and pole with a few clips and a bit of leash. I did not once use bells, whistle, lure or telemetry this season. I could tell from the start that I wouldn’t need much in the field.
His numbers aren’t as impressive as those he has had in the past with far better and more experienced falconers than me.
His numbers have impressed the hell out of me.
Prior to Smash, I would be happy with 3 or 4 kills in a week. With him, that is the output of a relatively effortless hunt.
We began on January 13th and hunted regularly until February 20th, when I came down with the flu. We snuck in one more hunt for the season before I had to hang it up. In all, we hunted 14 times, taking 24 head. We had three hunts with nothing taken because we hunted in empty fields. The high take was five in less than an hour on a very windy day with me barely able to walk due to fever.
Harris hawks are, by nature, prolific hunters. They can be quite tame and affable or prone to some quirks of nature and temper than can make them difficult to handle. Smash’s pedigree favors the former.
I know of his ancestors by reputation. His line is one of hawks who are known for “tameness, trainability, and an unbelievably insatiable appetite. Birds from this line will eat until they can’t see their feet, and will continue to hunt with enthusiasm.”
From my limited experience, I know this to be true.
I feel more than a little guilty that I didn’t get him out more. I will be better prepared for the next season, the lessons learned are many.
The old saying that falconry is not a hobby, but a way of life becomes even more true when you have a hawk such as this. I have gradually become less focused last few years; other things have edged in to take away more and more of my time.
Time is the most precious resource of falconers, more so than the perfect hunting field or the rare day when all weather conditions are right.
Nothing else counts if you don’t have time in the field with the hawk.
We had a short season, but it was, for me at least, time well spent.