Have you ever heard the sounds of crunching dry foliage of the winter under your footsteps? Have you seen a Redtail plummet from the tree line to smash into a loping rabbit, only to see it bounce off the ground? Reality then settles in; this animal just did something if you attempted, would have caused you to die. Have you ever been driving home after a late evening hunt, enjoying the music on the radio, easing into the comfort of the trucks seat, enjoying the heat from the dash vents and then upon wiping your wet nose from the cold experience of the outdoors, you smell the rabbits pungent odors on your hands from your hawks last victim? Have you ever heard the sound that a squirrels claw make as it is ripped from the trunk of a tree by a swooping Redtail? Can you remember the sound of a rabbit squealing in dense cover as a Redtail squeezes whats left of the air from its fragile lifes lungs? Have you ever had these experiences? No doubt you have, and they certainly must be some of the best things you can experience in falconry.

I started my falconry experience like most. I started with the Kestrel and the Redtail. The first time I saw a Redtail, a falconer named Carl Barbee was flying two of them. Carl had them both only two weeks, they however were rabbit catching machines. I remember the first wingover, hesitation, and return stoop all in one, and as the Redtail looked over its shoulder with that cold pale eye fixed intently on the rabbit, I said then, at that moment, "Oh my! I must have one of these, which will be the only hawk I will ever need!" That is where I made the right decision. I named my first Redtail Herman. She was a neglected hawk a wannabe falconer housed in a dog crate for a period of time. She was a tattered sight of a Redtail that I had all intentions of releasing. All she had going for her was that she was large and as she was moulting for her imminent release.  I could see she was a striking specimen of an Eastern Typical Red Tailed Hawk. Because of this I decided to keep her. AFTER the moult and a few loads of antibiotics from my mishandling techniques, I caught over 100 head of true game- squirrels and rabbits that first season, and that was with a nominal amount of time spent hunting.

I have learned so much in falconry. First, I have learned that you must move slow, so the hawk isnt threatened by you while on a kill. You see Carl wasnt the first hawker I had seen hunting with hawks, I had been out with a ton of Harris hawkers, and I had seen many of them rip the rabbits right out from the hawks feet, then throw the hawk back up into the tree, and slay another rabbit, except for Keith Thompson. Now I had been to the famous hawking grounds of Fox Hill with Keith, and I saw his duo of Harris hawking game, and when Keith took the hawks kills from them he moved like Molasses on a cold winters day. I just thought perhaps it was because he was very old and it was cold outside, certainly thats why that he moved so slowly. Actually,  I was seeing experience of many, many, years of proper handling at work. Did I say many, many years? Yes I meant to say many, many years old he was at that time (approximately ten years ago). Anyway as I was saying, I learned from Keith not to jerk the game from the hawks feet.

I also learned that if you want to get one of the best game hawks of the United States all you need is 10 bucks. Thats 2 bucks for a mouse, 5 bucks in gas, 1 buck for a soda and 2 bucks for a sack of gummie bears, and usually with an hour or two you will have a passage Redtail with a little searching. Now thats investment!

Now one of the very best things that happened after I started hawking was this: I went out hawking with every possible type of hawkers. I went out hawking for years with Tracy Dewitt. I watched ducks die in the feet of his Peregrine in every possible type of weather, flush, and species. I have also seen his passage Coopers bind to quail on the rise and on the run. I have witnessed  his Eyass Sharpie catching the same, plus starlings and the like. I have seen Chris Patterson and Mike McDermott catch all variety of game with eyass Goshawks, Cooper Hawks, Sharpies, and chamber-raised Harris hawks. I have seen Rob Lyttles "Silver Arrow" the Finnish Goshawk demoralize all manner of field life from quail, pheasant, and the cottontail as well as his Redtails pound cottontails with all seriousness. I saw Tim Sullivans Goshawks catch cotton tails on the snowiest days, which always seemed to be the times we hawked alone and always split company for fear we wouldnt get home safely. I have seen Fred Reinhold, who taught me so much about this wonderful sport, do things with Harris Hawks that probably sets a Gold Standard for falconers. And if I were to relate all the things that I want to say these people have taught me in this journal there certainly would not be enough room.

Where things really changed for me in this sport, was the day my dear friend Ted Glowczwski introduced me to a dear friend named Tony Taylor. Now Tonys kids were just little then. Tony at that time was driving his van full of kids, hawks, and DOGS. Oh boy here is where things really went for a change! Tony and I spent several seasons getting to know one another, but as mentioned, the first time I met him, he had dogs with him. Tony explained to me for years he had hunted only as himself and the kids as flushers for the game; however he had discovered from a friend of his that dogs really made a difference. Well I retorted, because Fred always swore you didnt need a dog if you just barked and yipped every once in a while, Fred had reasoned that certainly makes rabbit bolt for the next county. Tony told me "no way THIS is THE way to go." I was at first very reluctant. At first I thought, "What do you mean a dog helps the hunt with a Redtail?" Really I suppose that I really didnt want something else to take care of. All it took was two hunts with Tonys marvelous team of Jack Russell Terrorists, I meant terriers, to convince me of the fact this was the way to go! Tony had a list of people waiting; well this is what he said at least. Now I am certain looking back at it all, that he actually knew if he sold me a pup, he wouldnt see me for some time, since I would have a need filled (i.e.: a new Jack Russell Pup) I am convinced now that Tony really enjoyed watching my old Redtail Herman latch onto my hands while on kills.He loved to laugh at that. Thats ok, because I loved to take photos of him in compromised situations with his Harris hawks. I also liked winning bets against him on the species of perched hawks on our outings.

Now back to the Dogs. Had it not been for Tony and his family who picked out my Jack Russell from his bitch Jackie, I wouldnt have the hawking experience I have today. If you dont hunt with a dog under your hawk, go out hawking with a experienced Jack Russell- Hawk team! Then decide on what you want.

I have had the opportunity to hunt with a variety of my own hawks and falcons. I have also enjoyed the company of other peoples hawks as well, and this includes every species of native, as well as some non native accipiters. I have enjoyed the company of almost every native falcon and a few hybrid falcons. I have been in the company of the best of the broad wings, and this brings me back to right what I have written this all about.

What about those Redtails? They are the Chevy Trucks of falconry in Missouri! They are inexpensive, tough, reliable, and hard to kill, plus only get better with age! Now I've met some people out in the Kansas City area, one of them is Bob Payne. Bob came to stay for a weekend almost 10 years ago, he taught me a few things he learned, and I taught him a few things I learned. He taught me how to be gentle with hawks. I on the other hand taught him how to hunt in the suburbs, we became good friends. He hunts with the famous Redtail named Schmoe. I could say how great Schmoe is, and relate many things to you about how she kills all manner of furred quarry. However my grammatical skills would not do her justice. All I can say to do Schmoe and Bob justice is to call Bob, go hawking with he, Schmoe, and Rosie his Jack Russell Terrier, and his best flusher Stephen ( Stephen the natural born slayer of trophy buck) and you will see what I mean. I am sure that Earl King, another dyed in the wool Redtail hawker, also had a hand in the development on Bob opinions of Redtails as well.

There is one last person that I really want to mention that has taught me so much about falconry, and hawk trapping, and I am certain no one else has the knowledge, intimacy, and insight of the Redtailed hawk. This is Dave Eckenroth of St. Louis, Missouri. Dave has hunted with red tails exclusively since the mid 1970's. He mainly hunts with only the largest powerful females and usually only keeps them for the passage year of their life. He has deep insight into the Redtail, and is threatening to actually write a book on this very subject some blustery winter! I would really like to relate some of his insight perhaps even his knowledge as to even distinguishing the sexes apart from the way they eat rabbits! However, I am going to leave that for him. Call Dave, ask him to go hawking with you and see what I mean about intimacy with Redtails. His secrets on all the idiosyncrasies on the marvelous Redtail, I am leaving for his printed word.

 I suppose that all I am really trying to commit to paper is that I have had many opportunities in a short period of time to see an array of the highest quality trained falcons and hunting hawks. In my estimation out of them all, the Redtailed Hawk has been a most pleasurable falconry experience. If you are just coming into the sport, and life called Falconry, this is my personal welcome to you. If you have been around for some time and have settled into your own niche of hawking, tell the rest of us about it, we would love to hear your experiences.

THIS IS MISSOURI FALCONRY !!!