Sniper

[Taffy]

   

I'm a Master Falconer. I love this photo of my Harris' Hawk, Sniper, at 16 years old. We were pushing the brush in a sagebrush bowl for cottontail rabbits while he perched on a basalt outcropping waiting for a bunny to break cover. He was a kamikaze hunter! Sniper died of natural causes at 19 years old. He was the best hunting hawk I've ever had.

[Teckelhut]

That's neat! We use dachshunds to scare up rabbits.

[Nanno]

What a beautiful bird! I'm so sorry you lost him, but it sounds like ya'll had a great life together.

[nebs]

Wow Taffy! That's awesome. Sniper was a beautiful hawk. How neat to learn all these facts about others on this forum. My wife and I have always been interested in falconry, but realize it is more of a commitment than what we can do right now with our young family. Very cool!

[TOU]

Wow Taffy! That's awesome. Sniper was a beautiful hawk. How neat to learn all these facts about others on this forum.

I agree, so cool to learn this & he was a beautiful creature! I am sorry for your loss, that is a long time to work together. Hang in there!

TOU

[nebs]

Taffy, do you have any other raptors?

[joecool911]

That's neat! We use dachshunds to scare up rabbits.

Problem is that the hawk would probably dig his talons into the wiener dogs.

[Teckelhut]

That's neat! We use dachshunds to scare up rabbits.

Problem is that the hawk would probably dig his talons into the wiener dogs.

I really dont know much about Hawks. I only know about the Falcons that Susan and Wesley use when we are using the dachshunds to scare up the rabbits for them.

[Wordman]

That's awesome. Is 19 years a typical life span of a flying predator?

[Taffy]

My hawks have all learned to hunt with their own dogs. It actually ends up me being a chauffeur for the hawk(s) and the dog. We'd arrive where we were going to hunt then I'd let the hawk(s) loose and then let the dog out. They'd key in on each other and the hunt was on!

The oldest actively hunted Harris' Hawk I know of was 23 when she died. In the wild about 90% of raptors die within the first year. Raptors used in falconry tend to live longer because they don't face the dangers 24/7 that a wild raptor faces.