Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Bal Chatri Trapping

I've been doing a lot of surfing for videos lately, looking for any regarding bow netting, or Bal Chatri (BC) trapping of hawks. A different search on a different day will bring new videos you've never seen. I found this one, which is quite clear. It's almost a calm presentation of what is usually a very tense and exciting time, back at the car, behind the binoculars, as we watch to see if the hawk is caught. As you can see, it takes quite awhile until the hawk truly demonstrates that it is caught, so the falconer doesn't move in right away. I'm impressed that even though this hawk may have been caught early on it's time on the trap, it continues to be VERY interested in that rat. I told Rich this also demonstrates one vital piece of equipment our trapping has lacked . . . a camera!

BTW . . . I'm getting very excited about this next trapping season. There is still a month and a half to go until it opens, and at least 2 before I can reasonably hope to see passage red tails . . . but kestrels should be more easy to find by late August. I'm also going to be sharing the experience with a new apprentice . . . infecting him with my own enthusiasm (obsession). It's a good "disease" to transmit to the right people.

2 comments:

  1. that must be the worst BC in the world. I've never had to give a bird more than 5 seconds or so on one of my traps before it was snagged.

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  2. It's possible the hawk was caught early, but didn't "show" that it was caught, so focused on that rat. But yes, it may also be that it took a long time to snag. It seems like a fairly small area for nooses. My favorite old trap is cone shaped, so the hawk snags quick, and it is obvious when it does.

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