Ridge Runner
New member
My son and I were invited by our local friend Eid to go with him and a few of his mates out for the day to train there Falcons for hunting season. It is not like the hunting I am used to but what an experience. First thing they do once you get out into the desert is to set up a little base camp at the base of these beautiful sand dunes. Grant it they are not the mountains I’m used to but actually a beautiful sight as they rise out of completely flat desert scenery. Next thing they do is to attach a receiver device to the backs of the Falcons. Then the training begins. We had about 8 falcons between all the boys so they split up in groups of 2 and into the Land cruisers we go! Once away from the base camp they release a live bird, the first was a pigeon and once that is released they remove the head gear from the falcon and release the falcon. The chase is on! As the falcon is in hot pursuit of its prey so are you across the desert in the Land cruisers at 60MPH. To the untrained eye these would look like regular ordinary street land cruisers but once they pointed out a few of the added desert options it became plain to see that this is serious stuff. Added dual shocks on all tires special sand tires to make the ride smooth and for traction, extra batteries fitted, manual transmissions instead of auto, and a nice Halogen light fittings under the hood for lighting back at Falcon Camp. Let me tell you going through the desert at 60 MPH with one eye on the Falcon and one on the road and all the other land cruisers also doing the same as you are can be a bit nerve racking to a Greenhorn falconer! Anyways once the falcon has caught its prey it lands and you drive over to the spot to retrieve the bird. The falcon is rewarded some choice morsels from its prey and then put back in the land cruiser for the next bird to be released. The Next one came out of the box and I got quite a surprise to see a bull Sprig blast out of the box. Once he had gained a bit of distance the next falcon was released and in hot pursuit again. I never would have thought that a falcon could have run down the sprig but sure enough. After some great in air acrobatics by both birds the falcon had its prey with a sweeping midair grab. I wish I had my video cam but maybe next time. I was shown a few other tactics that they use for training and then it was back to camp for the traditional gathering around the campfire and story telling of the days hunting. I was amazed how we all shared that common bond of hunters around that fire last night. Even being 8,000 miles away and in a foreign country the hunting tradition and the comaradory of the the hunt lives in all of us that are fortunate enough to enjoy this pastime together. This was a special treat for me to experience and will add to the stories that we all tell around the campfire in our hunts. It is funny how last night around that camp fire two different worlds came together as one under the stars sharing this great pastime we are fortunate enough to share.HUNTING.
Happy trails
[ 02-07-2004, 03:20: Message edited by: Ridge Runner ]
Happy trails
[ 02-07-2004, 03:20: Message edited by: Ridge Runner ]
