Hunting with raptors – the falconer’s art

David Ascot, a falconry expert and enthusiast from Madoc, brought two Harris Hawks and a Peregrine Falcon to a meeting of the Conservationists of Frontenac Addington (COFA) on March 27. 

The first bird that he brought out was a female Harris Hawk, by the name of Sarah.

Sarah did some squawking, but using small pieces of meat, Ascot was eventually able to coax Sarah into flying from hand to hand, and many people in the audience were able to have the experience of having a bird of prey land on their gloved hand.

“The only control I have over the bird is if it’s hungry,” said Ascot, who added that he keeps careful track of the weight of his birds when training, to ensure they are hungry enough to want to hunt without being so hungry that they are too weak to hunt. The birds are also allowed to gain weight in the winter.

“There is a lot to learn about the birds,” said Ascot, who has been training birds for over 20 years, and takes them out to hunt for wild turkeys, geese, ducks, rabbits and other animals.

Harris Hawks are not native to Eastern Ontario, which Ascot said is an advantage, because if he releases his birds and they get lost, Harris Hawks don't look like any other hawk. “These birds are smarter than dogs, and they live to over 20 years,” Ascot said.

He takes his birds out all over eastern Ontario, preferring wide open locations, where he can watch them hunt.

David Ascot also brought out his Peregrine Falcon, which is smaller than the Harris Hawk. Back in Madoc, he has different breeds of birds, which he did not bring with him.

“Just to watch the birds, and see the way they fly and hunt, that's the greatest pleasure of the sport,” Ascot said.

Although some people say Falconry is cruel to birds, David Ascot points out that his birds can live up to 20 years, and in the wild birds of prey have a 95% fatality rate in the first year of life.

Judging from the reaction of people in Cloyne, he has a few converts to his sport.