Northern Goshawk Nest

[dagreatwhitehunter]

I'm trying to find a goshawk nest to aquire a nestling for the use of falconry.If anyone has seen any goshawks out in their travels in the bush i would be very interested in the locations.As they are generally very secretive bird and finding a nest is like finding a needle in a haystack. Please don't lecture me on legalities of this as all the proper permits have been secured. Thanks for looking at this thread and any info would be greatly appreciated.

[kgriz]

Forest licencees have to leave wildlife tree patches around any found....if its all legal it should be an easy task for somebody at the Moe or Forest Service to inquire and find you some locations.

[dagreatwhitehunter]

Thats a great idea, thanks Kgriz.

[Gunner]

I see them regularly throughout the year,they are perfect grouse killing machines.No nests tho' I'm afraid.Good Luck,Gunner

[Krico]

I must have seen 6 or 7 hawks on my drive from PG to Prince Rupert today. They like road hunting in spring too!

[BCrams]

I must have seen 6 or 7 hawks on my drive from PG to Prince Rupert today. They like road hunting in spring too!

I doubt they were goshawks though.

PM me which permits you have acquired. I'm quite interested. Like Kgrizz says - if you have the proper permits - there are means of acquiring goshawk locations or where to start looking for them.

[dagreatwhitehunter]

red tails probably

[Gunner]

I'm on the south slope of the Hunters Range,I see mature birds mostly through the late fall and winter,and immatures at transition times(spring & fall).My Labs put a mature female off a ruffie in December in my yard.She(must have been a female,she was huge) tried to pick the grouse up but couldn't the dog was there too quickly.She sat in a tree for an hour,then she dropped back on the grouse and ate it.Pretty cool!I've also watched goshawks take goldeneyes and crows on the coast,awesome birds. Gunner

[dagreatwhitehunter]

I'm on the south slope of the Hunters Range,I see mature birds mostly through the late fall and winter,and immatures at transition times(spring & fall).My Labs put a mature female off a ruffie in December in my yard.She(must have been a female,she was huge) tried to pick the grouse up but couldn't the dog was there too quickly.She sat in a tree for an hour,then she dropped back on the grouse and ate it.Pretty cool!I've also watched goshawks take goldeneyes and crows on the coast,awesome birds. Gunner

I'll hit up hunters range and play some nice male goshawk wailing calls.Hopefully I can get one to come investigate. Thanks

[bighornbob]

I'll hit up hunters range and play some nice male goshawk wailing calls.Hopefully I can get one to come investigate. Thanks

Just curious, if you have all the permits etc, can you just climb the tree and pull out a chick???

BHB

[KB90]

Just spent the last twenty minutes looking up falconry in BC. Pretty Cool!

How did you get into the sport?

[dagreatwhitehunter]

Just curious, if you have all the permits etc, can you just climb the tree and pull out a chick???

BHB

A minimum of one bird must be left in the nest unless there is three or more then at least 2 must be left.But to answer your question, yes. You dont just pay for the permit and get to go take birds. first you have to build a mews and weathering yard to house the bird and have it inspected before you can even apply for permits.

[dagreatwhitehunter]

Just spent the last twenty minutes looking up falconry in BC. Pretty Cool!

How did you get into the sport?

I read ""My side of the mountain'' when I was a kid, hooked on raptors ever since. It's best to find a falconer to ''sponsor'' you.

[KB90]

I've actually read that book as well when I was in elementary school!

Looks pretty cool, something to look into when I get my life going I guess :)

[bighornbob]

build a mews.

Had to look that one up and I thought I knew everything:)

So once you build the Mew and get it inspected what do the permits cost if you dont mind me asking?

As I dont know much about falconry, to me it still seems weird that you can go grab a chick. I assume the parents go nuts as you are climbing the tree and as a person looking in from the outside you would think that would be a form of harassing wildlife (especially one that is a threatened species). Like I said looking in from the outside, if you told a CO you were going to climb a tree and just snap a close up picture of the nest, I am sure you would get charged with harassment. Let alone climb up there and grab a chick of a threatened species??? You would think there would be breeders you could by a chick from?

Like I said I dont much on the subject but good on you for what sounds like you are living your dream:)

BHB

[dagreatwhitehunter]

Had to look that one up and I thought I knew everything:)

So once you build the Mew and get it inspected what do the permits cost if you dont mind me asking?

As I dont know much about falconry, to me it still seems weird that you can go grab a chick. I assume the parents go nuts as you are climbing the tree and as a person looking in from the outside you would think that would be a form of harassing wildlife (especially one that is a threatened species). Like I said looking in from the outside, if you told a CO you were going to climb a tree and just snap a close up picture of the nest, I am sure you would get charged with harassment. Let alone climb up there and grab a chick of a threatened species??? You would think there would be breeders you could by a chick from?

Like I said I dont much on the subject but good on you for what sounds like you are living your dream:)

BHB

The permits are a couple hundred. There are breeders, mostly in the states and a couple in canada however they are very hard to secure and the cost of importing is very expensive and the breeder has to be a licenced exporter.It can cost thousands of dollars doing this. Also getting a young chick allows you to ''imprint it'' make it think you are mom. And by taking a chick from the wild actually gives it's siblings a better chance at survival. As well as chick I would be taking. I beleive the statistic is around 70% that don't make it past there first year.

[RAMIFICATION]

there"s a nest where i'm working right now. the biologists will be setting up a squak box witch [when played] will piss off the birds and apparently dive bomb the box if anyone is home in the nest.they will be setting up a massive retention area around the nest if it is occupied.

[BlacktailStalker]

Very cool.
Keep us posted if you don't mind, I find this really interesting.
Love to see a pic of your new little goshawk and its home when you find one.
I imagine you take one preferably at a specific age ?

[BCrams]

there"s a nest where i'm working right now. the biologists will be setting up a squak box witch [when played] will piss off the birds and apparently dive bomb the box if anyone is home in the nest.they will be setting up a massive retention area around the nest if it is occupied.

Seems like an awful lot of time / effort and money. Just GPS it - and go back when the nests are supposedly occupied and do call / playback survey. If they're not using that nest - there's a good chance they built a new one within 500-1000 meters or so.

[luckynuts]

A fellow I went to elementary/junior high had goshawks used for falconry. Was pretty cool to see him and his birds in action. This was on the island many years ago. up here in FSj there is lots of Northern Goshawks especially right now. The redtails, crows and robins are starting to show up in numbers as well. Good luck with your hawk.

Maybe you could post a journal on here capture/raise/train etc. something like Progiude does with his wolf trapping thread.

Hey KB90/dagreatwhitehunter To funny I read the book too, you have no idea how many forts I made outta big old cedars and fir trees when i was a kid lol

W

[Mark_S]

I've been dive bombed by Goshawks numerous times when doing forestry layout work. They get quite aggressive when you get into the nest areas. I knew where several nests were about 5 years ago but I live a along way from there now and doubt I could find them these days. Good luck to you.

[BiG Boar]

Something I've always thought was amazing but the commitment is incredible! There is a guy in maple ridge that will let you handle his birds to see if you like it. $75 for a couple hours. Definitley on the to do.

[kyleklassen]

If i train an ostrich to hunt do you think that M.O.E would give me a deer permit for it???....I could even try different calibers maybe an emu for sitkas on the charlottes, then a magnum ostritch for my late mulie hunt.

[KB90]

Don't need no ostrich!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKlUSxgge3o

[dagreatwhitehunter]

http://youtu.be/XafAdkZIYKA golden eagles work well on goats too!

[silver fox]

Another good place to catch a young goshawk is to locate your local pigeon fancier or pigeon racer and ask him to let you know when one is hanging around his coop, it would be easy to trap one there and pick out a nice young bird that has already learned how to kill and hunt. Good luck , there beautiful bird.

[iwing]

I saw two today on a couple occasions, more than likely travelling too and from their nest travelling same directions each time. Seidner lake.

[bowhunterbruce]

years ago while i was learning to train animals for the motion picture industry i was given a coopers hawk to start training.it was totally cool finding out and learning all about our canadian raptors.
falconry is an incredible sport with amazing rewards when everything you teach them starts working.we also had a harris hawk that was fully trained on bunnys and what a hoot taking him out huntng.he would just follow us while we walked around kicking brush and bush's until a rabbit flushed ,then it was over with in seconds.
goodluck on your search.
next up go for a gyrfalcon up north
they are the most efficent of all the raptors i'm told and back when i was into it, aquiring them in both the yukon and nwt was possible the same way as in bc and alta.
the white phase is my favorite one,soooooo beautiful
bhb

[dagreatwhitehunter]

years ago while i was learning to train animals for the motion picture industry i was given a coopers hawk to start training.it was totally cool finding out and learning all about our canadian raptors.
falconry is an incredible sport with amazing rewards when everything you teach them starts working.we also had a harris hawk that was fully trained on bunnys and what a hoot taking him out huntng.he would just follow us while we walked around kicking brush and bush's until a rabbit flushed ,then it was over with in seconds.
goodluck on your search.
next up go for a gyrfalcon up north
they are the most efficent of all the raptors i'm told and back when i was into it, aquiring them in both the yukon and nwt was possible the same way as in bc and alta.
the white phase is my favorite one,soooooo beautiful
bhb

One of my friends has a white and silver gyrfalcon. Amazing to watch her fly.

[bowhunterbruce]

does your friend have her hunting yet

[dagreatwhitehunter]

Yep, She's very well trained however she just went into a breeeding program so she will be playing mom for a bit. He's also got 2 peregrines and a gyr/peregrine hybrid.All trained killers.