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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,874
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2003
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It's a long winter; hunt them while you can! How many rabbits are in the freezer?
Thanks for posting.
RS
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,499
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,499 |
Keep posting as long as you keep them out this season, a lot of us really enjoy your pics.
There is no way to coexist no matter how many bumper stickers there are on Subaru bumpers!
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690 |
47 rabbits in the freezer as of yesterday. more than a year's supply. I do think I could squeeze in another 6-7 but after that we'll truly be giving them away... current tally on from our logbook Total Jacks 40 Total Cottontail 7 Total mice/vole 12 Total Other 1 Overall Total 60
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 5,499
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 5,499 |
Great pics and thanks for sharing UL! Quite the crew you have there as well! Always enjoy your posts and pictures, definitely captivating!
Bob Enjoy life now -- it has an expiration date. ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 39,301
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 39,301 |
Thanks again for the beautiful pictures and the continuing education. I go to a Friday men's group at church Friday mornings and the first thing I look for when I come home is your posts.
The first time I shot myself in the head...
Meniere's Sucks Big Time!!!
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690 |
yw Scott! I have high hopes for the new kestrel. He's coming along about 30% faster than any of the females we've trained!
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Joined: Nov 2003
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,874 |
What will be the kestrel's main prey?
RS
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690 |
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690 |
and during the summer, dragonflies and giant grasshoppers. we've had great fun releasing dragonflies in the house for the kestrel(s) to hunt!
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 39,301
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 39,301 |
We had one living in our neighbourhood years ago that would grab sparrows out of the bushed right in front of us. I loved to watch is dive down and hit the camellia bush and scare a sparrow out only to dart over the bush and grab the sparrow.
The first time I shot myself in the head...
Meniere's Sucks Big Time!!!
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690 |
Kestrels are often though of as "Apprentice birds" , in that most states force apprentices to chose between a kestrel and a red tail for those first 2 years. Once that period is served / endured, most peeps "move up" to "sexier" birds like peregrines or prairies or goshawks (unwisely IMO) I'm somewhat of an outlier there, as I've had at least one kestrel every year -- and probably always will. they've got a super attitude and you can hunt successfully **literally** in a suburban back yard
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 18,215
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 18,215 |
47 rabbits in the freezer as of yesterday. more than a year's supply. I do think I could squeeze in another 6-7 but after that we'll truly be giving them away...
Do the hawks get the whole rabbit, guts and all.? I guess I'm wondering if you clean all those rabbits before freezing...
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690 |
they eat everything but the GI tract. an adult jackrabbit will last them a week, a cottontail about 4 days. in the field: they each get a pulled off front limb (including scapula) and the GI tract is removed, leaving the other organs intact. at home: cottontails frozen whole, the jacks are split into 5 parts: 2 back legs, loinn section, chest section, and head (organs and skin stay with their section). these pars are then placed into quart ziplocs and the whole rabbit into a gallon zip loc. this makes it easy to grab a rabbit from the garage freezer and put it in the house freezer for that week, as well as pulling out a piece at a time for the fridge. the back legs will last a day, day and a half, the loin 3 days (sometimes 4), the chest 2-3 days, and they get a head once a week (for beak conditioning) for the kestrels, a rat pup (50g) will last two days what a 15' chest freezer with 47 rabbits in it looks like:
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Joined: Mar 2006
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22,690 |
I go through about 3-4 sets of kitchen shears a season.....
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Sean
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Joined: Sep 2013
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,229 |
Awesome thread as well. twofish
*Master of random precision*
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,229
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,229 |
*Master of random precision*
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 28,172
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 28,172 |
GREAT THREAD! I wanted a falcon since I was a kid but had no teachers or knowledge, and parents who weren't exactly enthusiastic. I think it time to do it now.
Hunt with Class and Classics
Religion: A founder of The Church of Spray and Pray
Acquit v. t. To render a judgment in a murder case in San Francisco... EQUAL, adj. As bad as something else. Ambrose Bierce “The Devil's Dictionary”
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Joined: Mar 2006
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Posts: 22,690 |
I surprising (or maybe not) number of new Apprentices are adults. I'd guesstimate the average age of new apprentices to be mid 30s, at least....
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