The Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast

Dale Guthormsen returns to give us his first update on his season. After telling us where his team currently stands, Dale details his approach to getting falcons to take and maintain an upwind position while waiting-on. He also gives us insight into the way that grouse use the wind to their advantage, and we talk about how to manage a slip in order to confer advantage to the falcon.  We finish of the episode talking about the way that Dale intends to manage "Whiskey Jack" for the remainder of the winter hawking season. Thanks for listening, here's hoping that you enjoy this episode.

Jeremy Roselle joins me for Part 1 of his Game Hawker Edition series. We begin the episode describing Jeremy's wide ranging background including where he is located, the birds he flies, and the dogs he runs.  We then turn our attention to his current efforts and Jeremy tells us about the landscapes in which he hunts, the quarry that is available to him, and the importance of having a good dog that can work in either forested or open landscapes.  Jeremy tells us about some of the challenges associated with winter hawking at latitude 53 degrees north, his preferred game hawks and the styles he want to see from his birds. Jeremy then recounts his most recent flight with his long wing, and a memorable flight on ruffed grouse with his American goshawk.

Steve Chindgren returns for Part 2 of his Game Hawker Edition series, and he brings along a surprise guest.  Steve gets us started by talking about the character traits of each of his birds.  We then talk about how the grouse have adjusted to the onset of winter. We then turn our attention to the effect of colder weather on pitch, and Steve shares a tip or two on how to get a bird to take a better pitch. I ask Steve when he thinks it's too cold to hawk, and we talk about cold weather weight management. Our surprise guest offers some additional insight too.  I wondered whether Steve had seen the usual influx of golden eagles since we last spoke, and he highlights some of the unanticipated problems that can occur. On this topic, our surprise guest offers an opinion on mobs, murderous mobs. Steve tells us about the various guests he has hosted at the House of Grouse this season, and then we conclude episode with our surprise guest recounting the events of a recent flight. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy Steve's update.

Heath Garner joins me to tell us about his season thus far with the passage tiercel peregrine that he trapped in 2023.  Heath starts the episode telling us why he had to hawk snipe without the assistance of his two German short-haired pointers for a short time. We then talk about season start dates, how they vary based primarily on latitude, and when migrant quarry typically become available in Arkansas. Heath outlines the timing of his falcon's molt, and describes the transition from blond brown bird to adult plumage. He then talks about this passage peregrine in contrast to others he has trapped and flown. We talk about his hawking grounds and how environmental conditions have shaped quarry numbers. Heath describes his preferred approach to reclaiming a falcon from the free-loft mews post-molt. We conclude the episode recounting a couple of early season flights, and Heath praises the organizers and volunteers of the upcoming NAFA field meet in Liberal, Kansas in the first week of December.

In this episode of Game Hawker Edition, my guest is Dale Guthormsen.  After introducing himself, Dale explains why he is in the process of simultaneously starting two new falcons this season. Dale then describes his hawking ground and his primary quarry, including the distinction between fall and winter grouse. We then talk about the way Dale currently develops his game hawks, and he tells us how that has changed over the course of his career. We finish off the episode talking about how his last outing with each of his hawks unfolded.  Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy hearing about the start of Dale's hawking season.

Simon Tyers returns to the show to update us on how his season is going thus far. We begin the episode talking about similarities and differences among the falconers that have already contributed to Game Hawker Edition, Simon then updates us with regard to how the work being done by the local Water Authority across his hunting ground has progressed. We then turn our attention to Smog's tendency to ignore the lure, how Simon addressed this, and whether the early season remedial work has solved the issue for Simon. Similarly, we get an update of whether Sonic continues to be distracted by wild peregrines. I ask Simon for his opinion on the utility of flushing game for a falcon that is out of position in the hope that as a consequence it learns that in order to catch game, it has to be “in position”.  Before concluding the episode with a a description of Storm's most recent flight, Simon describes some of challenges he has faced weather-wise.  Thanks for listening to Game Hawker Edition.  Once again, I hope you enjoy this episode.

Jeff Broadbent joins me for this weeks episode of Game Hawker Edition. After introducing himself, his birds, and his dogs, Jeff tells us the back story that led up the acquisition of his current bird. Part of that back story includes a description of Jeff's trip to Alaska to fill his gyrfalcon permit.  We linger a little on the topic of Alaska, and the possibility of a return trip. We then turn our attention to the landscape and the quarry that make up a significant part of Jeff's falconry. Jeff then describes his approach to developing a high flying long-wing including his application of the drone and homers, including their potential downside. Before recounting his most recent outing Jeff outlines his views on whether the "serve" in and of itself is a reward. 

Corey Roelke, President of the Texas Hawking Association, joins me on this episode of Game Hawker Edition.  Corey gets us started by telling us about the birds he has in his possession, and his English springer spaniel, “Hela”. With help from Heath Garner, Corey recently trapped a passage peregrine in Arkansas. He tells us about that experience and trapping beach birds in Texas. We then discuss how he intends to reclaim his intermewed birds, and we get caught-up on how his newly-trapped falcon is adjusting to life as a falconry bird.Before turning our attention to the events of the day, Corey describes the landscapes in which he hunts and the quarry that over-winters in Texas.

In this episode of Game Hawker Edition, I welcome Steve Chindgren (author of “The Art of Hawking Sage Grouse), back to show to talk to us about his season to date. Steve gets the conversation rolling by telling us about the birds he is flying and the dogs he is running. He then talks about the summer molt, and the way in which he reclaims his birds. We then turn our attention to sage grouse, and Steve outlines his observations thus far. We talk pitch, and Steve emphasizes the importance of developing confidence even if it may mean sacrificing pitch, at least in the early season.   We conclude the episode detailing the events of his day afield, and the one previous to that.Thanks for listening to the show.  I hope you enjoy Game Hawker Edition.

Welcome to the  first episode of the "Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast Game Hawker Edition”. With the season well underway in northern latitudes of North America and Europe, I have pivoted from my regular long-form format to a shorter format that focuses on game hawking. The intent is to have periodic visits with several falconers to get a glimpse into the way the 2024 season is progressing for each of them.In this first episode of Game Hawker Edition, I welcome Simon Tyers, author of “The Specialist Falcon”, back to show to tell us how his season has unfolded thus far. Simon starts us off by detailing the molt and the way in which he reclaims his birds. We continue the discussion talking about this years game bird release program. Simon then talks about his approach to maintaining pitch. We conclude the episode detailing the events of his day afield.Thanks for listening to the show.  I hope you enjoy Game Hawker Edition.