Hi all,
 
I was very disturbed to read Heather's post about a ferret being killed by a
hawk whilst hunting.  I am not sure of the legality of hunting with ferrets
in MD but here in the UK I do use my ferrets to hunt with my Harris's Hawk.
The ferrets chase the rabbits out of their burrows and the hawk then
attempts to catch the rabbit (the success rate is not very high).
 
In order to do this successfully the Hawk must be properly trained and you
must be 101% sure of her with ferrets before you get into a situation where
she could injure a fert.  Usually albino ferrets are used, to make the
distinction of rabbit or ferret easier for the hawk, but I have been told
poleys can be used too (I've never tried it).  Training the hawk not to
attack the ferrets is usually easy with a young bird, infact I had to train
mine not to be frightened of them!  She now understands that the ferrets are
there to help her and watches as they explore the burrows, getting into a
good position for a flush.  She has never shown any aggression to the
fuzzies, if she ever did, I would not let them out together.
 
In the case mentioned, the ferret was sadly killed, but the outcome could
have been as bad for the hawk.  We all know how sharp a ferts teeth are and
a hunting ferret gets _very_ excited, afet all it is ger intention to catch
an animal many time her size.  If attacked by a hawk even a small jill could
severely damage the hawk's feet, and a large hob could possibly kill the
hawk.  Therefore, the case mentioned, put the hawk at risk too, totally
irresponsible.  From what I know about the US falconry laws, a young
falconer, or any beginner, must be apprenticed to a gerneral or master
faconer for two years.  This person, their sponsor, is responsible for their
training.  If the kid in question is still an apprentice then contacting
their sponsor may help, as they are risking a hawk (which would bring
falconry into disrepute), the local wildlife/hunting authorities may also be
interested as hunting with ferrets is illegal in many states.  I would
certainly say that a ferret being killed by a hawk in the course of hunting
is negligent on the part of the owner, and although I have heard of true
cases of accidents where the hawk has gone for a rabbit and a ferret has
emerged from a hole as the rabbit went in, these are very rare.  In the one
case I know where this happened, the properly trained hawk released the
ferret, which was examined by a vet and suffered a small cut and a briuse.
She was dancing again that night.
 
A good hunting ferret is very valuable to a skilled falconer, it sounds like
this kid was certainly not that.  Sorry to rant on about it but it makes me
really cross, as this activity _can_ be done safely, and provide food for
the ferts, the hawk, and the owner, as well as controlling rabbits for the
farmer (who would otherwise gas them, a really nasty death).
 
graham
(snowball and snowflake have found a new toy, the telephone! it
makes great beeps when you walk over it, I just hope
they don't do any long distance dooking)
[Posted in FML issue 1457]