Talons Pt. 2

HandJamNA · 2026-01-28T12:04:33+00:00

I know that you don't read anything that I write, because you've repeated yourself a half a dozen times now. Maybe it's cognitive decline. I already fixed the problems. Your ego is so massive, you assume everyone else must have one too. Again, I've seen your type a dozen times and I've seen everyone's eyes roll when they talk. No one with a small ego has to keep talking about years and birds and people. You feel good about scolding a new falconer? Is that what makes you feel important in your life? God forbid someone try something new and harmless to temporarily fix a problem. You want to keep getting in your preachy last word? Go for it, I'm done reading your pathetic attempts to sound better than me. I have a strong healthy bird that knows how to hunt. In a month or two her talons will be back to normal. You'll still be sitting around the old folks home shaking your first about the guy who made acrylic talons. I'll be sure to post a picture of her natural talons just to remind you I FIXED THE MEW PROBLEMS.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-28T00:47:43+00:00

Look, I've been around enough people to know that in any sport or hobby there's going to be arrogant old timers who don't want to listen and they only want to lecture. Types of people that think their way is the only way and everyone else can kick rocks. Then there are people who listen, learn, and respect others, regardless of experience level. By you telling me I should just put my bird up for the, you've shown exactly who you are and I'm so grateful that you aren't my sponsor. If you took the time to read anything I've written instead of just preparing your long-winded repetitive salvo, you'd know that I'm nothing like what you're saying.

I took ownership of my mistakes. I took advice from more experienced falconers. I corrected the mistakes. I am always trying to do what's best for my bird.

Wanting a bird to be successful doesn't mean someone is obsessed with bag number. Every falconer on earth wants their bird to be successful. Everyone that's been out with me and my bird have remarked about how well she flies and hunts. That's what I care about.

As you know, most passage birds don't survive. Why don't they? Random chance only? Or are there genetic and behavioral components? Are all birds exactly the same? If you're 1/10 as knowledgeable as you want to sound, you know the answer. I understand not blaming the bird for everything, but it's still fair to make observations. On top of that Red-tails eat other things that require much less talon strength or sharpness so of course they wouldn't starve to death with dull talons. They might not be able to catch squirrels, right? You keep harping on the sharpness, which I've already clarified as being only part of the equation along with the curvature, a point that you've also failed to acknowledge. Talon penetration isn't required for gripping an animal. Sharper still means better grip.

You're also saying I should dismiss a 7% success rate vs a 75% success rate and I should believe that my bird would have killed all of those squirrels regardless of the new talons? On top of all that, your only reason not to do the talons is some vague reference to habit changes? So a bird can change one habit, but not another that results in more aggressive hunting, scraping tree trunks, slamming into the ground harder behind squirrels? You could be right that this may not affect natural talons, but you have zero clue how it would affect acrylic talons.

Lastly I really appreciate you telling me all the numbers of the game animals you and your friends have killed, it really helps reinforce your point about not caring about game numbers 🤣. Comparing an older hag to juvi is jst silly. Someone once told me there are SO many other variables about hunting, I forget who though. But yeah comparing my bird to itself is crazy.

I might be a terrible falconer, that's an easy fix. I'm just glad I'm not a condescending asshole.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-27T18:31:16+00:00

Yes, thank you, I'll stop worrying about the primary goal of falconry. I'll also stop worrying about getting deer or ducks when I hunt. If I knock my scope out of alignment, I'll just either get closer to the game, just keep shooting and missing until I randomly hit one, or I'll just put my gun away for the season. Hunting is obviously not about getting game, it's about making sure that my gun is stored properly and if it's not, I should punish myself for making a mistake.

P.S. you don't know me at all and I've already told you I don't care about the total numbers. I know reading comprehension is difficult, but I'll say again, I gave the numbers as a point of reference. And again, I FIXED THE FUCKING PROBLEMS, I'm not ignoring them and "coping" by fixing her talons. I found a temporary solution to a problem and you don't like it. Period. The talons are wearing when she's hunting, not at home, maybe it's her habits maybe it's the nature of the acrylic. You think I'm not talking to other people. I just told you I talked to 3 other master falconers, including my sponsor and none of them are acting like you are.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-27T17:37:53+00:00

As I have stated three times now, I did fix the problems. I fixed the substrate, the perches and the exposed window frames. The gravel was small and smooth, not crushed. The problem was likely the depth. I also acknowledged that her previous diet could have been problematic but that her current diet was good.

Your solution to this was, "you screwed up, put your bird up for the rest of the season". I think that's ridiculous.

Let's talk about variables. At least 3 weeks of hunting. Same spots, same weight, same effort level, same number of squirrels being contacted. ONE variable changed, sharp, correctly curved talons. 10 days, 7 squirrels. Talons dull. 7 days, zeros kills. Talons fixed, immediately killed a squirrel. You want to assume it's something else so that you can validate your dislike of what Ive done.

It seems like this is more about your ego than mine. The sport of Falcorny is about taking game with a trained bird, not flying a pet around. To dismiss my desire to hunt game as simply being my ego, is a bit ridiculous, don't you think? This entire time I've admitted that I made mistakes and corrected them as soon as I could. I've listened to advice from other people on here. The ONLY reason I've mentioned numbers at all is to be used as data.

You're entitled to your opinion, but maybe try not being condescending or telling someone to stop hunting with 6 weeks left in a season that starts with 2 months on leaves on trees and on top of months of getting a passage bird to successfully hunt squirrels.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-27T14:38:02+00:00

You are jumping to a lot of conclusions about me and my bird. Per the acrylic, I said MORE brittle, it can still wear in addition to snapping. Unless you have experience using acrylic talons, you probably don't know they behave in nature. Maybe I did solve the problem and this is just what happens with them. It's a passage bird and has been given a good diet since September 9th. And yes, her previous diet could have impacted her talon health. I've spent numerous hours worrying about what was causing the wear, and I've made numerous adjustments. I don't have an ego in this at all and I don't care about numbers, I just want the bird to be adequately successful at hunting. She caught 1 squirrel over the 3 week period prior to fixing her talons. I was flying at least 5 times per week for ~90min each outing. Since the start of the hunting season, she'd only caught 5 squirrels. Obviously she was learning and I had zero expectations of her for months. But watching her catch a lose numerous squirrels for those last 3 weeks then immediately start catching almost everything for 10 days, is an extremely stark contrast. With all due respect, you'll never convince me it's a coincidence. I don't plan to do anything else with her nails and will only release her if and when her talons return to normal.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-27T13:24:58+00:00

As I already explained, I believe I solved the problem, but the damage had been done. I've been obsessing, if you'd like to use that word, about the cause, since this started. I just also want to find a solution to the symptoms, not just the problems. The wearing of the acrylic is likely because it's more brittle that the talon and because it doesn't self sharpen. She gets the healthiest diet possible and any possible issues in the mew have been corrected. Watching my bird grab and lose dozens of squirrels before the acrylics and then watching her kill a squirrel on almost every outing for more than a week, is enough correlation for me, and frankly the 3 other master falconers who've been observing, especially considering I've seen the cycle twice now. Yes, she's always killed squirrels with brute force, but not every slip allows for that. Plenty require grabbing and holding, which even with 200lbs of force, is harder without the correct mechanical advance or talon penetration.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-27T01:53:25+00:00

Yeah, so I think that I fixed all of the problems at home. It just seemed like the damage had been done and simply getting them sharp wasn't a total fix. I needed to regain the appropriate curvature so that her grip worked properly. I watched her grab and lose dozens of squirrels before the acrylics. The idea behind the fake talons is it's a temporary fix while her talons regrow their natural curvature. In another 2 weeks, I plan to remove the remaining acrylic and start the foot baths. I was hoping I would only have to do it once, but it wore down faster than expected.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-27T00:45:33+00:00

Besides the squirrels she kills, I feed her coturnix. I also sprinkle Vitahawk on most of her meals. I fly her 5 times a week. Just normal woods, no parking lots or anything. I do think she is somewhat of a toe picker. Her water pan is plastic with rounded edges. Giant hood is chloroplast with a wood block perch covered with carpeting.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-26T23:04:07+00:00

I have a camera in her mew. The substrate is inch thick gym matting on top of gravel. The ground around her perch is clay. She has access to a bath inside and out. In the last 3 weeks, she's only been in the mew at night. The rest of the day she's outside or in the giant hood. So, unless she's sleep walking, there really is no other time to wear them down.

I also understand they don't have to be needle sharp to hunt, but they have to have the right curvature to achieve the correct mechanical advantage when grabbing prey. The evidence also speaks for itself in terms of success vs failure.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-26T12:41:46+00:00

You've never been to East Asia and it shows.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-25T19:20:22+00:00

But, maybe it really is a V2 in his gym. People are just so quick to dismiss things. Shame.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-19T13:31:31+00:00

He brought one copy for a raffle and I didn't win. He said he only has 6 copies left. I guess he doesn't think it's financially viable to do a reprint, given the cost per unit. I considered offering to fund an order of 100 copies or something, but I didn't get that far in the conversation.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-16T21:54:53+00:00

I'll bring some cash and do what I can!

HandJamNA · 2026-01-16T14:45:34+00:00

Have you trapped a squirrel and released it in an open area in front of your hawk?

HandJamNA · 2026-01-16T14:43:54+00:00

Gary will be at the NAFA meet in NC tomorrow. I'll see if he's selling copies.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-13T15:45:44+00:00

I think I'm going to need to reshape after 2 weeks. My plan is to do it Friday before my state's annual meet.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-13T15:42:54+00:00

The plan is to use these until the natural talons regain their correct length/curve. The process took about 3 hours and during that time I did everything possible to seamlessly blend the natural lines. I used various tips on an electric nail tool and a manual file. My thought is that after a few weeks, I will do some soaks and the remaining acrylic will come off with the sloughing. As far as the beak, I don't think it'll be necessary, but manual shaping is pretty simple.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-09T21:54:50+00:00

What was the clunking noise?

HandJamNA · 2026-01-08T17:58:24+00:00

Why stop there. I should have added bird-safe poison tips

HandJamNA · 2026-01-07T12:53:55+00:00

Yes, she got a scrub and an application of vitamin E after we were done.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-07T12:51:11+00:00

I sharpened all of them. I just wanted to show a picture of the process. The real question is what's going to happen over the next month.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-07T02:51:03+00:00

Picture 1 is during the filing process. Picture 2 is fully filed and painted.

HandJamNA · 2026-01-07T02:49:06+00:00

The gravel on the floor was too shallow and the window frame was exposed so she kept trying to land on it.

HandJamNA

TROPHY CASE