LYDIA LITVYAK [LILY]

Lily has been so easy to train, she is so tame.She never bites or tries to foot anybody. She's more like a puppy then a hawk it's really crazy.Monday on my lunch hour I turned her loose for the first time. I took her down the lane and let her go.She went to this tree first.The dogs and I went to work hunting for a rabbit.Lily moved with us choosing higher trees.The dogs put a covey of quail up and Lily made a dive and missed.I called them back and headed for the field - Lily followed.She flew over the field and got really high then came back to a big pine tree.The wind was getting stronger and I was running out of time so I headed toward the house.Lily followed and landed in the top of this big tree by my new corn crib.I got my lure out and called her but she did not come down.I couldn't see her and don't really think she ever landed in the tree. I had one of my live quail with me and put it out there but no Lily. Last year after Keavy got lost for the day I bought a tracking system. Lily had the transmitter I bought on her.It took a while for me to find her even with it. It was four o'clock when I found her along Kibler Road about a mile from the house.She was in a high tree but came down to the lure. I'm going to wait till the weekend for the next hunt. I will have more time to find that rabbit or look for the hawk.

GOT MY HUNTING PARTNER

The wind was just right for the Red-Tails to sail over our traps Wednesday. I went to Western Maryland with Dave and Bill and had a great day trapping hawks. We caught 18 hawks. I got first pick and took the biggest one.I named her Lilya Litvak, after a Soviet air ace from WW11, LILY, for short.She's the one on the left, all taped up for the ride home. We turned the rest of the hawks loose.Here she is home with new ankets and jesses.She ate from my glove the first night and has gotten very tame.She weights 54 oz. Last weekend I caught a little male with my little BC trap. I taped him and weighted him. He was just over two pounds.I took some pictures and turned the little guy loose.Mark came over and we started work on my corn crib. I got most of the siding done on Sunday. Hope to finish this weekend. Lily at work.

QUAIL HATCH

The Quail started hatching Friday right on time.I haven't counted the unhatched eggs yet but should have about 800 bobwhitesI had 50 Coturnix Quail eggs in with the bobwhites and 40 of them hatched. They are a Japanese Quail that grow fast and get bigger then the bobwhites.I got them for Falconry I'll use some to catch my new Hawk this fall.I turned Keavy loose the end of March. I hope she doing ok on her own.

ROOF ON AND FOOD PLOTS PLANTED

We have been working on the granary and it now has a roof. I got most of the food plots planted.The deer are using the clover most days.This tom made it through the season. I have a 1000 quail eggs in the incubator that will hatch this weekend.

#30

I've been trying for squirrels more lately with Keavy and giving the rabbits a break.
Keavy's been chasing squirrels through the trees and diving at them but they are too fast.
Ed came down Sunday and we went after rabbits. We got #30. Keavy had a hold on another but it got away.I drained the flood pond, Rick and I are picking the corn that's left.There are some nice ears left out there since the snow geese didn't show up.At lunch time today we hunted around the house.
Janey ran a squirrel up a tree and started barking.Keavy flew over and nailed that one.This is her 3rd squirrel, she may be catching on.