Upon arrival at the wood, all of the Goshawks were on their talons. The evocative ringing of brass bells echoed through the Oaks. Scampering around the dead brown leaves, fallen branches and at our feet were three HPR’s (Hunt, Point & Retrieve). One German Wirehaired Pointer bitch Jess, aged 7 and two rescued German Shorthaired Pointer dogs, Baxter and Teddy, around 6 & 4 respectively. Scenting wherever their noses told them to go, these dogs were the epitome of the excitement before a hunt we can all relate to. They were all individually fitted with an audible Pointer collar that bleeps when the dog either stops or goes on point. A bleep that signals to the Austringers where the dog and quarry are. Logically, when hunting mute brown dogs amongst thick and decaying brown cover, you need to know where they are and knowing where your mark is, giving you time to get in the correct position and vantage point to get the best chance of a successful flight. This allows the luxury of not crashing about randomly in search of game, but to become more calculated and intelligent in the pursuit of both fur and feather.

The Austringers, Lee Rush, Sid Nicholas and the President of the British Falconers Club, Nick Kester, were hunting a combination of youth, experience, male and female Goshawks. This flight consisted of Lee's imported hen Goshawk Bel, of whom he bucks tradition and hunts her on appetite rather than weight. She weighed around 2lb 5oz to 2lb 9oz, whereas Sid was flying a hen eyass Goshawk called Gossip (2lb 8oz) and Nick, his 12 yr old tiercel (male) called Baldrick, 1lb 10 1/2oz.

Experience has taught me that no two days sport are ever the same and today was no different. Quickly, I realised that I was amongst a wealth of experience. The Goshawks were extremely fit and fitted with the latest telemetry and GPS equipment. Everyone had radios so if one was looking for a bird the others were aware of his location and progress. At first I didn’t appreciate the value of the bleep collars on the Pointers but after the first point, I learned why they were essential. I am used to what a bleep means with my ferret finders, but this bleep gave me a completely different reaction. Every time thereon, when I heard the bleep my adrenalin peaked and my heart beat increased. Part of the appeal was the pleasure at morphing into the natural world. Witnessing the superior hunting relationship between the dogs, their owners and the Goshawks. Without the Pointers, many opportunities at game would have been lost although the scenting conditions were as poor as the visibility on the journey down.

To start the day off, Nick performed a traditional toast. We walked through the woodland watching the Pointers hunting for scent. Unfortunately, the Pheasants weren’t sitting tight, instead opting to painfully march off into the distance. This was my first time experiencing Goshawks hunting and so I had nothing to compare it too and should be remembered that way. The F1 of the Hawk world were as beautiful as they were fast and agile. The pheasants may not have sat tight but one rabbit did.

Teddy put up a rabbit. It galloped down a ride towards freedom. Inside a split second I got to experience the true worth of a Goshawk. As fast as it's scut could travel, this rabbit was doomed from the start. The moment Sid saw it, Gossip was off and after a few strikes sank her razor sharp talons into the rabbit; it succeeded beside some Laurel game cover. Sid was off. Like Usain Bolt, once Gossip was off his fist he was in hot pursuit. I thought this was a bit manic, but after Sid explained, it all made perfect sense. Rabbits and especially Hares can do a lot of damage to a bird with their powerful legs. In order to minimize potential injuries, Sid quickly located bird and rabbit, dispatching the rabbit before allowing Gossip to have a few pulls at her prize before she hopped back onto his fist.