Description
Join us for a hands on hunting experience with Hawks and Ferrets. Experience the beauty of flying and hunting with our majestic harris hawks in beautiful rural settings near Edinburgh. Offering full and half day trips, you will have the opportunity to fly the hawks to the glove, hunt rabbits, squirrels, pheasants and partridge with our Hawks and ferrets and watch as they find their quarry.
Catering for up to 6 people, our falconry sessions are available from October until the end of March; after which we rest the hawks. Please note these sessions are very popular and it is advisable to book early to ensure your preferred date.
We have two harris hawks called Kass and Sky. Kass is very experienced and will do her best every time. She has caught over one hundred rabbits, and also pheasants, grey squirrels and a dirty rat.
Sky is a juvenile female and is learning her trade fast. Both Hawks fly free around 2lb in weight and will follow us as we walk.
Sam B –
My girlfriend and I spent the day out with the Harris Hawk searching for rabbits.
We had never done any falconry before or any kind of hunting. However we had the best day out, Mick and Ross were extremely friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had a good time.
It was incredible seeing the bird hunting and working in sync with us and the ferrets!
If you want to spend some time in the countryside and do something a bit different I would recommend this.
David M –
I cannot recommend this highly enough! Mik was a fantastic guide and an even better story teller. If you’re traveling to Edinburgh, you must give Mik a call. His animals are incredibly disciplined and experts in their craft. Mik’s knowledge of the sport is second to none. I can’t wait to go back and try the fly fishing.
Michael C –
I had a great day out with Mik and his Hawks after a family member got me a day out as a birthday present.
We spent the morning with the hawks in a quiet rural spot outside Peebles. Mik took time to instruct me in handling his Harris Hawk and Ferret, and we enjoyed an exciting mornings hunting in the hills.
Before we made our way to a local loch, Mik cooked up a excellent lunch on his portable stove. We went on to spend the afternoon fly fishing from a boat, although the prevailing easterly wind did slow the fishing a little.
Overall it was an excellent day, and Mik is a knowledgeable guide and hunter who ensured I had an excellent day out.
Matt G –
I have been living in Scotland nearly two years, and heard about Wild Days from the Falconry Centre at Dalhousie Castle. We went out in the morning, hunting rabbit with two of Mik’s top birds, one a seasoned veteran, and the other a rookie. After parking and a 10 minute walk, we started throwing some ferrets down rabbit holes to chase the prey out. 10 minutes in and BOOM! A rabbit sprung out of the hole and Mik’s proud hawk jumped right on it. First catch of the day. Another 15 minutes later, and BOOM! Another one!!! It was unreal! We had two rabbits within 30 minutes of getting out of the car! After ANOTHER successful catch, we decided to try another location with Mik’s other bird. After an hour of waiting, the bird finally was able to lock on some prey, but it got away. It was apparent that this bird was still getting the hang of it. But after another hour or so, the bird got a second chance. A rabbit jumped out of its hole, ran across the grass into the woods, and the bird jumped after… Amazing to watch a bird get its first proper kill!
4 rabbits in one day! What an amazing trip! I hope to see Mik again for some more
Florida Family –
My family of 5 were on a long tour of the U.K. last year at this time and stumbled upon Mik at Wild Days. This was an absolute highlight of my family’s month long trip and an experience we all continue to rave about a year later. My children were 13, 11 and 9 at the time and were completely fascinated with the whole experience.
Mik picked us up at the Balmoral in Edinburgh and we really enjoyed getting to know him. He is a great ambassador for his country (accent like Scotty from Star Trek!).
We drove to a golf course to begin the falconry adventure. After a brief introduction and a description of the day’s activities, out came the ferrets! I think my kids enjoyed playing with the ferrets as much as working with Scar, the beautiful hawk. It was amazing to watch Scar follow us from the air, tree to tree, as we walked along a dirt road to where the rabbit holes were. I kept wondering why he doesn’t just fly away, and Mik explained it perfectly (I won’t spoil it, ask him on your trip 🙂 )
My kids would put the ferrets into the holes, Scar would watch from a nearby branch and the humans stood by watching with eager anticipation. After a few tries, the rabbit came flying out of a distant hole, and Scar struck down in a flash (he missed a few times – but, wow, amazing to watch!). Later on in the morning, we were joined by beautiful dog, who helped make sure no more empty holes. The dog’s nose finds the right holes, the kids put in the ferrets whose teeth chase out the rabbits, and the hawk catches the prey as the humans run to the action. Amazing to see human, bird, dog and ferret all working together.
In this case, the rabbit becomes hawk food, which is not terribly pleasant, but a good lesson for the kids on animals and food.
If you are in the Edinburgh area and have half a day, don’t miss this!
Florida Family –
Mik picked us up from our hotel in Edinburgh and took us a few miles away to a beautiful setting in a Scottish national park.
We learned about the hawks and best of all got to watch Kass hunt a rabbit. He also brought along his newest hawk, Sky. She is just learning to hunt and so we had an opportunity to watch how young hawks are trained.
It was exhilarating to handle the hawks and walk with them perched on our arms.
Mik and Ross are great teachers and clearly have a keen knowledge about hawks and are happy to share this with others.
Thank you Mik and Ross for one of the best experiences we’ve ever had.