T-L Photos/KAILEY CARPINO The Ohio Falconry Association kicked off its inaugural Dirt Hawking with Dachshunds event Friday at the Holloway Old Timer’s Association. The event will continue throughout the weekend as falconers hunt rabbits and other small game with the help of dachshunds. Pictured from left are Ohio Falconry Association member Garrett Dittmer; Chan Quach, a bird behaviorist from Los Angeles; Ohio Falconry Association President Mick Brown; and association member Rick Thompson.

HOLLOWAY — The Ohio Falconry Association kicked off its inaugural Dirt Hawking with Dachshunds event Friday at the Holloway Old Timer’s Association.

The event will continue throughout the weekend as falconers hunt rabbits and other small game with the help of dachshunds.

Rick Thompson, a member of the Ohio Falconry Association, said the dogs chase the rabbits from briar patches, holes or log piles and out into the open where a falcon can easily swoop in for the kill. He said dachshunds are one of the best dog breeds to hunt rabbits.

“The reason we choose these dogs is these dogs are specially bred not only to have great noses to find rabbits, but they’re bred to be very small. The theory is that they can go anywhere a rabbit can go,” Thompson said.

Thompson said the dogs are a big help and make hunting much easier for falconers.

“If you’re a falconer and you don’t have a dog, you are the dog,” he said.

“The interaction between the dog and the bird is what we’re all about. We just love it. It’s like working with a team. So that’s the fun of it, and then we take people out to share the experience so that people can see it,” Ohio Falconry Association President Mick Brown, a Martins Ferry resident, said.

Thompson said dachshunds also make great pets and are more than a hunting tool.

“These dachshunds, they’re our family. You know, they curl up on our lap when it’s time to watch the news in the evening, but then when it’s time to go hunting, they’re a lot different,” he said.

Brown agreed.

“They’re very tenacious for their size. …They are, pound-for-pound, maniacs in the field,” he said.

Thompson said Harris hawks are more social than other birds of prey, so they work well with the dogs.

“Harris hawks tend to be social by nature because they’re one of the few birds in the wild that actually hunt in a social group or in family groups,” he pointed out.

Thompson said each bird and dog hunts differently, but they always seem to work well together.

“They learn to cue off of each other. The dogs have certain cues that tell you that they’re on a scent. For some dogs, it’s barking, like my dog won’t bark until it can see the rabbit. But I can tell when she’s on a scent. She wags her tail and prances a certain way. The bird learns that. The bird will learn the dog’s behaviors and know when it’s keying in on something and then the same for the dog. So sometimes the bird will see game first, and you’ll see the dog constantly will look up and see what the bird’s doing. If the bird moves up to something that it caught a glimpse of, the dog will follow the bird. The relationship is unbelievable,” he said.

Brown said the birds fly freely during the hunt.

“Falconry basically is the pursuit of wild game with an untethered bird of prey. In other words, that bird of prey is chasing the game. There’s no ropes, string, anything tied onto it. It’s just flying free, and if they want to fly away they can do it, but they stay with us because they choose to stay,” he said.

Chan Quach, a bird behaviorist from Los Angeles, traveled across the country to see the dogs and birds in action. He said he started his career studying parrots and recently started studying hawks and other birds of prey.

Quach said he hoped to learn something from the event and see how the birds and dogs interact.

Thompson said falconers from other states including Michigan, New Jersey and West Virginia are also planning to participate in the event.

The Ohio Falconry Club will return to Holloway on March 1-3 for the annual End of Season Meet. Hunting for rabbits and squirrels will take place on all three days from early morning to dusk at the Old Timer’s Building. The event is open to the public.

Attendees can stay in the Old Timer’s Building overnight. The building is heated, and attendees who are staying the night are encouraged to bring sleeping bags or a cot. Food and water will be available at the building.

For more information, call Brown at 740-359-1341.

Falconry season takes place from Sept. 1 through Mar. 10.