The Scouts were in for a treat when they attended their Autumn Camp at Wimborne St. Giles where they were able to try their hands at a bit of falconry.

The leaders had organised with the Wimborne St. Giles estate and gamekeeper to go hunting with a local falconry expert.

Ian introduced his Harris Hawk to the Scouts and showed them the correct way to hold the hawk using the gauntlet.  They then went on a trek through the local woodland.  The Scouts took on the role as beaters - they spread out and went through all the bushes 'beating' them to flush out all the wildlife.

Meanwhile, the hawk was soaring up above keeping a lookout for prey.  Before too long the hawk had spotted something.  From a vantage point up in a tree it swooped down.  After some commotion, the Hawk had returned to another tree and the Scouts realised that it had found a hen pheasant.  The Hawk swooped once again and quickly dispatched the pheasant with its powerful talons.  The hunt had been successful.

The victorious Scouts brought the pheasant back to the camp.  They were then shown the correct way to pluck and dress the it ready for cooking.  After a period of time over a hot stove, it was ready for eating.  Some of the Scouts were a little nervous at first, but after trying the pheasant meat, they couldn't get enough of it.  It was just too delicious!

This hunting was part of a survival-themed camp where the Scouts learned a little about coping without many of the creature comforts we take for granted.  After the camp, their views about food caught in the wild were very much changed.