Our Phai Hoop trap is custom made for us by experienced falcon and hawk trappers in the Middle East for trapping Merlins, Sharpshins, Coopers Hawks, Prairie Falcons, Peregrine Falcons, Gyrfalcons and even Red-tail Hawks. Features include: ~ Black eighteen-inch diameter metal hoop with 11 monofilament nooses – weighs one pound and prevents a raptor from flying with the trap ~ When opened, nooses are 5 inches diameter and made of 20 lb nearly invisible monofilament ~ Nooses are held upright with rubber coated black wire supports that allow the nooses to be rotated up or to lay flat for storage ~ Center rope ‘jesses’ to secure a live House Sparrow, Starling or quail ~ Comes with nylon cloth zippered carrying case to keep nooses in perfect condition for quick deployment ~ Toss the trap from a moving vehicle or set it on the ground at a stationery trap station The Modern Apprentice Falconer website states that, ‘Originally, these were individual nooses staked out around bait developed by Indian falconers centuries ago. Now they are a set of nooses attached to a hoop of wire which is then laid around a centrally located bait. Commonly a small bird such as a sparrow or starling is attached to a 1 inch line and set in the middle of the circle. Raptors see this as an easy scoop-up-and-fly-away meal. A small hawk will fly in and become entangled in the nooses. This trap is excellent in a field with a little height to the grass as the grasses then hide the nooses standing up.’
