Falconry

[Revanchist]

Hello all. As some of you may know (if you saw this in the shoutbox), I am currently being sponsored as an apprentice falconer. As such, I decided to open this topic for anyone who is/is interested in being a falconer. Any questions, comments, or observations regarding such are welcome.

[Crisiss]

Hello all. As some of you may know (if you saw this in the shoutbox), I am currently being sponsored as an apprentice falconer. As such, I decided to open this topic for anyone who is/is interested in being a falconer. Any questions, comments, or observations regarding such are welcome.

What is the point of it...

I have honestly never seen a single practical use for it besides 'fuck yeah falcon.'

[Revanchist]

What is the point of it...

I have honestly never seen a single practical use for it besides 'fuck yeah falcon.'

Well, the definition of falconry is "the taking of game with the use of a trained bird of prey." So basically it is a form of hunting. Instead of using a gun, you're using a hawk or falcon. Wild birds of prey are trapped, trained, hunted with, and in some cases released back into the wild. It is similar to dog training only much harder. It is also used professionally at airports to keep birds off the runway and drinking water reservoirs to prevent birds from pooping in it.

Anyone who wants to become/is a falconer just so he has something to show off shouldn't be a falconer. A falconer who wants this will not last. You must have a deep appreciation for nature and birds of prey in order for you to take on this huge responsibility (20 years caring for a bird that will respect you but will never love you like a dog, could leave at any time; hunting it at least three times a week during a season). One time seeing your bird of prey, that you have trained, come back to your glove on its free flight and it all becomes worth it, though.

Hope that explains a bit.

[Crisiss]

Well, the definition of falconry is "the taking of game with the use of a trained bird of prey." So basically it is a form of hunting. Instead of using a gun, you're using a hawk or falcon. Wild birds of prey are trapped, trained, hunted with, and in some cases released back into the wild. It is similar to dog training only much harder. It is also used professionally at airports to keep birds off the runway and drinking water reservoirs to prevent birds from pooping in it.

Anyone who wants to become/is a falconer just so he has something to show off shouldn't be a falconer. A falconer who wants this will not last. You must have a deep appreciation for nature and birds of prey in order for you to take on this huge responsibility (20 years caring for a bird that will respect you but will never love you like a dog, could leave at any time; hunting it at least three times a week during a season). One time seeing your bird of prey, that you have trained, come back to your glove on its free flight and it all becomes worth it, though.

Hope that explains a bit.

I prefer a gun over most others (I really like archery though) but I can appreciate and respect that. Using nature's natural born killers to your advantage. You can't kill anything bigger than a fox that way, huh? Unless we've started training bald/golden eagles to go and pick up deer out of the woods.

[Revanchist]

I prefer a gun over most others (I really like archery though) but I can appreciate and respect that. Using nature's natural born killers to your advantage. You can't kill anything bigger than a fox that way, huh? Unless we've started training bald/golden eagles to go and pick up deer out of the woods.

Golden Eagles can be trained and hunted with as well (you need a special permit in the US) but with one you can take deer, pronghorn, and wolves (technically, if they were legal to hunt). You are right, though, the largest you'll be taking usually are jackrabbits, Geese, and ocassionally turkeys.

[Crisiss]

Golden Eagles can be trained and hunted with as well (you need a special permit in the US) but with one you can take deer, pronghorn, and wolves (technically, if they were legal to hunt). You are right, though, the largest you'll be taking usually are jackrabbits, Geese, and ocassionally turkeys.

Huh. I should look into a falconry liscense.. how do permits work for that? Is it a one time deal or just like regular hunting?

[Revanchist]

Huh. I should look into a falconry liscense.. how do permits work for that? Is it a one time deal or just like regular hunting?

Not sure how it is in Pennsylvania, but in California it goes like this:

Mail the DFG for the falconry packet. Study the required materials and take a test. Find a sponsor (a general or master falconer). Have all your equipment inspected. Then you can fill out the paperwork you got at the beginning and send it to DFG and FWS.

You receive an apprentice grade license hat must be renewed annually. If after two years you have progressed sufficiently, the sponsor will recommend your advancement to general falconer. After 5 years as a general falconer, you are upgraded to master falconer.

I will tell you this, though: do your research before you decide to make a commitment. Remember that the bird must be weighed and fed daily, must be housed in an enclosure that meets the sponsors guidelines, among many other things. I suggest checking out The Modern Apprentice website to see if falconry is right for you.

[Waffle Wagon]

So, do you usually start with a juvenile raptor and keep it for a couple of years before letting it go; or do you keep it for the rest of its life like a sort of pet? I suppose pet is the wrong word... From my very limited experience watching demonstrations, the birds appear to obey commands quickly but don't seem very tame beyond that.

[Revanchist]

So, do you usually start with a juvenile raptor and keep it for a couple of years before letting it go; or do you keep it for the rest of its life like a sort of pet? I suppose pet is the wrong word... From my very limited experience watching demonstrations, the birds appear to obey commands quickly but don't seem very tame beyond that.

As an apprentice you must start with a wild yearling (passage) red tail hawk or a kestrel (sparrowhawk) of any age. Apprentices usually go with the red tail (bigger and easier to care for). As an apprentice you can only have one bird at a time. Depending on your sponsor, you might release it after the first season and catch another for your second year, or keep that one for both years.

Once you can become a general falconer, you can now own two raptors. Many. choose to keep their apprentice hawk (it's like your starter in Pokemon, he's just a staple) and get one more. A general falconer can get nestling (eyas) raptors either from the nest or from a breeder. Others who are more interested in rehab type things might catch a raptor, teach it to become an effective hunter over a season and then release it each year. That raptor now has a much higher chance of survival.

And you are right about them not being pets. They do not need you, however, they trust you to provide for them and do sulk when you are mean to them. They are more like a hunting companion than a pet. However, they will get attached to you over time. For example, some falconers have released their red tail thirty miles away from their house, only to find it waiting for them in their backyard by the time they get back home.

[Waffle Wagon]

To have a hawk actually respond to you must feel pretty awesome. Are owls used much, or at all? I reckon if you could get a frickin' golden eagle to do what you say, it shouldn't be that much of a stretch to convince a barn owl. 

[Revanchist]

Owls are more sound based and less visually oriented. It is also harder to hunt them, as they are a nocturnal animal being flown in a diurnal environment. Also, owls aren't as bright as other raptors, and most are too small to catch anything larger than a rat. Great Horned Owls are used, as they are the largest (capable of taking rabbits) and most intelligent of owls.