Falconry
The art of hunting using birds of prey as your partner. There is some confusion as to when falconry started but the list below is the most widely accepted.
705 BC - An Assyrian bas-relief found in the ruins at Khorsabad.
4th Century BC - the Romans learned falconry from the Greeks.
70-44 BC - Caesar is reported to have trained falcons to kill carrier pigeons.
500 - The earliest reliable evidence of falconry in Europe is a Roman floor mosaic of a falconer and his hawk hunting ducks.
8th and 9th century - Falconry flourished in the Middle East.
875 - Western Europe and Saxon England practiced falconry widely.
1934 - The first US falconry club, The Peregrine Club, is formed. It died out during World War II
1970 - The Peregrine Fund is founded, mostly by falconers, to conserve all raptors, but focusing on Peregrines.
Today there are over 4000 falconers in the United States. And over 600 in the state of California. Acquiring a falconry license in the US requires an aspiring falconer to pass a written test, have his equipment and facilities inspected, have a state and federal permit and serve two years as an apprentice under a licensed falconer.
The steps to become a falconer.
Falconry is not to be entered lightly. This is not just an exotic pet. If you want a pet, go buy a parakeet. This is a sport that requires a life style change. You can't ask your neighbor to feed her while you go on a two weeks vacation. You give up your entire winter's worth of weekends to fly your bird. If your not willing to hunt with your bird and actually catch game, then this sport is not for you.
I'm going to give you the steps you need to go through to become a falconer. Further down, I'll go through each step in more detail. There are a lot of hoops you have to jump through, but each step isn't very difficult.
1. Contact your local Fish & Game office and ask for their falconry package. While you have them on the line, ask them when they give the test and how much it costs. Also, ask them if they have any contacts for local clubs in your area or a state wide falconry club.
2. Obtain your study guides
3. Study
4. Take the test
5. Get a sponsor
6. Build your mews, make your equipment and have your sponsor sign off on them
7. Send in your completed paperwork
8. Wait
9. Wait some more
10. Trap your bird
11. Train your bird
12. Go Hunting
I'm not going to go into the actual trapping, training or the building of the mews. These are things that your sponsor will teach you. You are an Apprentice for two years and can only have one bird. You then become a General Falconer for 5 years and can have 2 birds. After that you become a Master Falconer and can have 3 birds.
Contact Your Local Fish and Game Office
Every state is different and you need to find out what is required for your state. This is the best place to get started. They will send you the information you need for your state and hopefully have a club contact for you. Try Googling falconry for your state.
Obtain Your Study Guide
This is tricky; you don't even know what to study so how do you know what to buy? Again each state is different, but for the most part the general questions they will ask are about the same. So what do you need to study? The California Hawking Club has one of the best study guides around. Many other states have taken this guide and with a few changes, made it suitable for their state. Even though the questions are geared for California, the information in it is invaluable. If you study this book and can answer all the questions in it, you should have no problem passing the test.
It will seem a bit overwhelming at first. You will see terms that are unfamiliar to you. There is a health section that will have you scratching your head. But don't despair. Take each section one at a time and just keep studying. The information you learn here really isn't what makes a falconer. Just study the guide with passing the test in mind. Your sponsor will teach you how to become a falconer. But, keep the guide it's great reference material.
Usually there are 100 questions and you must get at least 80% to pass. It's important that you are ready for it because if you don't pass, you can't take it again for another 3 months and that can mean the difference between becoming a falconer this season or having to wait until next season. So don't rush step 3. Be ready. The test really isn't very hard and they give you 2 hours to complete it. But if you know it well it should only take you 20-30 minutes to complete.
Find a Sponsor
This can actually be the hardest part of becoming a falconer. There was a time that you had to get a sponsor first, and some states still may require that. But it makes more sense to take the test before you even start looking. Why? If you approach a potential sponsor, the first thing they are going to tell you is "Take the test and then we can talk". By approaching a potential sponsor and letting them know you already took the test and passed, they will see that you are serious. How do you find a sponsor? That's the hard part; you need to contact the club in your state, or a falconer in your area. Not all falconers are willing to be a sponsor and not all sponsors are good falconers. You need to find one that you get along with and are willing to spend the next 2 years learning from. The sponsor's job is to teach you how to build your mews, help you trap your bird, how to train her and how to get her taking game. Your job as an apprentice is to do as your told. Period.
Here are some questions you might want to ask the potential sponsor:
1. What do you require of me during the next two years?
2. Do you allow me to keep my bird as long as I want? Or do you want me to release my bird at the end of the first season and trap another next season?
3. Do you have any thoughts about me using my bird for education as well as hunting? (Some sponsors will not allow you to do any education with your bird. So if that's something you want to do, you need to know up front if your sponsor has a problem with it.)
4. What are you looking for at the end of the two years that will allow me to become a General Falconer?
5. What books do you recommend that I read?
Build and make your equipment
This is where the most money goes. Building your mews can be anywhere from $500 up depending on how elaborate you get. Your sponsor should help you with at least the design of the mews. They can be a simple single chamber, a single chamber with an equipment room attached, a single chamber with an equipment room and a weathering yard attached. It all depends on you, the amount of space you have and your budget. What ever design you decide on, the minimum size for a single chamber is 8' x 8' x 8'. You really don't need anything larger than that. You must have a weathering area. This is where you can perch your bird so it can get plenty of sunshine yet be safe from the neighborhood dogs, other birds of prey, the local cats, rats, raccoons, etc. Not to mention the nosey neighbors. Again your sponsor can advise you on this, but a simple dog run is good. The bird is never allowed to be free in the weathering area, so chain link is fine here. Be sure to cover it with shade cloth. Your bird needs sun, but you don't want her to be sitting in the hot summer sun. Never use chain link as a mews. Next you need to make, or buy, some equipment. A lot of falconers like to make as much equipment as they can. I enjoy working with leather and braiding leashes. Your sponsor will tell you what you need. Some of it you will have to buy right now like the hood. Dragon Hoods makes a great hood made especially for trapping. You don't need to guess what size your bird will need, these are adjustable to fit any size red-tail. You will need to buy a good fitting hood after you trap your bird though. It's one of the hardest things to teach an apprentice, but it's very important to learn how to hood your bird. You will also need perches. These can be made by your local welding shop. Get with your sponsor about these. Along with building and making your equipment, you will need good hunting boots, a vest of some kind to carry all your gear into the field. Cabelas is a good place to start.
So you finally have all your equipment built, made and bought and your ready for your bird right? Wrong. You need to have your mews and equipment signed off by your sponsor or Fish & Game.
Send in your paperwork
It's important that everything is signed by you, your sponsor and the person that inspected your equipment. Be sure to keep a copy for yourself.
TIP: Send your paperwork to both the state and the Feds registered mail. Something that they have to sign and send back. That way you have proof that it got there and when. Do this every year as well when you renew your license. You will thank me for this tip one day.
Wait, Wait, Wait
This is the hardest part of this process. The Fish & Game department and the Federal Department will take their time.
Take this time to gather your hunting gear. Boots, vest, glove, hat, jacket, wool socks, binoculars, bug repelent (for you, not your bird), band aids, neosporin, hunting knife and any other gear suitable for your winters.
Also, start making (if you haven't already) the lure, leases, anklets, jesses and maybe start learning how to make hoods.
If it has been more than 3 months, you need to follow up on it. If you sent them registered mail, you have proof of when they received it and who signed for it.
Trap your Bird
I can't begin to tell you how exciting this part is. Your sponsor has shown you how to make the trap. You're up at dawn and out the door with all the equipment that you've checked and double checked. Now it's time to go look for your new hunting companion. Hopefully your sponsor will be with you on this great day.
Oh boy, you've trapped yourself a nice big female and now have a tiger by the tail. You need to keep your wits about you. There is nothing that will bring your head out of the clouds quicker than getting footed by a pissed off red-tail. Keep that Neosporine handy. Here is where you really need to listen to your sponsor. Do what he/she tells you and you and your bird will come out of this just fine.
The Training Begins
The next month or so will be the most exciting and a bit frustrating. This is where you train your bird. Your sponsor will help you here, but don't worry. You have to remember this was a wild bird just yesterday and it will take some time for her to begin to trust you. If you keep a constant routine, she will come around in no time.
Go Hunting with your new partner
Your hard work and perseverance has paid off. Your bird is in tip top condition, at the perfect hunting weight, responds to you and your lure and your both raring to go. Your sponsor should be with you when you go out the first time. He/she will have evaluated your bird's responses and will let you know when it's time. By having your sponsor with you the first time out, he/she can also evaluate your birds response in an unfamiliar field and let you know if you need to work with her a bit more or if you've done a great job training her.
Congratulation! Your a Falconer
I hope this has been informative for you and that it has made up your mind to get started. The journey can be just as exciting as the destination. Jump in and get started. The worst thing that can happen is you try it, find out that it's just not for you. So you've spent some money, had some fun and can say that you did it.
Falconry Art
Animal Art
Birds of Prey portraits, cartoons, and falconry graphics.
