What is Falconry?
Do You Really Want to Become a Falconer? Thank you for your inquiry about falconry. You may have recently read about this ancient art in a book or learned about it through a nature show on television or heard about it via radio, perhaps a movie like "Ladyhawk", or may have even seen a trained hawk in action at a bird show. Whatever the case, you were obviously impressed enough to want to learn more about the sport of falconry, and I appreciate your interest. However, few people thrilling at the magic of a trained raptor in flight realize what demands are placed upon one who aspires to be a falconer. Even fewer would be willing to make the sacrifices. There are the stringent, long- term demands of time, effort, and MONEY. Unfortunately the media often sensationalizes falconry, because the sport can be exciting to watch and carries with it the intrigue of antiquity, but public media frequently is inaccurate in its representation of what it really takes to be a falconer. Of all sports in America, falconry is the only one that utilizes a trained wild creature. Falcons, hawks, eagles and owls are essential elements of our wildlife. The competent falconer takes care to follow sound conserva- tion principles in the pursuit of the sport. Even though the federal government's environmental assessment states falconry has "no impact" on wild raptor populations, a careless, uninformed individual, attempting to satisfy a passing fancy, can do great harm to one or more birds and cast the shadow of discredit on the sport of falconry it- self. Most falconers, therefore, before they will agree to help anyone newly attracted to the sport, will require evidence of a serious, committed interest in falconry. They feel that anything less is not worth bothering with. A serious commitment to becoming a falconer is often evi- denced by an individual's ravenous appetite for litera- ture on the sport of falconry, a sincere interest in all aspects of wildlife and the out-of-doors, and by a per- sistent effort to learn the many fundamentals of this art--all before obtaining a hawk. Most falconers had similar beginnings, and today's newcomer must likewise expect a period of apprenticeship. If you are still con- vinced that your interest is more than casual and you are willing to undertake the study of falconry before getting a hawk, you must also be prepared to fulfill the addit- ional requirements of becoming a falconer.
TIME: Time and patience devoted solely to training and flying a hawk are among the most important demands. The trained hawk requires a minimum amount of time, 365 days a year. A bird in training requires substantially more time. Raptors, unlike a rifle or a bow, cannot be hung on the wall and forgotten until the next hunting trip. If you cannot make the time to accommodate the hawk's needs for any reason, it is far better never to begin. MONEY: You must be able to provide food, shelter, equipment, and a lot of travel expense as a falconer. Hawks have very specific requirements for fresh, lean, raw meat. There are the housing and equipment requirements--most of them mandated by law--that require metal, leather, lumber, and the necessary tools, as well as your own skill in working with these materials. A library of falconry-related books is not required, but most falconers spend considerable amounts of money on books as a source of vital informat- ion and enjoyment. You must be able to travel--obtain- ing a hawk, visiting other falconers, and the training and flying of a hawk will put many miles and a lot of wear-and-tear on your vehicle. ACCESS TO LAND: You must have permission to enter adequate and convenient locations which are privately owned in which to fly a hawk or falcon. The short-winged hawks are best flown in woodlots, hedgerows, and briar patches that make up their natural habitat. The falcons, or longwings, require wide open expanses of land where they may be flown high over the falconer. Areas that are gun hunted may render an otherwise suitable location unusable because of the potential threat to the hawk. And believe me, most people with a gun in a field will shoot at or kill your bird!!! PERMITS: Because all raptors are protected by federal and state laws, all potential falconers must obtain necessary per- mits before obtaining a hawk or practicing falconry. There are other requirements that space does not permit me to include here. I hope, at least, that you now real- ize that the art and practice of hawking may not be learned overnight, or in a single lesson, but only after months or years of hard work and essentially devoting one's life to the subject. Whether or not you eventually become a falconer, I hope that you will retain a friendly interest in all birds of prey, their conservation, and the sport of falconry. If you have decided at this time that it is not in your best interest to properly care for a raptor always keep in mind that you are usually welcome to tag a long with a falconer for hunting excursion and every year nearly every State has trials or meets for falconers to fly their birds for competition, sport and a overall good time to be had by all!