What is Falconry?

Falconry is the art and practice of hunting for wild quarry with a trained hawk or falcon.
Falconry was known as the sport of kings and dates back almost four thousand years and it is the oldest field sport known to mankind.

What it takes to become a falconer.
Time, Dedication & Patience needed.

Falconry takes a lot of dedication, patience and time spent with your bird almost everyday. You may need to spend a minimum of 20 minutes a day or sometimes hours working with your bird. Your bird will need to be looked after daily and feed quality food and given fresh water. Weighing your bird daily is a must to make sure your bird stays healthy and is ready for hunting.

Costs to become a falconer.
Listed below are some of the costs you will have if you decide to become a falconer.

1. Hawk food for daily feeding can run from $1.00 a day to $3.00 a day, less if you raise your own food.

2. Your mews (or hawk house) will be your most expensive item, cost can run from $250.00 to $1500.00! If you can do some of your own building and use used lumber you can keep this cost way down.

3. You will need to get your basic falconry equipment items to pass your state inspection. These cost range from $100.00 to $500.00 depending on if you can make some of your own equipment yourself.

4. Permit fees, such as trapping permit, your state & Federal falconry permit fees are different in all states. You will need to contact your local wildlife departments for these costs.

 
The legal aspects of falconry.

Falconry is highly regulated and there are state and federal falconry regulations. A state and federal falconry permit is also required to practice falconry. You will also be required to pass a falconry test and there are also age requirements for becoming a falconer. Learning about falconry will take many hours of studying and you will need to find a falconer is your area that is willing to be your sponsor for the next two years of your apprentice training.

Types of Falconry permits.

There are three classes of falconry permits and we have listed these below so you can see what is required of each type of falconry permit. We will only list the basic information about each type of permit here, and if you want to look further you can follow one of our links to find more information.

1. Apprentice falconer: To become a new falconer this is the level you will start at. In most states you must be at least 14 years old to become a falconer. You will be required to have a sponsor to help train you for the two year apprentice program. You must also pass a state falconry exam which usually consists of a 100 question test. In most states the apprentice falconry will be allowed to train only a passage Redtailed Hawk or an American Kestrel. Some states may allow other raptors and you will need to check with your game departments to see your own states regulations on this. A novice falconer can have only one bird for training at any one time.

2.  General Falconer: After you have two years of training as an apprentice falconer you can become a general falconer. Some states require that you must be at least 18 years old before moving to this level. You will be allowed to have two raptors at any one time and you will also be allowed as a general to use other types of raptors besides the Redtailed Hawk and the American Kestrel.

3. Master Falconer: To become a master falconer usually take a minimum of five years and in some states even longer. The master falconer permit level is the highest you can obtain. You can have a maximum of three birds for falconry training at any one time. You will also be allowed to pick from a wider range of birds and the types that you can have will be different from state to state.

Are you ready to become a Falconer now?
If you want more information and think that falconry is for you, we have made a list below of things that will help you on your way to becoming a falconer.

Links or phone # to State Game Departments and falconry related Websites.

A listing of all state Game Departments = http://gf.state.wy.us/agencies/index.asp
North American Falconers Association = http://n-a-f-a.com/
The Oregon Falconers Association = http://oregonfalconers.org/
Oregon Falconry exam, call 503-229-5403.
Info on Oregon falconry; Contact The Dept of Fish & Wildlife, at P O Box 59 Portland, OR 97207 or call 503-229-5403.

Books and video suggestions.

All of these books listed above and more including videos can be seen at our website listed below.

Mike’s Falconry Supplies = http://www.mikesfalconry.com/group.asp?grp=28