i am fascinated with it. tells us about it

There was a guy that posted on here awhile back with his bird.Try search,you may find it

What do you want to know?

Texas falconer was his screen name

I looked into this awhile back. It is a serious proposition that was too much for me to consider. Texas Parks Wildlife has a lot of info on falconry:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_w7000_0020.pdf

There is another that goes by "Wild Ed", I haven't seen him on the forum in quite awhile. Here is his blog http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/

I used to let a guy come out to my place and hunt ducks.
It was awesome to watch his birds work.

I'm new to this forum. I just logged on and saw this thread. It might be a little bit old. I am a licensed falconer and I've been practicing the sport since 1995. I don't have a bird this year, but I might start trapping early again next spring (harris' hawk). If you have specific questions, I will do my best to answer them.

Here are a couple of photos in case you are interested:

A peregrine falcon from a few years back...


A redtail that I trapped and released this year (can't keep adults)


Redtail Feet


Adult cooper's hawk I trapped this year and released
(This is the species I was after - they hunt birds)


Hopefully the photos aren't too large. I can't resize them right now.
Jamie

Nice, looking forward to more pics

Ive only seen one other birder on here and its been a while back

Birders are different. They just like to look at birds. Falconers prefer the interaction of predator and prey. It is pretty cool to watch your hawk chase a quail as if it is a heat seeking missile.

Welcome Dunners! Great photos of the birds,keep'em coming.Birds of prey are so cool.

here are some of mine from earlier years

Harris



Peregrine

Kestrel


not sure what i did with all my redtail pics...
AY

Birds of prey are awesome!! I've spent a lot of time on deep water offshore platforms & used to love watching the falcons nail birds out there,(well, when there was time to watch lol). They looked like peregrine falcons to me & was amazing to watch them team up & work. Most groups of (prey) birds that far out were apparently lost & by the time a group moved in to try and rest on the platform they were plum wore out. Easy pickins' normally for the falcons. Sparrows, dove, ducks, and even cow birds & egrets got nailed from high and low. Boy they left a lot of stripped carcasses behind lol. I've got some pictures somewhere that I took if I can find them. It's a little different than watching hawks on land nail prey.

Yanta61,
Is that harris' captive bred or a passage bird? I just moved from Missouri last year, so I'm contemplating my first passage harris' hawk (never had an opportunity for one before). A cooper's is what I am leaning toward for next year though. I've got some time to plan. Family visits and vacation have changed the plans for this year.

It's interesting this came up. I was just thinking about this myself. How do you go about acquiring the hawks, training them etc?

Passage..... we went out this last weekend and saw a few passage birds but the rain kind of messed it up and nothing wanted to come down to the trap

contact the TPWD and request a Falconry booklet. you have to have a state permit. there are 3 things that you must do in order to get a permit. you have to take a written test and pass. you have to build facilities for the bird and have the game warded come inspect it to make sure the bird will be safe, and you have to find a sponsor/mentor to train you for the first 2 years.

Most Falconers will require you to tag along with them a year before they will sponsor you. Just to make sure your serious about it. The first year will be the most expensive because you have to build a mew(house) and a weathering yard. Then you have to buy or build all the equipment needed for the bird.

If you’re really interested in falconry join the Texas Hawking Association and try to meat falconer in your area ----- http://www.texashawking.org/2008/Public/

You can also read this from TPWD
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_w7000_0020.pdf

After you follow the steps outlined by Yanta61, you will be able to get your first bird. The regulations have changed recently, so apprentice falconers are allowed a few more choices for their first hawk, but most choose a redtailed hawk or an American kestrel. A redtail is a great first bird to choose, especially if rabbits are abundant. It was the first species I hunted with, and I trained several more after that.

Birds can be obtained through a captive breeding program or from the wild. I prefer to trap my birds and release them at the end of the season, but each falconer has his preferences.

Yanta,
I'm contemplating a late season (March-April) harris' hawk. So, I might pick your brain about that when the time comes. Those are great pics, btw.

Pretty awesome all around!

I will be doing it when I move to Nac. I have been studying on all aspects of it and am looking for an avian vet for when I move.

Contact the Texas Hawking Association http://www.texashawking.org/2008/Public/

I do it, but I don't keep them captive. I walk outside and let out a loud CAW-CAAAAAAAWWWWWW. Several will usually respond and land on my extended arm. Yeah, I'm that cool.

Seriously though. Falconry looks very cool.

badazz

This stuff is awesome, seen a guy a while back online with an owl...all I got is some dumb dogs, and an iguana (they dont hunt nuthin)!