Falconry ~ Josh & Tatiana

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.

"Falconry is not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle,"

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.

Thank You Josh!

First of all I would like to say "Thank You" so much Josh for doing a homeschool session with our family. We enjoyed our day with you and Tatiana. You're amazingly kind and compassionate in general,but seeing you with her reveals so much more. As for Tatiana she is Beautiful and did an amazing job, you two work wonderful together. It was amazing to see her watch you as you worked for her.Shadd and I were talking about that after we left and pondered the day with the kids. That she really relies on you to do most of the work.

This has taken you awhile and alot of hard work, funny we discussed this over 6 months ago.

While we were waiting...Josh has been

training with his sponser and Tatiana "manning" his Red Tailed Hawk,which consist of the steps that must be taken toward getting Tatiana accustomed to him and its new surroundings. Josh, and everything around him, have to be accepted by Tatiana the {hawk},and Josh is to be the only trusted and loyal provider of food. They then form a reward system and a trust, now it's time for them to hit the fields in search for game.

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.
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.
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.
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.