Falconry

Falconry is a very old sport. It started about 2,000 BC. Falconry is the training of bird of prey to capture wild game or fowl for the hunter. Falconers most often train hawks or falcons for this.

The reason we have laws about falconry is to protect the birds and the sport from abuse. You need a Federal and State Falconry License from your State Game and Fish Department. (It is illegal to hunt with a raptor in Hawaii). Before you can get a falconry license, you need to have a two-year apprenticeship under an experienced falconer. Then you have to score at least 80% on a test about falconry, raptor biology, and healthcare; build proper housing for the birds, and have it inspected; and you must be at least 14 years old to become a falconer.

Falconry started in China, but spread to many other parts of the world. Some places where falconry is practiced are Latin America, continental Europe, the United States, and Canada. Falconry is also practiced in the Middle East, the Orient, and West Africa.

Falconers feel really good about the sport, because they get close to their birds during training and working in the fields. Watching the falcons fly and hunt is very exciting. Falconers enjoy being able to work closely with wild animals, and they love nature.

Falconry can have a positive effect on Peregrine Falcons. I think if people are more interested and educated about Peregrine Falcons, they can do more to help them. Falconry lets people learn more about birds of prey and Peregrine Falcons, and it can get people together breeding, raising, and protecting Peregrine Falcons and keeping them off the endangered animal list.

Bibliography

www.calhawkingclub.org/ California Hawking Club website

www.falconry.com/organ_frm.htm North American Falconer’s Association

“Falconry” Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, 1999 edition