Aspiring Falconer

[tcline614]

Hello,
My name is Trevor and I live in Central Ohio. I'm currently a student of Information Technology and I'm trying to get into the sport of Falconry. I understand what is expected of me and how much of a responsibility I'm going to be taking on. I'm talking to several Falconers in my area and trying to convince them that I've got the bug and this isn't just a fly by night thing for me. I'm fully aware that this is going to be lifestyle change and my raptor will be well cared for and hunted very often. I can't wait to trap my first bird but I'm told my patience will speak mountains about my character, so if that's what I have to do in order to be taken seriously. Then, so be it!

[FredFogg]

(welc)to NAFEX Trevor! Go into your User CP and put your name in your signature as that is one of the few requirements on here. Keeps things friendly and on a first name basis. And yes, patience is in my opinion the biggest asset in falconry. It applies to many things in falconry, you will come to realize all of them the more years you are in this life style. Have fun, enjoy the journey!

[bama000]

Hello,
My name is Trevor and I live in Central Ohio. I'm currently a student of Information Technology and I'm trying to get into the sport of Falconry. I understand what is expected of me and how much of a responsibility I'm going to be taking on. I'm talking to several Falconers in my area and trying to convince them that I've got the bug and this isn't just a fly by night thing for me. I'm fully aware that this is going to be lifestyle change and my raptor will be well cared for and hunted very often. I can't wait to trap my first bird but I'm told my patience will speak mountains about my character, so if that's what I have to do in order to be taken seriously. Then, so be it!


Patience on the forum and around local falconers will get you respect. It's small compared to the patience you'll be needing when you finally get a bird out back. I made a point to contact everyone I could in my immediate neighborhood to introduce myself and the people I contacted were VERY forthcoming. If you are married, expect your wife to get pissed about all the hours of phone time listening to stories and advice. "You on the phone about those birds again?" is very common at my house! LOL

I decided to volunteer with the Kentucky Raptor Rehab. I got the wife to volunteer, too. This is also a commitment that will help others to see your sincerity. Don't just do it to convince a potential sponsor, though. Do it to gain knowledge and bird skills. Clean those cadges, help in every way possible and soak in everything you can learn about keeping sick and injured birds alive. From what I'm told, you'll need it when you get your own bird. It'll put you on a first name basis with people who make a difference for our sport.

There's only so much you can learn from books. The real learning curve happens when you are around the birds. Seek those falconers around you who will allow you to stop by at feeding time. This time of year isn't right for fielding. If you care to be invited along on a hunt later in the year, now is the time to visit your locals, learn everything you can and study that test to death. Pass it and be patient. A sponsor will choose you in due time. The LAST thing you EVER want to do is call some stranger up and ask him to be your sponsor. If you find one that way, a red flag should be waving around inside your skull. It's a two year commitment for a licensed general or master falconer to take on an apprentice. I've had marriages last less time than that.

If you truly are commited, you won't need to tell or convince ANYBODY. These guys know the sport and will recognize it on their own. They get pounded with sponsor requests all the time and it can become a nuisance really quick. Guys will call up claiming to be commited only to fall off the planet a month later when the next glitzy interest enters their lives. Too often the "I'm soooooo commited" potential apprentice turns out to have wasted everyone's time and are off rock climbing, league bowling or playing with model railroads or some crap like that instead of following through with someone who has graciously offered to devote a part of their own life to help them learn a wonderful sport.

[tcline614]

Thank you for the heads up!

[tcline614]

Thank you so much for the insight and your time. This is something I've wanted to do since childhood. I always thought you had to be a wildlife officer or live in another country to get one of these beautiful animals. To my pleasant surprise I've found it's a long process but definitely attainable with dedication and patience. It's taken me close to a month to just find some falconers in my area, so I can tell patience truly is a virtue and if instant ratification is what you are looking for then falconry is definitely not for you.

[topgun]

HAVING A SPONCER can be exciting and a nightmare you need to be compatible, you need to be available to him and him to you. I HAD TWO THAT I LEARNED FROM, BOTH WITH differant personalities and jobs that didnt jive with my needs OR MAYBE MY PERSONALITY until I GOT SPONCER 3 WHICH FINALLY GOT ME TO a general falconer with kindness paitance and availbilty. IM NOW VP OF my state and practice falconry every possible moment so I WONT BE labled a pet keeper, one thing my sponcor told me is fly your bird often and it not the kills that count LET YOUR bird be a hawk not a pet (thanks BILL DAVIS, GREAT FRIEND, FATHER FIGURE AND BEST REDTAIL HAWKER IVE EVER MET AND LOVING WIFE AND COMPANION CAROLYN .rtsqrl

[everetkhorton]

(welc) Trevor. Michael response was one of he best I have heard in a long time. Have fun

[tcline614]

(welc) Trevor. Michael response was one of he best I have heard in a long time. Have fun


Thank you. He definitely seems to have it together! I'm glad he posted up!

[bama000]

(welc) Trevor. Michael response was one of he best I have heard in a long time. Have fun

Maybe I should have waited to write it after having to scrub out two dozen bird boxes at the rehab! LOL Man that rehab is a blast to work at. I'm having a ball there!

[tcline614]

Maybe I should have waited to write it after having to scrub out two dozen bird boxes at the rehab! LOL Man that rehab is a blast to work at. I'm having a ball there!

I'm having a hard time finding a bird of prey rehab facility in my area. I'd love to get in there and help take care of these majestic animals. Even clean out their living quarters. I'm told I'll need to get a degree in poopology 101 and what a better way to do so by cleaning the shit out of their areas (sorry excuse for a pun, intended)



rtsqrl

[timmhawk]

Trevor , the Ohio wildlife center is near the Columbus Zoo!

[bama000]

I'm having a hard time finding a bird of prey rehab facility in my area. I'd love to get in there and help take care of these majestic animals. Even clean out their living quarters. I'm told I'll need to get a degree in poopology 101 and what a better way to do so by cleaning the shit out of their areas (sorry excuse for a pun, intended)



rtsqrl



Do yourself a favor, though. Don't forget that rehab people are NOT in the same game as falconers. There is a lot to be learned there that applies to falconry, but a lot more that conflicts with our goals. I am learning this as I go, just like you are/will be. A rehab person is rarely a falconer, and visa versa BUT there are definite exceptions to every rule. Brandi Q is one exception I know of. Mike Matthews is another. Both have been rehabers as well as falconers. I beleive Mike is/was involved with the Louisville Zoo's raptor program. Just don't confuse the two. Get out of it what you see is beneficial to your sport and take it from there. The way I understand it from my own observations, rehab operations don't try to train the birds and try to keep the birds exposed to the least amount of human interaction as possible. Only the educational birds are manned, but not to hunt. Those birds are usually the ones that can't be returned to the wild, but are healthy and docile enough for public appearances and benefits. Correct me if I am in error here folks. I'm new to this, too and still learning mountains of stuff each day.

You and I are in a volatile part of our journey. We are both learning things left and right. We are studying the suggested and recommended texts and getting whatever exposure we can. Neither of us has a sponsor so some of the things we are learning will wind up being wrong and will need to be un-learned. It's a double edge sword. We can't get sponsors without demonstrating a commitment. A commitment involves showing a potential sponsor we are going the distance come hell or high water by assimilating what knowledge we can on our own. We wind up learning a lot of useless or wrong stuff in the process until a sponsor is willing to straighten us out and guide us correctly. Until that time we are taking suggestions and guidance from those falconers graciously willing to help out in the effort with opinions. Innevitably, no two people are alike and those suggestions, no matter how honest and candid, will wind up conflicting with those our own sponsor may have.

We are eager so we continue to learn everything we can and accept that some of it will be replaced, corrected, discarded or kept once we finally do gain sponsorship. Until then all we can do is study, pass that exam, gather the required equipment and look forward to hunting with birds and new friends. I spend a lot of my time reading, locating fields and talking to property owners. I've just started building my mews and have already accumulated quite a bit of my furniture. I still have a long way to go. Sometimes I think the easiest way to get a sponsor is to do the basics as best as possible, pass the test, then show up on a potential sponsor's doorstep with a set of large perky boobs and a six pack of cold beer while wearing a thong. LOL

We keep the faith and don't give up. Patience and diligence is the key to the ultimate success.