SW Montana Newb

Hi all. I’m new to the forums and new to falconry as an active participant. Never sure how much is too much (or not enough) so I’ll just lead out with some info I’ve shared elsewhere

My 12yr old son and I are just in the beginning stages of preparing ourselves to apprentice. I’ve long wanted to do this but only now in my early 40s am I truly in a position (and place) to practically commit time and pursue this endeavor. Also, an intense interest in Raptors is one of the few things that gets my son’s head out of electro-tech-land with consistent success. Since an interest in falconing seems to be one of the few overlapping interests we share, I think we are both excited about sharing this adventure.

Anyhow... we are studying the process now and starting to reach out to others. Also starting to gather reading and study materials for the licensing test. Our goal is to be ready for an actual bird in two years (2020), or perhaps even next capture season in 2019, providing we can find a sponsor that soon. I very much am interested in the hunting aspect of falconry as I live in MT and hunting is simply a way of life. Ironically, though, it is not a way of life I was raised with and big game hunting isn’t something I’ve ever been passionate about pursuing. Falconry, however is a type of hunting that appeals strongly to the traditionalist in me.

We are located in Anaconda, but we also spend a lot of time in the Mission Valley as that is where my wife is from and all her family still there. We are prepared to travel within about a 2-hour radius if we can find the right willing person to work with us. That said, that puts Bozeman, Missoula, Helena, Dillon as our approximate realistic boundaries, although we could push that under proper conditions, especially if our hunting grounds allow us to meet part-way in between.

My son is a pretty gentle tender hearted little guy. He can be somewhat timid at first and is sometimes a little slow to master mechanical/motor skills. That said, he’s somewhat of an encyclopedia of bird facts and has a knack for accumulating and recalling any info related to birds. I am a fairly quick study in the fundamentals of most things, but alas, once I learn the basics I too am sometimes a little slower at mastering more advanced skills. That said, we both have a lot of stick-to-it-iveness for things we are passionate about. We are prepared to spend several years building these skills and eventually obtaining a master falconers license is the likely goal if we get through the apprentice phase.

Anyhow... I realize it may take some time to find a sponsor, and what better way to prove our perseverance, right?! In the meantime, if anyone knows contacts or meeting schedules or activities related to the sport, let us know. We’d love to meet start meeting some falconers in person.

Check your private messages please

Thank you for the heads-up, Ray. I'm trying to figure out how to edit my post to include my name, as you suggested.

I am near Livingston and always willing to take interested folks out hunting. Feel free to contact me via private message here once the season gets going. My falcon is nearly complete her molt, and I should be flying again early September.

Mike

Thanks for reaching out Mike. I will definitely PM you, come September.

(welc)to the forum, Doug! I love it when falconers get on board with this sport along with a young adult. Great sport to get involved with together! Good luck and please keep us posted on how it's going. :)

Thanks Deb. My son is the type for which this could very well become a life-long passion. We'll definitely update folks as we go.

Hi doug,

the montana club is having its summer meeting and social on August 11 in Belgrade at the lions park from 11-2. Bring something to share.

Jeff,

Can you send those to me, as well?

Mike

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Originally Posted by Heero

Jeff,

Can you send those to me, as well?

Mike

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emailed

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Originally Posted by JRedig

Hi doug,

the montana club is having its summer meeting and social on August 11 in Belgrade at the lions park from 11-2. Bring something to share.

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I thought that the summer meeting was a business meeting, and membership was a requirement?

That seems incredibly close minded. But it is an opportunity for him to join if that is the case. It is a picnic and raffle/fund raiser, so bring on interested people for all I care.

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Originally Posted by WyoWildlife

I thought that the summer meeting was a business meeting, and membership was a requirement?

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John, any potential members are always welcome to the summer meeting, it's nonmembers continually attending that we discourage.

Thanks for the info Jeff. Sorry I didn't respond earlier, I was out in the backcountry in the Pintlers for a couple of days. Ray had also provided me some info on the meeting in Belgrade and we are definitely planning on attending. I'm trying to find a couple goods items to submit to the raffle.

John, I appreciate your question regarding the difference between business meetings and other type meetings and whether or not those meetings are limited to the membership. But since I've received three different invitations between this forum and one other, and because I'm interested in observing and possibility joining, I hope you are wrong. Particularly since this type of joint event seems like an ideal forum for prospective members to get a broad view of how the MFA operates at both a business and social level. Also because, personally, I'd be hesitant to join any group, from Rotary to the local theater group, to the MFA, unless I had a chance to get a sense of how they handled business officially and how they socialized informally.

So, in conclusion... I'm certainly not offended at all by your question... but for the sake of my own curiosity and interests, I also hope that no one is offended if I show up and it turns out that the three invitations I received were not "official".

Falconry Associations represent a very unique minority sportsman group that is very vulnerable to misinterpretation , so these clubs have been historically careful about what is shared to non-members to help protect the sport. Joining these clubs even at an associate level, is also a signal to the community that you are serious about moving forward and helps attract a sponsor. Unlike many other civic orgs that have a lot of overlap with each other in their mission, there really is no alternative orgs in falconry circles. So each state club is the defacto leader in protecting legal falconry in that state, joining the state-level club is an important step. Just some background....

Thank you for the insight John. I didn't intend to be critical and I hope it didn't come off that way. I can certainly understand and appreciate that there are certain elements of the Association's business that are best kept at the membership level. In the end, my only real concern would be, I wouldn't want people to get the impression that I was attempting to crash their activity or force my way in...because that's definitely not a way to ingratiate one's self to those whose approval and acceptance you hope to gain. But also, it seems irresponsible to say "hey, I really wanna be a part of this association" without having a reasonably broad even if only basic understanding of what "this association" entails.

So... the plan right now is that I'm gonna come bearing a couple of items for the raffle, as was suggested by two of the inviters. And we'll be there with the understanding that we are only prospective members and our participation may be limited to reflect that. Frankly, at this point, if all we're able to do is to briefly introduce ourselves to folks and hopefully secure an invitation to another future event, I think we'll be happy with that.

Since the MFA doesn't have an official website, if there's anyone out there that can PM me some info on membership types and costs that'd be very helpful.

Hey Doug, welcome to the forum.
Sadly I'm going to miss the picnic this year due to work obligations but hopefully I'll catch you at a meet or during the season!
I live just outside of Hamilton so I'm kind of within your bubble. Definitely some better rabbit hunting down your way and would be happy to have you come along.
Good luck on the beginnings of your journey, feel free to reach out with any questions!

Thanks Ally. I'm excited to hear that the rabbit hunting in our area is good. I suspected as much, but mine is an untrained perspective. We'd love to hunt with you sometime. I took a moment to look at your profile and noticed you've handled quite a variety of falcons including a couple my son was particularly curious about (the sharp-shinned and the merlin). If you ever make it out hunting our way this season, we'd love to meet you.

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Originally Posted by DHClark76

Thanks for the info Jeff. Sorry I didn't respond earlier, I was out in the backcountry in the Pintlers for a couple of days. Ray had also provided me some info on the meeting in Belgrade and we are definitely planning on attending. I'm trying to find a couple goods items to submit to the raffle.

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Hi doug,

You are welcome to show up. Don't kill yourself on raffle items! There will be a piece of it that is the "business meeting" that is members only. Apparently there are some by-laws that reflect this kind of stuff, but in the 4 years i've been back in MT and involved in this club, i've never seen them or known they exist. So whatever, there's plenty of time before and after to meet n greet. This is after all, supposed to be fun, i think a lot of people forget that and take things way to seriously.

Look forward to meeting you.
-JR

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Originally Posted by JRedig

Hi doug,

You are welcome to show up. Don't kill yourself on raffle items! There will be a piece of it that is the "business meeting" that is members only. Apparently there are some by-laws that reflect this kind of stuff, but in the 4 years i've been back in MT and involved in this club, i've never seen them or known they exist. So whatever, there's plenty of time before and after to meet n greet. This is after all, supposed to be fun, i think a lot of people forget that and take things way to seriously.

Look forward to meeting you.
-JR

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Jeff,
Have you ever thought about asking someone for a copy of the MFA By Laws and Constitution?

Ray, yes I did. Seems it might be something to give new members though when they sign up. Or maybe if we had a website? Haha

What time is the bidness meeting portion? I’ll show up after since I haven’t joined yet (but will soon).

I made a hood for an anatum tiercel for the raffle.

Want to fish the Gallatin beforehand, Jeff? Should be spruce moths on the water.

Mike

Meeting typically starts about noonish

In an email from Ralph he indicated that the social portion would be first, then the business meeting following. Anyone considering joining would have a pretty good idea of the membership and the organization goals by then.

I'll admit to being a little disappointed that there wasn't a website, but I'm getting the sense that the question of the website has been a tricky one that has been:

a) a subject of ongoing debate;
b) something that is perhaps perceived as going against the traditionalist and low profile nature of falconers and the Association's goals;
c) simply been a low priority given the amount of funds and resources available;
d) some combination of all of the above;

If any of it's a question of people willing to dedicate the time. Well... at this point I think its likely we'll join and that's an area that even as a newb, I could and would be willing and able to make a contribution. Although, something tells me its more a question of balancing the ease of access to information with weeding out those who are truly serious about the sport.

Hey Ray, can I get a copy of them too! I've been looking for info on the club for a while. I didn't know you were so involved or I would have asked earlier. Dan and I would love to know about membership!!

Brandi,
I'll see if I have a copy and swing by, if not I'll try to get one arranged. You two should come to the meeting in Belgrade

We're going to try. We work Sat, but we have something for the raffle!

Ray or Jeff (or anyone else who might know)...
Does the MFA have a logo or something like that. I have several fairly nice jackets and some overstock camo hats at my shop that are just sitting there unused and I was thinking about embroidering a couple of items and taking those for the picnic on Saturday. I could take them unimproved, but I was thinking that putting an MFA logo on them or something of that nature might make them more attractive to folks.

We do have a logo, but I'm not sure where you'd get the art work other then off a piece of stationary.

No big deal, but If someone were able to scan or snap a pic and pm it that ‘d be all I needed. But again, not a big deal.

Sorry don’t know, I don’t have anything with the logo on it.