East Tennessee

I am retired and want to get involved in Falconry but have not been successful in finding a sponsor near Jonesborough TN. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hello Mike, and welcome to Nafex! Glad so see some more interest from this part of the state. I am also an East Tennessee'r over in Elizabethton. I have had my first bird just over a week now. It took me several months to find a sponsor, however I finally got one out of Morristown. I believe one of the wildlife officers is supposed to be contacting you with his information.

I appreciate your response. I am looking forward to hearing from those interested in helping me achieve the training and honor of
eventual ownership of a raptor.

Mike Walls

Mike, I am still hoping to hear from the wildlife officer but so far I haven't heard from anyone yet.

Beautiful part of the state that you live in, Mike! Before moving to Texas, we lived between Elizabethton and Kingsport. Our oldest son resides in Bristol, TN; the younger one in Elizabethton. Will be watching your thread with interest, to learn if there are other falconers in that area as well!

From what I am aware of in communicating with the guys in the state and the local wildlife officers, I am the only falconer in this area. My sponsor is over an hour away. I know of another person looking for a sponsor in Shady Valley, however I don't think he's been successful in locating one so far. I know since the short time I've had my bird there's been a considerable amount of interest and the local newspaper wants to do a story, so maybe it's the start of getting more falconers on this side.

I'm just across the hill in bluff city and have actually waited for years to hear about someone into falconry here. How exactly do you find a sponsor? I have permission to use 100 acres with absolutely nothing on it but one old horse that walks around on it back in the woods that's wide open and cut up into 10 acre fields we could hunt. It's full of rabbits, squirrel, ground hog, and the occasional Qual or pheasant. I would love to get into this sport. Thanks for any advice or if anyone in the local area or within driving distance would like, you could fly you're birds there. It would be worth it just to see them go.

Carl Stevens..

Welcome to the forums Carl. Have you started studying for the test? You can Audi request the falconry packet from Walter Cook with the state at walter.cook@tn.gov. That packet will give you a more detailed list of what to study, and will let you know some names and numbers of potential sponsors. I'd love to take you up on your offer in the beginning of January.

I already sent an email to get my packet. And absolutely, I'd love to watch you fly you're bird. The land is in bluff city on pleasant grove Rd about half a mile off the road. It would be a perfect place to train with no real danger of hitting power lines or anything else. It has trees but just on the perimeter and very few in the middle around a pond. I've been interested in it for years but there's just never been a place or person to help me get into it. I was actually watching one of the 2 that lives beside my house this morning taking something out of the field behind me and it resparked my interest in it. Ya, any time you want to fly it just let me know and I'd be more than willing to meet up with you and go to that property. I actually need to go trim that horses hooves anyways lol. My email is cbosspitbull@AOL send me a email and I'll shoot my number to you and we can go over there. I know my boys would love to see it to. Thanks for the response. Btw, are you still apprenticing or have you completed it? I have some work to do and a lot of reading but I'd love to get on my way in this thing. Thanks..

Carl stevens..

Yes, I am in my first year of apprenticeship flying my first RT. Back in town and ready to meet up any time you would like.