2011 NAFA Meet in Vernal, Utah

[FredFogg]

Registration for the 2011 NAFA Meet in Vernal, Utah is now available. You may register online or you can fill out the registration form and mail it in. Go to the Meets page on the NAFA website for the announcement from Mark Holmes, Meet Chairman and follow the links to register. There will also be a registration form in your April Hawk Chalk that you should be recieving shortly.

[Chris L.]

Thanks Fred for the update. I'm looking forward to it. Never hunted in Utah before. It should be a blast

Are you going? Any idea about out of state hunting fees?

Thanks for doing such a great job with keeping the NAFA site up to date. It's great to see The NAFA site with all the online abilities. Great work!

[Joby]

Don't forget to check out the site below to ensure that you don't bring any "unwanted" visitors home with you!

http://www.bedbugreports.com/city/ut-vernal

[FredFogg]

Chris, not going this year unless I win the lottery. LOL
The Hawk Chalk has a more complete announcement by Mark Holmes, the meet chairman. If anyone hasn't received their HC, you can view it on the NAFA website. But he says a hotel price will be announced in the August HC and gives some other hotels in the area. He also says they are working on a 5 day hunting license and a health certificate is required.

[FredFogg]

Wow! The mad rush to register for the meet has been unbelievable. 1 person so far. I guess being the first 100 to register to get a commemorative gift isn't a big enough deal to get folks to register early. LOL

[outhawkn]

Born and raised 30 miles east of Vernal...I am excited to be going home!

[FredFogg]

Born and raised 30 miles east of Vernal...I am excited to be going home!

Bill, I sure wish I were going this year. I hear Utah is a beautiful state. And the hunting ain't bad either! LOL

[Lowachi]

Wow! The mad rush to register for the meet has been unbelievable. 1 person so far. I guess being the first 100 to register to get a commemorative gift isn't a big enough deal to get folks to register early. LOL

I registered along time ago ...but then I'm workin' it again, so it probably doesn't count.

[outhawkn]

Bill, I sure wish I were going this year. I hear Utah is a beautiful state. And the hunting ain't bad either! LOL

Thats too bad, I havent hawked there in a very long time but it will be the same as always I'm sure. Now to figure out where that password is so I can register.......

[FredFogg]

I registered along time ago ...but then I'm workin' it again, so it probably doesn't count.

Ok Rich, let me walk you through this, this is a yearly event, you have to register each year. LOL

[Lowachi]

Ok Rich, let me walk you through this, this is a yearly event, you have to register each year. LOL

You & Krys, always with the spurs .

[FredFogg]

You & Krys, always with the spurs .

I can't help it if NAFA always holds their meets in the wild, wild west!

[FredFogg]

Thats too bad, I havent hawked there in a very long time but it will be the same as always I'm sure. Now to figure out where that password is so I can register.......

Bill, the ID and PW will be in your Hawk Chalk. If you can't find it, let me know and I can email it to you. It is also always listed over on the left in the Presidents emails.

[jfseaman]

... a health certificate is required.

Is the hcert required for every animal or just the raptors?

[Saluqi]

I asked Mark Holmes, and it's just for raptors.

[outhawkn]

It is also always listed over on the left in the Presidents emails.

Uh...maybe I should try reading that more carefully..

I dont know if it would help you any, but if you could make it to Minnesota you could ride the rest of the way with me.....

[FredFogg]

Uh...maybe I should try reading that more carefully..

I dont know if it would help you any, but if you could make it to Minnesota you could ride the rest of the way with me.....

Appreciate the offer but it is almost as far to get to Minnesota as it is to Utah. LOL

[Eragon]

I just looked up the hunting license fees for Utah.

Looks like they have a Falconry Meet Permit listed under hunting licenses for $15. Does anybody know if that's all we need for the week or would we have to purchase the $65 full season hunting license along with it?

[goshawkr]

I just looked up the hunting license fees for Utah.

Looks like they have a Falconry Meet Permit listed under hunting licenses for $15. Does anybody know if that's all we need for the week or would we have to purchase the $65 full season hunting license along with it?

The meet permit is all you need to falconry hunt during the week of the meet (I believe that is Mon-Fri that it will cover). If you hunt any other days, you need the full season non-res small game permit UNLESS your only hunting vermin (Jacks, starlings, sparows, pigeons)

[joekoz]

not going this year

Fred:

Just checked distances and it looks like with are both approximately 2,000 miles and a 30 hour car drive from Vernal, but only 500 miles and 8 hours from each other.

I think it's about time that some of us here on the East Coast pool resources and organize an East Coast Meet.

WHO's IN????

[michaelberan]

I loved hunting in Vernal last time we were there, awesome game, awesome scenery, can't wait to get back there!

[ukroper]

I understand that the double room rate for the meet hotel is $89..is this right?..
Does anyone even try to get a special rate anymore???..

[JRedig]

I understand that the double room rate for the meet hotel is $89..is this right?..
Does anyone even try to get a special rate anymore???..

I was just in Boston for work, $285/night before taxes etc, ended up over $340/night.

[michaelberan]

This NAFA meet is shaping up very nicely, lots of land, room and most importantly ....... rabbits.

Talk from the locals (non-falconers) is that the sage had a later bloom and that the jacks have/did benefit from this, lots of young jacks running around in the 18" sage, older jacks sitting in the middle of "eat out" circles

Farm pivot points in Roosevelt and Loka are holding strong numbers of cottontails and "higher than last year" numbers of game birds (pheasant and quail)

*disclaimer* this information comes from local ordinary people in Vernal and Roosevelt that I have met online. My most accurate informant runs blue tick hounds on bear and mountain lion (he sends me awesome pics) so I believe him as far as I can believe a non-falconer***

There have been a lot of oil and gas wells punched around Altohah and Altamont, the new pads built for this production has sprouted growth of different types of forbes (weeds), the older pad sites are holding pheasant the newer pads sites are holding rabbits, these pad sites are leased from BLM by the production companies, some have no trespassing signs on them, others don't.

Vernal has changed a lot since the last NAFA meet, lots of growth, construction and oil & gas production, the hunt has already started for me, I can't stay off google earth ......addicting

[Hunter45]

I understand that the double room rate for the meet hotel is $89..is this right?..
Does anyone even try to get a special rate anymore???..

Well, believe it or not, this is my 40th NAFA Meet in the last 45 years. The first one I attended in 1966 was in Centerville, SD. Fellow IN falconer Bob Buskirk and I stayed at Ma Henning's Boarding House - - - for $4 ea./night. For that you got fresh baked homemade pastries and hot tea or coffee plus came home each evening to fresh (ironed!) bed linens. A more sumptuous breakfast (more than you could eat) could be had for less than $1.00 at the Koffee Kup Kafe. A steak dinner with all the trimmings, apple pie ala mode for desert and tip set you back about $2. Hunting license??? Uh, nothing for rabbits and I recall $5 for upland game/waterfowl.

Now for Vernal, and other hotels in the plains and mountain west, we are on the end of one of two "sharp sticks" when it comes to rates. Vernal and some other places in the West have a steady stream of energy exploration/production related people staying there that are keeping the occupancy up, and hence room rates as well. I can assure you NAFA negotiated the best rate we could get for a facility that can handle our size crowd. You want to see unhappy? Try a hotel that CAN'T handle us.

In some of the rural great plains states occupancy is down and they have to get a better rate to keep their doors open. Per head costs go down of course with shared rooms. RVs and tent camping are about the only thing left that's "cheap". Oh, and don't ignore that "bed bug report" site if you choose a "lesser" hotel .

Vernal is a spectacular place to hold the Meet and well worth the drive. It's 1,380 miles for me and a "Oh, Lord, I hope it doesn't snow!" hike over the Rockies. Lots of neat places to go and see, like Dinosaur National Monument, nearby.

As one of the chairs of the 1979 Meet in Lebanon, IN,I know that those of you who'd like a Meet in the East have a few challenges before you. Foremost is the lack of jacks and lots of wide open public and private land. You'll need to be able to offer good waterfowl, and maybe quail, opportunities for the longwingers, lots of bunnies and squirrels for the shortwingers, and do a ton of landowner relations work. And, while I'm gritting my teeth saying this, even some quality put and take pheasants wouldn't be a bad thing if wild ones aren't available.

Now I have a question. Does anyone know how many days before you arrive that your health certificate is good, and likewise, how long once you are there? I know, I'm a NAFA DAL and should know this, but as I type this, I don't! Hope to see LOTS of all you good NAFEX people there like I did in Dodge City last year!

[Saluqi]

One problem with high hotel rate at Dodge City, other than paying a lot for sub standard facilities, or so I was told, is that it set a precedent for future meets. I'm sure the management of the this years hotel called the Dodge City hotel to ask questions about having a convention of falconers, and I'm sure one of the questions was what room rate did they charge. These things tend to perpetuate themselves...

[Chris L.]

If you are paying under 100.00 for a room these days you are getting a deal. Hotels are expensive and have gone up like everyone else.

let me add you will pay that for a nice place to stay. As Greg said you may pay less but you will take home some extra baggage

[frootdog]

Now I have a question. Does anyone know how many days before you arrive that your health certificate is good, and likewise, how long once you are there? I know, I'm a NAFA DAL and should know this, but as I type this, I don't! Hope to see LOTS of all you good NAFEX people there like I did in Dodge City last year!

Usually 10 days and you don't need one to go home but every state/airline is a bit different.

[outhawkn]

Every health certificate I've ever had was good for 30 days, except some airlines wont accept it over 10 days.

[Hunter45]

One problem with high hotel rate at Dodge City, other than paying a lot for sub standard facilities, or so I was told, is that it set a precedent for future meets. I'm sure the management of the this years hotel called the Dodge City hotel to ask questions about having a convention of falconers, and I'm sure one of the questions was what room rate did they charge. These things tend to perpetuate themselves...

Good point, Paul. Something for the Board to discuss this year, for sure. Another thing we've forgotten that affects hotel rates is that the municipal fathers tax everything they can to milk the "outsiders" who don't vote there. And I'm not just talking about the hotel taxes you can see; they nail the hotel owners in sundry ways that roll on through as overhead that pushes the rates up.

But, hey, what are we going to do about it? There was a move some time back to buy out local Mom and Pop RV parks and consolidate them into a national system where they could offer somewhat nicer, more consistent facilities/other perks AND charge more.

I remember when Jim Weaver used to camp in his tepee no matter how cold it was I figure my body has a long time ahead in a cold grave, so I think I'll keep it comfortable while I'm still here !

[Lowachi]

here we go... The 2nd Annual Nafex Gypsy Hawkers' Encampment Sorry, my lodge poles don't fit on this yardtrailer

[Joby]

Oh, and don't ignore that "bed bug report" site if you choose a "lesser" hotel

Actually Greg, the old view that these bugs can only be found in "filthy" sites is a misnomer. Many, many 4 star hotels and luxury apartment buildings have had issues with them as well. Disney World's Port Orleans resort is jam packed full of them.

Since the late nineties, and even more so since our troops started coming home from abroad, these bugs can be found ANYWHERE!! New York city and Ohio have been particularly hard hit and a number of cities are near epidemic proportions with them. After WW2 we had almost killed them entirely off with the use of DDT. But pockets of them survived in areas of the far east (e.g. Afganistan, Pakistan and parts of China). But as the kid in Poltergeist said, "They're Here!!"

The biggest problem is that the one pesticide that will kill all of them (many varieties of bed bugs are immune to the major pesticides available to treat them today), Propoxor, is no longer available via the EPA. The company that makes it let their licensure for home use lapse in '95 and the EPA won't renew it without a number of years worth of studies.

The bugs are TOUGH to get rid of as they hide (in cracks in floors, walls, furniture, etc.) and can live without food for a year. They are "hitchhikers" and are known to crawl inside of your luggage (and clothing left on the floor, computer cases, shoes, etc.) and thus you take them home (and from home to school, day cares, restaurants, church, etc.). The only sure way to get rid of them is to heat up the interior of your entire house up to 150 degrees farenheit (including the inside of the walls) for 3-5 hours. Treatment cost for a small 900 square foot home is around $2,000, beyond most people. So, they just live with them and end up transporting them all over. Another problem is when people get them they end up throwing out their furniture, beds, etc. and other people trash pick them, bringing the little buggers home with them.

The foremost expert on these bugs, Susan Jones, is a Professor at The Ohio State University. She predicts that if the EPA doesn't allow the use of Propoxor soon to stop the spread of these little suckers, that the whole US will be innundated with them within the next 3-5 years. Not a happy prospect!

[frootdog]

I can't wait. Got the pre-registration done. Plans seem to be firming up. Looks like I will be spending 10 days hunting in Vernal. The scenery is unreal in Vernal, but it's some of the toughest terrain I have ever hawked in. You will get a real work out walking up and down all the ridges.

[mainefalconer]

I can't wait either Krys. I'll see all of you folks there! Looking forward to it. Joby, thanks so much for all of the bedbug info. Interesting stuff!

[Hunter45]

I can't wait. Got the pre-registration done. Plans seem to be firming up. Looks like I will be spending 10 days hunting in Vernal. The scenery is unreal in Vernal, but it's some of the toughest terrain I have ever hawked in. You will get a real work out walking up and down all the ridges.

You're right on the ridges giving you a real workout, but I love how, properly worked, they let you get some great jack slips.

Jacks sneaking ahead of you and over the ridge in front of you usually don't go too far down the other side (thinking they are safe because they can't see you).

If you approach the crest of the ridge as noiselessly as possible sometimes you get a surprisingly close, downhill slip where you also get a great view of the action!