Had a great time at the meet!!

[STait]

I had a wonderful time at the NAFA meet this year and got to meet and hang out with Jeff R, Paul D, Scott M. We had some great fun hawking sage grouse. Also got to finally meet in person Steve Laymen who I spent many hours on the phone with but had never met in person. Didn't get to meet Chris L. in person but had a short phone conversation, sorry Chris for my slopeheadedness. Mario and Richard did a great job at the weathering yard. Had some great fun with some folks from the U.K. as well. I met many other good people from this forum and that was a pleasure.

I was with Steve Jensen and after a great day finding lots of grouse, his truck came up with a serious problem and we decided to limp home Friday.

I heard that finding game was tough for some, but we got lucky each day. Didn't kill anything but saw some good dog work.

I hope all you guys that went had a good time,

[jfseaman]

So glad your truck is ambulatory.

Still in Vernal. Took Rob Palmer out so we could add another Gadwall to the food pile.

Best wishes for everyones safe journeys.

[Ally]

Had an amazing time at my first NAFA meet. Huge thanks to Mario and Rich for their work at the weathering yard and forgiving my ignorance at such events, and to Krys, Michael B, Geoff H, Paul and Simone & Sarah for the hawking. I had so much fun!
It was fantastic to meet you all, and Chris Lynn put on an amazing dinner, thank you. (The bar the night before was lots of fun, too!) Heather, Missy, you are two badass lady hawkers, I'm so glad I met you. Greg Thomas, it was such a pleasure, and hearing Steve Layman speak was fantastic. And Jeff, for all the information you gave me and all the questions I'm sure I'll pester you with in the coming months.
Met some great friends, put names to faces and learned a lot. It was well worth the trip! Got my hawk her first hunts and came close many times. Taking a lot of new information home with me!
(And anyone I left out, forgive me! So many wonderful people)

[Heatherg]

Gotta echo everyones comments so far.....EASILY one of the best meets I have ever been to. Yes the hunting was....well....HUNTING...but the people made it the VERY BEST!....So glad to have met some great new people...the "steve's" ....thanks for the great dog talks!!! Cant wait to see some of them in action...Ally....it was a pleasure.....thanks for everything and for sharing your enthusiasm!!! Cant wait to see the hunting stories...I know you will do well Thanks Roper for the opportunity to get out there.....Krys...thanks again for another great trip....the birds worked well and it paid off....the jack flights were definitely a high point! as well as that whole day!!!!a day I wont soon forget!....Ken(aka..JAKE) thanks for all the laughs....anytime you want to hunt in KS...just let me know ....To the Bristol boys...thanks for EVERYTHING!!!! and giving me the chance to meet Randy and Janie....truely special people!
and to Chris L.......without the forum....I wouldnt have met the people that made this meet so special! I had many people come up and compliment the dinner and say what a great time they had.....Cant say THANK YOU enough!!!!!
Got lots of pics to post as well as a few stories......gotta get some sleep first though...back home in MN....re-living all the great times!!!!

[DirtHawker]

I was sorry to miss the meet, my very first NAFA meet was Vernal, and was and still is some of the most beautiful hawking I have participated in. Does anyone know just what the game totals were for the meet?
Sue

[STait]

Gotta echo everyones comments so far.....EASILY one of the best meets I have ever been to. Yes the hunting was....well....HUNTING...but the people made it the VERY BEST!....So glad to have met some great new people...the "steve's" ....thanks for the great dog talks!!! Cant wait to see some of them in action...Ally....it was a pleasure.....thanks for everything and for sharing your enthusiasm!!! Cant wait to see the hunting stories...I know you will do well Thanks Roper for the opportunity to get out there.....Krys...thanks again for another great trip....the birds worked well and it paid off....the jack flights were definitely a high point! as well as that whole day!!!!a day I wont soon forget!....Ken(aka..JAKE) thanks for all the laughs....anytime you want to hunt in KS...just let me know ....To the Bristol boys...thanks for EVERYTHING!!!! and giving me the chance to meet Randy and Janie....truely special people!
and to Chris L.......without the forum....I wouldnt have met the people that made this meet so special! I had many people come up and compliment the dinner and say what a great time they had.....Cant say THANK YOU enough!!!!!
Got lots of pics to post as well as a few stories......gotta get some sleep first though...back home in MN....re-living all the great times!!!!

Heather, it was great talking with you. Hope to hear more about your field trial prospects and adventures. Thanks for your service.

[Paul Mascuch]

Sue -

I'm sure the meet game totals will be published in Hawk Chalk, but as I remember from the banquet approximately 200 people caught 40 rabbits, 4 jacks, 2 sage grouse (in Wyoming), 23 ducks, and a few misc. I didn't write it down so this is from memory which at my age is fading.

If anybody has better numbers please let us know.

It was tough hunting, but I for one had a great time. I especially want to thank Chris for organizing the NAFEX dinner. It was a good time. I enjoyed meeting Chris for the first time. He is truly a fine gentleman.

Paul

[Ken S.]

...
a day I wont soon forget!....Ken(aka..JAKE) thanks for all the laughs....anytime you want to hunt in KS...just let me know .

HA HA HA! You crack me up H-Bomb, my side still hurts from laughing most of the day. It was fun hawking with you guys.

My original plan for this meet was to spend most of the time hawking alone in the vast BLM land, hopefully in a game rich environment, to put in some real quality time with my Hawk and hopefully catch a jackrabbit on my own... and maybe try to meet some of the Nafex members and see a few vendors in the evenings if there was time. And I generally like hawking alone, blocking out all of the stresses that surround work and the rest of my life while engaged in quiet pursuit of game with my hawk. That plan went out the window when I started hanging out with some of the fun folks from Nafex, and it was then that I realized it was foolish to go to a meet with the intention of not really hanging out with anyone. These are some fun people to hang out with, and good falconers too. So we combined our efforts searching for game, hung out in the evenings to share stories and unwind, and became fast friends. This wasn't my first NAFA meet (maybe my fourth?) but it was this new element of friendship and comraderie that made the trip so special this year. Finding game was very tough, and the slips were difficult when you got them... but the many hours of walking and driving, scouting and hawking, were rewarded with new friendships and laughs we shared (usually at each other's expense). And I was able to eventually catch a rabbit, get several flights at jackrabbits, witness a jackrabbit caught by a cast of HH's, see a wild prairie put in a jaw dropping effort while stooping and climbing repeatedly at ducks we had flushed, and hunted some very beautiful and remote places. I made some memories that I will never forget, and a few I will never remember.

Hope to see everyone next year in Nebraska!

[Heatherg]

HA HA HA! You crack me up H-Bomb, my side still hurts from laughing most of the day. It was fun hawking with you guys.

My original plan for this meet was to spend most of the time hawking alone in the vast BLM land, hopefully in a game rich environment, to put in some real quality time with my Hawk and hopefully catch a jackrabbit on my own... and maybe try to meet some of the Nafex members and see a few vendors in the evenings if there was time. And I generally like hawking alone, blocking out all of the stresses that surround work and the rest of my life while engaged in quiet pursuit of game with my hawk. That plan went out the window when I started hanging out with some of the fun folks from Nafex, and it was then that I realized it was foolish to go to a meet with the intention of not really hanging out with anyone. These are some fun people to hang out with, and good falconers too. So we combined our efforts searching for game, hung out in the evenings to share stories and unwind, and became fast friends. This wasn't my first NAFA meet (maybe my fourth?) but it was this new element of friendship and comraderie that made the trip so special this year. Finding game was very tough, and the slips were difficult when you got them... but the many hours of walking and driving, scouting and hawking, were rewarded with new friendships and laughs we shared (usually at each other's expense). And I was able to eventually catch a rabbit, get several flights at jackrabbits, witness a jackrabbit caught by a cast of HH's, see a wild prairie put in a jaw dropping effort while stooping and climbing repeatedly at ducks we had flushed, and hunted some very beautiful and remote places. I made some memories that I will never forget, and a few I will never remember.

Hope to see everyone next year in Nebraska!

all I can say to that is THANK YOU!!!!!

[JRedig]

Now i'm repeating myself, but it was just fantastic.

Great to see everyone and meet new people. Thank you to the Steve's for the grouse hawking and Chris L. for putting the dinner together, along with the NAFEX members who attended. This site really is something wonderful when everyone can get together and have a lot of fun, thanks to all of you for that.

[Ken S.]

I didnt take many pics, and most are crappy cell phone pics but... here are a couple I figured I would share.

Me (Krys is in the background)


Heather and Krys


Miles and miles of BLM in every direction


Heather's HH's?


Chris L's Miggs



.

[Dirthawking]

It was a fun time as usual. I don't really go to the meets for the hunting, but more for the social aspect. Meeting up with old friends and the such.

But....

.....this last weekend SUCKED A**!!!!

We left Saturday morning after having breakfast with Rich and Kim B. plus family. We got on the road and after only 1 1/2 hours of travel the engine in the truck went out. Brandi slipped in the snow and hurt her elbow. Got a tow, rented a van so we were not stuck on the side of the road (in the middle of no where Colorado), rented another car, drove straight through to Texas (left truck in Texas at repair shop), with a side trip to OK to drop of junior B., cleaned out SUV in time to return it, to in turn rent another car, to drive to hospital to get Brandi looked at (broken tip of radius at elbow). Plus other family problem thrown in just for good measure! (this is the very short condensed version of the story)

[Heatherg]

I didnt take many pics, and most are crappy cell phone pics but... here are a couple I figured I would share.

Me (Krys is in the background)


Heather and Krys


Miles and miles of BLM in every direction


Heather's HH's?


Chris L's Miggs



.

Thanks!!!! for sharing these!......im still just overwhelmed by that day

[michaelberan]

One of the best NAFA meets I've been too, I love Vernal, Ut but it was the North American Falconers that made this meet rock!

[AK Rev]

Geez Mario. What a mess.

[Lowachi]

Sue -

If anybody has better numbers please let us know.

Paul

45 birds took 77 head of Quarry. These are turned in scores. Some people were not reporting take. Officially, 3 gos, 23 Harris', 7 GxP's, 6 peregrines,a gyr, 4 redtails, and a coops took 40 CT, 23 ducks of 7species, 7 misc., 4 jacks, 2 sage grouse, and a crow.

[AK Rev]

Wow...low numbers. Densities must be low there too like they are in New Mexico.

[Heatherg]

Rabbit/ jack rabbit population crash 4 years ago and then tularemia 2 years ago......??????what could anyone expect!!!!

[AK Rev]

Don't forget the drought of this year. That really hurts the CTs in particular.

[frootdog]

Don't forget the drought of this year. That really hurts the CTs in particular.

I could be wrong, but I don't think that area was affected much by the drought.

[frootdog]

Ken(aka..JAKE)

I wish I knew how to quit you! Loved meeting Brokeback Ken! Funny guy. Great times. 2 words. Little B's!

[NMHighPlains]

Wow...low numbers. Densities must be low there too like they are in New Mexico.

Low numbers of hawks, too. Just 45 birds total?

[frootdog]

Low numbers of hawks, too. Just 45 birds total?

There were way more birds than that at the meet. As Rich said those are just the birds that were reported that actually took game. I can attest to how hard it was to find game. I got in on Thursday the 17th and hawked for 9 days. I walked an average of 7-8 hrs/day and caught a whopping 7 CTs, 1 BTJ, and 1 Mouse in that time. There were times we would go a whole day and see tons of sign but not one flush. Tough to find and tougher to catch once they were found. The highlight was after 6 days of walking we caught the first jack we flushed!

[COMEAUX]

I joined NAFA in 1982,went to 3 meets back then,started going back in 2000 and been every year. This meet OUR 50TH YEAR was the WORST I have been to. Not the people not the game but the structure of the meet itself. This was something special 50 years that is why I came. I could not believe the shirt that I got how bland nothing there.Why didn't it have had the NAFA logo on the back with celebrating 50 years 1961-2011. Then the raffle got to write my name on my tickets I missed the first night because they started at 6PM people are still getting back from hunting.No body did there home work! And the grand finally our banquet in a lounge WTF table for 2!! How pathetic is that. I drove 1500 miles for this and I'm so disappointed there was nothing special to show we made it 50 years...how sad. Sorry for the I'm done.

Chris

[AK Rev]

There were times we would go a whole day and see tons of sign but not one flush.

Wow.

[Saluqi]

The cottontail slips were much more conducive to goshawks than any other species. The slips were often close to holes/rocks and up hill. I hawked four days and got maybe a dozen slips and put three in the bag, a number for which I'm eternally grateful. The game numbers may have been low, but the country made up for it, it was a spiritual experience for me. Hawking remote juniper and sage covered ridges with friends, old and new, who have traveled across the country and the world with the common goal made this meet very special. I think the fact that rabbits were not just popping up all over the place, and that you really had to work for a slip, and your bird really had to work for a catch made everyone appreciate the game that was taken much more. There was none of the blood lust that can sometimes over shadow what is truly important in this lifestyle. As you can tell, I had a freaking great time!

[jfseaman]

It was a meet

I had a great time despite a wanna be competitor being snarky all over the place. I think that really big person never had anyone stand up to him. He is smaller than my brothers and I really don't mind being a 'punk'.

I asked Scott what he was doing. Got a flip answer so took Kevin from Bristol England with us to catch ducks. That day was some good flights and one of the shovelers. Scott was being silly and so am I

Families do what families do. Falconers do what falconers do. Competitors do what competitors do, I still love them. I just say a good word to a higher power, blow off a little steam and move on.

[STait]

The cottontail slips were much more conducive to goshawks than any other species. The slips were often close to holes/rocks and up hill. I hawked four days and got maybe a dozen slips and put three in the bag, a number for which I'm eternally grateful. The game numbers may have been low, but the country made up for it, it was a spiritual experience for me. Hawking remote juniper and sage covered ridges with friends, old and new, who have traveled across the country and the world with the common goal made this meet very special. I think the fact that rabbits were not just popping up all over the place, and that you really had to work for a slip, and your bird really had to work for a catch made everyone appreciate the game that was taken much more. There was none of the blood lust that can sometimes over shadow what is truly important in this lifestyle. As you can tell, I had a freaking great time!

I'm with you Paul.

It may not have been the best organized meet, but the people and country made it special.

[Heatherg]

The cottontail slips were much more conducive to goshawks than any other species. The slips were often close to holes/rocks and up hill. I hawked four days and got maybe a dozen slips and put three in the bag, a number for which I'm eternally grateful. The game numbers may have been low, but the country made up for it, it was a spiritual experience for me. Hawking remote juniper and sage covered ridges with friends, old and new, who have traveled across the country and the world with the common goal made this meet very special. I think the fact that rabbits were not just popping up all over the place, and that you really had to work for a slip, and your bird really had to work for a catch made everyone appreciate the game that was taken much more. There was none of the blood lust that can sometimes over shadow what is truly important in this lifestyle. As you can tell, I had a freaking great time!

EXACTLY!!!! Well said and I TOTALLY agree

[goshawkr]

The cottontail slips were much more conducive to goshawks than any other species. The slips were often close to holes/rocks and up hill. I hawked four days and got maybe a dozen slips and put three in the bag, a number for which I'm eternally grateful. The game numbers may have been low, but the country made up for it, it was a spiritual experience for me. Hawking remote juniper and sage covered ridges with friends, old and new, who have traveled across the country and the world with the common goal made this meet very special. I think the fact that rabbits were not just popping up all over the place, and that you really had to work for a slip, and your bird really had to work for a catch made everyone appreciate the game that was taken much more. There was none of the blood lust that can sometimes over shadow what is truly important in this lifestyle. As you can tell, I had a freaking great time!

One thing I kept doing when I was out hawking with people was to look around some and say "If we dont see any game, who cares! The scenery is worth the walk!"

I dont think its exactly fair to say that there was none of the blood lust, but those who had it and wanted to exercise it paid the price in a lot of worn out shoe leather.

[goshawkr]

I must agree with the overall sentiment of having a fantastic time. I have attended many state meets, and one other NAFA meet, and this was by far the most fun I have ever had at a falconry social funciton, bar none!

I had a list of folks I wanted to finally meet in person, and got to most of them. I do still owe UKRoper a pint of beer in gratitude for the DVD you had made for me. I tried to track you down several times but was unable to.

Chris, I really enjoyed the NAFEX banquet. Having hosted such events myself several times, I know they are not easy to put together. Somehow I even ended up at a fantastic table with great conversation (I suspect they were all great tables.....) Ken, when you gave Cameron that Maryland pin you made his night.

I had a huge setback when I went to fly and discovered that my reciever was not functional. Ally, thanks very much for the allowing the use of yours, and helping me find a kill for Angel.

Paul also saved my bacon Wednesday afternoon when he allowed my son and I to tag along and watch him fly his Barbary after the merlin flight we had planned to go out on was canceled because the merlin's falconer was tied up in trying to complete the foxhunt.

Late Thursday I got some very bad news from Simone that the Sky Trial was canceled due to a lack of participants. I had several family members who were planning to attend, some of whom were driving a few hours just to see it. After stewing over the delima I realized Friday morning it shouldnt be hard to find a few longwingers that would be willing to put on some training flights for an audience, so I ran over to the meet hotel and pulled something together.

Thanks very much Fred, for putting on the show along with (Rick??). You made Cameron's day by letting you help him with the jack you flew. I was pretty busy explaining what was going on to the family that came to see, but they were all very impressed with the show. I wasnt able to stay for the whole thing, but it was pretty cool to see two sage grouse get up under a jerkin that was on a training flight at bagged game.

And I am not sure if I should be thanking everyone who was encouraging my son to play around with a merlin or not. From the day we arrived Cameron was chattering about getting his own license and his own hawk.

[Ally]

The available game wasn't great...and when we did find it, there was no easy slip. The one we had that SHOULD have been a piece of cake (Thanks Krys and crew for finding that bunny under the pallet) my young redtail got the bejeezus scared out of her by 8 or 9 people standing in a semi circle around her all yelling "HO HO HO!" when the rabbit was flushed. Silly bird.

Regardless, I had more fun than I could have hoped for. And Geoff, it was an exchange. It was a pleasure watching Angel fly...although I think she found her own kill and we had nothing to do with it!

Thanks everyone again for a fantastic time.

Oh, and Rich(Lowachi), congratulations again on the award! Well-deserved!

[goshawkr]

And Geoff, it was an exchange. It was a pleasure watching Angel fly...although I think she found her own kill and we had nothing to do with it!

Possibly, but thanks anyway.

[austringer84078]

I can't tell you what a relief it is to log in here and see that everyone had a good time at the Meet. We've never had game populations this low at a Meet here. We've never had such crappy weather the week of Thanksgiving any year. Sheesh! I spent most of my time tracking down registration swag or scrounging backup speaker systems or dozens of other little things. Maybe I can get out and hawk a little more next time.

Thanks,
Mark

[goshawkr]

I can't tell you what a relief it is to log in here and see that everyone had a good time at the Meet. We've never had game populations this low at a Meet here. We've never had such crappy weather the week of Thanksgiving any year. Sheesh! I spent most of my time tracking down registration swag or scrounging backup speaker systems or dozens of other little things. Maybe I can get out and hawk a little more next time.

Thanks,
Mark

Hey Mark.

The weather was fine, although I was anxious for the fog to clear so my pals old and new could see why Vernal is so scenic. And I do recall some Thanksgivings I have spent in Vernal with much worse weather, although they were a while ago. One in the Early 90s it was so cold every time I drew a breath outdoors my lungs screamed "DONT do that again."

I think there was certainly some room for improvement (as there always is), but I think you did a fantasic job putting on the meet. Thank you for all your efforts. I do have some feedback to send you privately.

Geoff