Yep....another ignorant new guy

[K-Horn]

Hello all. My name is Kyle and I am 28 years old residing out of Luke AFB in Arizona. i have always been intrigued by birds of prey. Now when I say intrigued I mean that any time I get an opportunity to see one or get near one I act like my 2 sons on Christmas....lol. I am currently a recurve bow hunter and enjoy any opportunity to get my family outside. After the end of my current enlistment my family and I plan on moving to Northern Arizona. We have always said "It would be cool to get into falconry" like it was some unobtainable dream. That was until last week when my wife said to me "Why not try it when we move up North". I kind of laughed it off but since then I have not been able to get it off my mind. So that is what brings me here....lots of passion and lots of ignorance with the sport of Falconry. I will stay pretty quiet but will read and learn as much as I can from this community of experts.

[Bryce]

Welcome Kyle. I've just started not too long ago. It's been a great ride so far. This is an excellent forum.

[Joan Marie]

O Kyle. Might as well tell you buddy, you've got all the earmarks. Yep. You've definitely come to the right place for information and camaraderie. Welcome to the dark side.

[kurtp]

Welcome, Kyle to Nafex and the sport of falconry. Northern Arizona would be a great hawking area. If you haven't done so already, contact the falconry club in Arizona, see if you can met some local falconers and go watch them fly their birds.

[thunderheartiii]

to NAFEX and Falconry.. Hope you have a great ride

[Chris L.]

Hi Kyle,

Welcome to NAFEX. I hope you find some of your answers within the forum. Arizona has some great falconers and you should do very well there.

Thank you for serving our country. I really appreciate the sacrifice you all make so we can enjoy our lives

again Welcome and good luck

Chris

[K-Horn]

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I do look forward to joining this beautiful sport and becoming part of this community. Again, thank you all.

[yosemity71]

Welcome Kyle & thanks for your service!

[K-Horn]

Thanks! After looking around for a while on this site, I see there is so much information on here it is a little overwhelming. I am not sure even where to begin in my research. I have reaearched the process of getting the needed permits/licenses but knowledge about the sport is vital from what I can see. Should one start researching the different breeds of raptors or start researching equipment or maybe training methods? Any suggestions and guidance is greatly appreciated!

[REYNALDO]

Welcome! My suggestion is to buy or borrow a couple of books/study guides like the California hawking club study guide and some other books out there that can help you out as a beginner. There's also "the apprentice" it's a site that has a lot of info you'll need when it comes to equipments, housing and other important stuff. Also joining a club is always advisable. They can help point you to the right direction.
Lol...yes joining this site and reading stuff on here can be a bit overwhelming. A lot of great information here and a lot of helpful people. Enjoy your reading and hopefully soon we'll read you posting when you get your first bird.
Warning!!!....it is not too late to turn back

[K-Horn]

Welcome! My suggestion is to buy or borrow a couple of books/study guides like the California hawking club study guide and some other books out there that can help you out as a beginner. There's also "the apprentice" it's a site that has a lot of info you'll need when it comes to equipments, housing and other important stuff. Also joining a club is always advisable. They can help point you to the right direction.
Lol...yes joining this site and reading stuff on here can be a bit overwhelming. A lot of great information here and a lot of helpful people. Enjoy your reading and hopefully soon we'll read you posting when you get your first bird.
Warning!!!....it is not too late to turn back

Thanks for the great advice Rey! Not sure if its the same site but I have been looking at themodernapprentice.com and there is lots of good info there too. Honetly I am a little afraid at how addicted I am already...been researching as much as I can for the past couple of days...lol.

[wgtail]

Welcome Kyle from the middle of the country. Its a great place to get information here on NAFAX. Read all your able but remember your sponsor, when you find one, will have that best answers to how to keep you on the ground. Again welcome and enjoy the ride.

[K-Horn]

Yeah I have been in non-stop research mode for a few days now. All the information I am finding on breeds and training methods and history and equipment is so very interesting. I just can't seem to stop reading. I think I'm already hooked.....lol. Hopefully I will find a sponsor in the next few months.

[poleyc]

Hello Kyle welcome to the site.
Plenty to read and learn here thats for sure. Finding your sponsor will help fill in the gaps, I know I wouldn't trade mine for the world.

[Ally]

Oh dear...you got spousal encouragement...now you'll never get away from us
Welcome to the site and hopefully, to the sport. Good luck in your journey!

[K-Horn]

Lol.....yeah. Not only have I got her encouragment but she would like to do it as well....been showing her lots of pics and vids. I might even be able to get her to sign up here too.

[Ally]

That's it. You're doomed.

[K-Horn]

Lol...true statement.

[kurtp]

Lol.....yeah. Not only have I got her encouragment but she would like to do it as well....been showing her lots of pics and vids. I might even be able to get her to sign up here too.

You're very fortunate your wife is interested in the sport. Encourage her as much as you can.
My wife and I have been enjoying falconry together for over 25 years and its been a blast. When I think of other falconers I've known over the years who had less-than-enthusiastic sig others, I realize how lucky we've been. This sport takes up A LOT of time/resources and can put a sig strain on a relationship if it is a one-sided pursuit.

[K-Horn]

Yeah.....I am very fortunate that my wife seems to enjoy most of my crazy hobbies but we are really excited for falconry to be a whole family adventure.

[sharptail]

Hi Kyle, I just stumbled onto this thread. Welcome!

In figuring where to start, anyone should take a look at what quarrys that you have readily available and taylor the type of hawk you get to what you find.

There are 2 main styles of training or flight. Direct pursuit, like off of your fist or a fixed object like a post, Pole or tree is by far the less difficult to train and achieve suscess with.

Waiting On is the bird trained to gain a pitch or height above you and to fly circles overhead waiting for you to flush quarry.

In Az. you have good access to 2 great falconry Birds that are fairly easy to trap from the wild, as passagers that could keep your startup costs down and provide great sport with the least amount of fuss or confusion. They are the Redtailed Hawk and the Harris' Hawk. I am not sure what Az. law is on Apprentices trapping a Harris', so you may want to check.

It is great to see new folks keeping our old sport refreshed, our numbers strong and the anti-crowd at bay.

Welcome, again to you and your wife!

[Breeze]

Kyle! First, let me thank you for your service to our country. It is appreciated. I grew up in a military family and my husband is retired military. Have an idea of some of what you and your family deal with day to day. Thanks for wearing the uniform.

As for falconry, especially if your family will all be involved, you are in for a lot of fun. Read all you can to learn; there is a major written test, as one of your first steps along the way. Finding a sponsor is huge - they will guide and assist you along your way. Enjoy the journey!

[NMHighPlains]

My suggestion is to read but also go out with some real live falconers to see the stuff in action. That'll give you perspective. Join NAFA and go to the meet in Alamosa this Thanksgiving. Introduce yourself (members of this forum are a great start...) and go out with as many as you can. Ask questions, watch, learn. You'll catch on in no time, I'm sure.

[K-Horn]

Well, after much discussion with my wife, we have decided to wait to start the apprenticeship process until we move in a couple years. We live in base housing and have a tiny back yard. This makes it almost impossible to have the appropriate size Mews. Also, being in base housing would make it very difficult to work with any raptor on a daily basis. So in the mean time, we will be volunteering at a local raptor rescue, going on hunts with local falconers when we can and learn as much as we can. Plus we will use the time to collect the other falconry equipment that we need.

[tampamatt]

Sounds like a plan to me. Waiting can be tough but being involved any way you can will help. Good luck!

[Leilagsd]

Hello all. My name is Kyle and I am 28 years old residing out of Luke AFB in Arizona. i have always been intrigued by birds of prey. Now when I say intrigued I mean that any time I get an opportunity to see one or get near one I act like my 2 sons on Christmas....lol. I am currently a recurve bow hunter and enjoy any opportunity to get my family outside. After the end of my current enlistment my family and I plan on moving to Northern Arizona. We have always said "It would be cool to get into falconry" like it was some unobtainable dream. That was until last week when my wife said to me "Why not try it when we move up North". I kind of laughed it off but since then I have not been able to get it off my mind. So that is what brings me here....lots of passion and lots of ignorance with the sport of Falconry. I will stay pretty quiet but will read and learn as much as I can from this community of experts.

Hi Kyle don't stay quiet ask as many questions as possible even if they seem silly ,best way to learn mistakes in falconry are dearly paid for . Good luck

Paul

[qball]

Hi Kyle,
Being AF always scores extra points IMHO. Good to hear your wife is as interested as you are...it could provide a lifetime of enjoyment for you both. Please make sure she knows falconry is a hunting sport and you both would routinely have to help your hawk dispatch their quarry. That being said...it can be very rewarding if you both are willing to put in the time...seems you are already doing that. Good luck and you have certainly come to the right place to get your questions answered.

John

Thanks for your service!