Greetings from the Dakota's

[misty]

Hello,
Thought I should say Hi before I bother everyone with Q's. I have been waiting to persue my desire of falconry for 20+ years. (had to grow and train my children first) I am an avid birder and also own large parrots.
I was hoping that after waiting this long it would be easier to find a sponser in my area. I guess its about time I get started so that our state will have a local club in the future.
I look forward to all the information and advise I will learn from the wonderfull people on this site for years to come.
So HI!
Misty

[zx2run]

Welcome to the forum! There is lots of great info on here. Have fun and good luck finding a sponsor.

[everetkhorton]

(welc)Misty! There is a lot of good reading in some of the old post, they cover looooooooooooooots of subjects.

[misty]

Hello,
I appreciate the welcome. As far as the reading and gaining information, something I have been doing for years. I know that there is always something more to learn and personal experience is more informative than any book.
Just never wanted to sign up to a board until I was ready and able to begin with earnest. Now is the time...
I am not considering Falconry, I intend to be a Falconer. If i contemplated and desired this for 20 years and still have the strong intention, I assure all that I am not just a curious person. Most of my new questions involve dog's and Falconry. Something that has recently peaked my intrest due to my hunting dog's.
Not trying to imply I know it all, if I did I would not be here. I am here to learn and hope to find some personal guidance.
I would like to start at the begining now and not wait until I am able to relocate to another state for retirement in a few years.
Any help would be appreciated.

[FredFogg]

Any help would be appreciated.

Misty,

Welcome to the Forum! What help would you like? Just fire away with the questions! You mentioned your interest in dogs in falconry, well, a dog or dogs working with a hawk or falcon is an unbelievable team. You will find basically two types of hunting with dogs. The first will be what you will need as an apprentice, a dog that flushes rabbits, since you will probably be flying a red-tail the first two years. The second is a dog that will point birds, you can then flush the birds for either a hawk or a falcon. Training a dog to do either is pretty much the same as in falconry as it is in gun hunting except you have to train the dogs to leave the hawk or falcon and the flushed bird alone after it is caught. There are some great dog trainers on here (not me LOL), so just ask your questions and they can help you out. Welcome to our world! Falconry isn't a sport or hobby, it is a life style!