New to US Falconry and Hawking Scene

[Chris B]

Hello to All.
My name is Chris and live in Miami, having moved from Scotland in 2008. I have been involved in Falconry and Hawking for some 20 years. In Scotland I had some 45 different species of Falcons, Hawks and Owls. I was very heavily invloved in the rescue and rehab of Red kites.
Now that I am settled in my job and new home here in Miami, Fl. I am looking to get back in to some flying and hunting.
Any information and contacts locally to where I live would be most welcome in obtaining the correct paperwork for me to obtain birds in Florida.
Thank you.

[sparrowhawk]

Hello and welcome.I live in Jacksonville.Even though you have flown birds in Scotland I beleive you will have to go through an apprentiship for 2 years you might want get with the U.S fish and Wildlife Department here is a phone number (404)679-7051 and Marci Lockwood is I beleive is who handles FL.

[dirtwinger]

Hello and welcome.I live in Jacksonville.Even though you have flown birds in Scotland I beleive you will have to go through an apprentiship for 2 years you might want get with the U.S fish and Wildlife Department here is a phone number (404)679-7051 and Marci Lockwood is I beleive is who handles FL.
When I moved to Georgia from the UK they waived the exam and apprenticeship for me and I went straight to general falconer. Depends on how the state handles it I suspect, GA game and fish where flummoxed by my situation so deferred to the Feds who let me slide based on my experience and references.
Good luck with it, hopefully you will be trapping a hawk by next season I know I loved that after decades of UK falconry with only the captive bred option.

[AirAssault]

Welcome Chris; I hope you can find the information that you need to get your lic. and start hawking in Fl. Tere are lots of knowlagable people here on NAFEX to line you up with all the right people and info. that you sould need so you can get busy hunting.
(welc)

[California Native]

Hello to All.
My name is Chris and live in Miami, having moved from Scotland in 2008. I have been involved in Falconry and Hawking for some 20 years. In Scotland I had some 45 different species of Falcons, Hawks and Owls. I was very heavily invloved in the rescue and rehab of Red kites.
Now that I am settled in my job and new home here in Miami, Fl. I am looking to get back in to some flying and hunting.
Any information and contacts locally to where I live would be most welcome in obtaining the correct paperwork for me to obtain birds in Florida.
Thank you.

Hello Chris,

What part of Scotland were your from ? A friends family once owned 75,000 acres of land where they went to fly their falcons at grouse. Their home was in Yorkshire County near Holderness in England. They never lived on the land and only went there to fly their birds. The land the family once owned had the lake named Loch Trool on it. My friend passed away in 1997 at the age of 90. The government took the land when death taxes became due. It is now a forestry park.

Welcome to the forum.

Dan

[Chris B]

Thank you for the welcome and tip to contact the fish & wildlife etc:
I am from the Highlands, way up North on the Black Ilse of Scotland.
I know Loch Trool, it is down pretty much on the border of Scotland and England, known as 'Dumfries and Galloway'.
I used to rear Quail for my birds (maybe 2000 per week) and had a couple of customers down that way I used to sell to. Quail breeding was a necessity for me as during the breeding season I had a lot of young to feed and I also found it a great food for the rescue birds we had, it seemed to speed up recovery for release in half the normal time when we fed them really fresh quail.
The birds I had were quite a passion for me. Had some great hunting days and exercise days with all the non breeding birds. It was really just a way of life that I miss sometimes. But changes are often made. I look forward to semi retirement in some ways as I still have all the aviaries up and one day will maybe spend some time back in our house in the highlands.

[Big Foot]

Hello Chris,

welcome to the forum- I too moved here from overseas, and managed to skip the apprenticeship, due to past falconry experience. My suggestion is to go through your old paperwork, Club memberships and possibly get a letter of recommendation from the organisation you were with (if any) in the UK.
The people I've dealt with at USF&W were very reasonable and friendly.

[longwinger2010]

Welcome to NAFEX and to the US Falconry scene....I hope we can learn from each other.

[chris3bees]

Welcome Chris.

When I moved to the us from the uk I was told that because I had not trapped a redtail in the wild my experience would count for nought.
Tried to point out redtails do not live in the wild but was told that was irellavant. Resistance in az was futile. Hope that you will have a better time. I used to really enjoy hawking for blue hare in Scotland.

[Greg]

Chris I have a US licence even though I still live in the UK! I did have to do the exam but they let me go to general because of my experience, references and copies of wild take and import licences into the UK. I use a friends place as my registered mews and generally come over to the US at least once a year to fly birds!
Greg

[tampamatt]

Welcome Chris!

I doubt you will have trouble on the federal level, Florida may be a different story altogether. A friend of mine was forced to re-do his apprenticeship after being out of falconry for a number of years and moving to FL. Best of luck and if you're ever around Tampa let me know and we'll do some hawking.
(welc)

[eminart]

Tried to point out redtails do not live in the wild

I'm not following this.

[Eragon]

I'm not following this.

He's from Europe. No wild redtails there.


Congratulations on the move and I hope you can get all your paperwork figured out quickly!

[eminart]

He's from Europe. No wild redtails there.





Thanks. I knew he was from the UK, but I misunderstood his point.


And to the OP, good luck. Maybe they'll let you skip the apprenticeship.