2008 NAFA meet

[Jimmy]

Anyone know when they're gonna announce the meet hotel, and other details? Seems they normally share that info sooner than this....

[chris kimble]

It should be announced within this month, if nothing else we should see it in the next HC.

[Eagle Owl]

Jimmy,

They announce it May 1!

[Chris L.]

Need to know how much time I have to take off for the trip. Does anyone know how long the drive is going to be?

Tell me what everyones plans are so I can start to put in for my time off

Never been to a NAFA so i just need some insight on what will take place

[Jimmy]

We'll likely leave on Friday morning, get there Saturday night or early Sunday. Then come home the following Saturday and get home Sunday night or early Monday.

[Falcon Boy]

Goose, myself, and a few other CO falconers should get there friday or saturday before depending on my school schedule and my friends school and work schedules.

[Chris L.]

ok so I will need around 7-10 days off then. What about hunting areas? We will have to find our own or will they provide a few spots?

[Jimmy]

You'll be finding your own, most likely......

[Chris L.]

You'll be finding your own, most likely......

yeah figured that, many have been telling me its "fend for yourself".. look like I am going to have to pack a few extra thank you gifts!!!

[Falcon Boy]

Last year they had a list and map with a bunch of permission areas. Finding your own is what we did though, and we had no shortage of rabbits. I didn't meet any landowners who denied us permission, and everyone i met in/around town knew that falconers were coming.

[wesleyc6]

Need to know how much time I have to take off for the trip. Does anyone know how long the drive is going to be?

Tell me what everyones plans are so I can start to put in for my time off

Never been to a NAFA so i just need some insight on what will take place

Around 22 hours or so................from GA.

[everetkhorton]

yeah figured that, many have been telling me its "fend for yourself".. look like I am going to have to pack a few extra thank you gifts!!!

The THA is getting as much land as they can for the people. One thing you do not do in TX is trespass, they do not play, you will go to jail. It is fun to get there Sunday, things are starting to happen by then. It is a lot easier if you pre register, You save some money and every thing will be ready for you when you arrive at the registration area.

[Eagle Owl]

We have been scouting land for months!! We will have a bunch acquired, but many will also go off and find their own land to hunt on. People are generally pretty nice about letting you hunt their property. It helps to show the birds when asking, too...and invite the owner out to watch!

Things are gearing up!!!!

[Chris L.]

Ev and Brandi,
great posts. i am looking forward to it. Please keep us posted on information as it comes along if you dont mind.

I cant wait

[Eagle Owl]

Will do Chris!

And I want to remind everyone to PRE-REGISTER!!!!! It will make is soooooo much easier when you arrive in Amarillo! (And easier on me, too!!!!!!!)

[kimmerar]

Will do Chris!

And I want to remind everyone to PRE-REGISTER!!!!! It will make is soooooo much easier when you arrive in Amarillo! (And easier on me, too!!!!!!!)

So anthing to make your life easier, and a funner NAFA meet. How do we pre register? Through NAFA? This is my first NAFA meet also. I hope to meet a few of the forum members while I'm there.

[primos]

i was at the 2001 amarillo meet...for any pa guys going it's a 26hr drive if you don't take the scenic trapping route through kansas, which i'd definitely advise if you want to trap a praire, rt, fergie...etc...

amarillo has no shortage of bunnies or blacktails...i don't think it matters too much where you go as long as you ask for permission...although, keep in mind those texas boys are serious about trespassing...i know that first hand as one of my buddies rt's took off into a neighboring fenced in factory area and i swear no sooner did we set foot on their ground did 2 squard cars show up....we called the bird back, but at that point when we were showing the locals the rt, i think they were more afraid of the bird than we were of going to jail...

[Eagle Owl]

So anthing to make your life easier, and a funner NAFA meet. How do we pre register? Through NAFA? This is my first NAFA meet also. I hope to meet a few of the forum members while I'm there.

Hi Kim,

All the details will be released May 1st. The hotel info, pre registration info, etc. And I would book your hotel ASAP. Every year they fill the meet hotel and people have to stay in other nearby hotels. It is definitely worth staying in the meet hotel! We usually stay up until the wee hours of the morning and it is a pain to have to drive back to your hotel! Especially when you have had too much to drink!

And you will get to meet all the forum members. Inevitable you will run into them all at one point. But to make sure, we need to have a meet and greet one evening. Maybe Monday night meet in the atrium at like 6pm. Just an idea.

[Ken S.]

That's a great idea! Count me in...

[Chris L.]

Hi Kim,


And you will get to meet all the forum members. Inevitable you will run into them all at one point. But to make sure, we need to have a meet and greet one evening. Maybe Monday night meet in the atrium at like 6pm. Just an idea.

I agree, lets do that for sure. It would be nice to have a few cold ones with all you guys. Really neat to have a face with the name / attitude

I cant wait

[Jimmy]

I'll be in the bar with Gaz and the Bristol boys..........

[Falcon Boy]

I'll be the short kid [5'6] who is only at the hotel before sunup and after dark

[wesleyc6]

Chris L. will be the one there with a wirehaired vizsla. Let's just say I have seen his mind in actionfrus

[Eagle Owl]

I'll be in the bar with Gaz and the Bristol boys..........

Jimmy, this past year we spent our evenings in the atruim...the bar was too small We supposedly have an atrium again this year. I don't think Gaz, Adrian, or I went to bed before 3am while in Colorado!!!

[Chris L.]

Chris L. will be the one there with a wirehaired vizsla. Let's just say I have seen his mind in actionfrus

LOL, Wes, you know me too well my friend

[kimmerar]

Thanks Brandi!! I can't wait to see the info. Count me in for meeting everyone. Our daughter is going to be with us - she's 10. I've heard they set stuff up for kids while we hunt. Is that true Brandi?

If anyone is bring a sharpie I would love to go hunting with ya. Yes - I'm inviting myself because because that's the lost person that I am!!! Isn't there someone in Texas flying a sharpie named Boo?

[Lee Slikkers]

I plan on attending as well...it will be great to finally meet all the folks we chat with on a daily basis...

[Chris L.]

I plan on attending as well...it will be great to finally meet all the folks we chat with on a daily basis...

.. oh man its going to be a good time for sure. I am looking forward to this

[Chris L.]

Brandi,
If i were to bring a RV ( motor home) is there places to hook up to, or would you recommend staying in the hotel?

[FredFogg]

Thanks Brandi!! I can't wait to see the info. Count me in for meeting everyone. Our daughter is going to be with us - she's 10. I've heard they set stuff up for kids while we hunt. Is that true Brandi?

If anyone is bring a sharpie I would love to go hunting with ya. Yes - I'm inviting myself because because that's the lost person that I am!!! Isn't there someone in Texas flying a sharpie named Boo?

Kim, Boo died due to WNV(I think), but the guy has a coops that he will probably be bringing. My coops will most likely be put up for the molt by then, unless I can hook up with someone that has a dog that will point quail. I would love to see how she would do on quail off the fist, but it is a mute point without a dog. I will also have a red-tail with me. I have several other friends that will be there with Harris Hawks and red-tails, I may have a sharpie if I can find one to pull this spring.

[GyrXPeals]

Thanks Brandi!! I can't wait to see the info. Count me in for meeting everyone. Our daughter is going to be with us - she's 10. I've heard they set stuff up for kids while we hunt. Is that true Brandi?

If anyone is bring a sharpie I would love to go hunting with ya. Yes - I'm inviting myself because because that's the lost person that I am!!! Isn't there someone in Texas flying a sharpie named Boo?

Kim if things go as planned I'll be pulling a sharpie this summer, your welcome to go along for a hunt. If not I know of a couple of other people who will be flying them, so you should get a ride along.
Krys did an awesome job with Boo, too bad she's gone, that would have been the bird to watch.
Jeff

[Jimmy]

Brandi,
If i were to bring a RV ( motor home) is there places to hook up to, or would you recommend staying in the hotel?

How are you gonna get to the hunting spots? In the RV? Rental car?

[Saluqi]

Brandi,
If i were to bring a RV ( motor home) is there places to hook up to, or would you recommend staying in the hotel?

Chris,

There's an RV park right next to old meet hotel on the east side of town, there may be others too. I know this one you could walk out the door and catch a rabbit.

[Ken S.]

Kim, Boo died due to WNV(I think), but the guy has a coops that he will probably be bringing. My coops will most likely be put up for the molt by then, unless I can hook up with someone that has a dog that will point quail. I would love to see how she would do on quail off the fist, but it is a mute point without a dog. I will also have a red-tail with me. I have several other friends that will be there with Harris Hawks and red-tails, I may have a sharpie if I can find one to pull this spring.

Hey Fred... bring your coops... I'm bringing my GSP and she will point quail. I'm hoping to catch a quail with my HH out there over a point if I can find some.

Chris - if you go w/ the RV I'm sure you can catch a ride w/ some people to hunting spots but with the extra price of fuel to drive an RV out there from SC it might actually be cheaper to drive a car out from SC and just get a hotel room. Figure 1400 miles each way plus a couple hundred miles hunting during the week... so 3000 miles total. At 10mpg for the RV you will spent almost $1,000 in gas... so for a car with 20mpg you will save about $500. You can buy a lot of beer for $500.

[Saluqi]

Kim, Boo died due to WNV(I think), but the guy has a coops that he will probably be bringing. My coops will most likely be put up for the molt by then, unless I can hook up with someone that has a dog that will point quail. I would love to see how she would do on quail off the fist, but it is a mute point without a dog. I will also have a red-tail with me. I have several other friends that will be there with Harris Hawks and red-tails, I may have a sharpie if I can find one to pull this spring.

Hey Fred,

You don't need a dog to hunt quail, they help sometimes, but I've caught plenty of quail with no assistance from a canine. Most of the time you spot a covey, either while hunting, or while driving the back roads searching for quail, and you just go in for the flush. The hawk rarely catches them on the initial flush, so the hawk will put a quail into a bush and you run like a madman and pick up your bird, and make the reflush. Hopefully, the quail won't have gone into a packrat den near a cholla, otherwise you'll have to dig it out. An old hoe with the blade broke off, with just the hook end left, makes a great tool for dismantling pack rat dens. Or the quail might just land in the cholla itself, it will dance around in plain sight of you and the hawk but refuse to fly. If that happens then some gloves come in handy for reaching around trying to get the little bugger to fly. Don't forget a pair of hemostats for picking the thorns out of your hands and your birds feet. Quail hawking is some of very best sport I've had with my tiercel gos, very addicting.