I can't believe this section only gets a down post a year! Falconry is too cool for that

I've been doing a "falconry friday" post on another forum and will do it here as well if there is interest...

Everyone in my family is a licensed falconer and here is a hunt to get the ball rolling:

this is a passage female Northern Goshawk owned by a friend and we ganged up to help her get her first kill.

Several years ago had occasion to be lodged at The Greenbrier Hotel in Lewisburg, WV for a three day meeting and while admiring the way the rich and famous lived, came across an area in the hotel which was manned by a young man and a Falcon. Know nothing about the sport, but fascinated by what I saw and had fairly lengthy conversation with the fellow. The hotel is not very far from Virginia and he explained that if a hunt was scheduled with the bird he would take it to a spot in Virginia. Went on to tell me that only two states forbid hunting w/ falcons and one was WV and the other was HI??
There are guests at this hotel from all over the world and they cater to about any type of sport you could think of and he told me he was busy at times. Did not ask for the price of such a hunt, but figured it was something at that time my expense account would not cover.
He further explained to me that it was a sport for Royalty and that obtaining and training of a falcon was quite an involved process. Lived in Alaska for some years and understand there is a falcon in that state that some will pay exorbitant prices for those trapping them are violating some very serious game laws(federal.)
Heard of prices exceeding $100,000.00!!! I have two Red Tail Hawks that live in some large pine trees in the back of my property and often times see them after squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits. They do miss a fair amount of times. Beautiful bird you have there.

It was a good day for red tails today saw lots of them along I84.There are always some in that area.
If you drove around and saw flocks of pigeons the area has a deficiancy of falcons.

Utah

Keep up the Friday posts.

Great photos.


How did you gang up to help her ?


A few people I know, including me, leave
a kill or part of one out for the Hawks
and Eagles. After a while if they see you
hunting they come around.

we were at an informal falconry meet and five of us, upon learning she'd not successfully killed yet, left our birds in camp and beat the brush for her. We only flushed one rabbit, but she got it!