Falconry

[Dylan585]

I don't even know where I would put this topic, I think it would go here... But today a friend and I were out in Basil Marella park today playing disc golf. We were looking for a lost disc when I looked up and see a man in that appears to be a fishing jacket walk into the woods, along with the jacket he has some sort of metal rod, I was completely confused because the only water in the park is a small lifeless creek. I watched him for a minutes before I realize hat he had a falcon! He takes the birds hood off and yelled something and the bird took off and flew into a tree. The guy then walked around with his metal pole banging on trees until he finally found a squirrel. His is when the bird took over. The guy would throw stuff at the squirrel to get it moving and then the bird would just swoop in after it. My friend and I watched the bird kiss it three times before the squirrel final got into a hole in the tree. When my friend and I stopped watching the bird was perched up and waiting for it's handlers commands....

I had no idea hat this was even legal! Is it considered a form of hunting? Have any of you ever seen or heard of people doing this in the area? I'm just kind of in awe of the raw power of the bird and I'm just speechless on the whole thing...

[bailey]

Totally legal as long as your in a legal hunting area . I've always wanted to get a bird myself but there is a few yrs of work and study involved under a master falconer.

[Dylan585]

Bailey, I want too look into it when I get older after watching this guy today. Good luck if u do decide to get a bird

[bailey]

The DEC could possibly point you in the direction of a falconer or Google is always good . It is an awesome thing to see most people never will see it done in person. If you see that person out again go talk to him I'm sure he'd be thrilled to talk about falconry. Check out some youtube Vids some are wild the gyrefalcon or peregrine are just fast accurate birds . I hope you do one day get one that sport needs people keeping it alive .

[machzrcr]

 i use to live  in Colorado and there were quite a few people who did this especially hunting  jack rabbits but also saw them going after cottontail in some areas!  I always  loved it and really wanted to get one before i moved here to new york!   It  is  amazing how smart the birds can get  with proper training!   

 

like said before there are regulations  on getting them and everything one big thing  is also building a cage that meets the specific codes and it  has to get  inspected  frequently! 

 

It  is really cool,  i have not met anyone in New York that does it so it is cool to see people do it around here as well! 

[flyak]

Would have love just to watch that.Pretty cool.

[edwadmac2]

Check out this site

 

http://www.nysfa.org/