Train Your First Falcon
Falconry is a great sport, but there is a lot of time involved.You will want to have enough time to train your bird. If you don't have the time, or the willingness, then you might as well not do it at all. If you are one of those people who are not patient, falconry may not be for you. You should not take up falconry if you want the falcon as a pet, or something to show off. Falcons can't just be put in the closet when you are done with them. It takes time and commitment, but the reward in the end is worth it.
Contents
Steps
- Don't attempt to try to train any bird unless you have been on a course and have access to a mentor. Too many birds are lost and killed by inexperience. You also must have a license to do falconry. In the United States, you must have state and federal permits along with a hunting license. DO NOT capture a falcon and fly it until you have obtained your falconry license.
- Before doing anything, look into the falconry laws in your area. If you live in the USA, contact the state fish and game department and request a Falconry Packet.
- Make sure you read every book you can, and buy all the equipment you need, before you get your bird. Telemetry is an absolute must - you only lose your bird once. For a complete list of items you may need for trapping click here
- Find a sponsor (mentor) to guide you. This sponsor must already have done falconry for at least two years, and be willing to take the time and have patience to teach you.
- As an apprentice falconer in the United States, you only have the options of a Red-Tailed Hawk or an American Kestrel for a bird (unless state laws state otherwise). It is advisable to start with a Red-Tailed, as they are more forgiving when it comes to mistakes. If you are not an apprentice, but a general, consider a Harris hawk for your first bird, as they are intelligent and capable of catching game. A female Lanner makes an ideal first falcon. Do not get a Peregrine falcon, or a Gyrfalcon hybrid as a first bird, any more than you'd buy a Porsche as your first car.
- Keep the bird in the house during its first weeks with you. The more it sees of the family, the more 'manned' it will become. The bird should be well manned before the real training starts. To learn more about manning see http://www.themodernapprentice.com/training.htm
- First, teach the falcon to hop or fly to the glove on your fist. Do this by placing tidbits of food between your fingers and whistling or using a designated signal noise. The Falcon will soon recognise your glove as a food source and will begin to expect food when they hear your signal noise. Before moving on to the lure, try increasing the distance between you and the bird when asking them to come to the glove.
- When adding the lure to your training, begin with letting the bird eat off of it so that this too will become a recognised source of food. Your first goal is to get the Falcon to make a short flight to the lure. In the beginning, do not swing the lure, but place it food side up to attract the bird. Do not forget you use your signal noise as this will reinforce the idea that food is only a short distance away. If the bird won't come immediately, then put the lure away for a few minutes. The bird should wait for you; you must never wait for the bird. It will try to train you. You must actually train it.
- Once you feel confident that the Falcon is keen to the lure, you can begin swinging it. When flying to the lure, let the bird catch it quickly sometimes. That way, it will always try hard and think it has a chance. If it catches it, let it have it. A bored bird is a lost bird.
- Man the falcon to the hood early and even after the hooding goes well, continue to do hood exercises every day. There's no excuse for keeping a bird hooded if it's not traveling or in close, enforced company with other people's birds.
- Keep everything clean and neat - all the time. Dirt breeds disease and is a disgrace to the sport. A bird living in an unclean environment is also much more susceptible to infections, parasites and diseases than one kept in a clean living space.
- Feed a good quality, varied diet. Many falconers use quail as the main food source for their birds, but make sure to add variety with foods such as mice, day old chicks (DOCs), etc...
- Never let anyone who's not a falconer care for your bird, even for a day.
Tips
- Treat your bird with respect and a bond will forge between you two.
- Give your falcon lots of love and affection.
- Give the bird small pieces of meat when it is near you to express your affection.
- Weigh the bird every day.
- Get it used to many things such as dogs and cars in a controlled manner so they will not be scared. One scare may spook it for a long time, but a bird will be calmer if it's used to everyday distractions.
- Often, but not always, give the bird a tidbit when you go near it or move it. It should bate to you, not away from you. Encourage it to jump up to your glove for a tidbit when it's well manned, not as a first step in training.
- Keep the Jesses supple with proper dubbin or similar grease.
- A hungry bird is a lot more obedient and tractable than a full one.
Warnings
- Once you have your bird, do not shout in anger when you are frustrated. This will scare the bird, and it will be afraid of you for some time.
- In falconry, don't cut corners. Every mistake you make with a bird, there will be a cost. Do your best not to make mistakes.
- If, for any reason, you're not sure about flying the bird, then don't. If something looks wrong, then trust your gut feelings, no matter who's watching. Nothing is as embarrassing as losing the bird!
- Unlike most pets, Falcons see you as a food source, not as a friend. Keep this in mind as they are still dangerous creatures if disrespected.
- Always talk to your bird so it will get used to you.
- Don't show off. The bird is more important than your ego.
- Never take food away from a Falcon. If your bird thinks that you are stealing, it is more likely to become aggressive towards you. This also teaches it to distrust you.
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