A question I see asked time and time again in various places and one I once had myself. In this episode I give a quick run down on exactly how to get started in falconry and begin your own journey to becoming a Falconer.
Always wanted to be a falconer since I was a kid, but I was always under the impression that it's not something I could do with a full time job and long commutes... How much time every day is recommended (not minimum) to be spent with the bird? Also how often should the bird be taken on hunts? If not before I retire, I would definitely get into it after.
Thanks for the question! This is exactly why I made this channel and video was in hopes to help people realize the sport isn't out of their reach like I once thought it was. It most assuredly is something that can be done with a full time job. Most falconers I know work full time and juggle many other aspects of normal life. In the past and still to this day there are many falconers who attempt to make the hobby seem much more expensive and time consuming than it can be in efforts to keep people out of the sport. To answer your questions though, as far as time per day spent with the bird. It can vary a lot depending on species, if it's a wild caught juvie versus an eyass, etc. And everyone will have a different opinion as well. For example with my red-tails during initial manning and training process I spend about an hour a day with them depending on their responses. After that though I don't spend anytime with them outside the hunting season really. They see me quickly when I feed or put them out to the weathering year or back in the mew. Other than that I'm hands off until hunting season. As far as how often to hunt it should be as much as you can, even if it's just a quick 30 min hunt after work close by. However at least twice a week was what I was taught should be the minimum. But there has been times where I only managed once a week or had to skip a week and it's not the end of the world.
@@TheFalconryJourney I have a quail Farm in Minnesota and can do any size order that you need if you're interested in live quail for your falconry. Just let me know!
It depends, if it is a captive bred bird it is not to be released. If it's wild caught then it can be released back to the wild but is does not have to be, I know some Falconers who still have the same bird 20+ years later.