Falconry is hunting with a trained bird of prey — and it is the most regulated, most demanding hunting sport. A trapping permit and a sponsor (an experienced falconer who mentors you — required by law for apprentices), a red-tail hawk (trapped as a passage bird), a glove and gauntlet, jesses and leash, a perch, and a kitchen scale (weight management is the whole craft). The bird flies free and chooses to return.
Plans
Choose a plan that fits your needs and budget
Item List
4Facility & Craft
2 items
Handling
2 items
Plan Totals$210
Facility & Craft
2Total$210
FAQ
Common questions about this kit
How do I even start falconry?
You find a sponsor (a general or master falconer willing to mentor you — required), pass a state exam, build an inspected facility (a "mews"), trap a passage (first-year) red-tail or kestrel as an apprentice, and train it over weeks. It is a 2-year apprenticeship to general class. It is the hardest hunting sport to enter, by design.
Why weight management?
A falconry bird is kept slightly hungry (at "flying weight") so it is motivated to hunt but not so hungry it is weak — a gram or two is the difference. The daily scale weight tells you the bird's condition; you adjust the food to hold flying weight. It is the master skill — get the weight wrong and the bird won't hunt or won't return.
Why a red-tail for apprentices?
They are common, hardy, forgiving, and catch rabbits and squirrels reliably — the ideal apprentice bird. Most states restrict apprentices to a red-tail or an American kestrel. The romantic falcons and accipiters come later, at the general and master levels, when the falconer has the skill to handle them.
Does the bird really come back?
Yes — when at the right weight and trained with the lure, a falconry bird returns to the glove for the food and the partnership. But it is a wild animal and can be lost to a gust, a distraction, or a predator. The risk of loss is real; falconers lose birds and it is part of the sport. The bird is never truly "owned," only partnered.
User Reviews
4.0 / 5.0
Falconry and my fly fishing share the weight-and-the-read gospel — the bird's flying weight in grams is the tippet size in X, and the sponsor-required apprenticeship is the guide-the-novice ethos. The bird-flies-free-and-returns is the catch-and-release, agreed.