The Apprentice Falconer Guide
You passed the exam, built your mews, and got your license. Now what? Here’s everything you need to know about your first two years as an apprentice falconer.
El período de aprendizaje es donde la cetrería se transforma de teoría en práctica. Todo lo que estudiaste para el examen—biología de rapaces, manejo de peso, técnicas de entrenamiento—ahora se vuelve real al trabajar con un ave viva que depende de ti cada día. Este período está diseñado para ser desafiante. Cometerás errores, perderás sueño preocupándote por tu ave y te preguntarás si estás haciendo las cosas bien. Eso es completamente normal. Cada cetrero experimentado pasó por la misma curva de aprendizaje, y las habilidades que desarrolles durante estos dos años te servirán para el resto de tu carrera en la cetrería.
Apprentice Period at a Glance
Duration
Minimum 2 years
Birds Allowed
1 bird (Red-tail or Kestrel)
Sponsor Required
Yes, General or Master class
Next Level
General Falconer
What Is the Apprentice Period?
The apprenticeship is the foundation of every falconer’s career. It’s a mandatory minimum two-year period where you learn the practical skills of falconry under the guidance of an experienced sponsor. Think of it as a hands-on residency after passing your written exam.
During this time, federal and state regulations limit you to one bird at a time, and only two species: the Red-tailed Hawk or the American Kestrel. These restrictions exist for good reason—both species are abundant, forgiving of beginner mistakes, and excellent teachers.
Choosing Your First Bird
Red-tailed Hawk (Recommended)
The overwhelming majority of sponsors recommend starting with a passage (first-year, wild-caught) Red-tailed Hawk. Here’s why:
- • Hardy and tolerant of beginner handling mistakes
- • Large enough to hunt meaningful quarry (rabbits, squirrels)
- • Respond well to weight management
- • Abundant—easy to trap in most states
- • Wide weight management window (forgiving of small errors)
- • Provide a satisfying hunting experience from day one
Read our full Red-tailed Hawk guide for training details, weight management, and hunting strategies.
American Kestrel (Advanced Beginners)
Despite being smaller, Kestrels are actually more challenging for beginners:
- • Tiny weight management window (grams matter)
- • More fragile—less tolerant of mistakes
- • Limited quarry options (insects, small birds, mice)
- • Faster metabolism requires more frequent attention
- • Can be flighty and harder to man (tame)
If you’re set on a Kestrel, read our American Kestrel guide first and discuss it thoroughly with your sponsor.
Daily Responsibilities
Falconry is not a weekend hobby—it’s a daily commitment. Your bird depends on you every single day. Here’s what a typical day looks like:
Daily Routine
Weight Management
Weight management is the single most important skill you’ll learn as an apprentice. Your bird’s response to training, willingness to hunt, and overall health all depend on maintaining the right weight.
- Weigh your bird every day at the same time
- Record every weight—trends matter more than individual readings
- Learn your bird’s “flying weight”—the range where it’s responsive but healthy
- Too heavy = unresponsive; too light = weak and at risk
- Your sponsor will help you find the sweet spot
Read our detailed weight management guide for techniques, tools, and common mistakes.
Working with Your Sponsor
Your sponsor is your most valuable resource. Make the most of the relationship:
- Communicate regularly. Update them on your bird’s progress, weights, and behavior
- Ask questions early. Don’t wait until a problem becomes a crisis
- Hunt together. Learning in the field with an experienced falconer is invaluable
- Listen to their advice. Even when it contradicts what you read online
- Respect their time. They’re volunteering to help you—be grateful and prepared
Common Apprentice Challenges
The Bird Won’t Respond
Almost always a weight issue. If your bird is ignoring you, it’s probably too high in weight. Consult your sponsor before making adjustments—dropping weight too fast is dangerous.
Lost Bird
This happens to almost every falconer. If you have telemetry (and you should), track the signal. If not, put out bait at the last known location and contact your sponsor and local falconry club immediately.
Injury or Illness
Know the signs: fluffed feathers, lethargy, not eating, green mutes. Have a raptor-experienced veterinarian identified before you need one. Your sponsor and state club can recommend vets.
Time Commitment Burnout
Falconry is demanding. Some apprentices feel overwhelmed. If you’re struggling, talk to your sponsor. Releasing the bird back to the wild at the end of the season is normal and acceptable—you can trap a new bird next fall.
Keeping Records
Good record-keeping makes you a better falconer. Track daily weights, food intake, weather conditions, training sessions, and hunt results. Patterns in your data reveal insights you’d never notice otherwise.
Many states require maintaining a falconry journal for reporting. Beyond regulatory requirements, your records become an invaluable reference for understanding your bird and improving your craft season over season.
After the Apprenticeship
After two years (minimum) with a clean record, you can apply to upgrade to General Falconer status. This opens up:
- Up to 3 birds at a time
- Most North American raptor species
- Captive breeding privileges
- No sponsor requirement
Five more years as a General gets you to Master Falconer—the highest level, with even more species options and the ability to sponsor apprentices yourself.
Learn more about the license levels in our license classes guide.
Antes de capturar tu primera ave, establece tres cosas críticas. Primero, identifica un veterinario con experiencia en rapaces en tu zona y guarda su número de emergencia en tu teléfono. Segundo, configura un sistema confiable de seguimiento diario de peso, ya sea un cuaderno, una hoja de cálculo o una aplicación como FalconryLab. Tercero, crea un plan de alimentación por escrito con tu mentor que contemple días de entrenamiento, días de caza y días de descanso. Tener estos sistemas preparados antes de que llegue tu ave significa que podrás enfocarte completamente en construir la relación en lugar de improvisar la logística durante esas primeras semanas cruciales.
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El período de aprendizaje es simultáneamente la fase más desafiante y más formativa de su carrera en cetrería. Aprenderá más sobre el comportamiento de rapaces, gestión de peso y estrategia de caza en su primera temporada con un ave de lo que podría absorber en años de lectura solamente. La clave del éxito es mantener la consistencia diaria en su rutina de cuidado del ave, construir un canal de comunicación sólido con su sponsor y llevar registros detallados que le ayuden a reconocer patrones y tomar mejores decisiones con el tiempo. Todo cetrero experimentado recuerda su aprendizaje como el período que formó su enfoque completo del deporte.
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Después de completar su período de aprendizaje, la transición a cetrero de clase General abre posibilidades significativamente nuevas. Antes de solicitar el avance, discuta su preparación honestamente con su sponsor. Un buen indicador es si se siente seguro de que podría entrenar exitosamente un ave nueva desde cero sin orientación diaria. Comience a investigar las especies que quiere volar como cetrero General mucho antes de que termine su aprendizaje y, si es posible, pase tiempo con cetreros experimentados que vuelen esas especies. El salto de un halcón de cola roja a un gavilán de Cooper o un halcón peregrino representa un aumento sustancial en dificultad, y la preparación antes de hacer el cambio previene la frustración y protege al ave.