Introduction to Hunting

The Purpose of Falconry

Falconry is, at its core, hunting. Everything else—the manning, the training, the equipment—exists to support this. A falconry bird that doesn’t hunt is like a sheepdog that never sees sheep: technically functional, but missing the point.

Hunting develops and maintains your bird in ways that training alone cannot. The chase builds fitness, the success builds confidence, and the partnership built in the field cements the bond between falconer and bird.

La caza es donde los instintos naturales de una rapaz y tu entrenamiento convergen en algo mayor que cualquiera de los dos por separado. El ave aporta millones de años de capacidad depredadora evolucionada—agudeza visual, velocidad explosiva y técnica de captura. El cetrero aporta conocimiento del hábitat, comportamiento de las presas y la capacidad de crear oportunidades de caza que el ave no podría encontrar sola. Esta simbiosis es la razón por la que la cetrería ha persistido durante más de cuatro mil años. La persecución activa vías de recompensa neurológica profundamente arraigadas en el ave, construyendo impulso y confianza que ninguna cantidad de entrenamiento en el puño puede replicar. Un ave que caza regularmente desarrolla reflejos más agudos, músculos más fuertes y mejor toma de decisiones.

Prerequisites

Before entering the field, ensure:

• Bird flies free reliably: Consistent returns, no creance needed
• Weight is dialed: Keen but not desperate
• Telemetry in place: Transmitter on the bird, receiver charged
• Land access secured: Permission, public land, or your own property
• Season is open: Check regulations for your quarry

Finding Quarry

The hardest part of falconry isn’t training the bird—it’s finding things for it to chase. Successful falconers are students of their quarry:

For Rabbit Hawkers

• Edge habitat: Where brush meets open ground
• Overgrown fields: Weedy, brushy areas with good cover
• Dawn and dusk: When rabbits are most active
• Signs: Droppings, trails, forms (flattened vegetation)

For Bird Hawkers

• Feeding areas: Where target species congregate
• Roost sites: Learn where birds sleep and wake
• Flight patterns: Anticipate where birds will fly
• Weather: Affects bird activity and behavior

Types of Game for Falconry

The game you pursue depends on your bird species, your terrain, and local regulations. Here are the most common quarry types in North American falconry:

Seasonal Considerations

Falconry hunting in the U.S. typically runs from October through February, though exact seasons vary by state and quarry species. Planning your season well is critical for success:

• Early season (Oct-Nov): Best for trapping passage birds and starting to enter them to quarry. Game is abundant but often wary. Your bird is still developing skills.
• Mid-season (Dec-Jan): Peak hunting period. Birds are fit and experienced. Cold weather concentrates quarry in predictable areas. Shorter days mean focused hunting windows.
• Late season (Feb-Mar): Game can be scarce and skittish. Some falconers begin winding down, preparing birds for the molt. Many passage birds are released before the end of season.

Weather plays a significant role in daily hunting decisions. Light wind and overcast skies often produce the best conditions. Heavy rain, extreme cold, and strong winds make hunting difficult and potentially dangerous for your bird. Use a weather app or FalconryLab’s automatic weather logging to track conditions that produce your best results.

Field Preparation

Successful hunting starts long before you unhood your bird. Here is what you need to prepare for each outing:

Your First Hunts

Managing Expectations

Your first hunts will probably not produce catches. That’s normal. You’re learning to read the land, your bird is learning to hunt for real, and you’re both building fitness. Early season is about development, not bag limits.

The Hunting Mindset

• Be patient: Good slips (opportunities) are worth waiting for
• Read your bird: Is it focused, distracted, or tired?
• Work as a team: You flush, the bird catches
• Stay calm: Excitement makes you sloppy

Types of Flights

When Your Bird Catches

The moment of truth. How you handle this shapes your bird’s future behavior:

When Your Bird Misses

Misses are part of hunting. How you respond affects your bird’s persistence:

• Stay positive: Call the bird back calmly, offer a tidbit
• Keep hunting: Don’t end on a miss if possible
• Analyze: Was it a bad slip? Bird error? Learn from it
• Don’t punish: Missing is frustrating, but punishment destroys drive

Building a Hunter

Over time, your bird will become more skilled and efficient:

Field Etiquette

Falconry is a privilege that depends on good relationships with landowners and the public:

• Ask permission: Never hunt without landowner consent
• Leave gates as found: Close them if they were closed
• Don’t litter: Pack out everything you bring in
• Be an ambassador: Public perception matters for all falconers
• Thank landowners: A gift of game or simple thanks maintains access

Si tu ave muestra poco interés en las presas durante las primeras cacerías, el problema generalmente es el manejo del peso o la calidad de los lances, no la falta de instinto depredador. Asegúrate de que el ave esté en un peso motivado y de que estés presentando lances alcanzables—corta distancia con trayectorias de vuelo claras. Un ave que persigue pero falla consistentemente puede estar fuera de forma; aumenta el ejercicio mediante sesiones de llamada más largas antes de cazar. Si tu ave captura presas pero se vuelve defensiva y agresiva cuando te acercas, practica el intercambio en días sin caza usando alimentos preferidos. Nunca forcejees la comida del ave. Si el ave comienza a llevarse las capturas lejos de ti, revisa tu trabajo de amansamiento y asociación alimentaria.

The Rewards

There’s nothing quite like watching a trained hawk do what millions of years of evolution designed it for. The flight, the chase, the catch—it’s a connection to something primal and ancient.

Your bird becomes more than a pet or a project. It becomes a hunting partner, and the bond forged in the field is the heart of falconry.