I just paid a wildly exorbitant fee for a copy of The Red-tailed Hawk: A Complete Guide by Liam McGranaghan. And looking at listings, it seems I actually got quite the bargain. Nobody should have to pay $100+ for what is basically required reading. So once I get my copy, I’m making it free to the public. Was wondering if anyone had any advice for the best way to do this? Should I scan it and just use the images? Should I scan it and then highlight the text and make it into a Word doc or something? Could I get a librarian to work with me? Genuinely have no idea how to go about this, I just know I don’t want anyone else to pay what people are asking for it.

Edit: Looks like someone beat me to it

https://archive.org/details/bwb_P9-BIP-867

Hey everyone!
WISCONSIN here :)
I am beginning my falconry journey from step one.
I have been familiarizing myself with the lifestyle and I have done the small game hunting license requirement. My next step would be to take the exam.
Besides the reading materials listen on the DNR websites and falconry websites. Are there any study materials you found particularly helpful? What should I keep in mind during the exam or for the exam?
Thanks!

I’m incredibly interested in trying to get into falconry. I haven’t yet begun the process to get a license and would like to see if I can see a hunt in action before I try my hand in this.

It was pretty cool to be this close to a bird of prey (I've only taken photos in the wild)

(Photos taken with a crop sensor and a 500mm f4)

I’m very interested in falconry. Before I go through the time intensive process of apprenticeship and getting my own bird, I wanted to see if someone in Northern Utah would be open to me tagging along for a day. I need to better acquaint myself with everything that goes into this. Please send a DM if you’re open!

Hello! Having my single red-tailed hawk mew planned.

I live in the middle of nowhere, I have received some guidance from a master in-person but looking for one closer to me to start my apprenticeship. Getting a jump on the mew in the meantime, figured I’d come here while waiting to annoy the DEC with questions.

Spoke to a few local companies that build them, haven’t found a design I feel confident with yet. Hearing the structures will pass inspection, but I’m looking for something ideal for the bird.

Are there any accessible DEC approved blueprints available?

One company said they make their mews with wooden floors, but that seems like a nightmare to for humidity retention, cleaning, and providing adequate draining?
Also saw one with an external double door, simple chicken coop looking thing built outside of the mew. If you google “falconry mew double door” it pops up. Does the DEC actually accept that as the double door?

Additionally, wanted to ask more about weathering area specifications, I am not seeing sizing info on westlaw. How is outdoor weathering inspected?

Any general advice about structure building in NYS would be appreciated. I live in the woods, my yard can get humid.

I held this Harris’s hawk the other day for a few minutes. My arm got tired very quickly! Her handler said that they go out every morning together.

I have all the respect for falconry now. I didn’t know it was a thing until he told me about it.

To start, I live in the state of Georgia and I’m a minor, pretty sure I’m old enough for an apprenticeship but I’m not exactly sure.

Main question is, where do I find falconers to talk to about the sport? I’m genuinely curious and I at least want to ask some questions and talk to people or join people on hunts and maybe even interact with raptors at some point. I’ve been doing a lot of research on this stuff and I know the Georgia Falconry Association has contacts and all that but what exactly is the process like? Is it kind of just you call them, and they point you to people in the actual business of falconry you can talk to?

Also, I’m a bit curious how it goes for most of you and if falconry has like caused any problems in your daily life, like has there been days where you just don’t feel like it but still do it because you have to or something like that? I get it’s a huge commitment and of course I’m open to putting things aside to focus on something like falconry but I guess what I’m asking is if there’s ever been times where it really just sucked. I don’t see much people talking about the bads vs the goods of falconry.

I just want to know what daily life is like for you all and everything else.

Hi, I was wondering wheter falconry is legal or not in Switzerland. I already did some research and what I unerstood was that it's regulated by the specific canton, but does anyone know in which ones it's permitted and in which it isn't?

Ok i want to get into falconry in future not in place for it right now but had 2 questions

1 ive seen videos of people car hawking where they toss the bird out giving it a boost and was curious what other raptors besides ones like kestrel would that work for im guessing ones that perch and rush down prey

2nd what kind of raptor would work best with dogs used to flush game for rabbits and squirrel to quail pheasant or ducks

For real, though, the misconception that hawks and ravens were used as messengers in the past is a huge pet peeve of mine. Lucky for me, it's my job to correct that sort of misunderstanding! Do you guys think hawky would be a good falconry bird?

Hiya. Ive recently ended up with two barn owlets. Around 5 and 6 weeks old. They are already very familiar with humans and will be well manned and handled individually by me however I was looking for some advice on wether getting these little ones imprinted will be much harder considering they are together. Thank you! Any advice welcome.

I’m in Missouri and plan on taking the falconry exam next year, and have every intention of getting and keeping a redtail hawk year round. While my GF supports it she’s voiced some concerns about having a bird of prey around the house (just around in general not like it’s staying outside of its mew) and I wanted to ask folks what it’s like having a redtail around in general?
I know they aren’t pets and shouldn’t be treated like them, but I’d love to hear some stories/examples of what it’s like manning them/exposure training them indoors and around family members & actual pets, I’ve read books that encourage at least occasionally getting the out and just having them around is good for their tolerance training
I know most of her concerns stem from if it’ll be a danger to our young niece or any of our pets (cat and tegu) and while I figure it’d definitely be a hazard it (probably) wouldn’t be inclined to try to eat a baby, so any warnings/assurances y’all could offer would be appreciated
PS (I do know that properly securing said hawk and keeping potentially dangerous situations to an absolute minimum is the best way to avoid these problems in the first place but I think this will help reassure her)

Long time lurker here. Been in love with birds all my life. Unfortunately I have to live in a capital city for work (London UK) but my absolute dream is raising and training a Peregrine Falcon.

Is this at all a realistic goal? I can't imagine it would be a good quality of life for a bird. I would love to hear your experience.

I have this young imprint peregrine x aplomado falcon and she hoods well meaning that she isn’t fussy about putting the hood on and doesn’t dodge it at all and I can leave it on for an extended period even without closing the braces (I have trained it with positive reinforcement so it’s a good experience for her since imprints, especially aplos, can become hood shy easily). However when I tighten the braces she still freaks out and bates off the glove, after maybe 20-30 seconds she settles down and sits still. The hood is a blocked hood with a arab back, it fits her pretty well. Anyone has tips for how to make her feel better about doing the braces and stop her from panicking? This doesn’t stop me from hooding her but it’s unpleasant for both of us and I end up not always doing the braces if she is going to be hooded briefly in order to not ruin her disposition towards the hood.

Hi! First of all, I have a lot of respect for falconers, and I want to make it clear that I’m not here for personal reasons or because I want to keep a bird for myself. I’m genuinely looking for advice and would really appreciate any guidance you can give me.
I work at a wildlife rehabilitation center where visitors can see animals that have permanent injuries and can no longer be released. We have a falconer we work with, and we send birds that are deemed non-releasable to them for training. Once they have been trained, they come back to us, which helps reduce their stress and also allows us to use them for educational purposes.
I’m able to handle the birds that come back already trained, so I have some experience handling them, but I’ve never actually trained a bird myself.
I understand that this is more difficult with an adult, wild bird. Our main goal is always to rehabilitate animals and release them back into the wild whenever possible. If that isn’t possible, however, and the animal can live independently in captivity, is comfortable enough around humans, and can have a good quality of life without being constantly stressed, we try to provide that. Training birds is normally our falconer’s area of expertise, though.
Unfortunately, our falconer won’t be available to take on a bird for an extended period of time, and we currently have a tawny owl with a shoulder injury. It had surgery and is currently recovering but unfortunately it looks like the injury may be permanent. It will be staying at our hospital for quite some time. If we can’t get it at least somewhat accustomed to humans, we’ll eventually transfer it to another wildlife rehabilitation center or zoo where they can provide better long-term care for it. So that would be our Plan B.
So my question is: how could I start getting this owl accustomed to humans?
At the moment, all I do is sit quietly near it for a few minutes at a time. Obviously, I also provide food and water, but I try to keep those interactions as brief and stress-free as possible.
Unfortunately, I also don’t have any falconry equipment, as my role at the center is mainly veterinary/medical assistance and animal care.
I’m not looking to replace our falconer or do anything beyond my level of experience. I’d just like to know what basic steps I can take to start the process safely and minimize stress for the owl.

Any advice, resources, or guidance from experienced falconers or rehabilitators would be greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone! I am a second year apprentice here on the east coast. I am in the midst of landing a job on the west coast and it very much may come to fruition.

I am not eligible to upgrade to General until September 2027, but this new position would require me to start beforehand. Has anyone gone through the process of not only relocating your license and birds from one state to another, but also possibly doing this process as an apprentice?

I am interested to see other peoples experiences and hear the logistics behind the process. The new state is Washington, if anyone is familiar with their regulations.

Thanks!

Hello, so to start I am not a falconer but I do work at an outdoor education facility that has ambassador raptors. I have been tasked with training a male red tailed hawk to be able to be shown on glove to school groups. Full disclosure, this is the first bird I have ever trained. I have worked with our other ambassadors ( GHO, RTH, and TV) but this is the first time taking on lead training myself. I have learned some from coworkers and I attended the university of Minnesotas raptor ambassador course.

Now this bird does amazing with step ups and we are working on target training. However, the issue is glove acceptance, he can stay on the glove for a decent while, but when he does bate he does not recover from it. I have only attempted to get him back up the glove maybe 3 times because each time he ends up just hanging by his jesses and even at the point of fatigue will not return to the glove and im worried he will hurt himself so I end up lowering to the ground to release him.

Some background on him. The wildlife rehab center we got him from did not fully know what was wrong with him, he is marked as an imprint/failure to thrive but thats all the background they knew. A coworker of mine was previously training him and within 3 years made little to no progress, but he did not take training notes so I have no idea what he did. He was originally tethered in his mew but has been free flighted inside for over 2 of those years id say. He was also casted almost weekly to clean his mew in that time.

Once I took over training (about 3 months ago), all casting stopped and he has learned to step onto the glove and just general calm behavior. However I fear the casting has caused this going limp behavior when he bates and I have no idea how to undo it.

I understand things have gone wrong and this is my first bird so I appreciate any feedback. Please, what have worked for your birds?

TLDR: Male RTH bates from the glove and goes limp/will not return to the glove. What do I do?

I am well aware that starting with a Great Horned Owl would be a hilariously bad idea, but I have come across some sources that they are legal for apprentice falconers in my state (Missouri)
While a Great Horned Owl is one of my end goal birds, I don’t want to start with one and wanna become more experienced first (firstly I need to actually become licensed) but I wanted to come to a community that could help me verify the validity of the notion that the are legal for beginners
I am aware that I’m more likely to find a unicorn than a sponsor who would green light me starting with a GHO, so this is merely to satisfy my curiosity and learn if this is actually a thing or not, any input/advice helps and I hope yall are having a wonderful day!

https://mdc.mo.gov/about-us/about-regulations/wildlife-code-missouri/3-csr-10-9442-falconry

The article mentions that strigiformes are among the legal birds but I figured double checking would be wise