Hunting with birds of prey: A primer on this ancient and thrilling sport

THE SET-UP

Hunting with trained raptors entails much more skill and effort than hunting with a firearm, which can be cleaned and put away until the next season. Falconry birds require a suitable enclosure with perches, and they must be fed and cared for daily. For most forms of falconry, an appropriate dog is generally also a necessity for success. As with the bird, it needs to be cared for throughout the year, too, including countless hours of training and conditioning.

Specialized equipment, often made by falconers themselves, is also required. This includes leather hoods for the birds, gloves (or gauntlets) for the falconer, leashes, lures for training, and so on. Modern falconry also now includes the use of kites and drones for training, and radio-telemetry technology for locating lost birds. Most recently, falconers have been using GPS transmitters connected to a smartphone app for tracking the location of their birds in real time. This has resulted in far fewer lost birds.

A common misconception is that a trained raptor can catch a bird with ease, then bring it back to the falconer. In reality, however, regular success is difficult to achieve, and the birds do not deliver their catch to the falconer. Instead, the falconer must typically search for the raptor and its downed quarry, often with the help of radio telemetry if the kill took place far away. Whatever the case, nothing beats the feeling when it all comes together—with the falconer, dog and raptor working as one.