Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do you use the same methods and rewards (beef,etc.)?

Please - If you are interested in falconry, Take the time to Legally aprentace with a professonal, on a red tail or harris -

If you try flying, and manning a delacate, extermely difficult bird like a light weight falcon, or crow or raven, untrained, you are going to hurt, kill, or loose your bird, and have nothing but problems -

If falconry is really "for you" Contact your state game and fish department, and get trained with raptors - The species avalable to the beginner are hardy enough to withstand some mistakes -

Corvids are as a rule, NOT falconry birds -

Raven -

I have no means to try it, I was just wondering. I am not ready to take up the sport. I figure I will be ready in about one year or so to do the apprentice thing. For now I will read, watch videos and pick as many brains as I can. Thanks for your concern. I see you have a passion for it. Thanks..
RoadSpawn

"I have no means to try it, I was just wondering. I am not ready to take up the sport. I figure I will be ready in about one year or so to do the apprentice thing. For now I will read, watch videos and pick as many brains as I can. Thanks for your concern. I see you have a passion for it. Thanks.."

Thats verry respectable, and I wish you best of luck with falconry, if you find that the sport suits you, or more, that should be, you find that you suit the sport.

I just wanted to make it clear that I do not know of any other people who fly corvids of any species, after any sort of game. There not built the same as hawks, and falcons, and require verry special handaling and gear, so you do not injure them.

They are also much different/in ways more difficult to train to hunt then hawks, and unlike hawks and owls, food reward alone will not keep them returning to you.

It was a personal choice for me to train my birds like this, mostly to enhance thier captive condition, (give them the ability to free fly, and the enjoyment of using thier skills to pursue prey, etc) and, to occasionally help me take care of problem animals, like the birdfeeder eating red squirrels on my mothers property, pest starlings and house sparrows, and the occasional rats and mice we encounter.

Most of the time they free fly outdoors, they are coursed on a red squirrel hide lure, and after they "kill it" they recieve a beef or venison reward.

I would not suggest training birds like this for said task, unless one would be verry experianced working with other bird
species, and birds in general first.

I wanted to make clear to all visitors to the forum, and laymen too, that if you have a bird like this, or for that matter any bird as a pet, and release it outside, free flying, you will likely never, ever see it again.

My birds have been carefully, and extensively trained.

All to often you see people see birds like this and think, "Oh wouldn't that look cool as my pet ?", and at times its hard to get people to understand the amount of care, and work that goes into keeping an animal like this alive and healthy, both phsically, and mentally.

Raven -