Falconry

Hort101

What do i need to start falconary??

what license do i need in ireland to catch birds and train them etc.

cant seem to get any good info on the topic on how to start up.. I have been hunting all my life.

if anyone has any good info on it please let me know.. thanks..

Cass

Try reading these:

• Thread 1
• Thread 2
• Thread 3
• Thread 4
• Thread 5

As a hunting forum we get the occasional Falconry topics but not so many to be common. Have a read of the above threads. They cover getting started, site, people involved, etc. Might get you some info and put you on the right path.

Ape Owners

join some forums and get as much info as you can,best thing to do is get out with a falconer and then you'll see things first hand.there's a lot more involved than just flying the bird,you need land to hunt with your designated quarry,ferrets,dogs,telemetry system (which is not cheap),a proper mews for bird and plenty of time to fly it.It can be bit expensive to start up but once thats outta the way its more or less cheap enough to maintain the bird.Also take into mind that the bird could live for 20yrs plus.btw im no expert am only doing it a few years.ATB.
heres a few links..reading can be restricted so you better off registering.
http://www.irishfalconryforum.com/portal.php
http://falconryforum.co.uk/index.php
http://www.eclipse.co.uk/~su2550/IFF%20Starter%20Pack.pdf

Hort101

I am in a large gun club which covers 1000s of acres from small plantations to open flat land. also heavy cover. grooves, wet land areas. you name it my father also farms a 35 acre beef farm which is located around our house so basically our first field we own in just out the back beyond the trees. i also own a large poeltry areas where i breed pheasants and ducks and have loads of hens and silkys. i have been hunting since i can remember which was all shooting. pheasant and duck mainly. i got my licence when i was 16 and got my first gun. have 7 hunting dogs.

the one thing i do not understand is filling out the licence part where it says sex species and all that of the bird? how do i know if i am only getting started. it also says tag number??

one more thing is what is the standard pen these birds live in. i have loads of pens for breeding birds but are they good enough??

thank you

dodderangler

Hort101 wrote: »

the one thing i do not understand is filling out the licence part where it says sex species and all that of the bird? how do i know if i am only getting started. it also says tag number??

one more thing is what is the standard pen these birds live in. i have loads of pens for breeding birds but are they good enough??

thank you

Kinda like buying a gun.
You need to pick out what species you want and get the ring number off the bird and sex of the bird so It can go On npws file. This is very helpful should the bird ever go missing and is found somewhere else.
I'd suggest a Harris hawk as your first bird.
Just make sure you have the time to
Dedicate to the bird. I don't do it anymore as I don't have any time for it with my new job.

Ape Owners

as aaron said there,you'd need to book your bird and breeder will give you ring number of bird then you can apply for the licences when you have the details of sex,breed etc.you have to have licences at hand before you take possesion of bird.its a fairly easy process,a quick email to npws and they'll sort it out.licences expire every 31st of january and your mews will be inspected yearly by your local npws ranger before issuing of said licences.hope this helps in some way..atb sean.
heres a few pics of my mews to give you idea.it 9ftx5ft custom built to suit space.7ft high at back 6ft at front.pea gravel on floor.

Hort101

Can i trap this bird myself in the wild?? then what do i do for a ring number?

Do you have any idea what standard of pen the birds need to be in?

dodderangler

Hort101 wrote: »

Can i trap this bird myself in the wild?? then what do i do for a ring number?

Do you have any idea what standard of pen the birds need to be in?

No.
There's a licence needed for trapping native birds of prey in Ireland and it's limited to a few people every year.
Emma fords book falconry the art and practise is a great book to learn a lot about. But you will need a mentor and you may be charged for it( fcukin sin to charge someone but it happens) but if you join Irish falconry forum there are lads on that that would be more than happy to brig you out and teach you.
Just listen to what they say. Learn and you'll be fine. My mentor was a fcukin prick and always let me down so unfortunately I learned it from books and advice from lads on Irish falconry forum and went out with some people but should really only listen to one person as everyone learned different and no bird is the same.
What bird are you thinking of getting and what quarry.
Certain bops are experts at certain quarry.

Hort101

There is various species to hunt.. place is alive with rabbits, hares, pheasant.. everything.. I was told a harris hawk or red tailed buzzard.??

OpenYourEyes

Hort101 wrote: »

Can i trap this bird myself in the wild?? then what do i do for a ring number?

Do you have any idea what standard of pen the birds need to be in?

I cannot stress enough that you can't trap any birds of prey yourself!! And with all of the paperwork needed for falconry that gets inspected every year its not something you're likely to get away with. I realise you were simply asking and have no intention of breaking the law, but I think it's worth stressing that point early on.
Falconry generally has nothing to do with wild birds of prey - you do your thing and they do theirs.

If you want a wild bird you can talk to your local NPWS ranger about being put in the 'lotto' for certain species, though that has possibly been suspended pending review. But it's much better to get one off a breeder or another falconer, particularly if you're just starting out.

dodderangler

As I already said read some books and maybe read the laws on it.
A lot of people think falconry is as easy as catching a bird and it'll fly to you. He'll of a lot of time and dedication is involved. Hours bonding and getting the bird used to you and knowing your basically one with the food.
If you get a bird here that's born here doesn't mean it'll be tame. It's wild as fcuk. And some birds can be extremely nasty when they want to be which is why you've to spend a lot of bonding with them to avoid this.

Hort101

so where in county wexford can i get a bird?? would a harris hawk be good for my area. - open flat land within a mile from the sea? it is all my gun club land for hundreds of acres.? there are so many around my area. mainly buzzards or hawks with a white tip on a tail.. is this a harris hawk? does it take long for your falconry licence to come through??

Birdnuts

Hort101 wrote: »

so where in county wexford can i get a bird?? would a harris hawk be good for my area. - open flat land within a mile from the sea? it is all my gun club land for hundreds of acres.? there are so many around my area. mainly buzzards or hawks with a white tip on a tail.. is this a harris hawk? does it take long for your falconry licence to come through??

A Harris Hawk is an American bird that's kept for falconry. They are not found in the wild here and as the other lads said it will be a lot easier to get a bird from an estaiblished falconry dealer/owner than applying to the NPWS for a licence to get a bird from the wild here. Training a wild bird would be a job for a seasoned professional in any case so your better off getting a bird that is already trained to some extent by an experienced falconer. Your first move should be to read some of the threads above as there is contact info for various falconry centres around the country. The experienced falconry lads here will also have some contacts for you.

dodderangler

Hort101 wrote: »

so where in county wexford can i get a bird?? would a harris hawk be good for my area. - open flat land within a mile from the sea? it is all my gun club land for hundreds of acres.? there are so many around my area. mainly buzzards or hawks with a white tip on a tail.. is this a harris hawk? does it take long for your falconry licence to come through??

I don't know anyone in Wexford who breeds birds of prey. I know of a lad in Limerick and in Wicklow.
If you seen a bird flying about with a white tip on its tail and is a bop it's a Harris hawk and is probably lost or else the owner is out with it.
You have to build the mews first and it'll be inspected by a wildlife ranger to see if it's fit for a bird. Then he will ask few questions. Need to know various things about bops.
Remember flying a hawk isn't always about the kill ( though it's most exciting part) but just being out and watching a hawk do what they do in the wild is an experience in its own

Hort101

How much would you pay for a bird?? what birds are good for Ireland or my area?? i can't find anyone in wexford who trains birds and the irish falconry forum will not me login and i did not receive an email to activate my account. they said i need to contact the administrator but where is that??

dodderangler

For your first bird DO NOT have someone train your bird. How else will you know if your going wrong with it. You'll never learn by your mistakes then.
Try login again or contact falco Ireland on it.
Prices vary but usually a female Harris hawk would be around 450-600 usually 12-16 weeks old.
For a male about 250-400 of same age.

Hort101

Thanks very much for your help. do you think i would get away with security fencing as my weathering pen? and something along the lines of a garden shed with lats of timber for venting and wire on the outside to stop other birds getting in or my birds getting out or injured.??

dodderangler

Check this site out. Helped me a lot on housing and basic info of equipment and birds
http://www.themodernapprentice.com/mews.htm