Most Mississippi sportsmen hunting small game birds and rabbits use a modern, properly sized shotgun and have done so for nearly three centuries. More than 357,000 Mississippi hunters age 16 and older take to the woods each year, a force larger than the peacetime army of Germany, Britain and France combined. However, of those hunters, only about 25 use a bird of prey instead of a firearm or primitive weapon to hunt.

What is Falconry?

Falconry is hunting wild animals in their natural habitat with the use of a trained falcon. In times past, the term ausstringer or falconer was used for a hunter who did the same with a falcon or an eagle, however today the term falconer and falconry is used for the practitioner and the sport in general. The hobby originated in the ancient world in 2000 BC. C. and predates the use of firearms for hunting by more than a millennium.

Do you have what it takes?

Falconry is time consuming and expensive. One must start as an apprentice to the sport and work their way up to being a master or general level falconer. Alan Mumbower, the regional biologist and MDWFP Falcon Program guru puts it like this on the states website to see if falconry is for you:

“Will you, can you, devote some of your waking hours to a creature that at best will simply tolerate your presence, is as affectionate as stone, and at worst will give you heartache and puncture wounds?” Can you commit to an average of half an hour a day, every day, and two to four hours on a hunting day, regardless of school, family or work, as long as you have your bird?”

Being a falconer is more time consuming than many other hunting disciplines and is a lifestyle change that affects you 365 days a year. Let’s face it, no matter how dedicated a hunter is, you still don’t have to feed and care for your rifles, shotguns, or bows every day, no matter what. With a bird of prey on the payroll, you will.

How much is it?

The good news is that the most valuable item without which you could not do the sport is free. You cannot legally buy a bird of prey to hunt and you must catch your own from the wild. However, before heading into the woods to capture your new feathered friend, you must first apply for an apprenticeship. In the application you must pass a certification review and inspection where you must show your Mews (indoor facility for your raptor), your outdoor area where the tethered raptor can fly, your jesses (ankle brace) for the bird, swivel, leash, gloves, bathroom containers, perches, scales and other equipment necessary to care for and train your animal. This equipment is highly specialized and, like all good hunting equipment, costs money. However, before you even go shopping for your equipment, you must pay setup with MDWFP to take your written falconry exam per federal and state regulations, and pay for your permits and fees of no less than $100 (valid for five years) plus the cost of your regular hunting license.

your learning.

Current Mississippi state regulations only allow the apprentice falconer, who must be a minimum of 14 years of age, to humanely trap their new bird during approved times after all tests, fees, and inspections have been completed. previous. An apprentice can only own one red-tailed hawk (the most used by new falconers) either a red-shouldered hawk or an American kestrel. The new falconer must train their first animal and use it for a full hunting season before becoming a general falconer after two years. During this time you must work and be sponsored by a Master Falconer, by definition an athlete with at least eight years of experience in the sport. General falconers may own two raptors and hunt without the tutelage of a master. Falconers can own three birds.

the reward

The two dozen Mississippi falconers who practice this ancient sport wouldn’t have it any other way. For their time, effort, and money invested, they are modern beast masters who are literally one with nature. Many Mississippi falconers engage in more extreme bird hunting, using their raptors to catch ducks and doves, as well as squirrels and rabbits effortlessly and with sheer majesty that must be seen to be appreciated.