# Wet First Day



## crittergitter71 (Feb 9, 2010)

When I was a teenager, I really wanted to get into falconry, until I found out how involved it was to get a permit. State inspections of your bird pen, being an apprectice for a couple years and the time involved taking care of your bird.

I would still like to get into it one day, maybe once the kids are grown up and I have more time to dedicate to it.

How do you go about getting a bird? Do you catch your own? It seems like I remember thats how it was at one time, but they were changing that. What is the process of obtaining a permit now?

Sorry about all the questions, but this thread really has me thinking again!


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## DocHoliday (Jan 7, 2008)

Tagz said:


> Quail, Day old Chicks, mice, rats, rabbits. I used to order food from rodentpro.com . But recently found a local man that sells Chicks, rats, mice, etc. Everything but the quail. Saves me a bunch on shipping being able to pick them up. Plus it keeps it local so that's a bonus.


I used to take my nephew down to the reptile show in Taylor. There was an older guy there that sold feeder animals like that. Plus you could watch people of all sorts selling and trading mostly reptiles. My nephew used to order from Rodentpro as well then he stated raising his own feeders to save money. He was into corn snakes... go figure.


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)

crittergitter71 said:


> When I was a teenager, I really wanted to get into falconry, until I found out how involved it was to get a permit. State inspections of your bird pen, being an apprectice for a couple years and the time involved taking care of your bird.
> 
> I would still like to get into it one day, maybe once the kids are grown up and I have more time to dedicate to it.
> 
> ...


Once you get your paperwork done (100 question test), inspection of facilities and equipment, a falconer to sign a Sponsor Agreement, you can then trap either a Red-tailed hawk or American Kestrel. During the legal trapping season and with the proper permits. You have to be an apprentice for 2 years, minimum. Its up to your sponsor after that to decide to sign off on you or not. The 2 years only counts while you have a bird on your permit. So if you lose your bird, or release it does not start counting down again till you get another bird. 

After that you can upgrade to the General License. Which is where I am at. This means you can sponsor apprentices, keep up to 3 birds at a time, and able to get other types of birds not just RT hawks or Kestrels. Lots of other information HERE at the DNR site.

The last few years have had many changes in falconry. You used to have to get a federal permit, and a state permit. But now once your state has adopted the new Federal Regulations and had any additional items approved you no longer need to get a Federal Permit. They are handing off all the paperwork to the states. Michigan is one of the states to already have made the transition. And there are some new changes going to vote soon as well. LINK 

Before I got into the sport falconers had it tough in Michigan when it came to trapping a bird. At one time it wasn't even allowed and they had to go out of state. Dont remember all the details but to apply for a permit once they did allow it, it was a lottery. Well all the falconers (fewer than 100 I think now, so back then even less) would apply. Only a limited number of permits, say maybe 12 were given out. Some people even not sure if they were going to trap would still apply. Which meant the apprentices starting out sometimes would not be able to start the sport if they did not get a permit to trap. Out of those 12, say only 7 or 8 actually trapped birds. Was a bummer for many falconers. When I started it was much better. Every falconer that applied for a permit, got one. But once you trapped your bird you had to contact the DNR Permit Specialist to let them know. They only allowed 25 birds to get trapped. If they hit that limit of 25 before the end of the trapping season they would contact the remaining falconers with trapping permits to tell them trapping was over. As far as I know that limit was never reached any year. Just not that many falconers in the state, let alone ones trapping each year. But this was a much fairer way to do it and no one was left out. Currently the last changes upped the number of allowed birds to 80. A few species are limited to the number allowed to be taken and those are still done via a lottery system. (2 Great Horned Owls, 4 Northern Goshawks). The new changes going to vote will add 1 Snowy Owl and Rough-Legged Hawks.

While it is a commitment, it is not that hard to get into. I am 34, married, 2 little girls (3 and 5) and work full time. Took some time off after I got my apprenticeship done and released my bird back to the wild. Current bird was trapped last November. Many guys trap a new bird in fall, get it ready to hunt that season (average is about 30 days training from trap to hunt) then release it in the spring at the end of the small game season. Free's up your summer without having a bird to care for. But you do miss out on seeing what a second year bird is capable of.

I really want to try an American Kestrel next year. Not sure if I will keep this RT after this season or release him in the spring. I really enjoy the trapping part of it. Some guys hate it, my sponsor hated it. It does get a little nerve-racking at times. Especially as the trapping season is coming to a close and you still don't have a bird.


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)

DocHoliday said:


> Have you ever thought about raising an eagle as well?


Missed this my first reply. You have to be a Master Falconer in order to obtain an Eagle Falconry Permit. Along with submitting other items like experience handling large raptors, references from others that handle eagles, etc. And they are only allowed to be taken from depredation areas.

Some birds can be legally purchased from breeders. Harris Hawks being a very common falconry bird available from breeders. It is against the law though to captive breed Golden Eagles. I did read a recent article about some possible changes to this law though. Which would make Golden Eagles more accessible to falconers.


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## crittergitter71 (Feb 9, 2010)

Where do you normally hunt your bird? Seems you could do it about anywhere.

About how much $ to get legal?


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## jimmyo17 (Jun 7, 2011)

this is awsome, one of these days im gunna do it


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)

crittergitter71 said:


> Where do you normally hunt your bird? Seems you could do it about anywhere.
> 
> About how much $ to get legal?


Since I am not using a firearm it does open up the areas I can hunt. Industrial park type areas. I do hunt at Pointe Mouillee some. 

I have heard the average to get started is around $1000. To be honest I cant even remember what I spent getting started. I started getting things slowly so It wasnt like a big one time purchase. https://www.northwoodsfalconry.com/ sells everything needed equipment wise. Including what they call a package Apprentice Kit. But my sponsor would not let me purchase a kit. And for good reason. He taught me how to make most the equipment. Which ends up not only saving money but its good to know how to do it. That way if you need to put some new anklets on your bird you can cut up some leather custom to fit and your good to go. 

Building the mews (building that the bird is kept in) was one of the more costly things. Some examples of different ones can be seen HERE. Mine is fairly simple. 8x12. As you can see from that link some are more extravagant than others. So the cost will vary. Another big ticket item was telemetry. The transmitter and receiver was I think around $500. Now this is not a required item. My sponsor never used it but told me he recommended it. I am pretty sure I did not have it the first few times I flew the bird but got it shortly after. It is a nice piece of mind having it. Knock on wood I haven't needed it really yet.


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## crittergitter71 (Feb 9, 2010)

This is giving me an itch thats not going to go away!:lol:


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)

crittergitter71 said:


> This is giving me an itch thats not going to go away!:lol:


 I got the itch a long time ago when I was 17. But was still living at home at the time and just knew it wasnt something I could do. Then moved out and got married. Living in an apartment though was not going to allow me to do it. Then we got a house and it was on. I joined the Michigan Hawking Club and got in contact with some falconers. Went to help out at their booth in Imlay City at the Woods-N-Water expo. Got to talk to a lot of people and see the birds up close. At the end the guy who ended up sponsoring me asked if I wanted to put a glove on and hold one of the birds. I said yeah. Was hooked then. Just knew it was something I had to do. Little over a year later and I had my first bird. Here he is fresh off the trap. That's my sponsor holding him.


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## crittergitter71 (Feb 9, 2010)

Thats awsome!


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