Falconry is an adventurous sport full of many opportunities for excitement and pride. However, when you first decide to take on the sport of falconry, it's important for you to put a lot of time and energy into researching everything you can. The better prepared you are ahead of time, the sooner you can begin enjoying all it offers to the full extent. Here are some basic tips on caring for and training a falcon that you should be aware of:

Get yourself a mentor

No matter how much reading you have been doing or how many videos you have watched, you are never going to be as prepared as if you have worked with a mentor. When you work with a mentor, they will be able to teach you things in real life in an interactive setting where you can make mistakes while they are there to personally show you how to deal with those mistakes and show you how to avoid repeating them again in the future. A mentor will also be able to help walk you through getting your falconry license, something you must have done ahead of time. You will also need other permits and licenses a mentor can teach you about. They can also educate you on the laws in your area.

Get everything you need first, before you get the falcon

You never want to buy a falcon until you are 100% set up with all of the proper equipment. Getting ahead of yourself and getting a falcon while you are ill-prepared can lead to disastrous results. Make a list of everything you need, check off the list as you make those purchases and get the falcon as soon as you want after checking off that last box!

In the US, you can go with a Red-Tailed Hawk or an American Kestrel, unless your state specifically has laws that open you up to even more choices. You may want to think about going with a Red-Tailed Hawk as a beginner. They tend to be more forgiving which will be important when you are learning with them.

Keep the hawk around the family, especially in the beginning

It's especially important to keep the hawk around people in the first few weeks. Therefore, you may want to set them up in the living room, or in another room where your family tends to spend much of their time. Seeing people often will help the hawk become well manned.

Teach the hawk to land on your glove first

Above all, the best trick your hawk will ever learn is to land on your glove when beckoned. You can do this by putting pieces of food between your fingers while using a call sign of your choosing. It won't take the hawk long to realize the call sign means food is at the glove and where they want to be!

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