by Dona Tracy

Created on: March 17, 2007   Last Updated: May 06, 2007

The Ancient Art of Falconry

Falconry, hunting with birds of prey, now more of an art than a necessity, has been practiced for over four thousand years. At first, it was a way to bring home a fresh meal that would otherwise have to be purchased from the market where it was often rancid (hence the addition of spices.).

Today, it is considered a form of modern sport hunting. But, most of the equipment practice and techniques used to train and hunt with falcons, hawks, eagles or owls have changed little since it began.

Throughout history people have held a special fascination for the birds of prey. They have come to be known as symbols of freedom, courage, prowess, strength and daring.

Before guns arrived on the scene birds of prey were prized not only as a tool for the hunt but for their beauty, intelligence, elegance and majesty. In the Middle Ages only the kings and nobility were permitted to hunt with birds like eagles and falcons. Commoners caught with any of these birds would be brutally punished, among other horrors, by having the hand that held the eagle or falcon cut off! But common Man was allowed only to use a hawk or buzzad.

Back then those hawks were referred to as "pot hawks" since they were not considered majestic and simply provided 'food for the pot'.

With the advent of guns, however, birds of prey quickly lost their enviable status and the pendulum swung from prizing them as hunting partners to despising them as competition for the game. Large land owners employed 'game keepers' whose job it was to shoot, on sight, any bird of prey that had the audacity to show itself on the Master's estate. And, soon, these noble birds were considered vermin.

This sentiment came over to this country with our early settlers and up until the late 1950's, in some states, birds of prey were routinely poisoned, trapped and shot by the thousands every year. And some states would actually pay the public for the scalps of birds of prey. But as many began to disappear and people became more conscious of their vital role in nature, they soon received complete protection.

Now it is illegal, not only to harm any bird of prey or its nest or possess it as a pet, it is even illegal to possess one feather without a permit from the federal government.

Modern falconry is a federally and state controlled sport. Everything from the kind of birds used, to their housing, equipment, handling and husbandry right down to the size shape and type of their bath-pans are tightly regulated. And complete

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