Heath Garner joins me to tell us about his season thus far with the passage tiercel peregrine that he trapped in 2023. Heath starts the episode telling us why he had to hawk snipe without the assistance of his two German short-haired pointers for a short time. We then talk about season start dates, how they vary based primarily on latitude, and when migrant quarry typically become available in Arkansas. Heath outlines the timing of his falcon's molt, and describes the transition from bl...

In this episode of Game Hawker Edition, my guest is Dale Guthormsen. After introducing himself, Dale explains why he is in the process of simultaneously starting two new falcons this season. Dale then describes his hawking ground and his primary quarry, including the distinction between fall and winter grouse. We then talk about the way Dale currently develops his game hawks, and he tells us how that has changed over the course of his career. We finish off the episode talking about how ...

Simon Tyers returns to the show to update us on how his season is going thus far. We begin the episode talking about similarities and differences among the falconers that have already contributed to Game Hawker Edition, Simon then updates us with regard to how the work being done by the local Water Authority across his hunting ground has progressed. We then turn our attention to Smog's tendency to ignore the lure, how Simon addressed this, and whether the early season remedial work has solved...

Jeff Broadbent joins me for this weeks episode of Game Hawker Edition. After introducing himself, his birds, and his dogs, Jeff tells us the back story that led up the acquisition of his current bird. Part of that back story includes a description of Jeff's trip to Alaska to fill his gyrfalcon permit. We linger a little on the topic of Alaska, and the possibility of a return trip. We then turn our attention to the landscape and the quarry that make up a significant part of Jeff's falcon...

Corey Roelke, President of the Texas Hawking Association, joins me on this episode of Game Hawker Edition. Corey gets us started by telling us about the birds he has in his possession, and his English springer spaniel, “Hela”. With help from Heath Garner, Corey recently trapped a passage peregrine in Arkansas. He tells us about that experience and trapping beach birds in Texas. We then discuss how he intends to reclaim his intermewed birds, and we get caught-up on how his newly-tra...

In this episode of Game Hawker Edition, I welcome Steve Chindgren (author of “The Art of Hawking Sage Grouse), back to show to talk to us about his season to date. Steve gets the conversation rolling by telling us about the birds he is flying and the dogs he is running. He then talks about the summer molt, and the way in which he reclaims his birds. We then turn our attention to sage grouse, and Steve outlines his observations thus far. We talk pitch, and Steve emphasizes the importance of de...

Welcome to the first episode of the "Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast Game Hawker Edition”. With the season well underway in northern latitudes of North America and Europe, I have pivoted from my regular long-form format to a shorter format that focuses on game hawking. The intent is to have periodic visits with several falconers to get a glimpse into the way the 2024 season is progressing for each of them.In this first episode of Game Hawker Edition, I welcome Simon Tyers, author of “Th...

In this episode, I am joined by John Goodell, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Archives of Falconry located in Boise, Idaho. After introducing himself, John provides listeners with a timeline of the way that the Archives was established and how it has evolved. John also provides a comprehensive description of the depth and breadth of the composition of the collection held at the Archives.We discuss acquisition of the Karl-Heinz Gersmann library. John explains just how significant t...

In this episode Matt, Heath, and Brian return to the show to continue our conversation, this time to discuss the ways in which America's Wildlife Values intersect with the way that North American falconers practice their sport. In Part 2, we discussed the UNESCO designation of falconry as a living human heritage. We were all under the impression that the U.S. was not a UNESCO member, but in fact, the US became the 194th member in July of 2023 – thanks to John Goodell, curator of t...

In this episode Matt, Heath, and Brian return to the show to continue our conversation regarding the ways in which the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAM) intersects with the way that North American falconers practice their sport.We begin the episode talking about the principle that take of wildlife is allocated by law, which guides proper use of wildlife resources. Brian tells us about the ways in which take of raptors was established and is regulated. Matt then offers ...

In this multi-episode series, I am joined by Matt Mullenix, Heath Garner, and Brian Millsap to discuss their views of falconry in the context of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAM; see Episode 33) and the Wildlife Values Report (WVR; see Episode 34).The episode begins with each guest reporting on progress of the molt for each of their birds (as of late August). I then take advantage of having Brian Millsap present to get an update on normalization of take of peregrine falc...

In this Episode I talk to Thomas Baumeister of "Access WILD" and "Orion - The hunters Institute" about the question of hunting and the way in which hunters can develop an ethical framework. We begin our conversation with a brief reminder of the four ways in which society generally values wildlife (Traditionalist, Mutualist, Pluralist, and Distanced). We then outline the ways in which hunters and anti-hunters can be be classified.We then turn our attention to "ethics" and the ...

In this episode Ted Koch joins me to discuss prairie grouse conservation and the North American Grouse Partnership (NAGP). After introducing himself, Ted describes the falconry-related legacy of the NAGP, and gives us an overview of the organization itself.Ted then outlines some of the unique features associated with grasslands, including the manner in which they are distributed geographically, the natural disturbance regimes that they rely on, and some of the main threats to thes...

In this Episode, my guest is former NAFA President, Ralph Rogers. Ralph argues that the practice of falconry hinges of three prerequisites (i.e., the legs of his metaphorical stool); legal access to the raptors with which we hunt, a fair regulatory framework, and access to abundant quarry. Ralph points out that both "access" and "regulations" are now historical challenges that a unified falconry community worked to overcome. He says we need to do that again to solve the much bigger problem as...

Kent Carnie, Curator Emeritus of the Archives of Falconry, joins me for Part two of his two-part series to discuss an account he has written which he refers to as an “eventful period during which American falconry evolved” and our sport “came of age”. That period spanned the years from 1965 until 1976, and is what Kent calls “The Twelve Turbulent Years”. We begin Episode 2 recalling 1971 which saw efforts by falconers to draft formal falconry regulations. Kent describes the main o...

In this episode Kent Carnie, Curator Emeritus of the Archives of Falconry, joins me to discuss an account he has written which he refers to as an “eventful period during which American falconry evolved”, and our sport “came of age”. That period spans the years from 1965 until 1976, and is what Kent refers to as “The Twelve Turbulent Years”. The objective of this episode is to detail highlights that transpired during that time frame. Kent provides a nice description of the bac...

Arnaud Van Wettere, falconer and veterinarian, joins me to talk about avian influenza. After introducing himself, Arnaud reminds us of the definitions of some basic terms associated with immunology, and describes the manner in which different strains of avian influenza are named. Arnaud outlines the historical timeline for most recent and on-going outbreak of the H5N1 strain. He then outlines which bird species are most susceptible, describes routes of infection and transmiss...

In this episode I welcome Tim Williams to the show. Tim is the developer of the Falconry Journal App that he describes as a digital replacement for the pen and paper journals that many falconers use to maintain records associated with keeping falconry birds.After introducing himself Tim describes the app and highlights some of the features that are built into it. He also tells us what motivated him to develop the app. and provides some rationale for why a falconer may want to use the ap...

After talking to me about trapping of passage peregrine in Arkansas (Episode 24), Heath Garner returns to the show to talk about snipe-hawking. To set the stage for the conversation, Heath reminds us of his falconry background, the group of falconers that typically focus on snipe in Arkansas, and some similarities and differences of snipe hawking in Arkansas compared to the U.K. and Ireland.We then turn our attention to the snipe themselves, and Heath tells us why the Mississippi Alluvi...

In this episode my guest is Tony Wasley, President of the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI). We begin the episode talking about the Institute itself, what is does and when it was established. I am interested in the way that wildlife values are characterized, how they have changed, and how those changes in wildlife values potentially affect the future of hunting and hunters. Tony discusses the dichotomy between areas of focus for wildlife management agencies; the task of tag allocation...

In this Episode I am joined by John Organ, Chief Emeritus of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Program, to discuss the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. John begins by telling us about the people that were responsible for consolidating the model, He then describes the ecological and historical context that ultimately led to modern wildlife management. We go back to the late Pleistocene to provide a sense of what the m...

In this final episode of my three-part series discussing passage merlins with Jeremy Bradshaw, author of "The Passage Merlin", Jeremy shares his views on having a merlin share the comings and goings of one’s home, his views on weight management, and how he steps through the training sequence from hopping to fist to undertaking that first free flight, and ultimately to regular gamehawking. We also talk about "carrying", and taking advantage of the natural tendency for merlins to ca...

In this episode Jeremy Bradshaw author of the "The Passage Merlin" returns to me to talk about his love affair with the passage merlin. We begin this episode with Jeremy recollecting the events surrounding the first Merlin he trapped with, and for, fellow falconer and friend, Jeremy Roselle . He then tells us about trapping merlins in urban versus agricultural settings, including the various trap types, and his go-to favorite. He tells us about some hard-earned tips that have improved his tra...

In this episode Jeremy Bradshaw author of the "The Passage Merlin" joins me to talk about his love affair with small raptors, in particular, the passage merlin.  Jeremy begins the episode giving us some insight into the three sub-species of merlins in North America, and tells us how Jack merlins differ from female merlins.  I then ask Jeremy about his views on weight management, and how it can make one a better falconer. We then talk about the benefits of keeping a merlin in the house rather...