Thank you for your interest in the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Falconry Program. Falconry involves the care and training of one or more raptors. It is a 365-days-a-year commitment, and therefore not a sport that can be undertaken casually. Several steps are involved before a first-time falconry license can be issued.
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What is Falconry?
Falconry is the art and practice of hunting for wild quarry with a trained hawk or falcon.
Falconry was known as the sport of kings and dates back almost four thousand years and it is the oldest field sport known to mankind.
What It Takes To Be a Falconer
Time, Dedication & Patience
Falconry takes a lot of dedication, patience and time spent with your bird almost everyday. You may need to spend a minimum of 20 minutes a day or sometimes hours working with your bird. Your bird will need to be looked after daily and feed quality food and given fresh water. Weighing your bird daily is a must to make sure your bird stays healthy and is ready for hunting.
Costs To Become a Falconer
Some of the costs you will have if you decide to become a falconer:
- Hawk food for daily feeding can run from $1.00 a day to $3.00 a day, less if you raise your own food.
- Your mews (or hawk house) will be your most expensive item, cost can run from $250.00 to $1500.00! If you can do some of your own building and use used lumber you can keep this cost way down.
- You will need to get your basic falconry equipment items to pass your state inspection. These cost range from $100.00 to $500.00 depending on if you can make some of your own equipment yourself.
- Permit fees, such as trapping permit, state of Oregon license fee is $127 & Federal falconry license fee is $100.00.
The Legal Aspects of Falconry
Falconry is highly regulated and there are state and federal falconry regulations. A state and federal falconry permit is also required to practice falconry. You will also be required to pass a falconry test and there are also age requirements for becoming a falconer. Learning about falconry will take many hours of studying and you will need to find a falconer is your area that is willing to be your sponsor for the next two years of your apprentice training.
Types of Falconry Permits
There are three classes of falconry permits and we have listed these below so you can see what is required of each type of falconry permit. We will only list the basic information about each type of permit here, and if you want to look further you can refer to the regulations (635-055-0030) (pdf).
- Apprentice falconer: To become a new falconer this is the level you will start at.You must be at least 14 years old to become a falconer. You will be required to obtain the commitment of a general or master falconer to serve as your sponsor during this time. You must also pass a state falconry exam which consists of a 100 question test. The apprentice falconry will be allowed to train only a passage Redtailed Hawk or an American Kestrel. A novice falconer can have only one bird for training at any one time.
- General Falconer: After you have two years of training as an apprentice falconer you can become a general falconer. You must be at least 18 years old before moving to this level. You will be allowed to have two raptors at any one time and you will also be allowed as a general to use other types of raptors besides the Redtailed Hawk and the American Kestrel. A list of these raptors is located in the regulations .
- Master Falconer: To become a master falconer usually take a minimum of five years of experience as a General Falconer. The master falconer permit level is the highest you can obtain. You can have a maximum of three birds for falconry training at any one time. You will also be allowed to pick from a wider range of birds. A list of these raptors is located in the regulations.
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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