Explore every episode of the podcast The Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast

Kyle Perrin returns to the show to update us on how his season has progressed with his black spar.  After briefly reminding listeners of Kyle's falconry situation, he and I discuss the africanus breed - a dog that has originated in Southern Africa.  We then talk about Kyle's experience working at a falcon hospital in the middle east.  I then query Kyle about Callie's previously unexpected desire to chase fur, and whether that behavior has persisted.  We then turn our attention to Kyle's objective to catch a guinea fowl on the rise aided by his two dogs.  Kyle then explains his rationale for adjusting his planned approach to catching guinea in the way he prefers to hunt, including the influence of a local HPAI outbreak. We conclude the episode talking about Kyle's final outing of the season.  Thanks for listening to Fat Bird, Ugly Dog - I hope you enjoy this episode with Kyle.

In this episode I welcome Anton Muller back to the show. After briefly reminding listeners of Anton's background and learning a little about his lanneret's name, we discuss how a captive bred lanner could be developed to bring about the traits that Anton so appreciates in the passage birds he flies. We then turn our attention to what has transpired in Anton's falconry since we last spoke. We briefly talk about the propensity for passage lanners to come with a set of preferences related to prey type.  I then ask Anton what is next in his falconry. Before concluding the episode, Anton tell us about his last day afield with "Little Oke". Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast, I hope you enjoy this episode.

In this episode I am joined by Francois Breedt. After briefly reminding listeners of Francois' background, he describes how the "Falconry Gods" intervened and brought was he anticipated would be a very good season with his four-times inter-mewed female Peale's Scottish peregrine cross to an end. Francois explains what he anticipates he will do in response to the setback, and he talks about his dog work plus his most memorable day in the field. 

Cam Coley returns to the show for his first update. After briefly reminding listeners of Cam's falconry situation, he and I talk about the progress that he has made with his new English setter pup.  Cam then tells us which one of the two options he was considering when we last spoke - going strait to flying wild quarry or opting to transition to Phase II of the Perfect Pigeon approach. We then discuss the use of bagged quarry in South African falconry. Cam had indicated that it was his intent to release his peregrine at the end of August and I ask Cam if he intends to follow through with that plan, and why he believes that doing so is in the best interests of the hawk. If, in fact, Cam does release his falcon, then it was his intent to replace it with either a passage lanneret or a musket black spar - he tells us which of the two options he has settled on. We then focus on some highlights of his season thus far. We conclude the episode with a description of Cam's most recent flight.  Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast - I hope you enjoy the episode.

Andre Cilliers returns to the show with another update of his season.  After giving the listeners a brief reminder of Andre's situation. We then talk about what changes the rainy season have brought about and how more water on the landscape has affected his falconry.  Andre then clarifies what South Africans mean when they talk about a "vlei system".  We then turn our attention to Andre's update beginning with his passage lanner that he had acquired when we last spoke.  We then talk about the foils of hawking Cape francolin, and a focus that Andre specifically outlined as a goal for this season - a "waiting on" flight over grey francolin with his dog solidly on point. Andre describes the downside of a falcon confident that it can catch and kill whatever is flushed beneath it regardless of whether the quarry flushed was intentional.  With July half over, I ask Andre if he intends to extend his hawking season or put his birds up as he typically does when the days get hotter and his work days get busier.  We conclude the episode with Andre offering two some personal insight into the value that falconry can bring to a game hawker with good perspective.

Kyle Perrin flies an imprint black sparrowhawk. He joins me this week to talk about his bird, his dogs, and his desire to pursue helmeted guinea fowl, catching them on the rise after a long, open slip. Kyle explains why he chose to fly a black spar, including how he manages his hawk to ensure she remains feather perfect.  He also gives us some insight into the main differences between the African goshawk and the black spar.  Guinea fowl can be flown all year round and Kyle talks about how he manages the timing of molt to cater to available mid-winter daylight hours. We then turn our attention to his preferred quarry - the guinea fowl - and a description of his hawking grounds, and the origin story of this particular black spar. Kyle explains the approach that his is going to take in an effort to achieve the hawking style he prefers, and he tells us about his approach to developing a well-adjusted short-wing.  We conclude the episode talking about Kyle's most recent outing, and his hawk's sudden change in heart when it comes to chasing "fur".  I hope you enjoy this episode.  Thanks for listening.                      

Ed Pitcher joins me to announce that he and Ricardo Velarde have given me permission to read and publish "The Flying of Falcons" as part of the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. We begin the episode discussing Ed's use of mantras to guide the way he develops and flies his birds.  We then focus of two mantras that Ed used in the book, and now regrets to some degree - the first is “being touched by the Angel of Death”, a metaphor he used in the chapter about a female prairie falcon called “Amos".  The second is "a sharp hawk is a smart hawk", which Ed used in his chapter on "weight Management".  We conclude the episode talking about two people with whom Ed trained and flew falcons - Terry Heath and Steve Sanders - and we talk about the way the three friends influenced one another.  Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy this prelude to the reading of "The Flying of Falcons". 

Anton Muller, known for his expertise in hawking with lanner falcons, joins me to talk falconry in the Free State Province. After introducing himself, Anton talks about his farming practices, and how an experience with a spotted eagle owl influenced his decision to fly lanners. We then talk about his hawking grounds, his preferred quarry. Lanners naturally make use of thermals to gain pitch, and Anton talks about the way that they do so. Anton describes how the loss a particularly good peregrine falcon led to his focus on lanners.  We talk slipping a lanner on sand grouse and use of dogs when hunting sand grouse.  Anton provides some insight into the commonly held belief that lanners can be lazy.  We conclude the episode with a broad ranging discussion on gamehawking with lanners.  I hope you enjoy this episode with Anton - thanks for listening.

 In this bonus episode of South African Game Hawker, I am again joined by Andre Cilliers, Thean Prinsloo, and Scott Mc Farlane Chase.  I talk to each of them about their flights of the day, and their plans once the meet is done.  Andre's birds connect, his dog earns a good rest day, and he ducks out a day early as work interrupts his falconry. Thean continues his strategy of putting game up under his falcon opting to provide as many opportunities as he can. Scott has a clear sense of his path ahead, and we speculate as to the origin of his lanner.

In this bonus episode of South African Game Hawker, I am joined by Andre Cilliers, Thean Prinsloo, and Scott Mc Farlane Chase.  I talk to each of them about their flights of the day, and their plans for Day 2 of the meet.  We also get some insight into some South African cuisine and translation of a few Afrikaans words.  I hope you enjoy this episode and the glimpse it provides into a South African falconry meet.

 In this, the third episode of South African Game Hawker, I am joined by Cam Coley. We begin the episode talking about Cam's new pup, and we find out just how much Cam spoils his dog.  We then learn a little about Kwazulu- Natal, the province that Cam lives in. Cam follows this by describing the landscapes he hunts in, and the main species of quarry that he pursues with his hawks. Cam has both a winter falconry season and a summer falconry season, and he talks about his falconry calendar.  We then turn our attention to his hawking, and Cam outlines what he is currently doing with his wild-caught female peregrine as well as what he plans to do with her before the season is over.  We conclude the conversation learning about Cam's preferred approach to hunting with wild-taken hawks. I hope you enjoy this episode, and thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. 

Andre Cilliers joins me again this week to talk about his personal game hawking circumstances.  We begin the episode talking about the landscapes in which Andre hawks and the quarry available to him. We then talk about Andre's annual falconry calendar.  I ask Andre about the preferred long-winging aesthetic in South Africa relative to that of North America. We then turn our attention to the circumstances surrounding the death of one of Andre's birds, and he tells us how the South African falconry community handles such situations. We finish off the episode talking game hawking. I hope you enjoy the second episode of South African Game Hawker.

This episode marks the start of a new series, South African (SA) Game Hawker. Thanks to Andre Cilliers for suggesting that we follow the northern hemisphere version of game hawker with a  South African edition.  Andre and I are joined Cam Coley and Francois Breedt in this introductory episode.  Before asking the guys to introduce themselves, we begin with a geography lesson to give listeners a sense of country.  We then turn our attention to the SA regulatory framework, and then talk about the raptors and the quarry available to falconers in SA. We finish off the episode with some game hawking stories from each of the guests.

In this final episode of Game Hawker Edition, Matt Mullenix joins me to finish out the second season of the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. Matt and I begin the episode talking about Matt's mindset as he continued to hawk his American Kestrel, "Coco", after having lost his merlin to a Cooper's Hawk.  Matt then tells us about the benchmark he uses to evaluate the degree to which he is doing his hawk justice (Intended Quarry Per Hunt), and we discuss how far below and above that benchmark one has to be before they are no longer gamehawking). Matt then weighs in with his opinion on the relative importance of "place, time, and weight", including the ideas he calls "take two" and "take four". We then discuss "Coco's" season and Matt's plans for next season. We finish the episode with Matt's book recommendation.

Heath Garner returns to Game Hawker Edition to round out his 3-episode series. After a brief reminder describing Heath's hawking circumstances, he and I talk about the mystery book that Heath received just after he returned from the NAFA meet.  Heath then gives us an update on his approach of removing his dog from the field to encourage better pitch from his falcon, "Finn". He also describes progress with regard to his bird's beak injury from a collision with hog wire fencing. I incorrectly assume that "Finn" had stopped carrying and had made it home after each day's outing.  Heath gives us a run down of the 4th Annual Snipe Hawking Invitational, and describes his plans for next season. We finish off with a description of Heath's most memorable day of he 2024/25 hawking season. I hope you enjoy this episode of Game Hawker Edition.

Corey Roelke is back to finish off his 3-part series. He begins  the episode by  telling us about "Hela" and her new litter of pups. Then we talk about how the season finished for each of his three peregrine falcons, his plans for each of them, and his plans for next season.  Corey talks about why he chose to fly three birds and the relative risks of flying ducks despite the presence of avian influenza.  We finish off, discussing the relative importance of consistent hunting weight versus consistent hunting time, and we get Corey's book recommendation for the off-season. 

Jeff Broadbent returns to wrap-up his Game Hawker series. I provide a synopsis of Jeff's accounts of his season told in Parts 1 and 2, and then we discuss progress of his recent addition to his team, "Captain Jack", his English setter. Jeff then describes the events of a particularly disastrous day for him and his hawking partner, Arnaud Van Wetter. We then turn our attention to Jeff's plans for next season, including some change he intends to make.  Jeff then offers his opinions on the relative tradeoffs between managing for hunting weight, hunting time, and feeding time. Before concluding with Jeff's suggestions for off-season reading, he recounts his most memorable day afield this season.  Thanks for listening to Fat Bird, Ugly Dog - I hope you enjoy this episode.

In this episode Dale Guthormsen joins me to finish out his three episode contribution to Game Hawker Edition. After I briefly remind listeners of Dale's hawking season, he and I discuss this season relative to others he has experienced and what he intends to do differently next season.  We then turn our attention to a common theme that I've been talking about with guests on Game Hawker Edition; the relative importance of keeping a hawk within a narrow range in body mass and the idea of maintaining a consistent hunting time. I then get Dale's opinion on managing hunting weight using ounces rather than grams. We then talk about what Dale means when he discusses the concept of "first day high" and "second day high". I ask Dale to comment on the quality of falconry today in comparison to what is was three or four decades ago, and I find out what are the "aesthetics" that Dale is looking for in his falcons. We finish off the episode with Dale's most memorable day this season.

Steve Chindgren joins me for the last episode of his 3-part series of Game Hawker Edition. We begin the episode with a brief discussion of what each passing season means to Steve who is now in his 70s and still hawking hard. We then talk about the attributes of a good falconer as passed down to Steve from his mentor.  Steve tells us why he switched from flying in the mornings to flying in the evenings, and we talk about the tradeoffs between managing for hunting weight versus hunting time.  We then talk about Gerald Richards and the Utah Sky Trials. Steve then outlines his plans for next season, and gives us his opinion on the quality of North American falconry today in comparison to what it was half a century ago.  Steve then describes his most memorable day of hawking for the 2024/25 season. I hope you enjoy this episode.  Thanks for listening.  

Well, the UK falconry season wrapped up for Simon Tyers on January 31, and he returns to the program to give us run down of the changes he made at the outset of the season, whether he believes they were of value, and what changes he might make for the 2025/26 season. I then ask Simon about his views on the importance of maintaining consistency among three aspects of gamehawking - the location where one hunts, the weight of the hawk, and the time of day. We then turn our attention to the process that Simon likes to follow when returning his hawks to the free-loft mews. Before concluding the episode with a book recommendation for the off season, I ask Simon about his most memorable day of the 2024/25 season. Thanks for listening to Game Hawker Edition.

Well, Matt Mullenix is back, this time as one of the cohort of falconers participating in Game Hawker Edition. Matt trapped a passage jack merlin this season, and we begin the episode discussing the backstory associated with Matt's acquisition of "Artie the Artful Dodger". We then turned our attention to Matt's experience with "Artie's" training, beginning with feeding on the fist and hooding, and culminating with "Artie's" first free flight and then his first kill while Matt was on the road visiting friends in Texas and hawking in Liberal, Kansas at the NAFA meet. On returning home, Matt leads us through his time over the Christmas and New Year's break. We conclude the episode with "Artie" dominating his quarry and forcing Matt to work hard for the chaos created by each flush, which undoubtedly led to attracting the attention of at least one of the members of the local free-living raptors also engaged in securing a meal.

Heath Garner joins me to give us his first update of his hawking season. Heath begins the episode by telling us about the way his dogs have adjusted after their brouhaha in November, and he tells us about a gift that was mailed to him, presumably  to help him manage his dogs. Heath and I then have the obligatory discussion about weight management before turning our attention to the hawking period leading into the NAFA meet.  I then ask Heath about managing his time at the NAFA meet given his responsibilities as NAFA VP and the need to maintain his hawking routine. Once back home from the NAFA meet, Finn (Heath's passage peregrine) had two separate adventures, which Heath details for us. We conclude the episode discussing the upcoming Arkansas Snipe Invitational.  Thanks for tuning in, I hope you enjoy this episode.

Corey Roelke returns to the program to tell us about the progress that he has made with his three peregrine falcons. We begin the episode discussing Corey's dog, duck numbers, and local weather conditions. We briefly talk about "flushability" of diving ducks, before moving onto an accounting of the way the season has gone for each of his birds, starting with his tiercel "Sky Daddy" - yes, that's his name. We then turn our attention to "Beebe" (or maybe it's "Bee Bee", or even just "BB"), Corey's wild-caught, intermewed female peregrine, now in her 10th season, and causing a bit of grief for Corey. We then talk about "Veenar" or is it "Weiner", or maybe "Weener", Corey's 2024 passage female peregrine trapped in Arkansas. We refer briefly to the danger associated with golden eagles, which turns to discussion of Bubo, red tailed hawks, and cotton rats.  We conclude the episode talking about the NAFA meet and next steps for Corey's season.  Thanks for tuning into Game Hawker Edition, I hope you enjoy Corey's update.

Jeff Broadbent returns to the program to update us on his progress with "Jafar", his gyr-peregrine tiercel. We begin by reminding listeners of Jeff's team and how he is situated falconry-wise. Jeff's work requires that he endure a rather long commute - he tells us a little about why that's the case, and explains how he goes about ensuring that he experiences almost no down time at all. We then turn our attention to what has transpired hawking-wise since late October, and of course, I ask him about his most recent outing.  Jeff follows-up with his favorite flight thus far, plus others, including an uncharacteristic evasive strategy employed by a tricky sharp-tailed grouse. We conclude the episode with Jeff telling us about his addition to his hawking team. Thanks for listening,  I hope you enjoy his episode of Game Hawker Edition. 

Dale Guthormsen returns to give us his first update on his season. After telling us where his team currently stands, Dale details his approach to getting falcons to take and maintain an upwind position while waiting-on. He also gives us insight into the way that grouse use the wind to their advantage, and we talk about how to manage a slip in order to confer advantage to the falcon.  We finish of the episode talking about the way that Dale intends to manage "Whiskey Jack" for the remainder of the winter hawking season. Thanks for listening, here's hoping that you enjoy this episode.

Jeremy Roselle joins me for Part 1 of his Game Hawker Edition series. We begin the episode describing Jeremy's wide ranging background including where he is located, the birds he flies, and the dogs he runs.  We then turn our attention to his current efforts and Jeremy tells us about the landscapes in which he hunts, the quarry that is available to him, and the importance of having a good dog that can work in either forested or open landscapes.  Jeremy tells us about some of the challenges associated with winter hawking at latitude 53 degrees north, his preferred game hawks and the styles he want to see from his birds. Jeremy then recounts his most recent flight with his long wing, and a memorable flight on ruffed grouse with his American goshawk.

Steve Chindgren returns for Part 2 of his Game Hawker Edition series, and he brings along a surprise guest.  Steve gets us started by talking about the character traits of each of his birds.  We then talk about how the grouse have adjusted to the onset of winter. We then turn our attention to the effect of colder weather on pitch, and Steve shares a tip or two on how to get a bird to take a better pitch. I ask Steve when he thinks it's too cold to hawk, and we talk about cold weather weight management. Our surprise guest offers some additional insight too.  I wondered whether Steve had seen the usual influx of golden eagles since we last spoke, and he highlights some of the unanticipated problems that can occur. On this topic, our surprise guest offers an opinion on mobs, murderous mobs. Steve tells us about the various guests he has hosted at the House of Grouse this season, and then we conclude episode with our surprise guest recounting the events of a recent flight. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy Steve's update.

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 blond brown bird to adult plumage. He then talks about this passage peregrine in contrast to others he has trapped and flown. We talk about his hawking grounds and how environmental conditions have shaped quarry numbers. Heath describes his preferred approach to reclaiming a falcon from the free-loft mews post-molt. We conclude the episode recounting a couple of early season flights, and Heath praises the organizers and volunteers of the upcoming NAFA field meet in Liberal, Kansas in the first week of December.

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 his last outing with each of his hawks unfolded.  Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy hearing about the start of Dale's hawking season.

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 the issue for Simon. Similarly, we get an update of whether Sonic continues to be distracted by wild peregrines. I ask Simon for his opinion on the utility of flushing game for a falcon that is out of position in the hope that as a consequence it learns that in order to catch game, it has to be “in position”.  Before concluding the episode with a a description of Storm's most recent flight, Simon describes some of challenges he has faced weather-wise.  Thanks for listening to Game Hawker Edition.  Once again, I hope you enjoy this episode.

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 falconry. Jeff then describes his approach to developing a high flying long-wing including his application of the drone and homers, including their potential downside. Before recounting his most recent outing Jeff outlines his views on whether the "serve" in and of itself is a reward. 

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-trapped falcon is adjusting to life as a falconry bird.

Before turning our attention to the events of the day, Corey describes the landscapes in which he hunts and the quarry that over-winters in Texas.

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 developing confidence even if it may mean sacrificing pitch, at least in the early season.   We conclude the episode detailing the events of his day afield, and the one previous to that.

Thanks for listening to the show.  I hope you enjoy Game Hawker Edition.

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 “The Specialist Falcon”, back to show to tell us how his season has unfolded thus far. Simon starts us off by detailing the molt and the way in which he reclaims his birds. We continue the discussion talking about this years game bird release program. Simon then talks about his approach to maintaining pitch. We conclude the episode detailing the events of his day afield.

Thanks for listening to the show.  I hope you enjoy Game Hawker Edition.

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 the library is, and what it means to the falconry community worldwide. He also underpins the importance of current renovations in terms of ensuring that the collection is kept safe from catastrophic loss.

We continue our conversation outlining the nature of the virtual exhibits. John explains how clubs and falconers can become members of the Archives, and the ways in which the organization strives to be relevant to the falconry community, including a unique opportunity for apprentice falconers to take advantage of the benefits of joining the Archives.

John explains the various outreach programs that are available including the Masterclass Video Series, the Heritage Book Series, the Spring Rendezvous, and the book auction.

We conclude our discussion relating heritage work to conservation action, and the very real possibility that the future of North American falconry may be limited to micro-hawking.

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode. 

 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 the  Archives of Falconry for alerting us to this change.

We then remind listeners of the four wildlife value orientations (those being Traditionalist, Mutualist, Pluralist, and Distance), and we outline how each of the people who responded to the survey were then identified as belonging to one group or another. Heath identifies where he thinks NAFA fits within the rubric, and Matt tells us how his values have shifted over his career.

Brian gives us a broad sense of whether values of agency personnel reflect this  underlying distribution found among Americans, and weighs in on whether the makeup of agency personnel should reflect this distribution.

We then turn our attention to the "Distanced" group, and discuss ways in which the falconers can contribute to reducing the proportion of people who exhibit very low levels of interest in wildlife. 

Our discussion then turns to asking whether agencies should simply ignore ideas associated with Mutualism in favor of focusing on ideas that would better suit Traditionalists and Pluralists.

We conclude the episode examining the growing impact of conflict and mistrust that are associated with societal values that have shifted towards ideas and goals more typically associated with Mutualists.

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 insight into the way in which this principle influences his own falconry, and Heath adds to the conversation by telling us about the ways in which NAFA relies on the principle.

We then turn our attention to discussion of the Public Trust Doctrine which reflects the idea that wildlife is owned by the public, and held in trust on their behalf by government for the benefit of current and future generations. Discussion ranges broadly.

Historically, the need for management and conservation of wildlife was associated with the effect of market hunting on wildlife species. Inherent to the NAM is the principle that markets for dead wildlife were eliminated and the sale of wildlife was prohibited. Brian tells us how this principle is implemented within federal government regulation. We then talk about "ownership" of wild-caught raptors and commercialization of captive-bred raptors.

We close out the episode discussing the principles that wildlife is an international resource and that killing can be sanctioned only for legitimate purpose. Matt imagines another version of himself existing separately in the multiverse and posits a way that killing of species currently protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act might be legitimized. 

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode.

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 falcons, Heath gives us a sense of NAFA's activities in this regard, and Matt offers his insights too. 

We talk also of the affect of the recent Supreme Court ruling to strike down Chevron Deference, a decision that will affect the way that agencies such as the USFWS will be able to conduct business.  

We then turn our attention to discussing the manner in which falconry is affected by the first of the seven principles of the NAM, the idea that science is the proper tool to discharge wildlife policy.

Matt, Heath, and Brian then engage in a wide ranging discussion (gatekeeping as it relates to permitting, falconry schools, the value of the internet) on aspects of falconry as it relates to the NAM principle that every citizen has the opportunity, under the law, to hunt and fish in the United States and Canada (i.e., Democracy of hunting).  

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode with three prominent U.S. falconers.

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 ways in which ethical philosophy can be applied to the question of hunting. Thomas then explains whether killing an animal can be ethically justified, and we discuss the concept of "moral residue".

We then turn our attention to "Fair Chase", first by defining it, and then by examining its origins. I then ask Thomas about "optimizing advantage" - the idea that hunting can be neither too easy, nor too difficult. We then discuss the importance of the hunting experience, and the way in which moral residue is an important part of the hunting experience.

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode.

 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 these ecosystems. He follows this with a description of the overall diversity of wildlife fauna that are associated with grasslands.

We then talk about the legal status of prairie grouse species in the United States, and Ted explains why avoiding endangered species designation is critical from from a funding perspective. 

Ted explains why restoration of prairie ecosystems is so tricky, then follows-up with the work that the NAGP is doing to conserve grasslands, and explains the way in which listeners can contribute the work that the NAGP is doing.

We conclude the episode with Ted recounting two stories, the first involving an an occasion when he felt most pessimistic for the future of prairie grouse, and the second when he felt most optimistic. 

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 associated with the widespread declines in quarry that have affected populations of game species in the United States and elsewhere.

After introducing himself Ralph begins describing some of the historical aspects that affected access to raptors, and he points to times when the regulatory framework for legalized falconry was absent, as well as a period of time that the framework was considered to be overbearing. He argues that things have never been better from the standpoint of both access the regulatory framework 

Ralph then describes the way in which he sees contemporary falconry, and to use his words, says it has been “redefined, drastically altered, or has disappeared.  He then provides some international examples for why he believes this to be the case. 

I then ask Ralph about his experiences, and those of his North American colleagues, including how the decline in quarry has manifested itself when it comes to practicing the sport.

Ralph then provides what he believes are concrete actions that falconers should take to reduce the current rate of declines in game species. We conclude the episode looking back to an occasion when Ralph was most worried for the future of falconry, and counter that with an occasion that he believed that North American falconers had never been more unified.

 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 objects of three meetings that took place, the first at his home in El Paso, Texas, the Portland Meeting in March, and the Salt Lake City Meeting in September.  

Historically, 1972 was a year arguably as pivotal as 1970, and could perhaps be considered the turning point for the framework that was to become the basis for falconry regulations in the United States.  Kent tells us about the effect of the North American Migratory Bird Treaty Act on falconry, and highlights the instrumental work of Jim Ruos. 

There were three major developments in 1973; a notice pertaining to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), followed by the Fish and Wildlife Service posting of the proposed falconry regulations for public comment, and the passing of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Kent highlights some of the  implications to falconry of each of these developments.

1974 was a busy year for NAFA, in particular, navigating the anti-falconry positions that had arisen as a result of comments generated during the period that the proposed regulations were open for public feedback.  At issue were 13 main concerns – but of special significance was prohibition of use on an endangered species (i.e., the peregrine falcon) in falconry.  Kent recounts the way in which falconers responded. 

Kent describes 1975 as a year of waiting and outlines some of the events that precipitated delays in completion of the final regulations.

Kent describes the “Momentous Year” (1976).

With the “Twelve Turbulent Years” now almost six decades behind us, we conclude the episode with Kent's message to the cohort of falconers currently practicing falconry in United States and Canada.

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 background that gave rise to North American Falconry, and highlights the landmark event responsible for describing the magnitude of the decline of the peregrine falcon at the 1965 conference in Madison, Wisconsin, organized by Joseph Hickey. 

Kent tells us that by 1966 the preservation lobby was looking to lay the blame for declining peregrine populations somewhere; falconers and falconry were easily identifiable as the de facto cause. Kent Tell us about NAFA’s  response and in particular, Fran Hamerstom’s warning that American falconry was tied closely to the fate of the peregrine falcon.

1967 saw the National Audubon Society become involved, also raising concern that falconry posed a threat to the well-being of raptors. Kent details how NAFA responded to the concerns expressed by the Audubon Society, an in particular, the communications that occurred in the fall of 1968 between Roland Clement of the Audubon Society and NAFA representatives.

1969 looked grim for peregrine falcon populations, and again falconers were front and center of the efforts to assess and reverse the apparent declines. Kent steps us through the events that occurred at the Audubon-sponsored "Meeting Concerning the Conservation of North America Falcons" in March of 1969, and then explains decisions that were made at the November symposium that focused of the status of peregrine falcon populations and availability of birds to falconers.

1970 was a pivotal year in the efforts to avoid over-reach due to the Endangered Species Act, and vilification of falconry and falconers due to a self-inflicted  misstep that literally left the existence of falconry in jeopardy. Kent leads us through the circumstances that unfolded and explains what NAFA did to mitigate the fallout for falconry.

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 transmission, and provides details with regard to survival of the virus under varying environmental conditions.

We continue our discussion regarding the clinical signs of infection, including the duration between infection, onset of clinical signs, and death. Arnaud then tells us what how  diagnosis is confirmed, and what to expect from veterinary- and public-health professionals if your birds are infected.

Given that the prevalence of the disease and that it typically runs its course is very quickly, we discuss the temptation for falconers to forgo necropsy and simply assume that the cause of death can be attributed to avian influenza, including the likelihood and implications of misdiagnosis.

Arnaud the outlines how falconers can assess prevalence in the areas where they typically hunt, how to manage the risk when hunting waterfowl, and steps that one can take controlling indirect exposure. He then outlines what can realistically be done treatment-wise, and outlines the challenges associated with implementing an immunization program. 

We conclude our conversation with Arnaud outlining what falconers should most likely expect for the 2024/25 hunting season.

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 app.

Tim then outlines use of the app to track data on multiple birds, and we discuss a feature that I like in particular - the ability of the app to forecast when a hawk will be at hunting weight. He explains why he believes this feature to be inherently important to successfully hunting a particular hawk, and we discuss the accuracy of the forecasting algorithm.

We conclude the episode discussing the data export function, the ways in which users have applied their data to managing their birds, and before telling us how to contact him, Tim outlines what he sees a potential future development for the app.

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 Alluvial Valley is particularly good for overwintering snipe, plus he outlines a little natural history on the genus, provides a comparison with the American woodcock, and he give us some insight into shorebird conservation.

Turning to game-hawking of snipe, Heath describes how Arkansas long-wingers discovered that the local snipe population was huntable., including the way that they use their dogs. Heath describes where snipe are typically found, and compares snipe-hawking to dove-hawking. He then give us a sense of what he feels are among the best falcons for flying snipe, and details the way that a slip is typically orchestrated. We conclude this section of our conversation discussing opportunities for ringing flights.

We finish-up learning a little about the Arkansas Annual Snipe Hawking Invitational.

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 and the broader responsibility for conversation.  Before turning our attention the "America's Wildlife Values Report" (what it is, what is it's purpose, and why hunters should care about the findings), Tony shares his views on what he sees are the main eras of the way that American society has impacted wildlife.  Tony tells us about the way American society can be broadly categorized by the way in which individuals relate to wildlife, and he outlines how people are distributed among the each of the categories. Tony then tells us how values have shifted over time, and he explains the underlying reasons for the shift in wildlife values. We talk about the main funding streams, and how people believe wildlife conservation programming should be funded. We spend some time discussing potential underlying causes for an apparent decline in hunting interest. We conclude the episode discussing those things that Tony believes are important factors driving support for hunting in the non-hunting population, and what he believes are the main threats to hunting today.

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 mega-faunal community looked like prior to the arrival of humans on the continent.  We then step forward in time to the wildlife fauna of the North American frontier, and outline the main species that were hunted, exploited, and those that were driven to extinction or near extinction. John tells us about the early advocates of wildlife conservation, and describes their major legislative and institutional milestones.  We then turn to detailing the seven tenets of the North American Model. We close-out the episode discussing what John sees as the three biggest threats to hunting, and given that hunters make up about 5% of the population in the NA, and that it would almost certainly be outlawed if the question of its legitimacy were put to a simple referendum,I ask John what he would advise hunters to do to encourage support for hunting in the non-hunting community.

 

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 cache their prey. And then before turning to my rapid fire questions Jeremy tells us how Al Ross shaped his ideas about flying merlins and influenced his life in general.

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 trapping success, and some way to distinguish a passage bird from a haggard. We conclude the episode discussing Jeremy's preferred approach to the first attempt at un-hooding, feeding, and then, more importantly, that first attempt to re-hood a newly trapped passage merlin. Thanks for tuning into the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode.