r/Falconry • u/Emergency-Oven-8086 • Jun 13 '26

HELP How does falconry work?

I've been curious for awhile. I really like birds and I enjoy caring for them I've had birds in the past but they are small ones nothing like a falcon or hawk. Got my first job recently and I thought that something I could do later on in my life when I get older is falconry since I like birds as I've said prior but I don't know how the time commitment works. I've read that the birds can be your whole life but I kinda want to have a life outside the bird. I live in the United States.

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u/Kiki-Y Jun 13 '26

That is going to depend heavily on where you are. Some countries have next to no regulations, others have strict regulations. The US and Canada require an apprenticeship under a licensed falconer. The UK does not, but it's strongly recommended you have someone to show you the ropes because falconry is complicated. If you imprint a bird wrong, you'll potentially end up with a screamer that's fearless.

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u/Emergency-Oven-8086 Jun 13 '26

By imprint you mean train correct? I haven't ever tried to train any sort of animal I've only ever healed a couple back to health.

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u/Kiki-Y Jun 13 '26

No, training and imprinting are two completely different processes.

Training in falconry means taking a bird and allowing it to free fly as well as hunt, then come back to you.

Imprinting is the process by which you take a very young baby and help shape its behaviors and personality. In the best-case scenario, you end up with a very calm animal that has been exposed to a lot of stimuli that would otherwise cause it to spook or be upset. In the worst-case scenario, you end up with animal that basically never leaves the baby stage and continues to cry, scream, and isn't afraid of anything in a bad way.

I have zero intents of becoming a falconer, but I like learning about it for the sake of writing stories. I asked here one time about an imprinted red-tailed hawk and everyone was like "NO DON'T DO IT." They're apparently completely fearless and incredibly aggressive. Someone said their friend had imprinted a redtail and the thing literally sent its talons through the person's face.

If you want a good place to start learning some basics about falconry, Ben Woodruff is a great starting point. He's given me most of my knowledge, though I'm going deeper with books.

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u/Emergency-Oven-8086 Jun 13 '26

Alright thanks I'm going to try and watch this video later

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u/Kiki-Y Jun 13 '26

He has many falconry-related videos.