I'd just like to introduce myself to the board as a new member of the IFO. My name is Mike and I've been aspiring to become a falconer for about twenty years now. While I was growing up, my mom always painted birds of prey, and when I had to read My Side of the Mountain in 4th grade as a reading assignment, the realization that people can do falconry sealed the deal. It took me a long time to start finding enough info to point me in the right direction, but I think I'm finally getting close enough to realistically take the test and start my apprenticeship sometime in the next 3-5 years.

I've been volunteering at World Bird Sanctuary for the last two years to get some more hands on experience with birds of prey; their care, keeping, first aid, basic training techniques, handling, etc. I love it, but I live an hour away and work/finances have conspired to make it difficult to spend as much time there as I'd like of late.

What I'd really like to do is find some falconers within an hour or so of me (about 20 minutes east of St. Louis in Edwardsville) that wouldn't mind my tagging along on some of their hawking trips this season. I've been a couple times, but I really want to take in more of the nitty gritty details, see successes and failures and how they are dealt with, etc. I want to take in more of what it is to actually be a falconer on a day to day basis to better inform my progress going forwards. I've been in touch with some guys from the Missouri Falconers Association that have extended an invitation, but I'd like to meet some Illinois falconers as well since I'll need a sponsor from IL unless I manage to move to MO.

I don't believe there are many, if any, in your area. Focus on the MO guys, a lot of them really know their stuff! You can secure an out of state sponsor if there are none in your area. Proximity really matters in the apprentice/sponsor relationship.

Gary

The Missouri guys were saying cross-state sponsorship wasn't possible, but I suppose that's a matter of Illinois regs vs Missouri regs. I'll have to re-read the current IL regs and look into that. I have a potential sponsor if I were to hop across the river, but if there's a provision he didn't know about in our regs that would let him sponsor me that would speed things up a little.

Thanks for the info, Gary

Pretty sure Brandon B. (Illinois) has an Iowa sponsor.
Gary

Hi Mike,
I am actually located very close to you in Wood River. I got my start/interest in falconry when I worked for WBS many years ago. I came across the same issue you are having with there not being any falconers in this area of IL.

I did have a MO based sponsor since I met allot of them by also attending the MFA meets to get some experience in the field.
Before I got my sponsor I called Brian Clarke (IDNR Falconry Coordinator) to make sure having an out of state sponsor was OK with him. I just explained to him how a MO falconer would be geographically much closer for me and could have more hands on assistance with my sponsorship.

I am also currently sponsoring a friend of mine that lives in MO (he called the MO coordinator to get permission) so I am not sure I would be able to sponsor you at this time, but if you would like to contact me maybe we can discuss more of what I went thru with a cross state sponsorship and any other questions you might have.

Both cross state sponsorships started before the new regs. I am not sure if there is anything in the regs that would prevent that now, I will have to look at the regs again.

It would be nice to have some more falconers in this area.
Let me know how I can help you.

Angela

wow.... i wish it were this easy when I first started. technology is pretty cool!!