Falconry Courses

[Uncle_Thor]

Any of you Guy or Gals please like to recommend a Falconry/Bird management course to get me started. I was thinking of going on one of the 3-5 day ones that there seem to be rather a lot of around. ':?'

Hopefully to give me a good well rounded overview that I can then start things in the right direction and I'll know exactly what I'll need to do before I'm ready to get myself a bird perhaps in 12-18months. ':D'

I live in the Derby/Notts area but have friends/relatives in both Perthshire and Aberdeenshire so obviously anywere close to any of these would be ideal.

It's all very well looking at some websites etc, but price and quality do not go hand in hand and hopefully some of you will have had experiences both good and bad which will aid me in my decision.

Cheers
Steve

[SecretSquirrel]

hi, i cant offer you much advice about courses in your regions, but in my experiences, it's the types of courses make the difference.

The one day and up to one week courses just really offer you the basics and IMHO are overpriced comercial ventures in most cases and help fund the centres that provide them, which is all very well for someone with an interest. sure you get to handle a bird or two and even learn the names of the furniture, but a longer course acknowledged by the hawk board or a level 3 in raptor husbandry will cover the legislation/nutrition and more advanced husbandry you will find more beneficial when you actually posess a raptor. the best training of course is to find an experienced mentor and just mither him to bits about all you want to know in return for helping him clean his equipment and weighing his bird(s). Ive done all of the above and the latter two are the most useful Ive found, oh yeah, and plus the 25 books on the shelf and this place. . it all helps. hope its of use to you and good luck. :D

[ColdZero]

i agree, courses merely provide the very basics in order to fly a Harris, which isn't a lot. If you are more fortunate than i was/am, try and find a falconer nearby to tag along with and read a few good books and you will learn infinite amounts more than a course can offer.

[Uncle_Thor]

Thanks for the comments.
My plan had been to do a course, then find a local Falconer or two to spend some time with over perhaps the next year or more and during this time read as much as i could find.

Steve

[Darren]

varmint runs an apprentcie scheme....but he is in Scotland

[Falconry Equipment International]

varmint runs an apprentcie scheme....but he is in Scotland So do I ~in Northants, prob 1-1.5 hrs away :yawinkle:
pm me if you would like more details

[Uncle_Thor]

Cheers Darren, that's been pointed out to me and I've been directed to his website.

Varmint's place is only about 25min from Perth my old home town. So I've got plenty of options for digs up there.

I'll need to speak to him and see if that's an option.

Steve

[Darren]

varmint runs an apprentcie scheme....but he is in Scotland So do I ~in Northants, prob 1-1.5 hrs away :yawinkle:
pm me if you would like more details

:roll: SOZ Didnt know you done the apprentice scheme too Jay

Jay got me Swivel last week cheers mate

Daz