A hallux talon sheath injury ended Ally’s season this weekend. I can take these things a little easier when they happen in the field. That’s falconry. It’s even easier to come to terms with when the bird has had a great season, and there is some promise of recovery. Years ago, I would not have handled it so well, but if you’re in falconry long enough, you’ll find out, things can be so much worse than losing a talon sheath. The slips are still good here, and that sucks, but I’m hopeful Ally will recover if not well enough to remain a falconry bird next season, at least well enough to be released. I’ve been in falconry long enough to experience the alternative more than once, and that puts this year's season-ender into perspective. I’m so thankful for Ally’s season. It was a season built on the seasons and birds before it. It was a season built with the help of other great falconers. It was a season in which goals my hawking partner and I had set for ourselves were finally met. Goals that we'd worked towards for years. I also had the opportunity to share a day hawking with one of my best friends who had never been. It was special for me to show her firsthand something I’m constantly talking about. We had several other friends tag along, too, and I loved experiencing hawking through their eyes. While being a falconer is heavily technical and goal-oriented for me, the laughs and memories made are what I ultimately remember in the years following. In a place where the season is short and prey base for an American Kestrel is plentiful enough to take game consistently, but not as abundant as many other places in the U.S., I consider Ally’s season a major success. Her numbers broke down for the diehard hawkers like myself: ALLY PASSAGE FEMALE AMKE (1st Season) Trap Weight: 122.4g, Empty Crop, 3.5 Keel Average Flight Weight: 87.8g Days Hawked: 41 (March 25 - May 26) IQPH (Intended Quarry Per Hunt): 2.3 Took Multiples: 27x Best Day: 8 Starlings Season Head Count: 103 Starlings

In a world where customization and real human communication is becoming rare, one-on-one communication with our customers has never been more important to me. Not only are we real people you can reach out to at Mountain State Falconry Supply, but we’re hawkers, too. If you come to us with a falconry need, we’re going to do our best to meet that need, even if it’s in an unconventional way. Helping other falconers step up their hawking game makes me happy. So, when a customer reached out requesting an extension for our micro hawking bag, I was up for the challenge. Last week, I ordered a roll of webbing strap and some new buckles, and this morning after hawking Ally and nabbing three starlings, I dusted off my old sewing machine my mother-in-law got for me as a Christmas gift almost 20 years ago. Can I sew? Nope. Sure can’t. Do we have a sewing contractor? Nope. Sure don’t. Do I want our customers to love their experience and products? Absolutely. And that customer is paying it forward because now you can get a waist extension for your micro hawking bag, too! Available today as an add-on to our micro hawking waist bag. Check it out at www.mountainstatefalconrysupply.com and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, too.

Leash setups and equipment vary widely among falconers, and there are many systems that work. Remember that ultimately, it's up to you to find the right setup for your particular bird. Today, I want to show you my red-tail tethering system for my mews. In this blog post: