by Don Hervig & Jeff Fincher, Raptor Abatement, LLC
I have always been intrigued by the thought of flying, having countless dreams of gliding above the treetops with my arms outstretched. Instead, I tried water ski jumping, which was very challenging and required expensive equipment. I even took hang gliding lessons. Yet, after witnessing two near accidents that were not the pilots’ fault, I decided to eliminate that sport.
In college at Florida State University, I completed a Master’s thesis examining the equations that suggested birds could not fly. Obviously, there were some serious errors in those equations!
As life went on, I got married, started a family, and pursued a career in engineering as it is less risky than human flight.
After beginning to study falconry in 1987, and when one of our children, Keith, expressed interest in pursuing it with me, we were all in. I am proud to say, we are still going strong 37 years later.
As an outline for this article, we will cover some historical information, legal aspects, the three classes of falconry, trapping/training and hunting, equipment for abatement, entrepreneurial opportunities and references.
Historical Information
Falconry is an ancient practice believed to have originated in the Middle East over 4,000 years ago. It involves training birds of prey to hunt alongside humans. Historical evidence suggests that falconry began in ancient Persia and Mongolia, where it was a vital means of securing food. The practice spread to Europe during the medieval period, becoming a sport for nobility and a symbol of status. Over time, falconry evolved from a critical survival skill into a respected art form and recreational activity, treasured worldwide for its unique blend of nature, tradition, and skill.
Legal Aspects
Falconry is a highly regulated sport with a variety of state and federal permit requirements. To practice falconry, one needs a sponsor with experience, be able to obtain a passing score on a test, and a facility inspection. Typically, a first-year falconer will trap their first raptor and as they gain more experience, captive-bred raptors become available for purchase.
There are three classes in falconry: Apprentice, General, and Master. With each class, various raptors are permitted to be acquired.
While practicing as an apprentice, a significant amount of time is spent with a sponsor to learn the ropes of falconry. After two years and if approved by their sponsor, an apprentice falconer can apply for their General Class, and after another five years, they may advance to Master Class falconer. Although raptors share some common traits, it is a constant learning process as each bird has its own personality and quirks. Since falcons can’t talk in a language most humans understand, it can sometimes be challenging to figure out what is going on in their little heads.
In 2007, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service approved a Federal Special Purpose Abatement Permit, allowing Master Class falconers to use captive-bred raptors for the abatement of nuisance wildlife. The typical nuisance birds are pigeons, starlings, and sparrows, primarily due to the mess they leave behind. Our Federal Special Purpose Abatement Permit allows us to work in all states except Hawaii—shucks! Several states have additional permits required for nuisance animal control.
Trapping/Training and Hunting
Trapping hawks is a tremendous amount of fun! The best way we have found for people to learn it is to watch the YouTube video of us trapping a red-tailed hawk. When we lived in Tennessee, we were fortunate to have a good friend, Eric Bjorn, who was excellent at making videos. You can access the video here https://youtu.be/f97vrSQS8UY?si=WrpH6jk7jng3tQOF.
After trapping the raptor, training usually starts with getting the bird to stand on the thick leather glove the falconer wears. The next step is coaxing the bird to eat, which can happen quickly (sometimes on the same day) or take several days, depending on the raptor’s personality. During the initial training period, the bird is attached to the falconer’s glove to prevent escape. Once the bird is comfortable eating with its new human companion, the falconer will have the bird jump to the glove from increasing distances while still restrained. Eventually – typically 3-4 weeks later – the bird can be flown without any direct connection to the falconer.
One of the devices we use to train and condition the falcons is a radio-controlled wing that we purchased from a company in Dubai. This wing has features that allow a falconer to get it airborne and then put it in circle mode, so the falconer can then get the falcon ready and airborne. For some reason I was never very good at flying the RC wing, so again, Eric Bjorn came to the rescue and acted as the pilot. The developer, Peter Bergh, offered for us to come to Dubai to pick up the wing, but when we saw where Dubai was located on a map, close to Iraq and Iran, we said, “Just ship it to us.” Again, Eric Bjorn created a spectacular video of the wing used to train our Aplomado Falcon. Enjoy the Berghwing training video https://youtu.be/Ghvrue1-tic.
Hunting with raptors and watching them chase game is an incredible experience. On a typical hunt we weigh the falcon to the nearest gram before we load them in their hunting boxes. With experience, we know what weights they will hunt at and respond to our commands.
Once we get to the hunting location, we test the GPS telemetry (electronics for tracking their location) and then either carry them on our fists or throw them up into the trees. The raptors have learned that, like dogs, us humans can stir up game for them to chase. As such, many falconers use dogs for that purpose. When a raptor successfully catches the game, we go to them and usually trade them off for a small reward. Often, we can pick up the raptors and hunt some more, typically chasing rabbits and squirrels. While rabbits are primarily a 2-dimensional chase (although some of them can jump high), squirrel hawking is 3-dimensional and can provide some wild entertainment. See the video in the Reference Section for a Red-tailed Hawk catching a squirrel.
Sometimes when you are out in the woods hunting with the raptors either scary or funny things can happen. One scary incident was when we found a dead body while hunting. It was on a college campus where we had taken a lunch break. We looked out across the campus lawn and there was someone awkwardly lying down and we went over to investigate. Sure enough he was dead. One individual in our group was trained in first aid and tried doing chest compressions, but to no avail. I’m hoping not to repeat that incident again!
When you have a raptor chasing squirrels up in the trees, you are constantly looking up. As the squirrels are going from tree to tree, you start running trying to keep up with them. Once, while hunting in Alabama with some family, I was running and didn’t notice the fence about waist high. Next thing I knew I was standing on my head – we all got a good laugh about the sudden change in position! And to make it worse, we lost the squirrel.
Personally, I have found falconry is a great way to stay in shape, as there is a lot of walking (and sometimes running) involved. If anyone is interested, we’d be happy to take you hunting with us so please get in touch with us for scheduling.
Equipment for Abatement
“Abatement” is not a word we typically encounter, so we thought it would be helpful to define it as it relates to falconry. One definition is “the act of reducing or nullifying something.” Our small business, Raptor Abatement LLC, uses trained raptors to abate, reduce, and nullify nuisance birds like pigeons, starlings and sparrows. We have shared the company brochure attached in the reference section.
Depending on the environmental and situational conditions of the job site, various tools can be deployed. Common tools include raptors, traps, nets, lasers, and air rifles. Newer equipment includes technology such as thermal imaging scopes.
In addition to our falconry-based bird abatement, we are experienced in aggressive harvesting. We utilize years of training and the latest air gun technology to deal with large bird infestations. Our air guns are equipped with sound suppression, thermal optics, and custom tuning for sensitive environments. This specialized equipment, training, and experience help us achieve a new level of efficiency and safety.
As an aside, my business partner, Jeff Fincher, recently competed in the largest air rifle shooting competition in the world, the Rocky Mountain Airgun Challenge. Jeff competed in the Precision Marksman Challenge – Sportsman’s Class and won it his first year – a significant accomplishment considering there were shooters from sixteen different countries. Jeff will be shooting in the Pro Class next year and I know the nuisance pigeons, starlings, and sparrows will have a challenging time escaping Jeff’s skill.
Entrepreneurial Opportunities
Our small business started approximately 10 years ago while we were living in Tennessee, with Jeff and I having a combined falconry experience of over 60+ years. Our first contract involved dealing with tens of thousands of starlings infesting downtown Nashville in late summer and early fall. We still perform this work each year and will start on August 5th, 2024, for this year.
Currently, we are on a one-month contract for abating Purple Martins in downtown Nashville. Purple Martins are a protected bird species, but after checking with the USDA and the USFWS, our Federal Abatement Permit allows us to harass the Purple Martins using our raptors. They come into downtown Nashville in numbers ranging from 100-150 thousand and leave a significant mess.
Our business has typically grown through organic word of mouth from our clients. Our past and current client list includes:
• International Airport – terminals & tarmac
• Airport Rental Car Facility
• Plane hangars
• Various Downtown Businesses
• Construction Sites
• Automobile manufacturing – no pigeons in engine blocks!!
• Power Plant
• Steel Processing Plants
• Home Improvement Stores (80+) – TN, AL, KY
• US Army, KY
• Apartment Complex – ducks
• Dam Projects – KY
• Commercial Tile Company (TN & TX)
• Strip Malls
Other opportunities for using raptors for nuisance bird control include fruit vineyards dealing with pest birds eating their crops. Another problem that raptors can address is the presence of gulls at landfills. Gulls tend to pick up landfill scraps and distribute them in local communities. Both situations require the raptors to be flown from sunrise to sundown, necessitating the use of multiple raptors.
References
One of the most excellent resources for falconry: https://www.themodernapprentice.com
Of course, you can always “Google It” – searches for “Falconry” and “Falconry Based Abatement” will yield a lot of information.
For those who need to type into their browsers:
Piper Drone Training –
More Piper
Piper + Peregrine
Piper slow mo
Red Tail Hawk Trapping –
