Falconry Told Podcast

Israel and Jon take some time out to announce some very important updates concerning current happenings and the future of the podcast. This is MUST HEAR INFO for everyone who regularly listens to the podcast! As always, thanks for all of your support and we appreciate you all!

Recorded in early September, 2018 by John Goodell. On February 5th, 2019 Tom passed away at the age of 91. This episode was originally published, in part, on the Northwest Nature Matters podcast. Now, Goodell has provided us with the rest of the audio that was never shared. Featuring international falconry icon Tom Cade, founder of The Peregrine Fund. With additional commentary by Kent Carnie, founder of The Archives of Falconry.

Kent Carnie, 91 years old. His age is a big part of what makes this episode so special as it gives us a rare glimpse into early American falconry, and a career in falconry beginning before most listening to this episode were even born. Kent is to thank for the world-renowned Archives of Falconry, and in this episode Kent takes us through his life’s story, and the story of the Archives.

When we consider falconry, we think of great adventures pursuing wild game with trained birds of prey. But we also think of its rich history, we think of conservation, the arts, biology, and so many other facets of a sport that encompasses but also transcends the mere act of chasing quarry… And in this episode, John Goodell brings us through his career as a biologist, conservationist, falconer, museum curator, and now Curator for the Archives of Falconry… So much of everything we love as falconers, in one conversation with one great guy.

Al Ross, warmly known as "Mr. Merlin" amongst his peers, has long been a pioneer in the sport of falconry. Growing up without the knowledge or access to information later falconers would enjoy, he discovered and learned much of what he's now recognized for developing, almost entirely from studying the raptors in the wild themselves. From being the first to make a game hawk out of a Harris's Hawk, to "outer-mewing" Merlins season after season, to showing the world new things that these capable little falcons were able to do... Even those who have known Al Ross from the beginning still have a hard time keeping up!

Howling winds buffet us as Jeremy Kessler and I hunker over my podcasting equipment at the table in Steve Jones' customized school bus. In this episode, we learn about Jeremy Kessler. At the time of recording, Jeremy is flying a cast of falcons… and brings a very interesting perspective into this episode. Despite the most careful planning and preparation, falconry often spirals into a chaotic sport. Many of us spend our days doing everything we can to avoid chaos, to ensure everything goes off without a hitch. Jeremy embraces the chaos.

Each year, a hardy group of falconers tow their campers and teepees far into the remote southwestern Wyoming desert, where they situate them around Steve Jones' customized school bus. In this episode, we learn about Steve Jones, widely known for his American Falconry Magazine. From his falconry origins, to the beginning of their annual grouse camp tradition, flying casts of falcons, and so much more!

If you know Gary, you know how he wants the spotlight anywhere but on him… But with such a wide-ranging reputation, it was only a matter of time before we would catch him on his trips to Wyoming to hawk Sage Grouse. Between hawking, working his Setter “Hope”, fishing for trout, arrowhead hunting, or competing with Steve at a thousand games of cornhole, pinning him down was no small task. Boberg is widely known, and loved. Decades of hard hawking alongside his California peers and his positive, genuine personality have made him a staple of West Coast falconry friendships. In this episode, we get to know Gary’s story… A lot of you will know many of the names he drops. We experience California as it once was, through Cooper’s Hawk hunting exploits and the golden age of duck hawking in the state, as we follow Gary’s illustrious falconry journey from boyhood to his latest endeavors with eagles and chasing the pinnacle moments of grouse hawking.

Pinning Dave Marshall down proved to be no small feat. But with the request being heard so many times, I persisted. “We want to know the story of Marshall!” Being the premier designer and manufacturer of a falconer’s most important, aye, crucial kit, Marshall Radio is a titan in the falconry world. To them is owed not just the salvation of many a falconry bird, but more so the newfound joy that GPS has brought to falconers around the globe, as we can watch and marvel at our bird’s prowess, with the freedom and security only real-time data can provide. The story of this company is intrinsically tied into the story of its namesake, Dave Marshall. That’s the story we all wanted, and the story episode 40 of the Falconry Told Podcast has only just begun to tell.

How do you pay your respects to someone who drastically impacted the course of your life? Inspiring you to pursue your own journey of discovery, along the same lines of passion this person set? We’re not sure, but in this episode, Israel Matson pays his respects to William “Bill” Davis, the first falconer he watched practice the art, and a true giant of a human. So we look at a short glimpse into the man who Bill was, as well as at his favorite form of falconry, pursuing squirrels with Red-Tailed Hawks. Because Israel’s story regarding Bill has to do with the impact he made on him as a pre-apprentice, this podcast is also dedicated to the would-be, curious, interested pre-apprentice falconers out there. The ones interested in the sport, but looking for a better understanding of the process to becoming a licensed, practicing falconer.

Practicing falconry for over 20 years in Germany and Spain, Björn Eilers joins us to share a glimpse into the world of high flying, hard hitting gamehawks in his corners of Europe. This episode covers everything from Björn’s early days in falconry, to his pinnacle moments, to his ambitions for the future, with a little dose of history and day to day European falconry mixed in. Steve Chindgren, longtime friend of Björn, recommended and arranged this episode, and the timing was impeccable. In the US for business, Björn would also attend the Utah Sky Trials as guest speaker, after spending time out hawking with Hub Quade and Chindgren.

Hub Quade, you’ve heard the name, you’ve seen the world-class sculptures, you’ve heard the legends of what passage prairies, peregrines, and gyrfalcons are capable of, now with the Falconry Told Podcast, you get to know the man himself. I titled this episode, “Natural Falconry” though I don’t provide a definition for this term… It’s just the way I began to describe my experience out hawking with Hub Quade with Steve Chindgren and Bjorn Eilers in Wyoming. I dare say, and believe those who know them would back me up, that Hub is known for his desire for things to be as natural as possible. His artwork looks natural, while he’s flown them in the past, he doesn’t feel hybrids are natural, he likes to hunt natural quarry in their natural habitat, with their natural predators. It’s all very organic, It’s all very organic, he seems to hunger for that connection to nature, to the circle of life, to the wild—that we as falconers can all relate to.

Very few falconers don’t know what a Steve Tait hood looks like. The product of decades of honing a skillset and design, Tait is internationally renowned in the falconry community for his obsession with fitment. A good, proper, and beautiful hood, must fit well above all else. But Tait is so much more than a hoodmaker, he’s an artist in so many mediums, give him a canvas and you’ll get a drop-dead gorgeous piece, give him clay and he’ll do the same. A falconer from way back, he’s also earned a name for himself in recent times for the same obsessive approach he’s brought to his line of English Pointers, with over a dozen falconers flying falcons over dogs produced by Steve that they claim are “among the best.” But we’ll let him do the talking, enjoy!

Frank Taylor has become somewhat of an American falconry icon for his decades of work trapping and banding raptors on the North Shore. Hailing from Minnesota, Frank’s contributions to the sport of falconry and to the study of birds of prey and their migration patterns has earned him the respect of falconers everywhere. Episode 33 of the Falconry Told Podcast dives into Frank’s falconry origins, the development of his career and touching once again on the subject of art in falconry, see some of his pieces below!

Dr. Pat Redig is known and respected by falconers and raptor enthusiasts pretty much everywhere. He’s widely recognized for his central role in bringing about the dawn of modern bird-of-prey medicine and veterinary practice… We look back at what steered a young wildlife lover into the direction of falconry and avian veterinary pioneering, and as you can imagine, it has to do with inadequacies in the field concerning raptor healthcare that left an impression on him. We’re all thankful for that, because before he came along, the best science we had to lean on to care for our birds came from the middle-ages.

Second generation falconry in California, a young boy who’s heart and mind were chosen by a hawk circling above, and the relationships only falconry can forge. Eloy Carlin, widely known for his finesse in duck-hawking, joins us for this installment of the Falconry Told Podcast to talk childhood falconry, how the falconry landscape has changed over the years—resulting in his move to New Mexico where he continues to fly his falcons on ducks—and so much more. I have to admit this episode is touching, it’s no wonder everybody who knows Eloy, loves Eloy.

Joining us from the Land Down Under is Peter Nolan, a face now familiar in the United States for his annual visits, especially to NAFA meets, and his extended stint of living here. Falconry is not allowed in Australia, and we spend much of our time exploring how Peter gets his fix. Of course, that’s after I learned falconry is illegal in Australia, and we discussed why… We look at Peter’s falconry story from his early days as a rehabber to his time living in the US, how he ended up as the Kangaroo leather vendor at every NAFA, and what he’s doing now that he’s back in the Land Down Under.

Greg Thomas is a familiar face in the circles of falconry, his regular attendance at NAFA meets has spanned decades. This is where many of us met him, and doubtless, where many of you probably will in the future. Greg’s a natural storyteller, and his recollections of his adventures over his long career make this a spectacularly interesting episode. Known far and wide for his experience and enthusiasm for Red-Tailed Hawks, Greg discusses his early roots to his first kill (at a competitive NAFA meet, which he then won), to the impact the sport has on one who becomes intoxicated with it, this episode is a journey into the heart and soul of falconry.

Based in New York where he flies multiple long-wings primarily on duck, Anatoly Tokar originally hails from Ukraine, where his falconry story begins. Falconry in post-Soviet Ukraine was interesting, if not challenging. Limited to no access to any established falconry culture or literary works, two World Wars had left Anatoly and other Ukrainians with little choice but to figure out falconry on their own... No small task. From exercising his birds atop the downtown high-rise where he lived, to flying goshawks as if they were falcons. Anatoly is now an American falconer with a passion for long-wings, and perhaps for the big western skies as well. We'll see how long New York can hold him.

Join us for the immersive storytelling of Manu Carrasco, a larger-than-life artist whose work takes direct inspiration from falconry but more-so nature in general, where he spends his time amongst the big cats of the world, his first love and passion. This episode comes on the tail of Manny’s recent trip back to Africa, a continent he just can’t seem to get enough of, specifically this time he was exploring the Maasai Mara together with his organization Expedition Art. In this episode we explore Manu’s roots as an artist and falconer, and navigate the subject of passion amongst a variety of exciting topics.