The American Falconry Conservancy Fall Meet from 17-21 November was a terrific success.  We hosted participants from the West Coast to the East Coast and many States in between.  The weather cooperated and the game was plentiful. 

The Best Western Hotel in El Dorado along with their host Double D Restaurant laid out the red carpet with great rates and great service.   The Restaurant provided a formal meeting room and presentation equipment for the evening meals and guest speakers . 

Craig Hendee masterfully led us through a hawking extravaganza through the European Continent.  Dr. Timothy Kimmel provided insights to the inner workings of the International Falconry Organization and I ended the speaker program with a talk about my work in the Philippines with the Philippine Eagle highlighted by a special presentation of the Philippine program by “American Sportsman” with former basketball star Bill Walton.  All talks followed with great fellowship amongst a class act of falconers young and old.  Brian McDonald is a legend of falconry and his shared knowledge and insights were magic and full of wisdom.  It was all fantastic entertainment.

The falconry in the field was incredible with highflying falcons being introduced to the Greater Prairie Chicken.  Many falcons feathered the quarry but not a single grouse was brought to bag.  Fortunately the duck ponds were full and accessible and just about every falcon flown at the meet took ducks. 

On one outing to the chicken fields we were skunked when no chickens showed up for their morning feed.  Steve Chitty, however, watched a covey of quail work a corn field in front of him but we had no small falcons or accipiters to take advantage of the opportunity.  We were on our way out when Steve turned to me and asked, almost pleaded, if Amos my gyr-peregrine hybrid would fly the quail.  They were out in the open and no fences nearby so I said sure lets give it a try.  Amos caught a Chicken in the same field at the AFC meet two years before and he knew the field well.  I put him up and he started his climb.  I didn’t need him at 1000’ so I threw my glove in the air and he plummeted down and landed on a fence post nearby.  Prior to the flight a male Cooper’s hawk attempted to take one of the quail so they had embedded themselves in the brush.  I asked the hunt group along with my English Pointer Maggie to flush the birds.  A single got up and Amos chased it into heavy cover like a goshawk.  Maggie and I found where it disappeared inside a heavy brush pile and I walked back to the hawking party just as another quail busted out and another tail chase ensued.  We lost it and back with the party I waited until Amos took flight and started another mount but this time close in.  We beat the brush until a single made a break and Amos slammed it from a shallow stoop with a great burst of feathers.  Not classic stuff but Oh what fun.

The meet ended too soon.  All participants were generous with their reviews and left with great memories and a prize or two from the outstanding auction held after the last program on Friday night.  Marshall Telemetry donated a state of the art receiver won by George Bristol, Brian McDonald donated 2 exquisitely handcrafted hoods modeled after Mollen Dutch hoods and won by George Bristol and Tim Kimmel, Dan McCarron donated two stealth Kershaw knives, and Western Sporting donated a wealth of books and falconry equipment that will be raffled off at a later date due to the items being misplaced prior to the raffle.  Many other items were donated and we applaud and thank all who helped make the auction a great success.