The Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast

Jeff Broadbent joins me for this weeks episode of Game Hawker Edition. After introducing himself, his birds, and his dogs, Jeff tells us the back story that led up the acquisition of his current bird. Part of that back story includes a description of Jeff's trip to Alaska to fill his gyrfalcon permit.  We linger a little on the topic of Alaska, and the possibility of a return trip. We then turn our attention to the landscape and the quarry that make up a significant part of Jeff's falconry. Jeff then describes his approach to developing a high flying long-wing including his application of the drone and homers, including their potential downside. Before recounting his most recent outing Jeff outlines his views on whether the "serve" in and of itself is a reward. 

Corey Roelke, President of the Texas Hawking Association, joins me on this episode of Game Hawker Edition.  Corey gets us started by telling us about the birds he has in his possession, and his English springer spaniel, “Hela”. 

With help from Heath Garner, Corey recently trapped a passage peregrine in Arkansas. He tells us about that experience and trapping beach birds in Texas. We then discuss how he intends to reclaim his intermewed birds, and we get caught-up on how his newly-trapped falcon is adjusting to life as a falconry bird.

Before turning our attention to the events of the day, Corey describes the landscapes in which he hunts and the quarry that over-winters in Texas.

In this episode of Game Hawker Edition, I welcome Steve Chindgren (author of “The Art of Hawking Sage Grouse), back to show to talk to us about his season to date. Steve gets the conversation rolling by telling us about the birds he is flying and the dogs he is running. He then talks about the summer molt, and the way in which he reclaims his birds. We then turn our attention to sage grouse, and Steve outlines his observations thus far. We talk pitch, and Steve emphasizes the importance of developing confidence even if it may mean sacrificing pitch, at least in the early season.   We conclude the episode detailing the events of his day afield, and the one previous to that.

Thanks for listening to the show.  I hope you enjoy Game Hawker Edition.

Welcome to the  first episode of the "Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast Game Hawker Edition”. 

With the season well underway in northern latitudes of North America and Europe, I have pivoted from my regular long-form format to a shorter format that focuses on game hawking. The intent is to have periodic visits with several falconers to get a glimpse into the way the 2024 season is progressing for each of them.

In this first episode of Game Hawker Edition, I welcome Simon Tyers, author of “The Specialist Falcon”, back to show to tell us how his season has unfolded thus far. Simon starts us off by detailing the molt and the way in which he reclaims his birds. We continue the discussion talking about this years game bird release program. Simon then talks about his approach to maintaining pitch. We conclude the episode detailing the events of his day afield.

Thanks for listening to the show.  I hope you enjoy Game Hawker Edition.

In this episode, I am joined by John Goodell, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Archives of Falconry located in Boise, Idaho. After introducing himself, John provides listeners with a timeline of the way that the Archives was established and how it has evolved. John also provides a comprehensive description of the depth and breadth of the composition of the collection held at the Archives.

We discuss acquisition of the Karl-Heinz Gersmann library. John explains just how significant the library is, and what it means to the falconry community worldwide. He also underpins the importance of current renovations in terms of ensuring that the collection is kept safe from catastrophic loss.

We continue our conversation outlining the nature of the virtual exhibits. John explains how clubs and falconers can become members of the Archives, and the ways in which the organization strives to be relevant to the falconry community, including a unique opportunity for apprentice falconers to take advantage of the benefits of joining the Archives.

John explains the various outreach programs that are available including the Masterclass Video Series, the Heritage Book Series, the Spring Rendezvous, and the book auction.

We conclude our discussion relating heritage work to conservation action, and the very real possibility that the future of North American falconry may be limited to micro-hawking.

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode. 

 In this episode Matt, Heath, and Brian return to the show to continue our conversation, this time to discuss the ways in which America's Wildlife Values intersect with the way that North American falconers practice their sport.

In Part  2, we discussed the UNESCO designation of falconry as a living human heritage. We were all under the impression that the U.S. was not a UNESCO member, but in fact, the US became the 194th member in July of 2023 – thanks to John Goodell, curator of the  Archives of Falconry for alerting us to this change.

We then remind listeners of the four wildlife value orientations (those being Traditionalist, Mutualist, Pluralist, and Distance), and we outline how each of the people who responded to the survey were then identified as belonging to one group or another. Heath identifies where he thinks NAFA fits within the rubric, and Matt tells us how his values have shifted over his career.

Brian gives us a broad sense of whether values of agency personnel reflect this  underlying distribution found among Americans, and weighs in on whether the makeup of agency personnel should reflect this distribution.

We then turn our attention to the "Distanced" group, and discuss ways in which the falconers can contribute to reducing the proportion of people who exhibit very low levels of interest in wildlife. 

Our discussion then turns to asking whether agencies should simply ignore ideas associated with Mutualism in favor of focusing on ideas that would better suit Traditionalists and Pluralists.

We conclude the episode examining the growing impact of conflict and mistrust that are associated with societal values that have shifted towards ideas and goals more typically associated with Mutualists.

In this episode Matt, Heath, and Brian return to the show to continue our conversation regarding the ways in which the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAM) intersects with the way that North American falconers practice their sport.

We begin the episode talking about the principle that take of wildlife is allocated by law, which guides proper use of wildlife resources. Brian tells us about the ways in which take of raptors was established and is regulated.  Matt then offers insight into the way in which this principle influences his own falconry, and Heath adds to the conversation by telling us about the ways in which NAFA relies on the principle.

We then turn our attention to discussion of the Public Trust Doctrine which reflects the idea that wildlife is owned by the public, and held in trust on their behalf by government for the benefit of current and future generations. Discussion ranges broadly.

Historically, the need for management and conservation of wildlife was associated with the effect of market hunting on wildlife species. Inherent to the NAM is the principle that markets for dead wildlife were eliminated and the sale of wildlife was prohibited. Brian tells us how this principle is implemented within federal government regulation. We then talk about "ownership" of wild-caught raptors and commercialization of captive-bred raptors.

We close out the episode discussing the principles that wildlife is an international resource and that killing can be sanctioned only for legitimate purpose. Matt imagines another version of himself existing separately in the multiverse and posits a way that killing of species currently protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act might be legitimized. 

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode.

In this multi-episode series, I am joined by Matt Mullenix, Heath Garner, and Brian Millsap to discuss their views of falconry in the context of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAM; see Episode 33) and the Wildlife Values Report (WVR; see Episode 34).

The episode begins with each guest reporting on progress of the molt for each of their birds (as of late August). I then take advantage of having Brian Millsap present to get an update on normalization of take of peregrine falcons, Heath gives us a sense of NAFA's activities in this regard, and Matt offers his insights too. 

We talk also of the affect of the recent Supreme Court ruling to strike down Chevron Deference, a decision that will affect the way that agencies such as the USFWS will be able to conduct business.  

We then turn our attention to discussing the manner in which falconry is affected by the first of the seven principles of the NAM, the idea that science is the proper tool to discharge wildlife policy.

Matt, Heath, and Brian then engage in a wide ranging discussion (gatekeeping as it relates to permitting, falconry schools, the value of the internet) on aspects of falconry as it relates to the NAM principle that every citizen has the opportunity, under the law, to hunt and fish in the United States and Canada (i.e., Democracy of hunting).  

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode with three prominent U.S. falconers.

In this Episode I talk to Thomas Baumeister of "Access WILD" and "Orion - The hunters Institute" about the question of hunting and the way in which hunters can develop an ethical framework. 

We begin our conversation with a brief reminder of the four ways  in which society generally values wildlife  (Traditionalist, Mutualist, Pluralist, and Distanced). We then outline the ways in which hunters and anti-hunters can be be classified.

We then turn our attention to "ethics" and the ways in which ethical philosophy can be applied to the question of hunting. Thomas then explains whether killing an animal can be ethically justified, and we discuss the concept of "moral residue".

We then turn our attention to "Fair Chase", first by defining it, and then by examining its origins. I then ask Thomas about "optimizing advantage" - the idea that hunting can be neither too easy, nor too difficult. We then discuss the importance of the hunting experience, and the way in which moral residue is an important part of the hunting experience.

Thanks for listening to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode.

 In this episode Ted Koch joins me to discuss prairie grouse conservation and the North American Grouse Partnership (NAGP).  After introducing himself, Ted describes the falconry-related legacy of the NAGP, and gives us an overview of the organization itself.

Ted then outlines some of the unique features associated with grasslands, including the manner in which they are distributed geographically, the natural disturbance regimes that they rely on, and some of the main threats to these ecosystems. He follows this with a description of the overall diversity of wildlife fauna that are associated with grasslands.

We then talk about the legal status of prairie grouse species in the United States, and Ted explains why avoiding endangered species designation is critical from from a funding perspective. 

Ted explains why restoration of prairie ecosystems is so tricky, then follows-up with the work that the NAGP is doing to conserve grasslands, and explains the way in which listeners can contribute the work that the NAGP is doing.

We conclude the episode with Ted recounting two stories, the first involving an an occasion when he felt most pessimistic for the future of prairie grouse, and the second when he felt most optimistic.