The Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast

Heath Garner joins me to tell us about his season thus far with the passage tiercel peregrine that he trapped in 2023.  Heath starts the episode telling us why he had to hawk snipe without the assistance of his two German short-haired pointers for a short time. We then talk about season start dates, how they vary based primarily on latitude, and when migrant quarry typically become available in Arkansas. Heath outlines the timing of his falcon's molt, and describes the transition from blond brown bird to adult plumage. He then talks about this passage peregrine in contrast to others he has trapped and flown. We talk about his hawking grounds and how environmental conditions have shaped quarry numbers. Heath describes his preferred approach to reclaiming a falcon from the free-loft mews post-molt. We conclude the episode recounting a couple of early season flights, and Heath praises the organizers and volunteers of the upcoming NAFA field meet in Liberal, Kansas in the first week of December.

In this episode of Game Hawker Edition, my guest is Dale Guthormsen.  After introducing himself, Dale explains why he is in the process of simultaneously starting two new falcons this season. Dale then describes his hawking ground and his primary quarry, including the distinction between fall and winter grouse. We then talk about the way Dale currently develops his game hawks, and he tells us how that has changed over the course of his career. We finish off the episode talking about how his last outing with each of his hawks unfolded.  Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy hearing about the start of Dale's hawking season.

Simon Tyers returns to the show to update us on how his season is going thus far. We begin the episode talking about similarities and differences among the falconers that have already contributed to Game Hawker Edition, Simon then updates us with regard to how the work being done by the local Water Authority across his hunting ground has progressed. We then turn our attention to Smog's tendency to ignore the lure, how Simon addressed this, and whether the early season remedial work has solved the issue for Simon. Similarly, we get an update of whether Sonic continues to be distracted by wild peregrines. I ask Simon for his opinion on the utility of flushing game for a falcon that is out of position in the hope that as a consequence it learns that in order to catch game, it has to be “in position”.  Before concluding the episode with a a description of Storm's most recent flight, Simon describes some of challenges he has faced weather-wise.  Thanks for listening to Game Hawker Edition.  Once again, I hope you enjoy this episode.

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.