Falcon hunting. Noble falcon hunt

Every year a rally is held in Domodedovo, timed to coincide with the day of falconry. For hunters it is a competition, friendly meetings and exchange of experience. For all comers - a unique opportunity to see with their own eyes how hunting with birds of prey takes place. Let's take a look at this rare view hunt for a closer look.

1. Falconry is called not only hunting with falcons, but also hunting with other species of birds of prey. The falcon is a royal bird.

2. This is an owl. They don't hunt with him, he lives in an aviary in the falconry.

3. The most common hunting bird is the goshawk. Despite the outward resemblance, hawks are very different from falcons in structure and habits. Hunting also happens in completely different ways.

4. All falconers look very colorful. The owners love their pets very much. Birds, on the other hand, practically do not show their feelings.

Nika, mistress of the goshawk. Works at Domodedovo airport, a regular participant of the Falconry Day.

5. Dmitry with a hawk.

6. Brief tactical and technical characteristics. Falcons are the central and most numerous genus of the falcon family. Adult birds are distinguished by narrow wedge-shaped wings, thanks to which they are able to deftly maneuver and develop unusually high speed in a dive flight. For example, the peregrine falcon is considered the fastest animal in the world - during the hunt, it can reach speeds of up to 322 km / h.


The most famous types of falcons: peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, saker falcon. Now in nurseries they grow not only them, but also hybrids.

7. You could hold the bird on your hand and take a picture.

8. Birds are light, a little over a kilogram.

9. After meeting and a short excursion around the falcon yard, we leave for the fields.

10. The largest of the birds of prey with which we hunt is the golden eagle. Such a bird can hunt not only small animals and birds, but also, for example, foxes and roe deer.

12. Many hunters keep not only birds, but also dogs. Usually the dog lifts prey into the air, and there it is attacked by falcons or hawks.

13. On the bench.

14. Pigeons are used for demonstration hunting. They are released into the sky, and the task of the hunting bird is to catch up and hit the target. It is not so easy.

15. Pigeons are cunning and agile birds. They can hide in the grass or in the branches of trees.

16. This pigeon got under the car. Usually, in this situation, the pigeon can break away from the pursuer.

17. But not this time. The predator turned out to be stronger and faster.

18. The prey from the falcon is more often taken away, and he is given a piece of meat prepared in advance, more often a chicken or a forage pigeon.

19. Well-deserved reward.

20. Everyone is interested, especially children.

21. Another moment of the hunt.

22.

23.

24. This beautiful bird is a pheasant. He was supposed to act as a victim, but today he was lucky, he managed to get out of the collision with the predator and stay alive.

25. Ivan. Works in the ornithological service of Domodedovo airport. Together with their hawk, they guard the sky above the airfield from uninvited guests- crows, pigeons and other birds.

26. Could tell a few words about the hotel next to which the rally is taking place. But I don’t know if it’s worth it.
The Atlas Park Hotel in Domodedovo has seriously deteriorated. The hotel does not pay money to contractors for the services rendered, while by phone and by mail they try to translate the arrows, come up with something and simply openly lie. In short, the once popular word "kidalovo" is just about the Atlas Park Hotel.
If you look at the reviews on job sites, employees' salaries are also delayed for several months. Will the Atlas Park Hotel treat guests as they should? I strongly doubt it.
Against this background, it is not surprising that it is completely normal for a hotel to borrow other people's photographs and publish them without specifying the authorship and source.
In general, there are claims on several points. I would not like to, but, most likely, we will have to return to this question.

27. That's it for today. Thank you for your attention.

More reports about falconry:

Falconry is very ancient. Falconry began to be practiced when the need arose for the very production of food. At the same time, man had enough helpers, starting from the Hausa (swamp lynx) and ending with the chorem, but only the hunting birds went with him to the end all the way, continuing to remain to this day one of the most successful and prey pursuers of game, especially in the sky and in open spaces ...

Falconry: a selection of birds of prey

Due to the fact that now many of them are under protection, bird of prey for falconry, it is preferable to acquire legally- that is, in special nurseries, zoos or nature reserves, with the approval of the federal or local authorities.

In the case of purchasing a bird for falconry in the nursery - it must have a certificate of origin - be ringed with the data of the breeder. Also, special documents are attached to the feathered one that guarantees its legal origin: notarized purchase and sale or donation, check, invoice, certificate from a veterinarian. This is mainly related to captive-bred birds. But, getting such a falconry assistant, you should make sure that:

1. the bird is indeed marked and it is not difficult to find out its individuality;
2. the corresponding marking is affixed in all documents and coincides with the marking of the bird itself;
3. it is the original documents that are provided, and not their copies.

In the case of purchasing a bird of prey for falconry by catching in the wild, a permit must be obtained at the federal and local levels, depending on the desired breed of bird. For the acquisition of the sparrowhawk and the goshawk, the relevant permits for trapping are issued by local authorities, for which their representatives must make sure of the competence of the future hunter. A personally written statement with an approving resolution of the management acts as a permissive document.

To acquire other breeds (for example, gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, whitebane or golden eagle), a permit is required federal bodies, since all these birds are under the strictest protection. However, it is extremely difficult and almost unrealistic to do this, therefore many falconry lovers resort to zoot-dealer intermediaries. But in this case, you should beware of fraud.

Falconry: rules and methods

Falconry is most often hijacked, that is, a bird of prey tracks the game and pursues it until it is caught. Extraction takes place in the following way. A falconer hunter approaches the victim with a bird sitting on a glove. Then she notices the fleeing or flying away game and begins to pursue. A properly trained bird of prey copes with the task without any problems and always catches prey.

Required condition: falconry is also carried out with the participation of an obedient dog or any vehicle, since the hunter needs to find the game himself. Moreover, the animal, having seen / smelled a feathered predator, strives to lurk right there, to hide - be it in the field, in the steppe or in the meadow.

Falconry using a vehicle is already called doorway hunting.... On it, you can quickly get close to the intended goal. In this type of prey, two hunters participate, one of whom is holding a predator on the glove, and the other is driving. It is ideal for large open spaces requiring long travel from place to place. The most important thing with this method of hunting is to be careful not to scare away potential prey.

Falconry Birds

There are several types of birds of prey that are suitable for use in falconry. For falconry, species of falcons, hawks and eagles are suitable. The former are used more often and most of all, the latter - less often and less.

Falcons for falconry

Gyrfalcon is the largest and strongest of them. The body weight of the female is 2 kilograms. It can overtake prey both on the ground and in the air. It takes well its potential food, which it feeds on in natural conditions - tundra and white partridge, guillemot and gull, as well as other birds that settle in bird "bazaars", ground squirrel, lemming, corvids. With special training, it can be used for falconry hunting for larger animals - bustard, hare, crane, swan.

Shumkar is a species branch of a gyrfalcon. Lives in the region of Central Asia. It hunts local fauna including all types of ground squirrels and bustard.

Beloban - has Indian and Mediterranean multiple species forms, called raruh, rarog, turul, saker, sharg, lachin, shungar, taisha, laggar, lanner, itelge, tour or kush-tour. All of them are smaller in size than the gyrfalcon itself: females weigh more than 1 kilogram, males - up to 1 kilogram. Used for hijacking falconry (above the ground). Can be used on geese, bustards and hares.

Peregrine Falcon - the basis of falconry... It is also referred to as a migratory falcon. Under natural conditions, it hunts small and medium-sized game, which includes passerines, pigeons, corvids, gulls and waders. It hunts mainly in the air, but it can take prey on the water and on the ground. The body weight of the peregrine falcon is up to 1 kilogram. It has varieties - lachina, shahin and desert or Babylonian falcon.

Chaglok is a falcon for forest-steppe falconry. It takes prey in flight, tracking mainly small birds. Prefers pigeons, swallows, swifts. It weighs very little - about 400 grams. Its species is Eleanor's falcon. Trained, he is able to hunt medium-sized rabbits.

Derbnik is a pigeon falcon. In Great Britain it is also called merlin. Hunt for hijacking, above the ground at a height of 1 meter. Tracks mainly small game, as it itself weighs about 200 grams. Distributed in Kazakhstan.

Falconry hawks

The goshawk is a strong and large representative of feathered predators. The body weight of the female reaches 1.5 kilograms, the male - up to 1 kilogram. It is used for falconry hunting for a wide variety of game, including rodents to the hare, medium-sized mustelids, as well as passerines, pigeons and corvids. Often hunts gulls, ducks, partridges. If well trained, it becomes a versatile falconer.

The Sparrowhawk is the most famous bird of prey. The basis of its prey is made up of representatives of passerines, but it is able to hunt larger specimens (for example, pigeons). Previously, he was attracted to a crow. The body weight of the female is 300 grams, of the male - from 150 to 200 grams.

Falconry eagles

Golden eagle is a rare species. It catches small, medium and large game. He hunts young hoofed animals, goose, wood grouse. Able to take gazelles, wolves and foxes. The goal pursues in two ways: from the bottom and falling like a stone from a height. Grip and assertive, he leads the prey stubbornly.

Burial ground - often also used in falconry. He hunts hares, marmots, ground squirrels. It is often confused with another representative of feathered predators - with the royal or rock eagle.

Attitude towards the sick. We need your opinions.

Today, while reading a friend's tape, I stumbled over one record of a person with whom I have known personally and for quite some time. It was about the fact that the author of the magazine had a seriously ill friend. I understood that it was a tumor ...

Attack of a potential victim from a superior height in a steep dive - characteristic way hunting of some species of birds of prey in nature. It was at this moment of the attack that the peregrine falcon recorded the maximum flight speed among birds - more than 100 km / h. This attack of prey in falconry is called a bet.

The falcon, falling on the victim at such a speed, should not collide with it, so as not to crash against it, and cannot grab it with its paws, otherwise it will damage them or will not be able to control the further flight. Indeed, often the weight of the prey is close to the weight of the attacker or exceeds it, and the difference in speed is threefold. Therefore, as a rule, the falcon tangentially strikes the victim with only its claws, but its impulse is so great (mass x acceleration) that the victim is seriously injured, and (or) it falls into an uncontrollable fall. The falcon, braking and turning after the attack, picks up the tumbling prey in the air on the fly, or grabs the one that has already fallen to the ground.

Hunting with a bird of prey with stakes is as follows. A hunter with a bird goes through the grounds in search of game. A bird in a hood sits on a glove on its left hand. When the game is found, but not frightened away (it is not frightened away) and does not fly away, the hood is removed from the bird, and it, having flown off the glove, describing circles in flight around the hunter, gains altitude sufficient for an effective attack. This takes a few minutes, and the behavior of the falcon already shows that it is waiting for the appearance of potential prey and is ready to attack. Immediately, the game is scared away - forced to take off. As soon as a possible victim is in the air, the falcon dives at it - makes a bet. And if everything is done correctly and skillfully - you are with the prey.

It is necessary to clarify some points of the hunt. First, the detection of game. Usually this is done by a pointing dog, making a stand, and while the released falcon is gaining height, the dog tracks the location of the hunting object. When the falcon is "ready" to attack, the dog, at the command of the owner, forces the game to take off. Either the game must be seen for yourself, and then in the right moment by themselves and scare her away under the falcon. The latter option was used in the falconry of the Russian tsars.

A large number of beaters scared away waterfowl and near-water birds from the coastal thickets of lakes and ponds using the noise produced by drums, rattles and shouts. Before that, falcons were raised into the sky above the reservoirs: peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons. Secondly, the falcon gains altitude in circles by active flight and when it reaches the altitude required for an attack (its value depends on training techniques and the type of game you hunt), it sharply changes the nature of the flight from active flapping to gliding with hovering over the hunting place. Such a change in the behavior of a hunting bird indicates its readiness to attack. This way of hunting and preparing birds in English language called- "waiting falcon. "Thirdly, the game from the place where it lurked perfectly sees the predator flying over it and prefers either to sit out, or to flee on the ground, but not to take off.

These are instinctive actions and are very rigidly fixed by natural selection. To rise into the air means immediately to be attacked by a predator and you can hide only in the grass, bushes or under water. Therefore, you have to use the dog or expend energy ourselves to force the game to take off under the attack of the falcon and not give it the opportunity to dash into a bush located a few meters away immediately after takeoff. It should be noted that after several hunts, the falcon perfectly remembers from under whom potential prey appears and closely monitors its assistant. If you hunt with a cop, then a launched falcon will immediately orient itself when climbing to a dog standing in a rack, knowing that it is from under it that the game will rise.

In addition, it is possible to hunt with falcons at rates of hijacking over long distances. A hunter with a bird notices a relatively slow-flying game, which the falcon can probably catch up with even in the falconer's line of sight. In the old days in Russia, such were: geese (single or pairs), raven, heron. All these are high-flying birds, much inferior to the falcon in flight speed, and because of their size, they are difficult prey and even dangerous for a hunting falcon. For the latter reason, as a rule, they do not hide from a hunting bird. The cowl is removed from the falcon and, making sure that he has noticed the flying game, is released from the glove.

The hunting bird gradually catches up with potential prey and at the same time gains height above it for attack. Then he attacks - makes a bet. As a rule, the attacks of the falcon are forced to repeat many times. It is very difficult to cope with large prey and you rarely meet it, so that the falcon has a rich experience of such a hunt. After each miss, the falcon gains altitude again and bets again. All this time, the falconer must see what is happening, following the birds in a car through the fields or, as in the old days, on a horse. This hunt requires large open spaces.

For hunting with rates, two types of falcons are traditionally used: peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, and their hybrids. You can prepare Saker Falcon and Shahin, Laggar and Mediterranean Falcon, as well as their hybrids.

Special training begins when stable results are achieved in the initial stage of training a hunting bird. Let's repeat them again:

... The bird is fully accustomed to the perch
The bird is calm about your presence nearby
The bird actively reacts to the glove with food and confidently flies onto it from 5-7 meters
The bird is calmly on the glove for as long as necessary and while walking.

We have already talked a lot about training birds of prey and, in order not to unnecessarily repeat ourselves, we will refer to the above.

The features of training a bird for hunting with bets are:

1.the main irritant is vabilo
2.the glove is applied as an irritant at a distance of up to 10 meters
3.the bird must be accustomed to the hood
4.A falconer will especially need experience, patience and calmness.
5.It is important to have a direction finding system of the escaped bird

Daily weighing of the bird is mandatory. Classes continue, as before, until the distance when working with a glove is increased to 10-12 meters, with and without a cord. Then we introduce the bird to the lure, in the same way as it was described for hunting for theft. After that, we transfer the classes to the field, observing all the previously mentioned precautions in case of a sharp change in the place of the training. It is necessary to choose a mowed or plowed field for the first lessons on the land. In such a field, the bird will be better seen if it suddenly sits on the ground. In addition, seeing you from afar, on open space the bird will behave more calmly in unfamiliar surroundings. This will make it easier to approach her and lure into a lure or glove. Sitting in the grass, the bird will be deprived of its vision, will become nervous and, frightened by the approaching noise produced by the falconer looking for it, it may fly even further, not paying attention to the glove and lure. But we hope that the falcon does not fall to the ground, flying off the glove.

So, the bird knows the lure and instantly reacts to it, rushing from the perch. For several days you carried a bird with a glove across the field chosen for the first free flight, and the bird had the opportunity to get acquainted with this place, albeit from the height of your elbow. It's time to taste the bird in flight. If you have such an opportunity, seek the advice of a more experienced friend. Demonstrate all the reactions of your pupil and, having received approval, go out with the bird to the middle of the field. The nearest place where a bird can sit (tree, post, building, etc.) should be no closer than 1 kilometer. The bird should not be weak, emaciated or overfed. She must be keenly interested in the environment and demonstrate an energetic flight when lured into the glove and lure from the perch.

It is advisable to accustom the bird to the calling sound (whistle or scream), which is accompanied by the lure and glove with food offered to it. And also to the mini-transmitter fixed on it (on the paw or tail) - the transmitter and bells. It is necessary to be attentive to the weather - there should be no strong and gusty wind, rain. It is better to study in the morning or in the middle, but not in the evening. Because if the bird leaves, you will have more time to search for it before dusk.

You went out into the field with a bird in your hand comfortable spot... Unfasten the debt and swivel from the putz. Remove the hood from the bird's head and let it look around. Calmly and slowly, lift the gloved bird up above you and wait. Don't force the bird to fly off the glove !!! The bird looks around, it can stretch its wings and shake itself. And after a while it will fly off the glove, flying away from you. This is where endurance and calmness is needed! If the bird is healthy and not weak, it will confidently fly in the chosen direction and will not land on the ground. For the first time, lower it 50-60 meters away from you and, with the usual shout or whistle, throw out the lure, rotating it on the cord.

The bird may not be instantaneous, but will turn its attention to you. Keep calm and spin the lure! She will turn around and fly at you. When it approaches, throw the lure on the ground as usual and let the bird eat its fill. Make the next day hungry. In the future, repeat the same lesson in order to consolidate the bird's reaction in a free state to stimuli (sound and vabilo). The next step in training is provocation to fly around you. Do everything in the same way as in the previous lesson, but when a returning bird approaches, hide the lure in a bag or behind your back and watch the bird. She will not be confused for a long time and may immediately begin to fly around you in a circle, looking for a lure. Let it fly around you a couple of times and, throwing out the lure, let the bird take it on the ground. If the bird starts to fly away from you again, call it, throwing out the lure, and give it to the bird on the ground.

After a couple of days, the bird will learn the lesson and will know where the food comes from and where to expect it - near you, not in the field. Above all, monitor the bird's working weight and behavior and respond appropriately to changes. Do not be overconfident by letting the bird go far or often beckoning, deceiving its expectations for food. Do not hurry! After a week of training, the bird will fly in circles above you (the height is not important yet). Allows you to deceive yourself two times out of three - beckoning to the lure, hide it at the last moment - and will go to the next circle to attack. It will be time to think about the attachment and how to increase the hunter's flight altitude. But this is another stage of training.

You can go to it, having achieved:

a firm reflex to the lure
flight duration in circles up to 10-15 minutes
own peace of mind when the bird is a kilometer or more away from you

Sergey Aliskerov.

From the head of the Saker Falcon, the cap that covers the eyes is carefully removed - the hood, and it soars into the sky, circles over the hills of Transbaikalia and a group of ecologists who helped for several weeks bird of prey deal with the stress of being held captive by Syrian poachers.

The falcon flies away, he was lucky: he was saved from being smuggled into the Middle East. Up to a thousand birds of prey per year are taken by poachers from Russia to Arab countries for the popular falconry there.

Where do they catch

In October, game managers and border guards detained two Syrian citizens in the Trans-Baikal Territory who were illegally catching rare falcons. Both the operational group of the Daursky Reserve and local residents helped to track the poachers - they spotted suspicious hunters. The detainees, according to the State Hunting Service of the region, found seven live pigeons - bait for falcons, hoods and other devices for catching and transporting birds of prey.

“The caught bird was not immediately discovered: it was tied tightly, like a chrysalis, and was lying on the floor under the seat in the poachers car,” said Oleg Goroshko, deputy director of the Daursky Reserve. The bird began to eat independently only on the fourth day after withdrawal. "

This is not the first such case in Transbaikalia alone. For example, in November 2015, six foreigners, a Syrian, a Kurd and an Azerbaijani, were detained here. They found an arsenal of poachers - 30 pigeons for bait, 60 traps. "Birds of prey are caught with nets or with the help of manna birds, most often at the end of summer and early autumn, from August to November ", - added in the Daursky reserve.

“Over the past three years in Transbaikalia, cases of detention of catchers of rare birds have become more frequent,” Goroshko noted. The region has managed to stop the decline in the Saker Falcon population thanks to work with power engineers and the installation of bird protection devices on power lines. This also attracts illegal hunters. "

Neighboring Buryatia also suffers from poachers. As reported in the Investigative Directorate of the ICR of the region, in October the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs carried out a special operation and detained a gang that was engaged in illegal hunting and sale of Red Book birds: they were catching falcons in the north of the republic for deliveries to the Middle East. One of the birds that got to them was found in their car when leaving Buryatia for the Irkutsk region. Another 11 individuals were kept by four malefactors in a rented apartment in Irkutsk itself. The police found them hungry, tied by their paws to furniture and with caps on their heads. This was the third such case since 2013.

All this confirms the information that the illegal hunting of rare falcons, which flourished in the early 1990s in Altai, began to move to the east of the country, to Buryatia, Transbaikalia and even further to the Far East. According to the head of the scientific and methodological center for biodiversity of the All-Russian Research Institute of Conservation environment Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation Alexander Sorokin, if in the early 1990s poachers annually exported about a thousand birds from Altai, now this number is an order of magnitude less

"In addition, the Arabs - the main buyers of such birds - are switching from Saker Falcons to gyrfalcons, and now this is the main problem in this area in Kamchatka and Chukotka, where they live," Sorokin concluded.

Who takes out

Bird watchers are asked not to name the cost of rare birds in Arab countries. They are afraid that these sums will turn the heads of local residents and increase the number of hunters to easy money - oil sheikhs and other falconry lovers are not stingy, replenishing their collections. But, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, the annual damage from illegal hunting of birds of prey reaches 200 million rubles.

Having caught gyrfalcons, saker falcons, peregrine falcons and other rare predators, poultry traders seek to take them abroad - to potential buyers. The most notorious cases of detention of "bird" smugglers took place in last years on the Russian-Kazakh border and at Moscow airports.

So, in September 2014, on the border of the Altai Territory and Kazakhstan, customs officers detained a consignment of seven Saker Falcons and 11 Peregrine Falcons. The smuggler tied their paws, put hoods on their heads and hid the animals in his car. In August 2015, a customs officer was convicted in the Chelyabinsk region for helping a smuggler to take three Saker Falcons to Armenia. According to the veterinarian who examined the animals, the falcons were euthanized with tranquilizers.

Smugglers with birds were caught at all airports in Moscow. Investigators established cases of bribery of police and customs officers and loaders by poultry traders. For example, at the end of 2015, a gang was detained in the capital, transporting gyrfalcon through Sheremetyevo airport to Yerevan, and then to the United Arab Emirates. According to the RF IC, loaders illegally carried falcons into the transit baggage picking area, changed airline tags and carried animals on board.

Another incident occurred in September 2016: a live load of 30 falcons was detained at Domodedovo. They tried to take the birds to the UAE using forged documents. Then the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct an investigation and identify all participants in the illegal trade in birds listed in the Red Book of Russia.

The damage from the activities of poachers and smugglers is colossal. In the same Transbaikalia, due to the supply of birds of prey to Arab countries, the population of rare Saker Falcons was on the verge of extinction: if in the 1990s about 240 individuals lived in the region, now their number has decreased to almost 100.

Natalya Borisova, head of the laboratory of ecology and systematics of animals at the Institute of General and Experimental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that in 19 years the number of Saker Falcon has decreased by 48% and, according to various estimates, ranges from 8.5 to 15 thousand pairs, which is critically small. given the huge habitat of these birds. In Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, wild falcons have been almost completely exterminated, now the same fate can befall Russia.

How to stop

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora prohibits the capture and removal of rare birds from their habitats. In 2013, at the initiative of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, criminal liability for smuggling, illegal production and trafficking of especially valuable wild animals, including falcons, was tightened. Now the criminals face up to seven years in prison with a fine of up to 2 million rubles. According to the Daursky Reserve, the illegal capture of one Saker Falcon or Peregrine Falcon is reimbursed in the amount of 600 thousand rubles, the gyrfalcon - 1.1 million rubles.

To further combat poachers and smugglers, according to Goroshko, it is necessary to work with local residents - to tell them about the scale of the threat in the event of the death of the population, to convince them not only not to help illegal hunters, but also to report them to law enforcement agencies. "We need to develop interregional cooperation, because today poachers catch birds in Buryatia, and tomorrow they are going to Transbaikalia or Altai. We have already come up with a similar initiative and are working with colleagues from Buryatia, Khakassia, Irkutsk region, Altai Territory," the scientist said.

In addition to the fact that rare birds need to be protected in principle, the moment of their importance for nature as a whole is important. Birds of prey - important element in the food chain, they control the number of rodents, act as "orderlies", hunting for weakened individuals

Natalia Borisova

Head of the Laboratory of Ecology and Systematics of Animals, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences.

Interestingly, falconry in Arab countries, which has become the main reason for smuggling, is practically not practiced in Russia itself today. "We have hunting with birds of prey - the lot of several dozen enthusiasts. It is very inconvenient to keep the birds in conditions other than rural ones. They need to be constantly flown, trained, otherwise they stagnate. A city clerk, by definition, cannot be a falconer," he said in an interview with TASS zoologist, hunting expert and writer, editor of the "Russian hunting magazine" Mikhail Krechmar.

It is doubly difficult to become a falconer in Russia, since this is hindered by legislation. "The very removal of wild birds from nature is possible only with a special permit. Activities to capture and transport them is illegal at every stage," Kretschmar emphasized. It remains to ensure that what is not allowed for the Russian hunter was not allowed for the Arab sheikh.

"In addition to the fact that rare birds need to be protected in principle, the moment of their importance for nature as a whole is important," said Natalya Borisova, a representative of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. hunting weakened individuals. Any animal is a part of nature, and when a person interferes with it uncontrollably, the balance is upset in any case and it does not lead to anything good. "

§ ABOUT FALCON HUNT

• What is falconry?
  Many modern falconers agree that falconry is "hunting for game in its (game) natural habitats with the help of specially trained (hunting) birds." There is different definitions... For example the Emperor of St. Roman. Imp. Frederick II Hohenstaufen defined falconry as an art and "Improving man in the process of catching birds and animals" (with the help of birds of prey). In his treatise On the Art of Hunting with Birds, the Emperor writes that falconry is the highest of all existing hunts. Let's not argue with him.
• Why do you need falconry?
  Falconry is necessary for people to be truly happy and understand the language of nature; to return people from hunting-consumption of nature to hunting-service. The purpose of falconry is to preserve humans as part of nature.
• How is falconry different from other hunts?
  Falconry is as unique as hunting birds, which, unlike dogs and humans, lack the instinct of obedience. The connection between the falconer and the creature is unique, which at any time can return to nature, since it can freely do without a person. And, of course, the falconer has a unique opportunity to enjoy the mesmerizing beauty of birds of prey and their flight every day.
• Where and when did falconry begin?
  There are many versions, but no one has yet solved this riddle.
• Is modern falconry different from ancient ones?
  It practically does not differ, except in poor game lands, and in the use of telemetry equipment for radio direction finding of a hunting bird.
• Can you watch falconry?
  You can watch falconry on video or in the fields - becoming a falconer, or a falconer's apprentice.
  
• How much money do you need to have to practice falconry?
  - approximate cost set of ammunition (without telemetry equipment) glove + cowl + bell + electronic scales = 5500 rubles.
  - Inexpensive telemetry equipment including a pair of sensors can be purchased for $ 800-900.
  - The price of birds depends on a number of market conditions. In 2008. the bird could be bought in the nursery for 6000-25000 rubles.
  A hunting ticket on the example of MOOiR, after passing the hunting minimum exam costs 3300 rubles, taking into account 1500 rubles of membership fees per year.
  Based on these figures, we get the cost of an average falconer launch without the price of telemetry equipment for March 2009 - 16800 rubles.
  Travel expenses to the place of flights and hunting and the cost of bivouac equipment are calculated, for obvious reasons, individually.
  Combining two or more falconers helps reduce ammunition costs.
  For example, you can purchase expensive telemetry together. The simplest details of ammunition are easy to sew on your own - a glove, an Arab "muff", an Indian cowl.
  A bell can be bought inexpensively at a fishing store, a tail cover can be made from a plastic folder, etc.
  If you do not have the means to buy a bird, then get permission to catch a goshawk, establish relations with local pigeon breeders, in whose dovecotes hawks are periodically taken in the autumn flight.

  ATTENTION!
  Never buy a bird of prey from a non-breeder! With such a purchase, you stimulate the black market, i.e. illegal traffic of falconifers.

§ ABOUT CATCHING BIRDS

• Who are “birds of prey”?
  Traditionally, the term "hunter" was understood not only as "catching", catching birds, but also birds, which in the future can be made hunters, i.e. correctly worn and caught in the process of falconry. In view of the fact that in modern falconry there are a lot of show birds and birds that "may be able to catch", and there are few birds that catch, the Section defined a bird of prey as follows:
  “A hunting bird - acquired in accordance with the current legislation, hatched, ie specially prepared for joint hunting with humans, a bird that catches game. " In other words, your hawk catches, about, or the golden eagle is a hunter, it does not catch - so far it is not a hunter.
• Will she rush at me now?
  A correctly matured bird of prey understands human actions correctly and will not show any aggression towards you. If you are not yet familiar with her, just behave politely and delicately, keep a reasonable distance, and this will insure you against conflict. For most people, wild animals, and even more so birds of prey, have become creatures from another world. Therefore, the sight of sharp claws and beak awakens subconscious fear in us. To drown out this fear, some arrows decorate the wall with a stuffed bird of prey, and you better take a closer look at a living bird of prey to understand and love it.
• What does a bird of prey think of me?
  If the bird is from a nursery, then, as a rule, she considers you to be the same bird as she herself - her sister, brother, boyfriend or girlfriend. If you help her well on her hunt, she considers you a good helper, if badly - a bad one. She may want to sleep, or hunt, or just fly, chat, swim, and even play with a ball. All this time she will be pleased to know that you are somewhere nearby.
• Is it true that birds of prey hit without missing?
  Not true. Potential prey of hunting birds knows many ways how to escape from a natural enemy. Therefore, when the gun hunter brings five to ten trophies, the falconer is happy to bring one or two.
• Is it possible to kill birds of prey?
  Definitely not, and the only exception to this rule is euthanasia for veterinary reasons. A bird of prey is as much a hunter as a person, only it gets satiated faster, does not trade, and does not create colonies hostile to nature. There are exactly as many birds of prey as this or that territory reproduced the prey available to them.
  - With proper hunting management, there is enough game in the lands for both winged and bipedal hunters.
  - Poultry, as a rule, can be protected with the help of a netting, and a well-scattered pigeon very rarely allows itself to be caught, "switching" the predator to more accessible prey.
  If you still need to get rid of the bird of prey, you can always turn to the Section's falconers, who will catch the bird for falconry and, of course, will handle it with care. Even if a catcher caught at a dovecote or poultry house is released, he most likely will not repeat his attempts to feast on your animals.
  The killing of a bird of prey cannot be justified either by the need to "regulate the number" in hunting grounds, nor by an attack on poultry in subsidiary plots and dovecotes.
• Is it possible to make a stuffed animal from a bird of prey?
  Everyone answers this question himself.
  The cult of birds of prey, closely associated with the art of falconry, has always coexisted with many cults that admit the miraculousness and special aesthetics of the remains of living beings. Admiration for the creativity of nature and the desire to preserve the outer shell of once living beings, to "resurrect" the trophy, led to the emergence of the art of taxidermy. Theoretically, you can make a stuffed animal (author's mannequin) out of anyone - a dog, a cat, a person. There are known cases of collecting dried human heads, and even (!) Making a floor lamp by an extravagant lady from the skeleton of her husband. (All this will not seem absurd if we remember about the mummy of the leader, kept in the very heart of our amazing Motherland).
  But still, of those who are dear to us, or whom we consider "one blood" with us, we do not make stuffed animals ...
• How do falconers deal with dead birds of prey?
  As a rule, they are buried, burned or fed to another hunting bird.
  The flight and rudder plumage, necessary for supporting, are often left to themselves, or given to the falconer, who now has a bird of the same species and sex as the deceased.
• How and where to get a bird for falconry?
  A bird for falconry is bought in a nursery (falcon, golden eagle, hawk), or, having received a special permit, is taken from nature (goshawk or sparrowhawk).
  In all cases, one must be a Falconer, or a Disciple, i.e. have a hunting license of the Russian Hunting Union, and be a member of the Falconry Section.
• How much does a falconry bird cost?
  At prices for the Saker Falcon in 2008 - from 6,000 to 25,000 rubles. Due to volatile supply and demand, the price of birds is volatile from year to year.
• Can I catch myself a bird?
  Yes, if you are a member of the Falconry Section of the Russian Hunting and Fishing Union and have a fishing permit, you have the right to catch a goshawk or a sparrowhawk for hunting. You cannot catch a falcon, because it would be against the law and falconer ethics.
  In any case, it would be best for you, as a falconer, not to have anything to do with catching birds of prey for as long as possible.
• Who can you hunt with birds of prey?
  On animals and birds, which are allowed to be hunted, on days open for hunting.
  V general outline, birds from thrush to black grouse, as well as white hare and hare hare can serve as objects of hunting. The choice of a hunting object depends on the nature of the grounds, the type, weight and fitness of the hunting bird, and sometimes on the case.
• Is it possible not to hunt, but just keep a bird of prey at home?
  Only if the bird cannot hunt for some reason (damage to the organs of vision, injuries that make it impossible to fly and / or capture prey). If the bird does not have such injuries, it must be prepared for the hunt as soon as possible, or given to the falconer.
• What is a bird of prey nursery?
  The Birds of Prey Nursery is a commercial enterprise producing young birds of prey. The main end consumer of the products of the nurseries is the falconer, although in some cases the nurseries participate in public and private programs for the return of young birds of prey to nature. The latter is an expensive and controversial matter.
• Do raptor nurseries help falconry development?
  The primary mission of nurseries is to meet the falconers' need for a legal bird of prey. Therefore, we can say that nurseries contribute to the development of hunting with falcons.

§ ABOUT Sokolniki

• Who is a falconer?
  The falconer is the owner of a hunting bird that catches game (a hunter with a hunting bird). This definition is directly related to the definition of "bird of prey".
  (“A bird of prey is a bird acquired in accordance with the current legislation, hatched, that is, specially prepared for joint hunting with humans, a bird that catches game.”)
• Can one be called a falconer whose bird does not catch?
  No, such a person cannot be called a falconer, but he can be called an Apprentice-falconer, i.e. the owner of a bird that does not catch game, but which he prepares for falconry. A person without a bird who is interested in falconry and the protection of birds of prey can be called a Falconer. Any Falconer whose bird has stopped catching, or if the Falconer is left without a bird for some reason (flight or death of a bird, circumstances that prevent keeping a bird of prey and hunting with it), may temporarily be in the category of Apprentices-Falconers and Amateurs.
• Is it hard to be a falconer?
  Becoming a falconer means changing your lifestyle and changing yourself. Almost every day, the falconer needs to take care of his bird and train it. The success of the bird comes first. Being a falconer is difficult, but it is even more difficult to stop practicing falconry.
• What qualities should a falconer have?
  The falconer must be endowed with:
  - Love for hunting birds and passion for hunting with them.
  - The ability to enjoy the beauty of nature.
  - Respect for game, birds of prey, dogs, horses and good people.
  - Self-discipline and curiosity.
  - Patience and a sense of humor.
  - Health, or the desire to improve it.
• How many falconers are there in Russia and in the World?
  In Russia there are about 15 Sokolniki and 200 Pupils-falconers, in the World there are about 20,000 Sokolnikov.
• What are the rights of the falconer?
  The falconer is endowed with all constitutional civil rights, plus the privilege of hunting with a bird of prey and serving the development and strengthening of falconry.
• Who is a poacher?
  Falconry - hunting with birds of prey is an art that combines nature, humans and the falconry community through a bird of prey.
  A poacher is a person who damages any aspect of falconry (nature, falconers and falconry as a cultural phenomenon) in order to gain profit.
  In the traditional sense, a poacher is a participant in the illegal traffic and / or sale and purchase of live and dead falconids, their eggs, or body parts. This means that all organizers of the preparation and sale of traffic, from the manufacturer of fishing gear and transport ammunition, to the receiving party, participants in the evacuation and "washing" of the bird, are poachers in the eyes of the falconers. In fairness, the so-called. The “legal” removal of winged predators from nature for the purpose of selling or exchanging them is also not far from poaching. First, “lawful” very often means simply having a high patron, i.e. the opportunity in one way or another to justify before the law and colleagues in the shop the capture of birds, the removal of chicks, or eggs. Traditional poaching should be equated with two more forms of harm by falconers and falconry:
  - Direct involvement in catching falconifers and posting in the media (Internet, TV, radio, press) materials containing information on methods and equipment for catching falconifers, and / or propaganda of poaching in a latent and explicit form.
• What is the harm of poaching?
  The harm of poaching is that it:
  - Gives falconers and society an example of an unpunished cynical attitude towards birds of prey and falconry, i.e. it is a humiliation of falconry and a temptation for budding falconers.
  - Discredits falconers and falconry, depriving falconer projects of the prospects for obtaining public and private sponsorship.
  - Displaces the soul from a person (it is not for nothing that during the heyday of Asian falconry, the sale of a bird was equated with the sale of one's own soul).
• Can you stop being a poacher?
  In youth it is possible, but with age it becomes more difficult. Catchers continue to fish, even if they do not receive the same money, during the fishing season, seasonal withdrawal begins, the rest of the time in a narrow circle - the same nostalgic conversations, in a word, all the symptoms of a severe addiction, including accusing others of even greater mortal sins, romanticizing fishing, talking about "everyone is doing it," and so on. From the "catcher syndrome", as well as from other poaching ailments, one can cure only by practical falconry and participation in projects for its development. After all, a good falconer and poaching, like genius and villainy, are incompatible things.
• What should a falconer not do?
  In order not to be mistaken about “what is good and what is bad,” there are Rules that we checked with you before writing an application to the Falconry Section. Violation of these rules, in particular, leads to harm to nature, falconry and other falconers.
• How to become a falconer?
  - To join the Falconry Hunting Section of the MSOO MOOiR of the Rosokhotrybolovsoyuz system.
  - Comply with the Rules and Regulations of the Section.
  - Learn to read methodological literature and consult an experienced falconer.
  - Prepare everything you need to keep the bird and hunt with it.
  - Purchase a bird and prepare it for the hunt (make it a hunter).
  - Hunt independently and participate in Section hunts.
• Do falconers need to unite?
  Certainly!
  Disunity leads to the fact that bypassing the common experience, everyone has to "reinvent the wheel". This is an unreasonably long journey, which greatly reduces the "hunting practice" and often leads away from falconry.
  A falconer today is not only a person whose bird catches, but above all a person who helps falconry in its development: teaches, shares experience, keeps beginners from mistakes and non-falconry actions. To flaunt that you can do everything and can do without the help of a falconer association is, at the very least, bad form.
  Students need you! Where, if not from the association, will the students come to you, an experienced falconer, who in the future will be your continuation and glorify your school?
  
• Why do falconers need a Falconry Section in the MOOiR?
  MOOiR is a worthy, serious assistant for the implementation of the legal right of falconers to hunt with birds of prey.
  Thanks to the work of the Section, falconers will be able not only to regularly hunt in good lands, conduct falconry courses, but also by putting things in order “in their garden”, systematically improve hunting laws, regulations and rules.
  (!) What is especially important, the Section will allow to return falconry to the correct hunting channel.