NY Falconer - New York State Falconry Association

NY Falconer
Newsletter of the New York State Falconry Association
Winter 2006
President's Report
Falconry, East & West
New York falconers
across the country
Top: At the NAFA meet in Utah,
Jim Webber, John Kellerman and Bill
Deckert celebrate yet another successful
hunt by John’s red-tail.
Bottom: Mario Didomenico and Mike Farley
show off their matching Finnish goshawks
at the NYSFA meet in the Catskills.
It’s the third week of January as I
write this, and it seems like hunting
season is suddenly over. Two weeks ago,
Squeaky, my first-year passage red-tail,
had just turned onto squirrels, nailing
two in one week. But now this stretch
of record warm weather has melted all
the snow. Voles are running around like
kids playing hooky and Squeaky just
can’t ignore his role as truant officer. So
it’s time to reflect on some of the more
positive events of this season.
The NYSFA meet in the Catskills
was a huge success. We had the highest
attendance yet, with most falconers
seeming to like their rooms,
meals, and social events in
one place. We expanded to
two nights of programs
that featured two excellent
speakers and recordbreaking raffles.
Thanks to all the
vendors and members who
contributed items. And to
those who bought the
raffle tickets. Alan Scott
deserves exceptional
gratitude for collecting all
the raffle items. Response
was favorable to having
ticket-targeted raffle items
rather than the first-come, first-choice
semi-chaos of previous years.
The meet was so successful that
Gino has already made reservations at
the Friar Tuck for 2006. Be sure to set
aside Nov. 10-12 for more falconry fun.
My daughter Carrie and I flew out
to the NAFA meet in Utah during
Thanksgiving week. We were met there
by a substantial NY contingency.
Squeaky was flown free for the first
time and seemed confused by the wideopen spaces and lack of perches. Tom
Lowe, Gene Butta and John Kellerman
were much more successful, however,
with their hawks nailing several
cottontails and jackrabbits.
Carrie and a hastily chosen partner
won the women-only telemetry hunt
sponsored by Marshall. They found all
five transmitters in 1.5 hours. The
closest competitors had found only
three or four of the transmitters when
the two-hour time limit expired. Carrie
contends that no respectable falconer
would want to be known as wellpracticed in telemetry.
This warm weather is making me
think of the upcoming NYSFA picnic
on May 20 at Green Chimneys. This is
an outstanding event where falconers can
interact with the public at a fund-raising
program for troubled children. If you’ve
never attended, you’ve been missing an
outstanding event.
Speaking of which, a program
called “Animal Precinct” on the Animal
Planet channel was on TV at the auto
shop when I was getting the oil changed
in my truck. It seems that some vandals
had killed a breeding pair of swans in a
public park. The eggs were rescued by
police and brought to…Paul Kupchok.
The oil change took long enough for me
to see the successful hatching of several
of the eggs and hear Paul discuss bird
care. NYSFA is certainly fortunate to have
Paul as one of its ambassadors.
— Jim Webber
Vice President’s Report
Thanks for a great state meet
Hi everyone!
First, I would like to thank
Gino Altimari for doing a great job
hosting our meet. I am looking
forward to this year’s meet with
Gino again. I would also like to
thank Jim Webber’s wife Nancy
and Diane Williams for the work
Ready to fly
Paul Kupchok’s gyr-peregrine seems to enjoy the sunshine
in the weathering yard at the NYSFA field meet.
they did to help make our meet
a success. While a lot of us
where out hawking and having
a good time, they were working
the registration table.
I would also like to thank
Alan Scott for the geat raffle
items he gets for us each year. It
takes alot of phone calls and
letters to get the amount of
raffle items he gets. Great work,
Alan! I would also like to thank
Peter Capainolo and Andrew
Barnes for taking the time to
entertain and educate us.
Thanks to all of you who
attended the meet. It’s the time
and effort that we see here that
makes a club that everyone is
proud to be a member of. Let’s
keep it going ! I hope all of
you had a happy holiday season
and a successful hunting
season so far. I have been very
busy. Right after our meet I
was getting ready for a trip to
the NAFA meet in Utah,
training my new German
shorthair pointer (Grappa),
2006 dues are due
This is a reminder to those of you who
have not yet paid your club dues for 2006.
The dues helps cover the costs associated in
sending this newsletter, the Mews News, and
holding the annual field meet.
Please send your $20 to Diane Williams
1123 Route 38, Locke, NY 13092.
Thanks!
page 2
taking care of my business, and
waiting for my first grandchild,
who is due in March (my little girl
is all grown up, I’m too young to
be a grandpa.) The weather down
on the Island has been fair
and I even had a chance to get
one of my bikes out for a ride.
The Long Island crew has
been getting out hawking as
much a possible. John K. and
Cam K. went to the Pennsylvania
meet. The Long Island Club is
having a meet on Feb. 18 & 19.
I hope all of you responded
to the FWS’s changes in the
regulations governing raptor
propagation. If you are a breeder
or would like to someday become
one, keep an eye on this. There
are already enough regulations
governing our sport. Do we
really need more? While attending the NAFA meet, we heard
from George Allen on the
current status of the proposed
federal regulations. There were
more questions then he had
answers. This is very serious and
definitely needs our attention.
If you’re not a NAFA
member, please join. It’s our
voice to the FWS. When they ask
for comments on proposed
changes, respond – don’t sit back
and hope someone else does it
for you. Enough said!
Enjoy the rest of the season
and hope to see you soon.
– Bill Deckert
Director at Large Reports
Game pins encourage participation
Meet Pins: Due to an error by the vendor,
the 2005 design was used for the mugs, but the
2004 design was reused on the meet pins. To avoid
a repeat of these problems the 2006 pins have
already been ordered so it won’t be a last-minute
deal again. This vendor is a friend of a member
and we get a very large price break for both the
Long Island and NYSFA projects.
Game Pins: We have also ordered a new
supply of game pins. At the 2005 meet we
initiated a miscellaneous game pin in addition to
the regular game pin. We all know there are times
a bird will fill up on voles before you get a decent
flush on game. The important thing is that you get
out and fly your bird. I think the Game Pin
Program promotes that.
A dozen years ago, those that flew birds at a
meet were outnumbered by those that didn’t. That
has changed. This year’s quarry count was 4 cottontails, 7 squirrels, 2 pheasants and 1 vole.
Directors Report: Herm Altmann and Diane
Williams have been gracious enough to host three
meets in recent years, in addition to helping to run
the club. Several times during those meets, I stopped
by Herm’s house and met his son, Herm Jr. Although not a falconer, he picked up a lot
of knowledge from his Dad – as was evident when
he gave me a tour of his Dad’s facilities. Herm Jr.
passed away in November. Herm and Diane, we are
very sorry for your loss.
– Tom Lowe
Will higher license fee hurt our sport?
Hello from Central New York. I got a late start
on the season up here. I did manage to get my
Harris hawk going and get a few days out before the
weather turned really cold and snowy. After that
finding game was really tough going. Now that it has
warmed up and everything is moving, I find myself
waiting for my license from the USFWS.
That $100 fee really had an impact on me. I’m
living off my monthly retirement and my wife has
gone back to college full time, so we are living on a
tight budget at this time. Unfortunately I had to
send in my license fee later in the month for that
reason. When the USFWS proposed the increase to
$100, I wrote a letter pleading with them to reconsider. I feel people on fixed incomes as well as young
people would be greatly affected by that increase.
Now that the fee has become a reality it will be
interesting to see what the statistics show. I think
over the next few years we are going to see a
decrease in apprentice falconers nationwide.
There will be some out there who will be
grinning from ear to ear when they read those
statistics. Anti-hunting and animal rights groups will
have gained more ground in the war on “all” kinds
of hunting sports. We as falconers should have
never let that one slide by. I wonder where it’s all
going to end. How many more fees and regulations
can we absorb before falconers give up the sport
completely?
In closing I would like to ask you all a question.
How many people do you know or have you heard
of that did not renew their license this year because
of the $100 fee? I say, repeal it. – Dave Schaub Sr.
Gimme
shelter
Bill Deckert’s
Harris finds a
good spot to
get out of the
wind during the
NAFA meet in
Vernal, Utah.
page 3
Director at Large Report
New Yorkers invade Pennsylvania
Well, I just got back from the Pennsylvania
meet held in Centerville, near Lancaster. I attended
the meet with NYSFA members Cam Keaster and
Carl Engel. Speaking for myself, I think we had a
good time. The game was abundant, with the three
of us taking a total of five squirrels and all of us
coming home with our birds.
It didn’t look like that, however, when my
peregrine took off after a flight on some ducks
Saturday afternoon. After I located the bird he came
right to the lure and the day ended on a good note. I
believe 89 people attended the meet with 25 rabbits,
13 squirrels, one pheasant and a sparrow being
taken. The sparrow was taken with a female kestrel
flown by Rich Heister. Rich flew a merlin two years
back and took 74 starlings with her before he
released her in the spring. He attributes his success
with that merlin to Carrie Webber, who showed him
how to hunt with her.
Here on Long Island, my redtail is laid up
with what appears to be some sort of respiratory
infection, so the rabbits are safe for the next two
weeks at least. Sonny has been taking rabbits with
his Harris hawks. Tom Lowe has been out in the
field – I know this because I saw the two nice
pheasants he got in one morning’s hunt.
Cam’s knees are getting better every day, so I
know we’ll see a lot more of him in the field
although sometimes I think I see enough of him
anyway, but that’s another story .
Having attended three meets recently, speaking
with a number of falconers, and reading articles in the
Hawk Chalk, it appears that no matter what we do,
some falconers are going to lose birds. This may be
due to equipment failure, health and injury problems,
or not being able to recover a bird after a flight.
I think falconers should keep in mind that Mr.
Murphy (of Murphy’s Law) lurks around every
corner and if something can go wrong it will. As
falconers, we should strive to be the best we can be.
That means paying attention to detail, whether it be
the condition of our equipment, the health and
wefare of our birds, or the conditions we are flying
in, ito prevent a regrettable incident. Sometimes
things are going to happen no matter what we do,
but if we do all the things that are required of us,
maybe we can keep Mr. Murphy at bay.
– John Kellermann
New York State Falconry Association, Inc.
Treasurer’s Report – June to December 2005
Checking Account – Citizens Bank
Beginning Balance, June 27, 200 ................... $5,417.55
Income
Dues 2005 ..................................................... 1,000.00
Dues 2006 ........................................................ 100.00
Merchandise sales ........................................... 125.50
Receipts 2005 meet ...................................... 5,570.00
Raffle ............................................................. 1,785.00
Total Income ................................................... $8,580.50
At the NYSFA meet
Corrado Vasquez and his Harris hawk enjoy
the balmy November weather.
Expenses
Initial check order ................................................ 75.17
Printing 2003 Mews News ............................. 1,198.75
Postage 2003 Mews News ............................... 198.67
Meet Pins .......................................................... 350.00
Mugs ................................................................. 410.75
Meet Expenses ................................................. 490.01
(Friar Tuck deposit, postage, materials)
Hospitality Items 2005 Meet ............................... 94.08
Hotel Bill Friar Tuck ........................................ 4,384.18
Total Expenses ................................................ $7,201.61
Ending Balance, December 30, 2005 ............. $6,796.44
Submitted by Diane Williams, January 30, 2006
page 4
Director at Large Report
Game competition up north
I hope by the time you read this you will be out
there hunting with your new bird or old bird having
the time of your life.
I can honestly say that I have not seen a local
falconer since the season started, so I have nothing
really to report on.
The northern boys have hosted two mini-meets
this year. Unfortunately I was not able to attend
them. I’m hoping we can have one more before the
season ends because these guys are a lot of fun to
hunt with. I hear through the grapevine that Rick
West and Chris Gould are having a contest to see
who gets the most kills this year (this should be
interesting). I also hear that Ken Aubin is having a
Annual Green
Chimneys event to
honor Von Schilgen
“Wings and a Prayer
Bird of Prey Day” at
Green Chimneys will be
held on Saturday, May 20.
Each year, thousands of
visitors travel to Putnam
County for this annual
event.
Falconers are invited
to bring their birds and interact with the public. It’s
an opportunity to educate people about falconry and
build some good “PR” for the sport. It’s also a lot
of fun to see your fellow falconers in the off-season.
This year’s festivities will honor Chris von
Schilgen of the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation Special Licensing Unit.
Chis is retiring after 35 years with DEC. He has
been an asset and a resource for falconers and
wildlife rehabilitators, always attending our field
meets, symposiums, and workshops. Come to Green
Chimneys his year and let him know how much he is
appreciated.
The day also will feature a picnic for NYSFA
members.
If you have questions about the event, contact
Paul Kupchok at pkupchock@greenchimneys.org or
check out the Web site at www.greenchimneys.org.
great time barn hawking his kestrel and getting
pigeons
The annual meet hosted by Gino was a good
time and there seemed to be a larger turnout than
normal. The raffle table was one of the best we
have ever had, setting a new club record with
$1,760 (I hope we can beat it next year). It was
nice to see that two of the vendors, Roy Frock
and Mike Dupuy, attended our meet. I hope they
had a great time and will return in the future.
As for me, I am having the time of my life.
Ice is having a great year on squirrels, getting
doubles on almost every trip. She has killed the
first squirrel we have encountered most times
within minutes of leaving the truck and then has
gotten one on the way back out. No turkey flights
as of yet ,but I expect that will come real soon
now that there’s snow on the ground.
Well, I hope everyone has a great new year.
— Alan Scott
Board members sought
The time has come to nominate candidates for
the NYSFA Board of Directors.
The two-year terms begin in January 2007.
A mail-ballot election will be held after the NYSFA
annual meet in November. If you are interested in
serving on the board or need more information,
please call Jim Webber at 518-875-9081 or e-mail
yarak12065@yahoo.com.
Current NYSFA Officers
President .............................. Jim Webber
Vice President .................... Bill Deckert
Secretary ........................ Diane Williams
Treasurer ....................... Diane Williams
Region 1 ....................................... Vacant
Region 2 ....................................... Vacant
Region 3 .......................... Carrie Webber
Region 4 .............................. Brian Bunce
Region 5 ................................ Jim Bonelli
At Large ................................. Alan Scott
At Large ................................ Tom Lowe
At Large .................................. Rick West
At Large ............................ Dave Schaub
At Large ....................... John Kellerman
page 5
Director Report: District 3
Northern hawkers take squirrels
Home on
the range
Carrie Webber in
Utah with Twiggy,
her sharp-shinned
hawk.
Hawking season is in full swing in northern
New York, where falconers have to brave tough
terrain and even tougher temperatures to get
something to scurry out under their hawks. Even
finding slips for my
female sharpy has been
difficult, so she has been
put up to molt under the
grow lamp in hopes that
she will be ready in time
for the sparrow smorgasbord in the spring. I’m
telling you, nothing
makes those ubiquitous
starlings and sparrows
disappear like trying to
find them.
In November, my
father (El Presidente)
and I flew out to Utah
for the NAFA meet.
Despite my worries
about putting my little
hawk in the cargo hold, the trip proved relatively
painless, and we arrived at the meet much more
rested than we have in past years.
We met up with Bill Deckert, Tom Lowe, John
Kellerman, who had driven halfway across the
country. Yet, as always, they were rarin’ to go and
hunt down those jackrabbits. Other New Yorkers
that showed up were Leigh Foster and his wife,
Amy; Gene Butta and his dad; and Anthony
Giardenelli. I spent a lot of time with the rabbit
hawkers. It was just nice walking through the
ruggedly beautiful landscape, with nothing but
Wildlife
education
Jim Webber
explains falconry
(and the way New
Yorkers drive) to a
Utah state trooper
on Thanksgiving
Day. Jim was
thankful to get off
with a warning.
page 6
sagebrush and sandstone cliffs stretching out to the
mountains on the horizon.
There were plenty of jacks and cottontails, and
no thorns or brush to fight through. The rabbits
would just pop out of the sagebrush and run to the
nearest hole in a cliff for cover. I managed to get
some flights on California quail with the sharpie. She
didn’t connect with any, but she gave it a good
effort, once ending up in a stream up to her chest.
Up here in the Northern Directorate, squirrels
seem to be the quarry of choice. Dave Giardenelli is
back to slaying the critters with his female red-tail,
Mariposa. Dave Kollar is in his fifth season with his
big 49-ounce red-tail, catching lots of squirrels and
the occasional rabbit when it can be found. He and a
group of his apprentices meet on a regular basis to
hunt with their redtails: John Leweck with his thirdseason male, Sara Unger with her second-season
female, and Rob Day with his new female.
Dave also reports that his sponsor, Mike
Cornell, is hunting squirrels with a female goshawk.
Jeff and Richele Ford are hunting squirrels with
their red-tails.
Ed Hepp is flying his Finnish goshawk and
catching rabbits in his homemade rabbit habitat. He
has been building his own brush piles on his
property. Not a bad idea. He is also flying his female
gyr and thinking about geese. Zach Bristol is flying
his male red-tail again this year. He also has a new
gyr x peregrine male. He got a kite and all the
accessories for Christmas, and he is planning on
teaching the bird to get some height. It will be
interesting to hear how it goes.
Well, that’s the news for now. I hope all of you
have a great season!
— Carrie Webber
Indoor activities
The raffle at the NYSFA field meet has always been
popular, but this year an outstanding assortment of
prizes (collected by Alan Scott) resulted in a record
benefit of $1,785 for the club.
Vendors, some of them NYSFA members, also
displayed their wares.
Left: Mike Weston carefully doles out his raffle
tickets.
Below: Gino Altimari’s handmade hoods make an
impressive display.
Vendors who contributed to the 2005 NYSFA Meet
Barbara Armstrong
Hal Webster
Sundowner Custom Leather
Jeff Alkire
DB Scientific
Mike Syring
NAFA
Roy Frock
Chris Comeaux
Roy DeWitt
Northwoods Ltd.
Rina Foley
Western Sporting Publication
Linda Parkinson
Northwest Gamebirds
Paul Domski
Larry Counce
Minnesota Falconers
LL Electronics
International Falconry
Karl Shank
Communication Specialists
Becky Brunotte
Ducks Unlimited
Jon Darpino
Bass Pro Shop
Sampo Div.
Falconry Hoods International
Noah Schroeder
Greg Thomas
Mike Dupuy Hawk Food
NYS falconers who contributed to the raffle
Heinz Meng
Geoff Ford
Donna Mitchell
Mike Schwartz
Jason Schaeffer
Carl Gutwein
Carl Engle
Gino Altimari
Dave Ruger
Jim Bonelli
Peter Devers
Mike & Patty Weston
Sonny Squiciarino
Paul Kupchok & Green Chimneys
page 7
Director Report: District 4
Apprentices from Connecticut
Hello from snowbound
Region 4.
I had a great time this year at
the meet. Every one I spoke with
had a great time. My girlfriend,
Norine, and her son, Shaun, had
so much fun seeing all the birds
and talking to people they had just
met. We stopped by Dan Smyth’s
house on the way home from the
meet and gave him the shirt you
all signed. Dan would like to thank
all of you who signed the shirt for
thinking of him.
As a lot of you know, I have
two apprentices from Connecticut.
We went up on the ridge and had
a lot of fun trapping. These two
guys had to go through so much
red tape just to do what a lots of
us take for granted. It has made
me really look at what it means to
sponsor someone. But also it has
sharpened my skills as a falconer.
Bob Erickson has also taken on an
apprentice from Connecticut. If
no one else thanks you, Bob, I do.
I haven’t had much time to
talk to a lot of you guys and girls;
I spent way too much time on the
ridge (along with Bob Erickson
and Jamie Reed), working with the
Connecticut falconers, and getting
them birds. Then with deer
hunting and the job, my time just
slipped by. I will work harder to
talk to a lot more of you and get
up to date on what’s going on in
the falconry world around me.
As for myself, my snowy owl
is driving me nuts. When he feels
like it he will work with me, fly to
me and maybe land on my fist.
But most of the time he walks, it’s
hard to get him to fly to me, and
he just screams at me. I will keep
trying, though. Anyone with some
insight on training imprinted
snowy owls, call me!
– Brian Bunce
2004-2005 Mews News is coming soon!
No weather for a snowy owl
Norine Collodel cools off Brian Bunce’s
snowy owl at the NYSFA meet, where
temperatures soared into the 70’s.
NYS Falconry Association
PO Box 2322
Albany, NY 12210
Several interesting articles have come into our hilltop editorial
office and all members should receive their copies before May 1.
If you have any good falconry-related photos, please send them to
the editor. Digital or scanned photos can be e-mailed to
nan.webber@att.net. Prints can be mailed to NYSFA, PO Box 2322,
Albany, NY 12210.