Falconers looking for hunting land

The Oklahoma Falconers Association (OFA) is hoping Woodward area citizens will get involved and help show some hospitality as the organization hosts the North American Falconer’s Association (NAFA) 2009 field meet next week.

“We need some land,” said Dave Stevens, a falconer from Texhoma who is both a OFA and NAFA member.

Stevens said that the success of the event, set for Nov. 23 through Nov. 27, depends on how much land is made available to the falconers, who need the land to hunt on.

“We’re anxious to sign up as much (land) as we can,” he said.

The more land that is available, the more hunting opportunities that are available to the falconers which makes for a more enjoyable experience.

Having plenty of hunting areas is “critical,” Stevens said because some areas might not have much game, especially since “in the Woodward area, we’re suffering from a coyote boon right now, so game levels are unpredictable.”

“We’re looking for all small game: cottontail, jack rabbits, squirrels, quail, chickens, ducks and pheasants,” Stevens said.

All sizes of land are welcome, he said, noting that some of the predatory birds need more room to hunt than others.

For example, he said short-wing birds like hawks, which hunt mainly ground game, can hunt in smaller areas. However, the longwing birds like falcons that hunt ducks and other winged quarry need more room because they have to climb high into the air, sometimes up to 1,000 feet, as they look for prey, he said.

Stevens’ friend and fellow falconer Jeremy Bradshaw noted that the best type of land for falconry is one that offers “mixed habitat” so that hunters who may have both a falcon and a hawk and want to use both to hunt different quarry can do so on the same land.

However, both Stevens and Bradshaw said that the organization is looking for any and all land that area landowners would be willing to open to hunters.

“We need an endless amount, as much of the county as we can get,” Stevens said. “And not just Woodward County, but surrounding counties, even a four or five county area, because they’ll drive an hour or two to hunt.”

Stevens added that landowners who offer their land to other hunters can still open their land to the falconers.

“Just because they lease to deer hunters doesn’t mean they can’t offer assistance to us,” he said, noting “We do not have to compete with deer hunters, because we’ll mainly be out in open fields while deer hunters keep to the edges.”

Landowners also do not have to open their land for all five days of the meet, Stevens said, noting they will appreciate it even if they can open land “one day

Providing land for these hunters and ensuring they have a good time is important to the Woodward area economy, Stevens said.

“We have about 400 families descending on Woodward this Sunday,” he said.

These families will be coming not only from around the country, but also from Canada and Mexico as it is the North American Falconer’s Association, he said.

There will also be falconers from Europe, Asia, Africa attending the event, he said, noting “it is a truly international event.”

“We even have a New Zealand falconer who’s going to be here,” he said.

All these falconers and their families will mean a tremendous economic boost for the community, Stevens said, noting it will bring an additional $350,000 to $500,000 to area businesses.

Not only will the hotels and restaurants be “packed” with these visitors, but he said that all sorts of businesses will be benefited.

For example, Stevens said that attendees of the NAFA field meets receive a meet flyer each year that features a different falconry design. Several falconers collect these meet flyers and will patronize local framing shops to have the flyers framed immediately to ensure their safety before going home.

Also, Stevens said a number of falconers will be driving long distances and may need to have their cars services while in town.

In addition, he said that while the falconers, both men and women, are out hunting their spouses and families will be in town shopping and taking advantage of recreational opportunities.

But what’s even better than the fact that these families will be bringing in all that money this Thanksgiving is that they could be doing it again in another six years, Stevens said.

“The Oklahoma Falconers Association has been awarded the 2015 meet and it will be here or Guymon,” he said, noting that “Guymon is spending a fair amount to woo them.”

“The event won’t come back here if we don’t find plenty of land,” Stevens said.

Beyond opening land up to the falconers, community members can also get involved in the meet by visiting the meet headquarters at the Northwest Inn next week. There will be a weathering yard near the hotel where the birds will be open for public viewing during the daylight hours whenever they are resting from hunting.

In addition to just getting a close up look at the birds, Stevens said the public can visit with falconers and learn about the birds and the sport of falconry.

“School teachers should be bringing their whole classrooms out there to learn about the birds,” he said.

The public can even accompany some of the falconers out into the field to see the birds in action as the falconers will be leaving from the weathering yard constantly with their birds, Stevens said.

For example, he said a falconer may bring two birds, take one out hunting in the morning and then put him in the weathering yard and take the other one out in the afternoon. Visitors to the weathering yard should just feel free to talk with the falconers and ask about joining in a hunt if they are interested.

“Only about one in 15 falconers will say no because their birds may be a little hinky about having other people around,” Stevens said, noting that for the most part, the falconers agree “the more the merrier.”

To offer land for the falconers to use, simply call Stevens at (252) 725-4455. If you are unable to reach Stevens, call Debbie Hickman at the Woodward Tourism and Convention Bureau at (580) 256-9990. Just leave your name and contact information with Hickman and Stevens said someone from the organization will get in touch with you about the land and about any instructions you may have about where the hunters can and cannot go.

Stevens noted that the falconers are a respectful group of hunters who “know how to shut a gate.”

“We’re not a rowdy group of hunters; there’s no guns, no alcohol, no throwing trash out of vehicles,” he said, noting that often “falconers reciprocate” landowners’ generosity, taking landowners out to dinner or inviting them to the big banquet at the end of the field meet.

“We want to participate with them, not just hunt their land, but get to know them,” Stevens said, noting that “many farmers will make lifelong friends out of this and when it comes back in 2015, they can see each other again.”

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