NOV 2020 Update
Utah Falconers, It's Great seeing so many out hunting, training, and flying! Hope your season is going as expected. UFA Board wanted to send a quick hello, and an update on what we have been up to. We have wanted to put together a 4 day Meet. And honestly, for the most part, is planned. However we are hesitant to commit with the current Covid restrictions. We could move forward, but if we do commit and things need to be cancelled, the funds needed to commit wouldn't be recoverable. Trying to keep the best interest of the Club in mind, it would be a tough hit financially. What we would like to do instead, is look into doing a couple 1 day shindigs. They are MUCH easier to plan and coordinate. And the financial side is nearly nothing. As we draw nearer to the new year, dates, places, and times will be sent to you. We would like to have these plans finalized and to you mid December. I hate to say such short notice, but we do need to keep Covid, and those restrictions in mind. A couple items of Club Business. 1. It looks like a Rule Rewrite is on the DWR Calender, and slated to start late in 2021. 2. January of 2021 will be an election for the following positions. President Treasurer Apprentice Coordinator All will proceed as outlined in the Bylaws. As that draws nearer, we will have the nomination period outlined, and updated. Also the voting timeframe sent to you. Watch your emails for any updated information. Just as a reminder while you are going out during the holiday season to keep your license on hand and if you are trapping to do the same. Happy Hawking,
AUG 2020 Update
Find Out More With the season right around the corner, we wanted to remind everyone to do a thorough gear check. Check out your bird’s anklets closely. If they are hard/crusty/haven't been greased/oiled in a while, change them before ever leaving the mews! Are your bells still ringing clear and loud? When was the last time you changed your telemetry batteries (transmitter AND receiver)? Did you sit on a hood on accident during the offseason? Did it get damaged? Check over everything! If you need some help, don't hesitate to ask. We have a Club full of talent, and experience. Most are willing to lend a hand. But make sure you get the season started with good, strong furniture.To expand a little more regarding telemetry, here’s a good bit of advice I got a few seasons ago, after a hard lesson. A new battery is cheaper than a new bird. When your bird is out weathering, might as well put a transmitter on it.And last.. A simple math problem. If you can't afford a transmitter, you probably can't afford a vet visit. I'm not saying falconry is a rich man’s sport. But I am saying put your bird—and it's well being—first. That takes proper equipment, and doctor visits (when necessary). Often a receiver can be borrowed. With so many transmitter options and prices, there is no excuse for not having telemetry. We have options locally with Marshall, our neighbors to the north in Merlin Telemetry as well as LL Electronics and a few creative falconers tinkering with their own transmitters like the Cheap Beep Project. I would consider acquiring a transmitter a requirement for anyone getting a new bird! Only fly birds you wish to lose without a transmitter!A note of business. UFA Board has been discussing events. We have a number of 1/2 day Apprentice Workshops, and 1 days get togethers (Rabbit Round up/Southern Slam). We have been discussing combining these into a 2-3 day meet. Locations like St George, Tremonten, Nephi/Delta areas. Each of these areas can provide opportunities for Micro fliers, Short wings,Long wings, Broad wings. Naturally the Board would be open to other areas and suggestions, after all...This is YOUR Club. There is a survey on the Club website. Please log in and vote. If we get enough interest, we will gladly move forward.Also keep in mind. In Jan, the office of President and Apprentice Coordinator will be open and an election will be held. At the appropriate time, a call for nominations will be given, and a proper election be held. Russ and I had a conversation a few days ago, I asked if there was any message he would like relayed to our Club members. This is from him.2020 Falconry Program updatesCOVID-19 moves falconry online (partly) – In an effort to keep the program going during the pandemic, we continue to try to reduce the need for in-person visits to UDWR offices. Before the pandemic hit we were moving to put falconry paperwork processes, such as the raptor capture reports, online. Now we’ve even more reason to do so. We’re getting support to move even more online, and we’ll update the website with these changes as we finish them up. But as everything takes longer now, this won’t happen overnight.Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (or RHD) has been documented in domestic production facilities and now in wild rabbits in Utah from several locations. It is believed to be spreading widely. We ask falconers to be extremely cautious transporting rabbits to or from the field, and to remain vigilant for this potential game-changer. Please report sick or dead rabbits to our DWR veterinarian Annette Roug at: 801-589-3448, aroug@utah.gov More information can be found at: https://ag.utah.gov/farmers/animal-industry/animal-health-program/rabbit-hemorrhagic-disease/We want to wish our Falconry Program administrator / biologist Josee Seamons good luck in his new position. He came to work with us over a year ago and was instrumental in helping the program catch up on paperwork and decrease our request turn-around time. We will be re-filling his position soon.-RussThank you for all your contributions. We hope you have a successful start to the 2020-2021 season. Happy Hawking
Summer Update 2020
Hello all!
First, we had an incredibly successful apprentice workshop. We’d like to issue a huge thank you to Ben Woodruff and Ted Doman for teaching apprentices how to make a trap and make their own jesses / anklets. Also a thank you to Jeremiah Bagby for donating some of the supplies for the traps. We have two more upcoming events this summer:
We are excited to finalize the detailed for our next apprentice workshop, which will focus on telemetry.
When: 9AM – 12PM, July 25
Where: Marshall Radio Telemetry Headquarters
Address: 845 W. Center Street, North Salt Lake, 84054
What to expect: We will have the opportunity to tour one of the premiere falconry telemetry companies in the world. Marshall pioneered the GPS technology now used by both educators and falconers around the world. We will also be having a raffle focused for apprentices. If you need basic falconry equipment – gloves, jesses, leashes, etc., this is the raffle for you. As per Salt Lake City regulations, please bring and wear a facemask. Lunch will not be provided.
RSVP?: Yes, on the utahfalconers.com website, so we can have a head count. You can also purchase Raffle tickets ahead of time at $.50 per ticket when RSVPing. You can also purchase raffle tickets on site for $1 per ticket.
Second, we are also excited to finalize details for our annual Eyass Barbecue.
When: 5-8 PM, August 1
Where: Margaret Wines Park
Address: 100 E 600 N St, Lehi, UT 84043
What to Expect: BARBECUE FOOD TRUCK! Due to Covid 19, UFA Board has decided for NOT do a potluck for the Eyass BBQ. We felt it best to have a local business, with the proper food permits and licenses. Smoking Roadside Grill will be there serving up barbecue. Let’s get together at the end of the summer / start of the falconry season and share what birds we will be flying, enjoy some good food, making connections, address any Club business, and participate in another raffle. This is always a successful barbecue and we look forward to seeing you!
RSVP?: Yes, on the utahfalconers.com website, with a $5 registration fee that will include your first plate from Smoking Roadside Grill. Included in the registration fee is 5 raffle tickets to use as well. You can purchase more raffle tickets upon arrival.
We are hoping to see you at one or both of these exciting events! Happy hawking!
Spring Newsletter 2020
Hey there Utah Falconer, Hope this email finds you well, and excited about the coming hunting season. UFA Board has been chatting about several things, and we wanted to make you aware of the coming events for the rest of the year. To start, Apprentice workshops. We are rolling with the tide on this one. As soon as this virus business settles a bit we will set a date and get that planned. A few topics we want to focus on 1. Anklets and Jesses, leashes 2. Trapping, B.C and Dho Gazza. 3. Telemetry. If there is an interesting in helping educate a future Falconer, please let us know. Another item is creating a Recovery Team. When we get information about a Hawk, or Falcon that has been seen with Falconry gear on, we would like a small list of people we can get in touch with that can verify, trap, get some more reliable information. If we can, to trap the bird, hopefully reunite with it's handler, if not get the gear off and turn it loose. Hoping to get 2-3 in the Ogden area, 3-4 in the Salt lake area, and another 3-4 in the Utah county area. For more information contact Craig Boren, Krista Edwards, Ted Doman, or Spencer Bennett. Of course we have the Eyass BBQ. Keep August 1st open. Planning to hold it at Margaret Wines Park in Lehi (same as last 3 years). We'll have a raffle, update on Club and any business. Having it catered last year made things very simple, and we would like to do that again. If you would like to donate something please reach out to us. And last the Southern Slam. We did this last year with good attendance. Found a Great field to fly in and had fun getting to know Falconers. If you are interested in attending keep November 6th open. Of course, details will be figured out as we get closer. If you have any questions, concerns, or challenges, don't hesitate to contact anyone on the Board. Looking forward to seeing you Happy Hawking,
Update March 2020
Hello again. Sorry for the delayed information. With the voting results in, we are sending out a hearty Congratulations to Krista Edwards, our new Vice President. It was GREAT to see soo many participate and get the input on a few other things. If you have any interest, the UFA Board will be meeting March 21, 5pm at Cafe .357. We'll be covering the Apprentice Workshops, and the Eyass BBQ. There will be a newsletter/email coming shortly after to keep you up to date. As always, we welcome any input, ideas,concerns, or whatever else. With your help we hope to continue to make Utah Falconry GREAT! Happy Hawking,
Update Feb 2020
Utah Falconers, Hope your season is going well, or for some, went well! A quick update about elections. We had 1 nomination. Krista Edwards. As there is no one running against her, the By Laws require a vote for ratification. That vote will go out on Feb 10, 2020. And will continue until Feb 20, 2020. See below to see the voting instructions. I asked Krista to write a short bio, so those that have not yet met her, can learn a bit about her. I am a general licensed falconer that has been involved in the falconry, education, and raptor rehabilitation world for 5 years. I have only flown American Kestrels, and I was recently diagnosed with an allergy to “external bird proteins,” which will keep me limited to micro-hawks for the time being due to them having less feather dust than other bird species. I love both the thrill of seeing my friends’ longwings fly on pigeons and the adrenaline rush of seeing buteos pursue jackrabbits. To gain more falconry experience, I frequently travel to visit falconers in other states or countries, most recently returning from a trip to England and Ireland to visit the head falconers of Newgrange Falconry and the Dorset Falconry Experience. In the last year, I was the “membership moderator” for the UFA Facebook page, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to working more with local Utah Falconers. Krista Let's not forget the exciting Utah Merlin Meet. February 27-29. If you haven't yet registered, visit merlinmeet.com. Thank you to all those involved in the Rabbit Round Up, Winterfest, and Utah Sky Trials! Without your help, they wouldn't have gone so smooth. Congratulations to the Sky Trials Winners 1st Place Steve Chindgren flying Badger 2nd place Steve Chindgren flying DC 3rd place Jon Taylor flying Tank Prairie Falcon award to Todd Otanez Thanks to all our Club members for making Utah Falconry so GREAT! Happy Hawking,
Utah Sky Trials Update
Message from Patrick Shane, Utah Sky Trials Committee Chairman. Some years Mother Nature can challenge us at the Sky Trials. This year’s temperature will be perfect for flying and watching these magnificent falcons demonstrate there awesome flying power! This year we don’t have snow to challenge us but the dirt road that turns off the Pony Exspress road is muddy and getting more ruts by the day. It’s better in the morning and worsens as the temperatures rise. We strongly suggest that everyone come extra early, travel in groups with four wheel drive and bring a tow rope just incase. You will want to plan on extra time to get out to the field as well. Here is a hyperlink to directions to get to the field. http://www.utahskytrials.com/location/ An important reminder to everyone; if you can’t make the event on Saturday, please come and support the raffle, guest speaker and awards presentation. This will be at the Hyatt Place at Traverse Mountain just south of Cabelas. For this event to continue we need everyone’s support Saturday evening because the money to put on next years Utah Sky Trials depends on a successful raffle. We recommend getting there by 6:00 pm to buy raffle tickets and take a good look at the numerous donated items. We are looking forward to hearing from Bjorn Eilers our Guest Speaker and recognizing the winners of this years event.
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