The Story
Mountain State Falconry Supply
Hey there! I'm Heather. I'm a licensed falconer in the state of West Virginia. Our primary available quarry is fox squirrels and gray squirrels, so first and foremost, I'm a squirrel hawker. It's my favorite type of falconry to practice here.
My falconry has been heavily influenced by a handful of old school, hardcore hawkers, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm competitive by nature (though more with myself than others the older I get). I don't give up, and I don't mean I don't give up easily. I don't give up period.
When I found falconry and my mentors in the sport, it felt like coming home. My personality, my strengths and even my weaknesses fit here. Falconry challenged me and fulfilled me like no other sport ever had. Every success I enjoyed felt like I was enjoying it tenfold because I knew how much went into making things work. I had found my place, "my thing."
I focused on red-tails during my first three years as a falconer, but it wasn't long before I realized squirrel hawking four months out of the year wasn't enough. I started flying micros in the off-season, and now, eight years later, there is always at least one falcon in the house and at least one red-tail outside. Accipiters come and go, too. Falconry is daily life here, and it's something my husband and eleven year old son have come to embrace as well.
Falconry is definitely seeing some growth here in the United States. It's an interesting phenomenon to watch it happen while habitat in many areas is being overtaken by urban development. Many say micro hawking will be the only hawking left someday.
While I believe falconry in all its forms will continue to be able to be practiced in preserved areas of our country, I wholeheartedly agree that micro hawking is becoming the most accessible and practicable form of falconry for anyone wanting to get into the sport.
Yet, when I started getting into micros, I found few outfitters that offered the types of products being used most frequently in modern falconry. I was sourcing items from three or four places just to piece together a simple leash setup.
This is really where Mountain State Falconry Supply was born. I'll be the first to tell you that while my permit says "Master Falconer," I am no master. Falconry constantly humbles me, and I'm always learning, but through Mountain State Falconry Supply, I want to share some of my favorite and most useful products with you. These aren't products from an "expert". Simply put, they're products that have worked for me, and now, you can get them all in one place. Thanks for stopping by! And don't be a stranger!
