Pennsylvania March 2009

T
o the untrained eye, it
just looked like a bunch
of crows flying around a
remote Snyder County field.
To Mike Dupuy, it was a sign.
“Crows are boisterous, so you
have to learn their language,” he
said. If they are cawing a lot, and
loudly, it usually means something
is wrong. “They are really good
monitors of predators like hawks,
owls, snakes, foxes and even
humans.”
A close bond
In this case, he was hoping the
crows’ activity might lead him to
his missing goshawk, Hanna, who
had escaped from her house days
earlier.
Dupuy, of rural Middleburg, is
a master falconer, and has found
himself in this position more than
once. His beloved hawks and
falcons are his hunting weapons.
“It’s like using your shotgun,
or rifle, but with this art, you are
dealing with a creature that can
fly.”
And unlike other weapons,
these birds have minds of their
own, and must be both trained
and trusted. Dupuy said it’s a lot
like dating — letting them go,
and trusting they will come back
to you. He sends a bird out to fly
free, and then whistles to call it
back. Through positive reinforcement, he trains the birds, and they
learn to work and bond closely
together.
“When you lose a hawk, it is
close to a parent losing a child,”
Dupuy said.
His birds have been shot, hit
by cars, killed by wild hawks and
have disappeared.
“When you come home with
the ‘gun,’ it’s a good day,” he said.
While on what he calls “many
wild goose chases,” to find Hanna,
Dupuy was inspired to write an
article on prevention — what to
do before you lose a hawk — and
not to give up hope if you do. He
has heard several stories of falconers who found their hawks after
months of searching. The hawk
may be alive or dead, he said.
“You have to have hope eternal.”
And physical stamina. “You
have to have dogged persistence,
walking through woods, falling
into creeks ...”
46 I N S I D E Pennsylvania March 2009
By Tricia Pursell
PHOTOS BY MATTHEW HARRIS
On a wing and a prayer
Falconry takes patience, trust and ‘hope eternal’
■
“A red-tailed hawk is
excellent for hunting rabbits
and squirrels. We train this
type of hawk to follow from a
tree. A goshawk is great for
rabbits, ducks and pheasant;
this type of hawk generally
hunts from the fist. Falcons
are generally good for ducks
and other birds — they
generally hunt by staying in
the air above the falconer.”
— Mike Dupuy, falconer
■
March 2009 I N S I D E
Pennsylvania 47
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I N S I D E Pennsylvania -ARCH
For more information
www.mikedupuyfalconry.com
[email protected]
(570) 837-1551 or (301) 633-8355
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March 2009 I N S I D E
Pennsylvania 49