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Stacey Huston - Time for her to fly

Long ago, falconry was a method of putting game on the royal table. Today, Stacey Huston finds it a thrilling way to enjoy the outdoors while working one-on-one with a wild animal.

Wyoming photographer Stacey Huston's love of wildlife led her to a hobby that is unusual and ancient - falconry.

Living in the northwest corner of Wyoming, Stacey and her husband Mike live in a perfect place to enjoy the freedom of falconry. There's so much "nowhere" out there, it's hard to say whether they're smack dab in the middle of it or not.

"We're about 45 miles from the nearest town," Stacey said. "We can see for miles without a single telephone pole in sight."

While Stacey has shot a deer with a long bow and accompanies her husband and two boys, Tyler and Josiah, on hunts, her passion is falconry. She comes by her love of wildlife and the outdoors honestly.

"I was raised in the woods of northwest Montana. My mom and dad ran a logging business. My mom wore logging boots and could run a chain saw.

"Living in the woods, animals were a part of life. Respect for animals came natural. And I raised my kids that way, too."

Busy taking care of her children, including a 3 ½ year stint homeschooling them, Stacey put her own dreams on the backburner. However, about nine years ago, she followed her lifelong interest in wild animals.

"Working with hawks is fantastic. You capture them from the wild, train them and can release them back into the wild. They're not dependent on people. They can always leave. It's hard to explain why I love it. It's such a cool feeling when they come to the fist for the first time."

People throughout the ages have thrilled to training raptors to fly back to them. However, it's not known for sure when ancient man first began hunting prey with trained hawks or falcons. It could date as far back as 2200 BC in the Far East where there's evidence falcons were given as gifts to Chinese princes. A low-relief sculpture in the ruins of Mesopotamia suggests falconry may have gotten its start there around 1700 BC. The sport became popular in Medieval Europe and reached its highest level in England in the 1500s and 1600s. Even William Shakespeare was said to be an avid falconer.

It's not a sport for cupcakes, though. Stacey said it's very athletic; and training is a daily commitment.

"It doesn't matter whether you're sick, tired or the weather is bad. Unless the weather could endanger the bird, you have to train."

In addition to daily training, a two-year apprenticeship is necessary to acquire the skills and knowledge to become a falconer. Becoming a general falconer takes at least seven years.

Stacey worked with her sponsor and learned about raptor biology, conservation, care, training, necessary equipment and more. In addition she had to take a written exam and have her facility and equipment examined by Wyoming Game and Fish at the beginning of her apprenticeship.

Apprentices can only work with red-tailed hawks or kestrels because those species are most hearty and easiest to train. As a general falconer, Stacey can hunt with other birds but still enjoys working with red-tails.

"A red-tail follows you from ridgeline to ridgeline, waiting for a rabbit to flush so they can hunt it. When you call, they come back. However, every bird is different. The first bird I had liked to hit Mike on the hat. It we weren't flushing any rabbits, it would hover in front of his face as if to say 'hurry up.' I had another bird that was like a drill instructor. She was all business, but a good hunter."

Stacey and her hawks hunt rabbits during Wyoming's regular season (Sept. 1 to March 1) and any cottontails taken end up on her red-tail's menu. Her whole family gets in on the act, too. She joked that her husband makes an excellent dog on their hunting adventures. And son Josiah would like to become a falconer himself one day. For a woman who learned to love the outdoors from her family, it must make Stacey happy to know the next generation will carry on her passion for falconry.

If you'd like to learn more about falconry, visit the North American Falconers Association at http://www.n-a-f-a.org/ .