Name?

Eric Pribil

How long have you been an OFA member?

Since 2006

Positions in OFA?

Secretary 2008-2010

Where do you live?

Alva, OK

Job or School?

I am currently a senior in Biology and Chemistry at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Family?

I have a falconry supportive mom and dad in Edmond, OK and a twin brother who is a senior at Oklahoma State University.

What got you interested in falconry?

I first became interested in falconry when I met Tim Gillum. My dad was one of Tim's clients and Tim used to invite him out to watch him fly his birds. That was my first exposure to falconry. I then became more interested in it when Jere Korthanke got his license and trapped his first Red Tail. We were neighbors when I lived in Edmond so I was around him a lot when he was training his first bird.

Who was your sponsor? (or mentors and influences?)

My sponsor was Jere Korthanke. I have also had a lot of falconry excursions with Rob Rainey and Mitch Wishon.

What birds do you currently fly?

I currently fly a first year passage female prairie.

What birds have you flown in the past?

I have flown Red-tails, Kestrels, a GyrxPeregrine hybrid, a Harris’ Hawk, and another passage Prairie falcon.

What was your favorite bird and why?

My favorite bird to fly was a passage female Prairie falcon that I flew three years ago. It was my first big longwing that I had flown and she was a lot of fun when I had duck ponds near where I lived. I learned a lot by flying her 

What birds do you plan to fly or would like to fly?

 In the future I would like to fly another Gyr-Peregrine hybrid and a passage Peregrine at some point.

Favorite Quarry?

My favorite quarry to fly with a longwing is ducks and my favorite quarry to fly with a hawk is jack rabbits.

Do you have other animals?

I have a female border collie mix.

Favorite falconry story?

I was flying my passage Prairie "Peanut" one morning on ducks and I had put her up over a long narrow pond with a flock of ring-necks and gadwalls on it. A friend of mine was with me that morning. I put her up and waited for her to get into position. We flushed the pond and she came down and knocked a ring-neck down into the water. After the hit she re-mounted over us. I had lost sight of her for a moment but I could still hear her bell above us so we kept trying to flush the duck again. The guy that was with me wasn't paying attention to where Peanut was when the duck flushed low off the end of the pond right past him. Peanut came past him and hit the duck again and bound to it about 10 feet away.

Funniest falconry story?

I was squirrel hawking one morning with Jere Korthanke. We had had quite a bit of snow the night before and it was about 15 degrees. Jere was flying his Red-Tail "Belle" who was a great squirrel hawk. We had her up in a tree chasing a couple of squirrels but she kind of changed her focus and it looked like she was looking across the pond. We stopped to see what she was going to do because she was definitely locked onto something. She took off from the tree and when she got over it she did a wing-over and bound to a duck.  The duck and was bouncing around in the water like a bobber as it tried to dive with the hawk in tow. Jere and I both took off running to help her out. I got there first and went into the water to retrieve her and bring them to the shore. She never let the duck go until Jere traded her off but Belle and I were both ended up really cold and wet that morning.

Favorite quote?

Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom - Thomas Jefferson

What is the best tip that you would give someone new to the sport?

For someone new to the sport I would say that it is important to be sure that you can make the commitment to the bird that you are flying. Not having the time to fly a bird or having a bird that is not suitable for your schedule or where you live is doing an injustice to the bird. This goes more toward people who are interested in the sport than it does new apprentices but if you think that it is something that you are interested in it is important to show dedication and commitment. Spend as much time as you can with falconers in the field because the experiences that you’ll have in the field are important to learning all aspects of falconry.

Who have you sponsored?

Nick Parker

What goals do you have for your falconry experience?

My goal in falconry is to enjoy the sport and to continuously learn from my experiences and from the other falconers that I am around. Each bird that you fly is different and can be its own challenge and reward.

Contact Info you want public?

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