Name?

Kelly Smith 

How long have you been an OFA member?

2 years 

Positions in OFA?

Secretary 

Where do you live?

OKC, OK 

Job or School?

I've got a biology degree and a teaching degree as well as some graduate hours. 

Family?

I've got two great younger siblings, Aron (17) and Sarah (23).  My husband, Adam is always supportive and puts up with a number of animals going in and out of the house as well as the occasional squirrel in the icebox every once in a while.  

What got you interested in falconry?

I've always been interested in "animals" in general and have done quite a bit of rehab volunteer work.  My initial contact with the falconry world was through Eric Pribil and Lauren McGough, both were helpful with all of my silly questions. 

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

Rob Rainey is my patient mentor.  Mitch Wishon has also had quite a large impact on my falconry experience thus far as well.  

What birds do you currently fly?

I've only flown PFRT's 

What birds have you flown in the past?

PFRT's 

What was your favorite bird and why?

I'm sure this will change with the progression of my falconry career but I can undoubtedly say that my first redtail was my favorite.  She trained quick and as i've learned now she let me get away with a lot.  She was also a fantastic squirrel hunter.

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

I'd like to fly a Cooper's, Goshawk, Gyrfalcon, and a Merlin in the foreseeable future. 

Favorite Quarry?

Squirrels thus far are my favorite, but I would love to hunt pigeons and duck 

Do you have other animals?

I've got a German Wirehair pointer named Nala who is about a year old and a skunk that is about three (yea you read that right an actual Mephitis mephitis) 

Favorite falconry story?

My favorite falconry story is probably my first urban hawking double kill with Tiva.  Later in the season after we had a fair bit of game under our belt we were carhawking squirrels and she was nailing most of the slips I gave her.  I slipped her and she caught her first squirrel of the day; tidbitting her and bagging the game we hopped back into the car.  I thought maybe we were quick enough that I'd be able to catch another on the ground so made a round around the park.  Not five minutes later I slipped her at a squirrel and she nailed it.  Needless to say that is one of my favorite days, when I knew all that conditioning and training had paid off.  Even better was that both squirrels were taken before even reaching the tree.   

Funniest falconry story?

I think the funniest story has got to involve a group falconry hunt with newly acquired birds.  I was out urban squirrel hawking with Jere Korthanke and his apprentice Scott.  Now, when it was my turn to try my bird on a treed squirrel I took her out of the box and pitched her up in the tree.  We moved the squirrel around and she seemed sort of interested in it but she kept looking at the ground and none of us could figure out why.  This treed squirrel happened to be in front of someone's house and the owner came out and supported us in our effort to get rid of her electricity chewing tree rats.  All of a sudden my bird dives almost straight down about 25 feet and binds to Scotts leather-sheathed squirrel shank, which of course happens to be conveniently placed hanging right in front of his belt buckle.  I don't think I have seen Scott move so fast trying to get away from a bird who was very bound to this leather sheath.  Of course, being inexperienced I have no idea what to do so Jere rushes over manages to dislodge her.  This situation became even funnier when we looked back and saw the lady standing there with her mouth half open asking us if this was a normal occurrence.  I am fairly certain that Scott doesn't hang his leather shank there anymore.  

Favorite quote?

May the odds be ever in your favor -Katniss

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

Be patient and listen to your sponsor.  Ask them questions, chances are if they have been in the sport this long they definitely have much to teach you.

What goals do you have for your falconry experience?

I'd always say to never be satisfied with being a mediocre falconer always striving to learn new things about falconry from those around me.  I would also say a goal of mine is to be as helpful as my sponsor has been to me and welcoming to those who are new to the way of the bird.

Contact Info you want public?

email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Social Networks?

facebook.com/misskellygreen

Anything Else?

I encourage everyone to learn as much as they can and ask as many questions to better understand how we can preserve this sport to the highest standards including our day to day habits with our birds.