The Oklahoma Falconers Association’s 40th annual picnic was held on June 8 at Mohawk Park, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Making sure the car was packed with equipment, food, and a camera, Greg Stipp, Lauren McGough and I left Oklahoma City to head to the eastern side of the state at 8:30am..  The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze. The day couldn’t have been more perfect and we were anticipating a great get-together. When we arrived falconers had already gathered and were engaged in lively conversation recounting stories from the February field meet and the successes of the past hunting season.

Our OFA Board had decided to do something different this year by scheduling mini- workshops during the morning activities. These demonstrations were well attended and included Imping Techniques by Ken Riddle, Hood Making by Rob Huber, Making and Using Tail Envelopes by Mitch Wishon, Aggression Management in Eagles by Lauren McGough, Falconry Ethics by Mark Waller, Operant Conditioning by Ryan VanZant, and Reflections of a First Year Apprentice by Langston Edwards. All seemed to enjoy the presentations and several falconers were overheard saying the workshops were “worth the drive” or “worth the price of admission.” It was agreed that we will conduct more in-depth workshops at scheduled events in the future on a variety of subjects of interest.

Later during our business meeting we discussed our donation of $250 to the North American Grouse Partnership to be used on prairie grouse projects in Oklahoma. The conservation of Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens is an important issue for Oklahoma falconers and that concern also extends to grouse populations across North America.  Our members again agreed to donate an additional $250 which will be more than doubled with matching funds. Our business meeting concluded with our existing officers stepping down , and our new officers, President, Dr. Ken Riddle, President-elect, Dr. Perry White, Vice President, Rob Huber, Treasurer, Stephen Olner, and Secretary Redd Rawlings being congratulated on their new positions at the helm of our club.

Finally we enjoyed the fruits of Rob Huber’s hard work through his procurement of the raffle items. These included books, hoods, telemetry equipment, gift certificates, a rodent breeding cage, leashes, hats, posters, and even a beagle puppy. As so often is the case, three of our members (Jonathan Coleman, Daniel Murray, and Mitch Wishon) walked away with over half the items! The raffle was a great success, with a little over $900 added to the OFA treasury. We would like to thank our commercial donors for their generosity; American Falconry, Davidson’s Falconry Supplies, Marshall Radio Telemetry, The Sutton Avian Research Center, Western Sporting, Northwoods Falconry, Pineo Falconry, Mikes Falconry Supply, Mike Dupuy Hawk Food, and all of the club members who donated items as well. We really have some talented individuals in the Sooner State who hand craft all sorts of quality falconry items.

At the end of the day, with the sun still bright and the breeze allowing us continued relief from the humidity, we all said our goodbyes to friends, both old and new. We then departed looking forward to the upcoming trapping season, future workshops, and hunting in the fall. It might have been along drive home, but for the excitement of what the upcoming season will hold.

Redd Rawlings
-OFA Secretary