Ken Molidor and Chris Good with Anonymous RT at Natural Bridge Meet in 2014
The Virginia Falconers’ Association holds three events each year: Summer Picnic (a Saturday in August), Harrisonburg Field Meet (third weekend in January), and the February Meet (formerly called the Blacksburg Meet, New River Valley Meet a.o.). Non-members and their families that attend the Meets can join us at the hotel "base camp", but they must be invited by a regular or associate member to accompany groups flying the hawk(s) in the field. Unfortunately, our groups have become unmanageable at Field Meets, making our generous landowners unhappy with granting permissions for hunting parties of 40 or more. The Picnic, however, is open to all guests, but it is a good idea to contact us through e-mail prior to the gathering. The picnic this year is planned for Saturday, August 9, 2025. Watch for specific details about these events loaded onto the Upcoming Events page as plans become formalized. Also, check the morning of the picnic for venue changes, since at times inclement weather has forced us to have the gathering moved inside!
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The picnic is an event for us to show off birds, get advice from our peers, meet new people, link apprentice wanna-be’s to potential sponsors, catch up on news happening over the long moult-summer, and raise funds for club activities. We compete against each other for specific awards including Best Bird, share a meal, and auction off donated falconry-related items to support (in part) our annual journal the HawkTalk. The Harrisonburg Meet is held on the third weekend of January, and includes a public Q&A/Hawk Talk, while members and invited guests only form hunting parties. Saturday is the primary day, and includes: group photo in the early AM; Public Hawk Talk, members then dividing up for morning hunting parties with individual lunch along the way and afternoon hunting parties. A dutch-treat group dinner for Regular & Associate Members and their invited guests highlights the best flights of the day. Game pins are awarded to those handlers whose birds catch prey at the meet. For the schedule and news about upcoming events please go to our Upcoming Events page! The February Meet is a repeat of what happens at Harrisonburg, but it is held on the (most probably-we try to avoid Valentine's Day) third weekend of February each year. |
Shadow of Andrew King and his Raptor.
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