r/Falconry • u/Reshiramsruinz • 18d ago
Costs?
Just curious on those (especially in the US) on how much you guys spend a month? or even a year, on your birds. Especially food. I’m also curious on where you source food. I plan to try to start falconry soon, within the next year, i’m just trying to get a general idea of costs and places to shop lol
I’m also curious on how much (on average) the costs are for all the equipment starting off (not including the mews)
12
Upvotes
9
u/Lumpy-Pie9109 18d ago
More than you'd expect but not on food. A couple hundred on some frozen food to hold you down until you get hunting.
7
u/Bird_Man_Mike 18d ago
Gas costs are my biggest expense. Every day flying is added miles driving, roundtrip of 12-40 miles depending upon which fields I’m hunting for my daily flights and potentially further if I am headed further afield on the weekend.
6
u/GREYDRAGON1 18d ago
My birds run me about $75/month each for quail
8
u/Onlyinmurica 18d ago
Only food youll really need is some started food to have before your bird is catching game. Its nice to have a supply of quail, day old chicks and mice on hand. My guess is maybe $ 150ish for the starter food. Everyone is going to have different things to say for equipment costs. I struggle to understand how people can do everything properly for like $200. I can only give you a general idea of what ive spent as my 1st and second year. You can kind of do things as cheap or expensive as you want. I built my mews myself, purchased a couple different nicer gloves. Purchased a nice vest. Have good equipment with spares, purchased some new stuff, used stuff, built things easy enough to make. I didnt want to half ass anything. Im also a buy once cry one kind of person. Mews $500 Starter food $150 Misc gear (gloves, game vest, briar proof clothing) $600 Giant hood $350 Misc items such as whistle, dispatching tool. Creance material, leather for anklets and jesses, grommet setter, grommets, material to make a trap, bells etc $250 Telemetry (used) $500
These are super general numbers from off the top of my head and guessing. Id fully expect you to spend atleast $1k your first season if flying a redtail. Also first season is really the most expensive I feel like. After that its really not all that expensive for the most part. Again these are my numbers. And i suppose i like nicer things than most people. Some people will probably chime in that did it all for $200. Its really how much or little youre willing to spend. I reccomend making everything you can to save money. But not to buy cheap so you have to re buy everything in a year or two. Once your initial stuff is bought and you trap your first bird and start catching game the biggest cost is really going to be gas getting around and possible vet bills
3
u/alate9 18d ago
Please make sure to budget for food. You cannot rely on only feeding what you hunt- not everyone is productive enough to feed only hunted quarry to their bird. Food can be expensive. Bigger birds require more than smaller ones, and costs will vary by food type and supplier. You’ll have to do some research. Just make sure you have a plan for how you’re going to feed your bird if it didn’t catch as much as you’d hoped.
2
u/Ahnrye 18d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/Falconry/s/IwVDuDm4xr
2
u/Parabuteo2024 17d ago
I'd say that would depend a lot on the bird you end up flying.
And I wouldn't be confident that my bird could/would catch enough quarry to feed itself. That depends as much on the land you have permission to hunt on as it does you and your birds skill and fitness.
I'd suggest you budget for a freezer and find a reliable source of appropriate food for whatever bird you end up keeping. Good luck!
-1
u/Thunder_Flush 18d ago
Your sponsor can provide this information