From Obsessed 14-Year-Old to Masterclass Falconer

Lauren McGough now works to increase access to falconry

By Nicholas Niendorf, GEAS Guest Blogger

“A lot of falconers will tell you they were born falconers, you just didn’t know it.” Lauren McGough

Lauren McGough had always been interested in birds, especially birds of prey. But seeing them in zoos and out in nature didn’t quite scratch the itch she had. It wasn’t until she came across Steve Bodio’s book “A Rage for Falcons” that she realized falconry was a realistic possibility for a teenager in the U.S.

“I was just inexorably moved forward in that direction. It sounded like the coolest thing you could do. You could literally befriend a wild hawk and hunt together with it?”

“I just had to do it.”

Taken ‘Under the Wing’ of Masterclass Falconer

But when McGough, who’s speaking at the Golden Eagle Audubon Banquet on March 11th, first entered the world of falconry, information online was limited. She got her start at 14 after cold emailing Robert Rainey, then president of the Oklahoma Falconer’s Association. After some correspondence, Rainey took her hawking.

“Mentorship is just a very big part of it,” McGough said. “So that's quite ingrained within the falconry community for the dedicated, passionate student, for people to make time for them to learn.”

In the U.S, it’s built into the law—Apprentice Falconers have to spend at least two years under the tutelage of a General or Masterclass Falconer like Rainey before they can become a General Falconer.

“You never know with a young kid whether they’re actually serious or not, but even though I was 14 he still took me under his wing and taught me the ropes,” McGough said. “We went and trapped a hawk together and he walked me through training it and hunting rabbits with it.”

A Treasure Trove of Falconry Resources

McGough is happy that, 20 years later, falconry is becoming more accessible and the community continues to grow. As a beginner scrounging for information online and in libraries, McGough struck gold after writing to Bodio, who eventually sent her a manuscript for his then-unreleased book “Eagle Dreams.” Now, a quick Google search on eagle falconry reveals a treasure trove of articles, videos, and guides, many of which feature McGough.

“For the curious person, you can quite easily access a lot of different kinds and varieties of falconry, with a variety of falconers.”

Mostly Older Guys

McGough is doubly excited about the changing demographics within falconry.

“When I started, the community was mostly older guys,” McGough said. “And so just being a younger girl, it was a little intimidating. But they gave me the benefit of the doubt and it was definitely a good experience. And now I'm really happy to say, 20 odd years later, the demographics have changed a lot. A lot more women, a lot more young people, people of color. The diversity part is pretty cool to see really taking root now.”

Those changing demographics coincided with social media becoming ubiquitous in everyday life—now falconry’s diversity is more visible than ever.

“Representation is important,” McGough said. “And we have quite a few active falconry focus groups on Facebook. You can quickly log on and see and talk to other women falconers, other people of color that do falconry.”

That visibility means that new falconers can more easily find other falconers who look like them and who live in the same areas they do, which is especially critical when it comes to apprenticeships. It’s also become far easier to get in touch with more experienced falconers like McGough to get a realistic sense of what falconry is like, especially before somebody takes more serious steps.

“I do not want to gatekeep, I think that's very harmful,” McGough said. “But I want to help people in a way where they get a real sense of what's required and help set themselves up for success.”

“I didn't come from a hunting background, I didn't have the vocabulary or the experience.”

Warm Welcome Around the World

McGough noted that many of those interested in falconry don’t realize just how hunting focused it is. Since the birds aren’t domesticated, and in most cases are released back into the wild, it’s ethically imperative that they’re given as close to a wildlife experience as possible.

But for those hopeful falconers who are serious and prepared to make the leap, McGough said there’s an incredibly welcoming community waiting for them. McGough is no stranger to that hospitality after spending extensive time abroad in Mongolia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.

“I feel like I could go almost anywhere and there would be a falconer that would probably let me crash on their couch,” McGough said. “Like any country, almost. We're pretty globally spread out, but there's still not that many of us. So we all recognize someone that is weirdly obsessed with flying birds.”

When McGough wanted to travel to South Africa to fly crowned eagles, she was able to raise money from the North American Falconers Association and Marshall Radio Telemetry to make the trip feasible. From there, South African falconers banded together to provide McGough places to stay and help her source a crowned eagle.

“And then I didn't know anything about how to hunt in South Africa, a really different environment and landscape. So I was learning everything all over again and that community just walked me through it.”

Between learning South Africa’s regulations on hunting, finding game, and driving on the left side of the road, McGough was grateful she had resources the whole way.

“So I ended up having a really fun season with this rehab male crowned eagle and it was only because Americans helped me get there and the South Africans took me in, and then they helped me get a bird. It was a ‘it takes a village’ type thing I couldn't believe. Looking back on that, I can't believe it actually happened.”

McGough said she has many similar stories on the generosity of falconers and their willingness to share knowledge. It’s something she tries to pass on, particularly to those interested in hunting with eagles, which has a high barrier to entry.

Hunting with Eagles

To hunt with eagles in the U.S, you need to be a Master Falconer, which requires seven years of experience. Unlike in Europe and Asia, there also isn’t a long tradition of eagle flying in the U.S, making it more difficult to know who to speak to and often necessitating travel to learn.

But McGough wants to bridge that gap and bring more people from the falconry community into the fold of hunting with eagles.

“Really, I also want it to be accessible. Because they're not any more difficult to fly than other birds, they're just different. And an enthusiastic young person that's willing to put in the work, I think can do great with an eagle. So I want to help spread knowledge of this very niche thing that I'm passionate about.”

Click here to purchase tickets to the Golden Eagle Audubon 2023 Banquet.

GEAS volunteer Nick Niendorf is originally from Illinois and enjoys bird feeding, movies, and writing in his free time.

Photos courtesy of Lauren McGough