Falconry equipment checklist builder
Gear lists are not one-size: a first-season apprentice kit, a multi-bird general's mews and a hunting-season field bag overlap but are not the same. Pick your permit class, climate and goal — the builder assembles the list, adds the climate-specific items and doubles the consumables when you keep more than one bird.
Higher classes add advance-planning items — nothing you already need disappears.
Climate switches swap in — cold adds the warmth items, humid adds flystrike control.
21 items across 4 groups for a apprentice-class single bird kit, tuned for temperate. Tick items as you acquire them.
Ticks and custom rows save in your browser only — nothing leaves this page.
Handling
Hood (correct size) + hood block for storage
A fitted hood is the single biggest calming tool you own; the block keeps its shape between uses.
Gauntlet / glove (double-layer for the first season)
Talon-proof coverage lets you stay calm and steady, which the bird reads instantly.
Jesses (sets, ankle + spare) ×2
Jesses wear and crack — a spare set on hand means a snapped one never grounds the bird.
Anklets / aylmeri (fitted, no bare edges)
Abrasion at the tarsus is the classic preventable injury; edges must be finished.
Leash + swivel (verified under load)
The whole tethering system fails at its cheapest part — test it before the bird depends on it.
Falconry bag or hawking vest (spare jesses, ties, tissue)
Everything you need at the fist lives in one place, so you never improvise in the field.
Sponsor review of your full kit before the bird arrives
Your sponsor has seen gear fail in ways checklists cannot predict — use them before day one.
Creance line + swivel for early flights (where used)
A creance lets the first free-flights happen over a safety line you control.
Housing & weathering
Scale perch or fixed weighing routine
Weighing only works if the routine is identical every day — perch placement is that routine.
Mews sized to local regulations
Housing standards are set locally — build to the regulation you will be inspected against.
Weathering yard or shade-protected area
Daily time on the weathering yard keeps feathers and feet in condition.
Block / bow perch (covered, cable-free)
Bare cable and wrong perch surfaces cause the most common foot and feather damage.
Bath pan (shallow)
Bathing governs feather condition; shallow water prevents soaked, grounded birds.
Health & safety
Gram scale (±1 g)
Daily weight is the earliest and often only sign of trouble — the scale is non-negotiable.
First-aid kit (wound powder, vet wrap, hemostat)
The minutes after an injury decide the outcome; the kit has to already exist.
Exotic/raptor vet contact + after-hours plan
Not every vet sees raptors — find the one that does before you need one at night.
Feeding plan: whole-prey source + supplements per sponsor
Whole prey with the right variety is daily medicine; agree the plan with your sponsor.
Telemetry (leg- or tail-mount, tested on the bird)
A lost bird without telemetry is usually a lost bird — fly it tested or don't fly it.
Field & training
Lure (one in service, one spare) ×2
The lure is your recall insurance; flying without a spare risks exactly the day it fails.
Whistle or call signal (one sound, one meaning)
One signal meaning one thing is how recall stays reliable under distraction.
Hunting license / permits carried
Paperwork you leave at home can cost you the bird, the season, or the license.
Your additions
Sponsor notes, state-specific gear, brand preferences — add anything the generator missed.
How the list is built
- Permit class drives what gets added: apprentices get the sponsor-review and creance-work base kit; general and master classes add backup telemetry, a made-up spare tethering set, travel gear and mews monitoring.
- Climate switches items in and out — cold climates add the unfrozen-water and windbreak lines, hot/arid adds shade and hot-hour bath refreshes, humid adds flystrike prevention and ventilation.
- Goal scales the list: multiple birds separate housing per bird and double the consumables (jesses, lures, bath pans); field season adds GPS, carried water and the vest spare kit.
- Every item carries a one-line why — because a checklist you understand beats a longer one you copy.
Prefer pen and paper? Print the static equipment checklist with its per-bird header block, or browse all printables.