One of my falconry heroes (one I share with hundreds of other falconers) is Harry McElroy of Arizona. I call Harry the Dean of American Gamehawking. His experience in the sport spans six decades and covers most of the ground between North and South America. He is known especially for his love of quail hawking with Harris hawks, Cooper's hawks and the Aplomado falcon. He is the author of four great volumes and numerous articles; his most recent book is Desert Hawking IV: Quail, and it's as good or better than anything he's done to date.
One of Harry's famous eccentricities is his love of mules and small Peruvian horses (Pasos) for hawking. His new book contains a chapter on the equine in falconry (he calls them "hayburners") in which he lists the questionable virtues and debatable pleasures of riding to the hawks and hounds.
I was reminded of Harry recently while reading this passage by Wendell Berry in an essay titled, "An Agricultural Journey in Peru" (1979) in Berry's book The Gift of Good Land. I tried to email it to Harry, but in the process of his current cross-state move his email seems to be disconnected. If anyone knows how to reach him, please forward this post?
UPDATE: I just found an email via the above link and sent this to him.
One of Harry's famous eccentricities is his love of mules and small Peruvian horses (Pasos) for hawking. His new book contains a chapter on the equine in falconry (he calls them "hayburners") in which he lists the questionable virtues and debatable pleasures of riding to the hawks and hounds.
I was reminded of Harry recently while reading this passage by Wendell Berry in an essay titled, "An Agricultural Journey in Peru" (1979) in Berry's book The Gift of Good Land. I tried to email it to Harry, but in the process of his current cross-state move his email seems to be disconnected. If anyone knows how to reach him, please forward this post?
"Above the hacienda, the drizzle turned to snow, whitening the ground. We passed a herd of twenty-five horses being driven up to pasture by two horsemen in ponchos, looking cold with the snow melting on their hats and shoulders. They were riding very smooth-gaited horses. Everywhere I saw them, the Andean horses were small, but extremely tough, capable of carying a grown man at a gallop over the mountainsides."
UPDATE: I just found an email via the above link and sent this to him.
4 comments:
Matt, on another list it was mentioned that the company sent over to set up Harry's TV/phone/internet botched the package and didn't get the internet setup but that he'd be back online in a few days. So I wouldn't expect an immediate response.
Great passage though, I'm sure he'll appreciate it when he gets plugged back in!
Thanks Isaac!
He is the author of four great volumes and numerous articles; his most recent book is Desert Hawking IV: Quail, and it's as good or better than anything he's done to date.
What makes him so interesting to falconers. Is he of interest to general readers or is he too specialized?
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=harry+mcelroy&sts=t&tn=Desert+Hawking&x=0&y=0
Note the prices ask for copies of his books.
WH
WH: Harry's books may be of interest to general readers if they are willing to look up a few terms and are interested in the subject matter. My guess is that serious quail hunters (gunners, I mean) who enjoy reading about hunting in general, would enjoy reading Harry's work just for the flavor of something different.
But the real value of these books and articles is to the falconer, and more specifically, to those falconers who are active hunters. These are working texts. They present various solutions to practical problems, and while they are charming to read (Harry is a real gentleman), they are not about lofty pursuits or ideal circumstances of falconry.
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