Page 19 - Jan/Feb 2022 Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine

RHONDA HURST/ODWC

Becky Rouner holds a Aplomado falcon at the NAFA field meet. Rouner, administrative assistant with the Wildlife Department, oversees the
falconry licensing for Oklahoma.
tat using a trained raptor. NAFA was founded in 1961 to

encourage the proper practice of falconry and the wise use DON P. BROWN/ODWC
and conservation of birds of prey. It is the largest member-
ship falconry organization in the world with about 2,000

members, some from Canada, South America and Europe.
NAFA is no stranger to Oklahoma. For quite a while,
the group has been holding its annual field meets on a rota-
tional basis in Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
The two most recent meets in the Sooner State were in Elk

City in 2016 and Woodward in 2009.
“Really, we have very high-quality falconry in
Oklahoma,” said Huber, who has been active in the sport

about 50 years.
For about 20 years, Administrative Assistant Becky
Rouner has coordinated falconry testing and licensing for
the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. She
Robert Huber of Stillwater, vice president of NAFA, returns his falcon to
says the hunting sport has gained in popularity over the
the weathering yard after an educational program for elementary students.
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