Awesome experience. Patrick was very knowledgeable about the history of falconry. Being able to see these amazing creatures up close and also to feed them was an incredible experience. Highly recommend for everyone!!! read more

The Falconry Experience - Active Life Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

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I am an avid birder and also a peregrine falcon nest monitor for the PA Game Commission, so I have a deep love of raptors. For my birthday this year my mom surprised me with a private session with Jack Hubley. After signing your life away and forking over cash at the concierge desk, you get driven down to the falcon field via Mercedes from the Hotel Hershey lobby. Once there we sat with Jack for about an hour talking about the history of falconry, how to get various permits to keep raptors, how falconers catch their birds, why red-tailed hawks are always found along highways, how DDT impacted the ability of peregrines to reproduce, and many other things. I think it's best to describe the first component of the day as educational. Once that was over we walked down to where the three Harris's Hawks, one peregrine falcon, and one eagle were relaxing. Jack sat with the Golden Eagle, Bliss, and told us about her talon size (same as his hand) and her wingspan (same as his height). She took her frustration with a nearby Red-Tailed Hawk out on a Kong toy that Jack provided and I was shocked to find out that she weighed less than my cats! Hollow bones will do that, apparently. We also met Trinity the peregrine falcon, who I would have loved to get closer to, but Jack said she's sort of a b!tch, so she was left inside the enclosure for the duration of our visit. My mom, me, and my husband each got to hand-feed Soupy the Harris's Hawk a good number of times. Soupy is adorable and caught a dragonfly while we were there. We also got to interact with a second Harris's Hawk named Thunder. Overall it was a very cool experience. I did have a bit of trepidation going into the excursion as I didn't know how I felt about the ethics of this sort of experience, but at the end of the day each and every bird has the autonomy to fly off on its own and not return. The fact that these birds return over and over again shows me that they're content with the life they are leading, and Jack treats them all with care and respect. read more

Great experience. Patrick is a passionate Master Falconer and he educated us entertained us and did a great job letting us participate with the birds of prey. Recommend anyone to try this unique experience. read more

The Falconry Experience - Patrick and Golden Eagle - Active Life Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

We experienced the Hawk Walk with Jack Hubley earlier this year in mid-March. The Hawk Walk is the next step of immersion into Falconry, starting off with a review of the history of falconry and technique, followed by a walk around the Hotel Hershey with one of the several Harris Hawks they have, the hawk flying and jumping treetop to treetop, coming to the visitor's gloved hand when called. Truly an awesome experience as the hawk dives out of the tree and silently comes to controlled stop, perfectly perched on your hand. (you'll have to be prepared to hold bits and pieces of prepared rodents and birds in your leather-gloved hand for them to eat when they get called in to you hand) Before the walk, during the history lesson, youll get to meet several Harris hawks, a Peregrine falcon and a Golden eagle. It was neat to see them up close before seeing them in action. Arrive and check in at the hotel main desk, sign in, and get taken down the falconry area. Experience is about 2 hours. Group size is 2-4, excluding the staff, and depending on how many people sign up that day. We had Jack all to our selves, so we were each able to call the hawk to our hand 6-8 times over the course of the walk. They take your email address at check-in and will send you 10-12 pictures taken by the staff from the end of the walk so even if you dont bring your own camera youll have some pictures to remember the experience. You are able to take your own pictures and videos. Highly recommended for those interested in falconry & hawks, or as a gift experience for those that have done and seen it all! Reservations required, Winter/Spring times only, so check dates on website. read more

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Hershey Hotel along with Master Falconer Jack Hubley put on this unique birds of prey experience! And boy did we learn a lot about the birds and enjoy the experience of having a Harris Hawk land on our gloved hand from flight. We felt safe with Jack's vast experience. He made this such a fun and interactive experience. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read more

The Falconry Experience - Active Life Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

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I had heard about The Falconry Experience at Hershey for a while, but never did it. However, today I finally decided to do it! The Falconry Experience is located at The Hotel Hershey so it is easy to access if you are staying there. However, if you are not staying at the hotel they have buses that will take you there. Once I got to the experience I met Jack who runs the program and is the animal expert for some of Hershey's local news stations. Jack than explained what Falconry is and than took us to see the birds. There were 4 birds available today. 3 were Harris Hawks and 1 was a Harris Falcon. Jack explained that all of the birds are from the ZooAmerica in Hershey and live there when their is no experience. After that Jack than flew around one of the birds, Bear. Eventually, after explaining all the rules and procedures, Jack than let Bear fly onto each of our hands. It was an amazing experience and I look forward to doing it again! read more

Such a great experience and wonderful gift for Christmas for the person who needs nothing, my father-in-law. I apologize I cannot recall our guide's name, but he was a young man who was very knowledgeable and with a good sense of humor. Once in a lifetime experience!:) read more

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A spectacular & amazing experience . Maggie was excellent: extremely knowledgeable and a great 'host!" I highly recommend this experience. read more

I have wanted to try falconry for a while so we looked for somewhere we could try it. First, you meet up at the Hotel Hershey and take a bus to the site. (They are going to be moving the falconry closer to the hotel, but for now it is down by Chocolate World). Once you arrive on site, we were given a very brief history and then walked over to the cages to meet the birds. Specifically we were introduced to Thunder and Racer (Harris Hawks), Comet (Peregrine Falcon) and Bliss (a golden eagle). Bliss is an educational bird and is rarely flown, but was incredible to see up close. Bob (one of three possible instructors for the program) took us over to the field and did a brief demonstration to show us how Racer flies and hunts. He gave us more history and then offered anyone who wanted to try the opportunity. The person was given a thick leather glove and a bit of dead mouse for Racer to come to. He would glide in as soon as your arm was in place (sometimes earlier and then would past you waiting). He landed on your arm (it was light and not at all squeezing your arm or anything) and you could pet his chest til he had enough. Bob took pictures of everyone when it was their turn. The Hotel Hershey even emailed the pictures to us that evening. You of course are welcome to take as many pictures as you want and to get as close as you want. While our class didn't have many young kids, Bob said he has had children as young as 3 years old catching the hawks during the class. We had a great time playing with the birds and I'm already thinking about when I can go back and do it again. Bob even told us about the process of actually joining the growing falconry community, which requires both state and federal wildlife permits and the ability to catch your first bird to hunt with. read more

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It's a little expensive but worth it. Jack is one of few licensed in falconry and is more than happy to teach people about it, how it works and its long history. Jack had a golden eagle but due to its size he couldn't let us hold it. Jack also had a falcon but said she's to old to use and is retired from all falconry. So we got to hold a harris's hawks named Zeik, a small hawk that eats mammals. He let the Zeik fly intro a tree and allowed people, wearing gloves, to place meat in their hands. When called Zeik would land on the person's arm and eat what was in their hands. Because the crowd had only three people we all had multiple turns allowing him to land on our arm. Later we held our arms to make a circle so Zeik would fly through. Unfortunately I had clipped with a claw as the glove was removed. Zeik repeatedly flew in and out of the tree and always came when called. There was definitely a strong bond between Jack and Zeik. A great educational experience everyone will enjoy. read more

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We went to the Falconry Experience at Hotel Hershey today and all had a blast! We met at the lobby of the hotel, and were taken to the falconry field by a shuttle. There were three harris hawks available for flying today. Jack did re-bird twice because the group was relatively big (15 people). Jack was very knowledgeable about the hawks, and was very friendly. Highly recommend this unique experience while visiting Hershey area! On a side note - Although we did not stay at Hotel Hershey, it was a very beautiful hotel from the outside. read more

Jack Hubley is an incredible falconer. His humor, knowledge and ease with the birds made this a very memorable experience. I want to come back for a Hawk Walk. This experience is good for all ages. Everyone who wants to can call hawks and have them land on your arm. They take pictures and email them to you the same day. It really can't be beat. It's at the Hotel Hershey but is available for guests and non guests. Guests get a discount. read more

Great experience for 10 year old grandson and me - Pop-Pop. Master Falconer Jack Hubley is exceptional. He shares his relationship with these beautiful birds in a wonderful way that gives one a unique insight into the lives of these wonders of nature that is not attainable anywhere else. We were not guests at the hotel, however, the Concierge desk, and especially Kyle Pritchett, Chief Concierge was warm and gracious. Mr. Hubley captures many key moments on photos which are sent to you via email. We received 10 photos of our encounters with birds as well as some of the group's. Amazing and joyful! read more

my family and I went to Hershey Park on vacation and we scheduled a trip to the falconry experience with the Hershey hotel. Jack Hubley runs a wonderful show the entire family was amazed by the beautiful hawks. read more