Falcons hunt bait carried by drones at Czech Falconry Festival
The town of Opočno, known for its beautiful Renaissance castle, is hosting the 58th edition of its annual International Falconry Meeting. Organized by the Czech Falconry Club, the event draws falconers from across Europe, filling the skies above the castle and surrounding countryside with majestic birds of prey.
A drone circled high above a field outside Opočno in the Hradec Králové Region as onlookers traced its path in the sky. It was used for a rather unusual purpose. As part of the opening competition of the International Falconry Meeting, falcons competed in the Ascending Flight Championship - an event in which birds race to reach bait suspended 300 meters above the ground, carried by a drone. This is a rare challenge in falconry, as bait is typically placed much lower - in the popular hunt racing discipline, for example, it is usually set at around 120 meters.
The highly trained birds must reach the drone as quickly as possible, but the task is far from easy. The skies around Opočno are filled with wild birds and even bats, which can easily distract the falcons. Falconer Lukáš Vašata explains:
“Once the bird is in the sky, you have no way of knowing if it will decide to chase after bats or stay focused on the bait.”
This is precisely what happened to Štěpán Vlasák’s falcon, as Vlasák describes:
"He’s not doing what he’s supposed to. We don’t have bats where we train, so he doesn’t know them. He’s never hunted them before and is just testing to see if they might be easy prey, something he could feed on.”
In the end, the unsuccessful tired falcon landed several hundred meters away from the competition site, where his owner had to retrieve him.
Despite the challenges, the event had a clear winner: falcon Vilda, owned by Jaroslav Bárta. Vilda completed the 300-meter ascent in three minutes and twenty seconds, averaging 5.4 km/h - about the speed of a human walking. His owner was hoping for a better result:
“The time could have been better. But he’s not used to this kind of task, as he’s trained for hunting. Honestly, I’m surprised he even decided to fly after the bait. So, I really can’t complain too much.”
The festival continues until Saturday, October 11. In the days ahead, the birds will be divided into groups, each hunting in a different designated game reserve. Falconers from Serbia, Italy, and Greece will see their birds compete in live hunting events.
While visitors are welcome to watch smaller birds hunt hares or pheasants, eagle hunts come with an age restrictions - children under 15 are not permitted, as the powerful birds could pose a danger.
Falconry is one of the oldest relationships between man and predator, and has a longstanding tradition in Czechia, dating back centuries. In 2010, Czech falconry was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognizing its cultural and historical significance. Building on its rich heritage, the Opočno Falconry Festival now ranks among the largest international gatherings of its kind worldwide.
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