NAFA North American Falconers Association

The 2025 Gathering of Eagles in Rock Springs, Wyoming is a joint IEAA/NAFA Meet, held in cooperation with the Wyoming Falconers Association. The Rock Springs area is a great area for eagle falconry with spectacular vistas and good numbers of jack rabbits. All eagle falconers and anyone interested in eagle falconry are welcome. People bringing eagles are welcome to arrive before November 5 to scout the area. The Meet will begin on Wednesday, November 5 after 4 pm, with an evening registration and Social Hour at the Santa Fe Southwest Grill in Rock Springs.

The two Meet hotels: The Best Western Outlaw Inn (307-362-6623) does not allow dogs. The Studio 6 (307-735-0281) allows dogs. Please make your reservations directly with the hotels and let them know you are with the eagle falconers. These hotels are across from, and next door to the Santa Fe Southwest Grill, which is the primary meeting and banquet location. 

Visitors will be able to accompany falconers hunting with their eagles beginning Thursday, November 6. The evening programs will include several guest speakers, a movie night, an auction and banquet on Friday night. The meet organizers are planning to hold an IEAA General Membership meeting at a Saturday morning breakfast. Along with hunting, there will potentially be a lure coursing demonstration Saturday afternoon.  There are plans for an outdoor cookout/celebration with Wyoming lamb on the menu on Saturday evening. Bring warm outdoor clothing. If the weather turns bad, we have made arrangements to move inside. If enough items are donated, we will try to have a raffle on Saturday evening. Sunday, November 9, will be for hotel checkout and a travel day for folks headed onto the NAFA Meet in Oklahoma. Falconers who want to stay in Wyoming will be welcome to stay a few extra days to continue hunting with their eagles before going on to Oklahoma or heading home.

Advance registration, with discounts for NAFA and IEAA members, can be done here on the NAFA website. Online registration will be available only until November 1. After that, registration will be on-site only, and there will be an extra charge.   

Wyoming now requires a "health certificate" for any falconry birds being brought into the State, however, the regulations do not require any diagnostic tests. Each individual raptor brought into Wyoming needs to have a health certificate from a USDA accredited Category II veterinarian.  The link below should help with finding one in your state.   We recommend you select your veterinarian at least 2 weeks in advance as it can be time consuming. The Health Certificate has to be secured within 30 days of, and prior to entering WY. Go to the USDA Accredited Veterinarian Search page (VSPS Veterinary Services Process Streamlining).https://vsapps.aphis.usda.gov/vsps/public/VetSearch.do?method=display&form=MG0AV3

1. Select your State - Use the dropdown menu to choose the state you're interested in.
2. Narrow by County or Zip Code - You can enter a specific county or zip code to refine your search.
3. Set Accreditation Category - Scroll down to the Accreditation Category section and select Category II. 
4. Click “Search” 
5. The system will display a list of accredited vets.

 In Wyoming, a license to hunt with a falcon ($15) is a separate license required of all falconers.  A conservation stamp which is valid for one calendar year is required for most hunting activities in Wyoming. The stamp costs $21.50 and must be in your possession while in the field. No additional license is required if you plan to only hunt jackrabbits or red fox. You must also possess a valid Falconry license from your State of residence. You can purchase the license and stamp online, at a Game and Fish regional office, or at a license-selling agent.  For most game species, Wyoming's falconry season runs from September 1 to March 1. Bag limits, specific hunt areas, and other limitations vary by species, and falconers should check for the most current regulations on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) website.  For most upland game birds, the falconry season is September 1 to March 1.  Sage grouse have a shorter season, from September 1 to January 31, and are restricted to Sage Grouse Hunt Area 1, which includes the Farson area. To hunt sage grouse in Wyoming, you need both a valid game bird license and a free, annual sage-grouse hunting permit, which can be obtained online or from Game and Fish offices. Daily and possession limits for upland game birds vary by species and hunt area. The sage grouse limit is one per day and two in possession.  Small game animals, including rabbits and squirrels, may be taken by falconers.  Cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare season opens September 1 and will be open during the Meet.  Wyoming offers extended falconry seasons for migratory birds.  Licensed falconers may hunt migratory game birds during the regular hunting season and during an extended falconry season.  The extended falconry daily bag limit is three migratory game birds in the aggregate, with a possession limit of nine. Falconers need a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp) to hunt ducks and geese.

 The IEAA hopes you will bring yourself, other falconers, friends, and family to Rock Springs, Wyoming in early November and join NAFA and the IEAA for a Gathering of Eagles.  We also hope you will bring a nice item for the auction. If you have any questions, please contact Mike Barker, Meet Chair, at (406) 581-0629.  Please feel free to share this information with your state/provincial clubs. 

Hope to see you in November!