When I decided at age 40 to become a Falconer again ( first falcon age 14) after a friend gave me a Lanner Falcon ( from Africa) for my birthday, I contacted the State of Texas to get the required paperwork.  Unfortunately, I needed the signature of a licensed falconer who would be willing to accept me as his apprentice and I knew none.
 
Two days after receiving this required paperwork, while shopping at the WholeFoods market in Richardson, Texas, I caught a Peregrine Falcon in the parking lot.  Tracing it by it's Federal ID band lead me to David VanWormer, Master Falconer, who after a short conversation agreed that it was an act of God that he should become my Master Falconer.
 
After returning his Peregrine to him and signing my paperwork, it was agreed that we would go hawking for rabbits with his tiercel Harris Hawk the following Thursday.
 
Meeting at a remote strip mall in Lewisville , Texas he released his Hawk and his immature spaniel.  Whilst yelling at his disobedient  dog, David lost contact with his Hawk and we spent the next two hours looking for it.
 
We ended up a a local dinner with David crying over a cup of cofee while I tried to console him.
 
The next day, he got a call from the Herd Raptor Center In McKinney, Texas.  Seems a truck load of quail had been driving by and the Hawk had jumped in for an easy meal.  When the driver heard the resulting racket he knew to drive to the nearest raptor center where the tiercel was taken in hand and traced by it's federal ID number.
 
Eventually this male was joined by a Female named Kali from another Falconer.  
 
Kali ate the tiercel and in his grief, David gave Kali to me.  She was my first Harris Hawk and can be seen at;
 
http://www.neanderthin.com/site/hunting.htm
 
Ray