BIOGRAPHY... 

    Harold M. Webster Jr. was born on February 20, 1920 in Denver, Colorado. He was educated in the Denver Public School System, graduating in June 1938 from East Denver High School. He entered Colorado College in September 1938 and received his AA degree. He then transferred to the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He was in the graduating class of ’43 including one year’s service in the Army. Hal was then inducted into the Navy and served for three more years in the South Pacific. He continued his postgraduate education after his wartime service, and was awarded the Juris Doctorate degree in 1952 from the University of Denver Law School.

     In 1935, as a junior high school student, Hal was employed by the Denver Public School System as a “clean up man”. While working, he was the recipient of a jack (male) Richardson Merlin trapped in the school gymnasium thus starting his long involvement in falconry.

    With the exception of two years spent in Idaho, Hal lived most of his adult life in Colorado. He and his wife (Kaytee) raised a family of four children; Trudy, Hal Jr., Chris & Bruce. He now resides in north central Montana where he runs his Elhew Pointers, flies his falcons and gets many opportunities to fly fish and hunt. He has spent the last several early winters near Moosejaw, Saskatchewan hunting Gyr Falcons with his friends.

Hal is currently working on the 9^th edition of NORTH AMERICAN FALCONRY AND HUNTING HAWKS. Publication is scheduled for 2011 and will be available from Western Sporting. Hal is also working on a new book about Gyr Falcons. Previous editions of Hals’ books are now only available through the antiquarian book trade.

    In 1955, at its inception, Hal assisted the Air Force Academy Cadet Corps with their new mascot; i.e. the falcon. He was soon making trips throughout the world in search of appropriate mascots for the student body. As a Naval Reserve Officer, Hal was sent to many of the high arctic areas in his search for birds. Other trips to Alaska, the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and finally Russia and Kazakhstan were made over the next 40 years in a constant search for knowledge of raptors living in the arctic.

    Hal and other local falconers established the Colorado Hawking Club in 1962 and assisted the Colorado Division of Wildlife in setting up the first state falconry laws. These early regulations were the ones used when the federal government set up the system now in place governing falconers.

    In 1955 Hal and his wife Kaytee along with Frank L. Beebe and Peter Asborno made a trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands, in offshore British Columbia, for Peales Peregrines. During that trip the basis of the book NORTH AMERICAN FALCONRY AND HUNTING HAWKS, as well as an initial outline, was conceived. After endless exchanges of manuscripts and other pertinent ideas, the book took form and was finally ready for printing in 1962. Frank graciously contributed all of the illustrations. Hal is now the sole owner of the publication.

    Hal, Frank and others felt that the existing national falconry organization, with its non-elective process of establishing officers and directors, was not as democratic as it should have been. It needed a change in direction. As a result of this both Frank and Hal dedicated a great deal of time and money in establishing what is now called the NORTH AMERICAN FALCONERS ASSOCIATION (NAFA).

    Hal is an honorary life member of the following organizations:

The California Hawking Club,

The Colorado Hawking Club,

The Texas Hawking Association,

The Welsh Hawking Club,

The Welsh Old Hawking Club.

Hal is also a member of:

The British Falconers Club,

The Montana Hawking Club.

The Texas Hawking Association recently gave its first “Lifetime Achievement Award” to Hal Webster during their 2003 field meet.

Hal served as the first President and Director at Large of NAFA and also served as editor of its quarterly publication.