Modern falconers use training techniques little changed from those used more than 300 years ago. With no laws then to stop them, falconers removed an eyas from its nest at night and then raised the young falcon. The bird is now "at hack" until it learns to fly. The falconer leaves bits of freshly killed prey at a feeding board, eventually teaching the eyas to "stoop" or swoop down on prey and return to the feeding board to be fed.

At about a month old, a properly "hacked" eyas is wild enough to fly off on its own. The falconer nets the bird at the feeding board, places a hood on its head, and attaches a swiveled leash. Perched on a gloved hand and spoken to gently, the falcon learns to keep calm in the presence of people and hunt on command without carrying off its prey.

On the hunt, dogs flush out birds, the falconer doffs the hood, slips the leash from its swivel, and casts off the falcon. It soars from the falconer's wrist, positioning itself to stoop headlong from a height or "pitch" of hundreds of feet, hitting the prey with a resounding blow that can be heard from the ground. A good falcon will never "truss," or seize, its prey.