James Fassinger | STILLSCENES | Documentary, Travel and Editorial Photography

International Falconry Competition

Opocno, Czech Republic

Each year the Czech Falconry Club hosts the International Falconry Field Meeting in Opocno. Hunters from across Europe line up with their birds of prey and dogs each morning at the Opocno Chateau during the three day hunt. They walk the fields surrounding the village with local guides taking turns releasing their birds after prey, flushed from the brush by hunting dogs.

In 2010, UNESCO placed Falconry, the ancient art of hunting for more than 4000 years, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for the countries of Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Spain, Morocco, Mongolia, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic and United Arab Emirates.

This series was photographed back in 1994 as a feature story for the weekly newspaper Prognosis.

Hunters line up in the courtyard of the Opocno Chateau for an opening ceremony before the day's hunt begins.

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Falconers walk the fields in search of rabbit, pheasant, partridge and small deer.

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A falconer calls his bird back after it missed its prey.

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A local guide points out to a falconer areas where game may be hiding between fields.

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A falconer lures his bird away from a partridge it brought down - with the meat of a freshly killed baby chick. The falconer must skillfully switch the chick for the prey or else it will consume the game bird before the hunter can get to it.

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The falconer lets his bird have a taste of his prey as reward for a job well done.

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