Sonoran Specialists, Hunting with Hawks in the Arizona Desert

Tucson falconers Brian and Carissa Wood head into the rugged Sonoran Desert with their 16-month-old daughter, Evelyn, to fly their Harris’s hawks in their native habitat. The hunt is a family affair that balances the beauty of watching wild hawks join their flights with the harsh realities of navigating dangerous cholla cacti.

The Woods fly a cooperative team of Harris's hawks: Brian’s quick-learning one-year-old male (who took game just 13 days after being trapped) and Carissa’s seasoned five-season female, Nymeria. Rather than using traditional T-perches, they let the hawks follow them from the tops of towering saguaro cacti. Navigating this terrain requires constant focus, leading Brian to wear snake gaiters to protect himself from cacti while keeping his eyes on the sky. To ensure their birds' safety under the heavy brush, they rely on the Marshall GPS system, which has replaced their older VHF Scout telemetry gear. Though the quick desert cottontails won the day, the hunt highlights a deep connection to family and heritage.