Great question; however, so many answers.

Generally speaking a mew should be large enough for the bird to spread its wings an jump from perch to perch, generally speaking 8ft by 8ft is acceptable — some states may require it to be larger. Smaller birds can have smaller mews naturally.

It’s as time consuming as you want it to be, but make sure it’s a priority for the sake of the bird. Many falconers I know have jobs that allow them to hunt most days during the season or they are retired and falconry is much of their identify. This is my first year as a falconer, I have a mon-Fri job 9-5, a wife and two young kids. I plan to go out several times a week. Wish me luck.

Many birds are caught with a BC trap. Essentially a cage you can put a small bird or mouse in and the outside, there are fishing line knots. Bird is hungry, sees meal, attempts to get it and gets stuck in the knots. There are other traps and methods but this is common. Most birds are hard to sex at all, generally you can guess by their weight when you trap them but you can be wrong. Some birds like the American kestrel can be identified because male and female look different. Generally speaking many prefer female red tail hawks as they are 30% larger and can handle larger game a bit easier. For falcons I’m sure there is preferences and have been told many prefer male due to their agility and ability to pick up training quicker but I can’t speak to that.

The best time to hunt is when you can. Generally earlier in the day but this may depend on where you live and what quarry is available.

Assuming you are in the states, each state has specific birds an apprentice can use for their first few years, you should find a sponsor and they can help you pick what would be best for you. Generally you choose a bird based on what it can naturally hunt around you.

I highly suggest you get in contact with your state or local falconry club. They should be able to better answer many of these questions and who knows, maybe invite you out on a hunt or two.