Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 571 - Natural Resource Commission › Title VIII - Seasons, Limits, Methods of Take › Chapter 101 - Falconry Regulations › Rule 571-101.1 - Falconry Regulations

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
No person may take, transport, or possess any raptor without
				  having first obtained a valid state/federal falconer's permit. Falconry permit
				  holders shall comply with the department's rules and with the current Code of
				  Federal Regulations pertaining to falconry. Only the following raptors may be
				  taken from the wild: American kestrel, Cooper's hawk, Ferruginous hawk,
				  Northern goshawk, Great horned owl, Gyrfalcon, Harris's hawk, Merlin, Peregrine
				  falcon, Prairie falcon, Red-tailed hawk, Rough-legged hawk, and Sharp-shinned
				  hawk. Raptors taken from the wild shall not be sold, bartered or traded. All
				  wild raptors legally trapped or taken by a resident or nonresident falconer
				  must be marked with an Iowa marker band provided by the department.
(1) A falconry permit allows for the
				purchase, capture, possession and use of designated legal raptors in hunting,
				subject to state regulations.
(2) A
				falconry permit may be issued to any person 14 years of age or older who has
				successfully passed a written examination provided by the department and
				approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior covering basic biology, care
				and handling of raptors, laws, regulations or other appropriate subject matter,
				with a minimum score of 80 percent, and who has satisfied the minimum
				requirements for keeping raptors as determined by inspection of the applicant's
				facilities. In the event an individual fails the examination, this individual
				may reapply.
(3) There shall be
				three classes of falconer permits as follows:
a.
Apprentice falconer.
(1) An applicant shall be at least 14 years
				old and shall have a sponsor who is a holder of a general or master falconry
				permit and who has at least two years of active experience as a general
				falconer. A qualifying sponsor must submit a signed letter to the department in
				which the sponsor agrees to assist and mentor the apprentice falconer for the
				duration of the apprenticeship. A sponsor may have no more than two apprentices
				at any one time.
(2) Apprentice
				permit holders shall not possess more than one raptor and may not obtain more
				than one raptor for replacement during any 12-month period. Apprentice permit
				holders shall possess only a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Apprentice
				permit holders shall be restricted from taking nestling or fledgling
				birds.
(3) A sponsor has the right
				to withdraw sponsorship at any time and, upon withdrawal, must submit a signed
				letter to the department requesting withdrawal of sponsorship. If an apprentice
				falconer fails to successfully complete the required two-year apprenticeship,
				the red-tailed hawk shall be transferred to the sponsor of record. The sponsor
				will be required to properly care for the bird until it is transferred to
				another falconer or hacked back into the wild.
(4) Upon completion of the apprenticeship
				requirements, the apprentice's sponsor must submit a signed letter of
				endorsement confirming that the apprentice has satisfied the terms and
				conditions of the apprenticeship as required by these rules and approved by the
				department and the Iowa Falconers Association (IFA) Apprenticeship Guideline
				Manual.