Administrative Rules of Montana › Department 12 - FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PARKS › Chapter 12.6 - ENFORCEMENT DIVISION › Subchapter 12.6.11 - Falconer License Regulations › Rule 12.6.1122 - FACILITIES

Current through Register Vol. 13, July 5, 2024
(1) Permittees must keep all raptors held
				under their falconry permit in humane and healthful conditions.
(2) Whether indoors (mews) or outdoors
				(weathering area), raptor facilities must protect raptors from the environment,
				predators, and domestic animals. Permittees are responsible for the
				maintenance, security, and protection of raptors they possess under a
				permit.
(3) Permittees must have
				raptor housing facilities approved by the department before obtaining a bird to
				use in falconry. The department requires that the permittee have either an
				indoor or outdoor facility or both. A representative of the department, or its
				designee, must certify that facilities and equipment meet the following
				standards:
(a) All facilities must protect
				raptors from predators and domestic animals.
(b) The facility must have a suitable perch
				for each raptor, at least one opening for sunlight, and must provide a healthy
				environment for raptors.
(c)
				Untethered raptors may be housed together if they are compatible with each
				other.
(d) Each raptor must have an
				area large enough to allow it to fly if it is untethered or, if tethered, to
				fully extend its wings or bate (attempt to fly while tethered) without damaging
				its feathers or contacting other raptors.
(e) In most cases, each raptor should have a
				pan of clean water available. However, at the discretion of the permittee, this
				requirement is waived if weather conditions, the perch type used, or some other
				factor makes it inadvisable to have water available to the raptor.
(f) An indoor facility must be large enough
				to allow easy access for the care and feeding of raptors.
(i) If raptors are not tethered, all walls
				that are not solid must be protected on the inside. Suitable materials may
				include vertical bars spaced narrower than the width of the body of the
				smallest raptor housed in the enclosure. However, heavy-duty netting or other
				such materials may be used to cover the walls or roof of the
				enclosure.
(ii) Acceptable indoor
				facilities include shelf perch enclosures where raptors are tethered side by
				side. Other innovative housing systems are acceptable if they provide the
				enclosed raptors with protection and maintain healthy feathers.
(g) A falconry raptor or raptors
				may be kept inside the permittee's place of residence if a suitable perch or
				perches are provided. If raptors are housed inside the home, windows or other
				openings of the structure do not need to be modified. Raptors kept in the home
				must be tethered when they are not being moved in or out of the location in
				which they are kept.
(h) An outdoor
				facility must be totally enclosed, and may be made of heavy-gauge wire,
				heavy-duty plastic mesh, slats, pipe, wood, or other suitable material.
(i) The facility must be covered and have at
				least a covered perch to protect a raptor from predators and weather.
(ii) The facility must be large enough to
				ensure that the birds cannot strike the enclosure when flying from the
				perch.