Washington Administrative Code › Title 220 - Fish and Wildlife, Department of › WILDLIFE › Chapter 220-420 - Falconry › Section 220-420-060 - General falconer classes of permit and permitted raptors

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) An applicant
				for a general falconry permit must be at least sixteen years of age. If sixteen
				or seventeen years of age, a parent or legal guardian must sign the application
				and will be legally responsible for the general falconer's activities until the
				falconer is eighteen years old.
(2)
				An applicant must submit a document from a general falconer or master falconer
				(preferably the apprentice's sponsor) to the department stating that the
				applicant has practiced falconry at the apprentice falconer level or equivalent
				for at least two years, including maintaining, training, flying, or hunting the
				raptor(s) for at least four months in each year. That practice may include
				capture and release of falconry raptor(s). The applicant may provide proof of a
				previously held valid general falconry permit. A falconry school program or
				education is not acceptable to shorten the period of two years at the
				apprentice falconer level.
(3) A
				general falconer may not capture a raptor species that this permit
				classification does not allow the falconer to possess for falconry. A general
				falconer must release immediately any raptor he/she may not possess.
(4) A general falconer may take raptors less
				than one year of age from the wild during any time of the year. However, an
				American kestrel or great horned owl of any age may be taken from the wild
				during any time of the year.
(5)
				Regardless of the number of state, tribal, or territorial falconry permits a
				general falconer may have, he/she may possess no more than three raptors for
				use in falconry.
(6) A general
				falconer may take the following species of raptors from the wild in Washington:
				Red-tailed hawk (
Buteo jamaicensis
), kestrel (
Falco
				sparverius
), merlin (
Falco columbarius
), prairie
				falcon (
Falco mexicanus
), gyrfalcon (
Falco
				rusticolus
), sharp-shinned hawk (
Accipiter striatus
),
				Cooper's hawk (
Accipiter cooperii
), goshawk (
Accipiter
				gentilis
), great horned owl (
Bubo virginianus
),
				barred owl (
Strix varia
).
(7) A general falconer may possess any
				species of Falconiform or Strigiform except a golden eagle (
Aquila
				chrysaetos
), a bald eagle (
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
),
				a white-tailed eagle (
Haliaeetus albicilla
), or a Steller's
				sea-eagle (
Haliaeetus pelagicus
). A general falconer may use
				captive-bred individuals or hybrids of the species he/she is allowed to
				possess.
(8) Species of raptors
				that are not listed in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations at
				50 C.F.R. §
										10.13 are not covered under these
				regulations; however, general falconers may practice falconry or hunt with
				exotic raptors unless otherwise prohibited. Possession, import, and export of
				exotics may be subject to other state and federal regulations.
Statutory Authority:
					 RCW
					 77.04.012,
					 77.04.020,
					 77.04.055,
					 77.12.047,
					 77.12.210, and C.F.R. Title 50,
					 Part 21, Subpart C, Section 21.29; Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 10-18-012 (Order
					 10-214), §
											232-30-152, filed 8/20/10,
					 effective 9/20/10.