571—101.1(481A) Falconry regulations.

1. 101.1(1)  A falconry permit allows for the purchase, capture, possession and use of designated legal raptors in hunting, subject to state regulations.
2. 101.1(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. 101.1(3)  There shall be three classes of falconer permits as follows:

   1. a. Apprentice falconer.

      1. (1) An applicant 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. (2) Apprentice permit holders may only possess a Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and shall not possess more than one individual or obtain more than one replacement bird during any 12-month period. Apprentice permit holders may not take nestling or fledgling birds.
      3. (3) A sponsor has the right to withdraw sponsorship at any time by submitting a signed letter to the department requesting withdrawal of sponsorship. If an apprentice falconer fails to successfully complete the required two-year apprenticeship, the apprentice falconer’s 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 permitted falconer or hacked back into the wild.
      4. (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.
   2. b. General falconer. An applicant shall be at least 18 years old. An applicant shall have at least two years of field experience in the practice of falconry at the apprentice level or its equivalent; the keeping of raptors without actively hunting the bird(s) shall not be considered field experience. General permit holders shall not possess more than three raptors and may not take more than one raptor for a replacement bird from the wild during any 12-month period. Licensed general class falconers may purchase properly marked captive-bred raptors only from federally licensed raptor propagators.
   3. c. Master falconer. An applicant shall have at least five years of field experience in the practice of falconry at the general level or its equivalent. The keeping of raptors without actively hunting the bird(s) shall not be considered field experience. A master falconer shall possess no more than five raptors at any one time and be permitted to take no more than two replacement birds from the wild in any 12-month period. Master class falconers may purchase properly marked captive-bred raptors only from federally licensed raptor propagators.
4. 101.1(4)  Falconry permits are $61.50, are valid for a three-year period, and are nontransferable. Permits shall expire June 30 of the third year after issuance. Permits may be renewed without examination following the falconer’s submission of an annual report of birds possessed during the previous year and provided that the department is satisfied as to the competency of the applicant whose permit has expired.
5. 101.1(5)  A federal raptor propagation permit is required before any raptor propagator may take, possess, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or transfer any captive-bred raptor, raptor egg, or raptor semen for propagation or sale purposes.

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 of natural resources’ 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, American 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 band provided by the department.

This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 481A.48 and conforms to the federal regulations promulgated under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

[ARC 9241C, IAB 5/14/25, effective 6/18/25]