Here is my experience with wood ducks and other native waterfowl.
We raise Wood Ducks at our farm in Wisconsin and our ranch in South Dakota, both states require a STATE LICENSE to own wood ducks.
In Both states you can own & breed them with the state license. In WI it is called a Captive Wildlife permit. In SD it is called a gamebird license- which has 2 classes- private & commercial; you need the private license to keep birds or the commercial license if you will be selling any birds.
In addition to the state license- IF YOU ARE GOING TO SELL, GIVE, TRADE (any form of transfer) which includes- eggs, babies or birds, you then need the FEDERAL WATERFOWL PERMIT.
You DO NOT need a federal permit to just own & keep migratory waterfowl. But you need to have the documentation (USFWS Form 3-186) that you legally obtained the birds and they have been marked per law (either a pinion, toe clip or close-band).
You should check with your state, as our customers in various states across the country have the same requirements as us. The permit/license may just have a different name. The USFWS (United States Fish & Wildlife Service) Form is for transfering birds from one owner to another- BUT the permit number does not transfer to you. Each person needs their own permit.
Basically---- we can keep & rear young just under the state permit, but need the federal permit to transfer any. So make sure the seller has the proper permits- so neither of you get a fine.
Randy
www.spectrumranch.net