look what I caught!!!

[al6517]

Get a load of those cool Talons, amazing preditors.

AL

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Alot of those even have hunting season. Thats not the Federal Law that protect all Bird of Prey.

Could you reference the other law? I thought the migratory Bird act was the one being referred to in the earlier quote, as the Act "provides that it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture or kill; attempt to take, capture or kill; possess, offer to or sell, barter, purchase, deliver or cause to be shipped, exported, imported, transported, carried or received any migratory bird, part, nest, egg or product, manufactured or not. Subject to limitations in the Act, the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) may adopt regulations determining the extent to which, if at all, hunting, taking, capturing, killing, possessing, selling, purchasing, shipping, transporting or exporting of any migratory bird, part, nest or egg will be allowed, having regard for temperature zones, distribution, abundance, economic value, breeding habits and migratory flight patterns."

There are amendments and other regulations regarding hunting, ecological protection, etc., but I would be interested in seeing the "raptor specific" law, as I was unaware of it.

They are protect under that law also,and the endangered species act.

 

[LizFM]

Web site by a Federal Agency (BLM) on raptor law, which lists the multiple laws involved (owls are raptors and are included in these laws):

http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/four_rivers/01/links/raptor_possession.html

From the website (emphasis mine):
All raptors are protected by state and federal regulations. It is illegal to capture or kill a raptor; possess a raptor (living or dead), or any pieces or parts of raptors, including feathers, without proper permits from state and federal government agencies

This is a pretty comprehensive website, put together by several universities, on dealing with Hawks and Owls:

http://icwdm.org/handbook/birds/HawksOwls.asp

Trapping and Relocating

A landowner must obtain a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and usually the local state wildlife agency to trap any hawk or owl that is causing damage. Trapping is usually permitted only after other nonlethal techniques have failed. Set traps in the threatened area where they can be checked at least twice a day. If possible, experienced individuals or agency personnel should conduct the trapping and handling of captured birds.

Shooting

All hawks and owls are protected by federal and state laws. There are cases, however, in which they can create public health and safety hazards or seriously affect a person’s livelihood.

Contact your local USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services office first if you are interested in obtaining a shooting permit. The USFWS and state wildlife agencies may issue shooting permits for problem hawks and owls if nonlethal methods of controlling damage have failed or are impractical and if it is determined that killing the offending birds will alleviate the problem.
Permittees may kill hawks or owls only with a shotgun not larger than 10-gauge, fired from the shoulder and only within the area described by the permit. Permittees may not use blinds or other means of concealment, or decoys or calls that are used to lure birds within gun range. Exceptions to the above must be specifically authorized by USFWS. All hawks or owls that are killed must be turned over to USFWS personnel or their representatives for disposal.


I have found no data on how difficult it is to supply the above proof. Somehow I doubt that a wish to free-range your chickens without a hawk eating them is going to cut it. All the websites mention dealing with raptor predation by building sturdy enclosures with roofs or other coverage.

 

[trulefty]

HEY!!! Don't those things live in PAIRS!!!!!

 

[Terri O]

My neighbor made me just sick when he told me how he got rid of owls and hawks that were preying on his chickens. (I will spare you) This after I told him I caught a young Great Horned Owl in my live trap and released it. That was the weirdest thing! I thought I was dealing with a raccoon and thought I had caught it. When I got to the trap and reached for it ; the owl turned his head and scared the bejeebies out of me with those eyes! It was a very cool experience though...right up there with watching a mother owl "teach" her babies on my goslings in the middle of the night!I LOVE raptors; but hate what they do to my chickens and other fowl! Terri O

 

[redhen]

I know..they are so so beautiful. I had one killed in my chicken run the other day. (either by my roos or a bigger hawk)
i had never had the chance to see one up close like that. They really are so pretty. I just wish they didnt eat my pets!

I dont blame them..they are just trying to survive and eat...

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Like this, that 3 i know that got in a live trap, I release this one, at daylight. They do kill other night predators.(coons,skunks,foxes, even stray cats)
My trap also was for what I thought was a coon kill.

 

[poultrypatch]

OH OH !!!! WOODPECKERS TOO ????????? Wed when I was checking my RIR coop for eggs I saw something brown and ragged looking !!! Slammed the lid shut. Thought "MOUSE". Took a second look, now the girls had it in their beaks, taking turns with it, playing take away. When I finally got it and checked it was a small woodpecker ! Quite dead ! It must have been dumb enough to trespass into their coop and obviously they didn't want it in there so they took care of the situation. Must have come in the pop door.
Does this mean that if word gets out my 6 RIR girls will be doing time in the state pen ???
Liz
Rochester, MA

 

[newchickmom09]

I think the main thing you need to do is call your local Game and Fish Department. They are the ones that run and take care of everything with the wildlife. Ours here is really great. They can help you and tell you what you can't and can do.

You can't help it that the hawk got into your coop and was being pecked alive. If it happens again I would catch it just like you did and call the Game and Fish right away. That way if you do transport it to release it you have an OK to do so and you won't get in trouble.

 

[cicene mete]

Thanks, LizFM, very informative sites. So federally anyway, it looks like the standard red tail has the same protection as the American Black Crow or the Raven (Migratory Bird Act), because it is not endangered and it is not a bald eagle. Unless I'm reading something wrong (always a possibility

), there is no federal raptor specific law. I guess that means we have to be much more careful about owls, woodpeckers, and crows. I wonder if the issue is that most of the birds protected by the Migratory Bird Act are not predatory?

I think that the general advice of calling the Fish and Wildlife Service or local game warden seems to be the way to go. Strange things happen, like the pictures above of the owl in the trap, or a hawk getting beaten up by a hen. A large red tail once missed my chickens and flew into my patio window. It just sat there stunned for a couple of minutes and then flew away, but I don't know what I would have done if it had been injured. Those are big birds with big talons!