R657-20-9. Apprentice Class Falconer

  (1) Apprentice class falconer requirements.

  (a) Applicants for an Apprentice Class falconry COR must be at least 12 years of age.

  (b) Applicants for an Apprentice Class falconry COR who are under 18 years of age must have a parent or legal guardian sign their application.

  (c) The parents or legal guardian of a minor Apprentice Class falconer under the age of 18 are legally responsible for the activities of their child.

  (d) An individual may not take the falconry exam earlier than two (2) months prior to their 12th birthday.

  (e) Applicants for an Apprentice Class falconry COR must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on an examination administered by a Division representative.

  (f) The examination questions will cover basic care and handling of falconry raptors, state and Federal laws and regulations relevant to falconry, raptor biology, diseases and health issues, raptor identification, trapping, training methods, and other appropriate subject matter.

  (i) An individual may contact any Division office for information about taking the examination.

  (ii) Falconry examinations are administered at any Division office by appointment only during business hours.

  (iii) An individual that fails to correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on the exam may retake the exam after a minimum 14-day period.

  (vi) An individual that correctly answers at least 80 percent of the questions on the exam has up to 1 year from the exam date to submit application for a falconry COR.

  (vii) An individual may only attempt the falconry exam three times in a calendar year.

  (g) An applicant's facilities and equipment must pass inspection by the Division under R657-20-6 before a falconry COR can be issued.

  (2) Possession of Raptors at the Apprentice Class.

  (a) An Apprentice Class falconer may not take or possess:

  (i) any raptor taken from the wild as an eyas;

  (ii) any federally listed threatened or endangered species;

  (iii) any wild caught, captive-bred, or hybrid eagles;

  (iv) any wild-caught species taken in Utah when that bird is listed as a Bird of Conservation Concern ("BCC") by the Service for the Bird Conservation Region ("BCR") area where it is taken, as depicted on the Division's website at utah.falconry.gov;

  (v) any hybrid raptor; or

  (vi) any imprinted raptor.

  (b) If not otherwise prohibited by R657-20-9(2)(a), an Apprentice Class falconer may take or possess any passage age raptor that is wild-caught, captive-bred, or acquired through legal transfer listed below:

  (i) Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus);

  (ii) Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus);

  (iii) Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii);

  (iv) Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis);

  (v) Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus);

  (vi) Common Black-Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus);

  (vii) Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis);

  (viii) Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus);

  (ix) Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis);

  (x) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius);

  (xi) Merlin (Falco columbarius);

  (xii) Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus);

  (xiii) Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus);

  (xiv) Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrines), except an Apprentice may only possess non-imprint Peregrine Falcons; and

  (xv) Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus).

  (c) An Apprentice Class falconer may possess no more than one (1) raptor for use in falconry.

  (c) Another falconry permittee may capture a wild raptor in compliance with R657-20-13 and transfer the raptor to an Apprentice Class falconer if the Apprentice Class falconer may lawfully possess that raptor.