I was trying to post this message to the State/Country section, but I don't seem to have access to that section so I'll post it here.
Finally I received some good news about the CT falconry regs after a much longer than expected delay at the Dept. of Interior. I received word from George Allen a on June 2 that he has the CT falconry regs package (which has been signed by the Department of Interior officials) on his desk. The regs still have to be signed by the Executive Secretary, but Mr. Allen gave a tentative date of the end of next week or the beginning of the following week to have them published as a final rule in the Federal Register.
Yet another hurdle cleared on the long road to be able to practice falconry in Connecticut.
P.S. The next scheduled date for the Connecticut apprentice exam will be in July. So far seven people have successfully completed the exam.
- Jon D'Arpino
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
Jondarp, does CT require you have a sponsor to take the exam? I know different states have different regs, but somehow I don't know my own. Oh, and do you have to meet mimimum age? *sigh* Ah, my life...
Give a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for a lifetime.
Jondarp, does CT require you have a sponsor to take the exam? I know different states have different regs, but somehow I don't know my own. Oh, and do you have to meet mimimum age? *sigh* Ah, my life...
You don't have to have a sponsor to take the exam, although in most cases it's a definite advantage, as your sponsor can help you study. However, in Connecticut, since all of our sponsors will be out-of-staters (who aren't familiar with the CT exam) the advantage of having a sponsor lined up before taking the exam is lessened somewhat.
If you are thinking about taking the exam, I can help you out with what to study, but you should try to line up a sponsor before you get too far "down the road" (i.e., before buildlng a mew and buying/making equipment).
I don't believe that there is minimum age to take the exam, but you should check with Laurie Fortin at the D.E.P. to confirm that. You do need to be at least 14 years of age to apply for a falconry permit however.
- Jon D.
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
Thanks JonDarp, that did help. I was planning on going sponsor-hunting after passing, just because I'm not likely to find one willing before, being both minimum age and female. (I know, I have to do things the hard way...)
But anyway, if you could give me some hints about what the exam focuses on, I'd be ever grateful.
Give a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for a lifetime.
Thanks JonDarp, that did help. I was planning on going sponsor-hunting after passing, just because I'm not likely to find one willing before, being both minimum age and female. (I know, I have to do things the hard way...)
But anyway, if you could give me some hints about what the exam focuses on, I'd be ever grateful.
Reiz, As far as sponsor go, it may be tough for you to line one up for this season (even if you have passed the exam). I'm not saying it's impossible, but sponsors for CT apprentices will be pretty scarce, especially in this first season. You may find it hard to line one up unless you've really made some good contacts within the last year or two. Most potential sponsors want to get to know you and have you spend some time in the field with them. I know at least two people who have been looking for nearly a year and are still searching for sponsors.
Since you won't be legal age (for another couple of months, right?) you may want to consider beating brush for an experienced falconer (meaning someone out of state) for a season. That will give you some good first-hand exposure and will give you some additional time to get your facilities built, equipment made, etc. There are a number of field meets in the Northeast throughout the season and they can be good opportunities to meet possible sponsors. Plus, you'll still have a good four years to practice falconry before you head off to college.
The exam is 150 questions (true/false and multiple choice). It's not rocket science, but you do have to know your stuff. So far 11 people have taken the exam and 7 have passed. It's a challenging test, but certainly one that you can pass if you study well.
It covers a range of topics including raptor identification and natural history, basic training techniques, knowledge of falconry terminology and equipment, identification and treatment of common ailments (e.g., frounce, asper), falconry history and raptor husbandry, etc. Also be sure that you know the Connecticut falconry regulations thoroughly as there are several questions on them. Know the basics of the Federal regs as well. I remember at least one question about which Federal form to use when you first obtain a falconry bird.
I found that the falconry exam simulator on the Online Falconry web site (www.onlinefalconry.com) was very helpful in preparing for the CT test. I took that practice test over and over until I was scoring 100 percent on a consistent basis. A lot of the questions on the CT exam were the same as those on the web site's exam simulator.
The other study guide I used was the New York State falconry exam study guide. It not only gives you the questions and correct answers, but it also tells you why the correct answers are correct. I found it to be a great study aid. You can obtain a copy of that study guide by contacting the New York State D.E.C. They have a web site with contact information.
Hope this helps. Let me know if I can provide any more information.
How is it possible for the Fed. to approve the CT. falconry regulations when the Fed. is fully aware that the state of CT. will arrest and prosecute a licensed falconer for trying to recapture his passage raptor that he banded and legally aquired from another state if that same raptor escapes in the state of CT. ?
How is it possible for the Fed. to approve the CT. falconry regulations when the Fed. is fully aware that the state of CT. will arrest and prosecute a licensed falconer for trying to recapture his passage raptor that he banded and legally aquired from another state if that same raptor escapes in the state of CT. ?
Lido
Lido,
It's not up to the Feds to decide how Connecticut's falconry regulations read. They don't care if we have ridiculously overblown regulations, as long as they aren't less strigent than the Federal guidelines – clearly they aren't.
The Feds only task in reviewing the Connecticut regs was to determine if they met or exceeded Federal standards. So, the fact that Connecticut decided to put in some stupid crap about not being able to legally re-trap a raptor that escapes in CT is totally irrelevant as far as the Feds are concerned.
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
I wonder if the Fed. and the state of CT. will stand by their view of irrelevance when it comes to being arrested and prosecuted by the state of CT. (for a licensed falconer re-taking a legally aquired passage bird from another state when it escapes in CT.)when the lawsuits begin to fly?
I wonder if the Fed. and the state of CT. will stand by their view of irrelevance when it comes to being arrested and prosecuted by the state of CT. (for re-taking a legally aquired bird from another state when it escapes in CT.)when the lawsuits begin to fly?
I don't know how the State of Connecticut and the USF&WS will react, but it sounds like you'll be the first one to file a lawsuit. You'll have to let us know how that works out for you.
Good luck.
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
BTW, Jondarp, did you use the CHC study guide as well? How relevant was it?
I didn't use the CHC guide, simply because I wanted to concentrate on information that pertains to falconry in this part of the country.
I would imagine there's some good general information in the CHC guide (I haven't read it), but my sponsor didn't recommend it as a study tool because the falconry regs in California are very different from those in CT.
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2005 15:11:44 GMT -5 by jondarp
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
The CHC study material is excellent and I would highly suggest apprentices located anywhere in the US check it out. It is true that there are some differences in the state laws however, the CHC study material is chock full of very good information that pertains to apprentices everywhere. You will gain serious knowledge and insight about falconry and raptors after having read the CHC material.
The CHC study material is excellent and I would highly suggest apprentices located anywhere in the US check it out. It is true that there are some differences in the state laws however, the CHC study material is chock full of very good information that pertains to apprentices everywhere. You will gain serious knowledge and insight about falconry and raptors after having read the CHC material.
Lido,
Thanks for the information. A friend of mine has a copy of the CHC guide and I'll take a look. Did you find it helpful for you in preparing for the CT exam?
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson