Wis. DNR to ask board to OK new falconry rules

$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$Associated Press$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$

MADISON, Wis. — The state Natural Resources Board is poised to adopt new falconry rules.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the states issue falconry permits jointly. But the federal agency plans to shift the responsibility to the states. The move means states must revise their falconry rules to comply with federal standards by 2014.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been working with state falconers to revise Wisconsin’s regulations. The changes include increasing the number of raptors falconers can possess, giving falconers more time report capturing a raptor in the wild for training and eliminating the need for a permit to use raptors for educational purposes.

The board is set to vote on the changes at a meeting in Madison on March 27.

Around 100 falconers operate in Wisconsin.