Upwards of 75% of first year…

Upwards of 75% of first year immature raptors will die of starvation during their first winter. It is from this population only that raptors would be accessed by falconers. Wild taken raptors are routinely released by falconers back to the wild after a year or two of successful hunting which will significantly increase their chances of survival. The species to be accessed by falconers are stable and will have no impact on wild populations. These include the RedTailed Hawk, Coopers Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin and with this proposal the Goshawk.