I am a falconer of over 40…

I am a falconer of over 40 years experience. Taking first year hawks from the wild for falconry purposes has absolutely no effect on wild populations as the USFWS found when they looked into the issue in the 1980's. All falconers and raptor biologists know that the mortality rate among first year birds of prey is in excess of 75%. The small amount of birds it is proposed be captured by falconers for falconry purposes will be insignificant compared to the amount of first year birds that die from natural causes. This change in the law will have no impact on the overall populations of all the birds of prey it impacts and it should be passed.