Indiana falconry license

First-year fees

$75 falconry license

Expires the last day of February three years after issuance (312 IAC 9-10-13.1)

Fee raised from the earlier $60 application fee to $75 (Indiana Register 312 24-165, May 2024). A hunting license plus game bird habitat stamp (and waterfowl stamp for migratory) are required to hunt.

Exam & minimum age

Exam: 80% to pass. New applicants and those lapsed 5+ years must pass the DNR exam (≥80%); test taken by appointment at listed locations, followed by a conservation-officer facilities and equipment inspection.

Minimum age: 12 — New applicants must begin as apprentice class falconers, be at least 12, and have a sponsor (Indiana DNR falconry license regulations).

Classes: Apprentice → General → Master

Birds by class & trapping

Apprentice: first bird must be a wild American kestrel or red-tailed hawk the apprentice helped capture; after 6 months a kestrel, red-tailed or Harris's hawk (wild or chamber-raised captive-bred) is allowed — no eyasses, no imprints. General (16+): up to 3 raptors, any Falconiform/Strigiform except bald/white-tailed/Steller's/golden eagles and listed species. Master: up to 5 wild plus unlimited captive-bred; up to 3 eagles with DNR approval and 3 reference letters.

Max 2 wild raptors per calendar year. Passage birds Sept 1 – end of February; eyasses Jan 1 – Aug 31 by General/Master only (General ≤1/year, Master ≤2/year, one left per nest); haggard kestrels and great horned owls year-round. A DNR leg band must be acquired before any wild capture.

Notes from the official sources

Regulation of record is 312 IAC 9-10-13.1; the DNR falconry license regulations PDF summarizes the rule. Extended falconry seasons: cottontail/bobwhite/pheasant Sept 1 – Feb 28; squirrels Aug 15 – Feb 15.