Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Delaware does not appoint a standalone falconry board. DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife issues the permit under 50 CFR 21.82. You need that permit, an 80 percent exam, inspected housing, a sponsor at apprentice class, and a hunting license to hunt. Apprentice time is at least 2 years. Confirm fees with Fish and Wildlife. No timing promises.
Who is the falconry board in Delaware?
Delaware does not keep a standalone appointed falconry board that votes on your application. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife, is the agency that issues the permit, sits the exam, and sends the facilities inspector. If you call asking for the falconry board, ask for the wildlife permitting desk.
The Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council advises DNREC on broader fish and wildlife topics. It is not a falconry licensing panel. It will not grade your test or assign you a sponsor. [8]
Federal law is the floor you will live under. 50 CFR 21.82 is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulation every certified state falconry program has to meet. Delaware's own wildlife rules sit in Title 7 of the Delaware Administrative Code, chapter 3900. Read those two documents before you email staff. [1][5]
I'd treat DNREC as the board for every practical purpose. They decide when the exam runs. They decide if your mews passes. They can add state limits on top of the federal floor. Confirm those extras with them. A forum post from a decade ago is not a source.
Delaware is a small state. Staff time is limited. Bring a printed copy of 50 CFR 21.82 so the talk stays on the actual tests: exam, sponsor, housing, possession, and reporting.
Want a sense of how other small programs run paper? Look at the falconry board in connecticut. Bigger shops like the falconry board in california publish more forms. The federal floor is the same. The phone tree is not.
People say board because a few states still convene falconry advisory committees. I have not seen a Delaware statute that creates appointed falconry board seats. If DNREC uses an informal review, that is staff practice. Ask what they do now. Do not assume a public hearing.
Do you need a license for falconry in Delaware?
Yes. You need a Delaware falconry permit before you possess a raptor for falconry, and you need a valid hunting license (plus any stamps the season requires) before you hunt quarry with that bird. A federal falconry permit is no longer the card you carry day to day. States that meet 50 CFR 21.82 issue the permit themselves. [1][3][7]
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is why this is licensed at all. 16 U.S.C. § 703 says, "it shall be unlawful at any time, by any means or in any manner, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture, or kill" migratory birds except as permitted by regulation. Hawks, falcons, and most owls sit under that act. No permit, no bird. A pet hawk story is how people get charged. [2]
Title 7 of the Delaware Code is where hunting and license duties live. Chapter 5 covers license issuance. Falconry does not replace a hunting license when you are taking rabbits, squirrels, or doves. It is an extra credential, not a substitute. [7]
You will also file federal Form 3-186A when a bird comes in or leaves your permit. That form is how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracks individual raptors. Delaware staff will expect you to know it exists before they hand you a card. [4]
So the short stack is state falconry permit, state hunting license, HIP certification if you hunt migratory game birds, and clean 3-186A records. Skip any one of those and you are out of status.
Confirm the current application packet with DNREC. Do not start from a PDF you found on a club site in 2016.
How long does falconry take in Delaware?
Plan on at least 2 years at apprentice class before you can move to general, because that is the federal minimum in 50 CFR 21.82. Master class takes 5 more years at general. Delaware can make a class take longer. It cannot make it shorter than the federal floor. Confirm any extra state time with DNREC. Nobody can honestly promise you a permit date. [1]
The clock does not start when you buy a glove. It starts when you hold a valid apprentice permit and a bird, under a sponsor. Some people spend a year finding a sponsor in a small state. That year does not count.
| Class | Federal time floor | Typical bird cap in 21.82 | Sponsor needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | None to enter, 2 years to leave | 1 | Yes |
| General | 2 years as apprentice | 3 | No |
| Master | 5 years as general | 5 | No |
Read the live eCFR text before you treat the master cap as gospel. Later amendments talk about extra captive-bred birds for some master falconers. The apprentice 2-year floor has not moved. [1]
Exam scheduling is a DNREC staffing question. Facilities inspection is another appointment. Wild-take seasons, if you trap, run on the calendar, not on your enthusiasm. A first hunting season with a passage red-tail is often ugly. That is normal.
I'd budget three calendar years from I want to do this to I am a useful general falconer, and I would not sulk if it is four. People who rush the sponsor relationship wash out.
Already hold a general or master permit in another state? Then the timeline is a transfer and a facilities check, not a new 2-year apprentice term. Read the move-in rules in 21.82 and call both states. [1]
Compare that with how the falconry board in illinois or the falconry board in florida staffs exams. Bigger programs sometimes publish dates. Delaware often does it by appointment. Confirm.
How much does falconry cost in Delaware?
I will not quote a Delaware falconry permit fee here because those numbers move, and a stale fee is worse than no fee. Confirm the current falconry permit price and the hunting license price with DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife before you write a check. Their license pages and Title 7 Chapter 5 are where the state posts what it charges. [6][7]
The permit is not the expensive part. Housing is. A legal mews that stays dry, keeps raccoons out, and passes inspection will cost more than the card. Used lumber and hardware cloth work. A custom showpiece in year one is a waste of money if you do not yet know whether you will stay in the sport.
Then food. A hawk eats every day. Commercially raised quail and rodents add up over a winter. Vet care for birds of prey is not a cheap dog visit. Telemetry for a bird you fly in broken suburban cover is worth more than a third fancy perch.
Want the paper path in one stack? FalconryPath sells a $149 one-time State Exam + Sponsor + Mews Kit. You can also print 50 CFR 21.82, the 3-186A instructions, and Delaware chapter 3900 and build your own binder. Either is fine. I care that you read the primary rules.
Used telemetry on a dead frequency is a waste. So is a giant chamber mews on a rented lot you might leave next year. Start small, pass inspection, keep receipts.
National program history is in the 2008 federal rule that moved permitting to the states. That rule is about legal structure, not your grocery bill. The Service wrote then that it was eliminating the separate federal falconry permit and transferring administration to the states. Your wallet still sits in Delaware. [3]
What exam do you take for a Delaware falconry permit?
You take a supervised state exam that has to meet the federal test standard. 50 CFR 21.82 says you must "correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on an examination administered by the State, tribe, or territory under which you wish to obtain a falconry permit." That 80 percent line is not a suggestion. [1]
The exam covers care and handling, federal and state law, and field practice. It is written. It is proctored. You do not take it at home.
Delaware schedules it. Confirm format, location, and whether they charge a separate exam fee. I would not walk in cold. Read 50 CFR 21.82 end to end. Read Delaware wildlife chapter 3900. Know jesses, swivels, weights, aspergillosis, and what you may not trap. [1][5]
Fail it and you retake on their calendar, not yours. Passing does not issue the permit by itself. You still need a sponsor at apprentice class, a facilities pass, and the actual application.
Study guides from other states help for the federal material. They can be wrong on Delaware-only limits. Check those with DNREC.
An 80 percent score on the state falconry exam is the federal pass mark in 50 CFR 21.82. Memorize that number. Then learn the birds.
Who sponsors an apprentice falconer in Delaware?
A sponsor is a general or master falconer who agrees to take you on. Federal rules require that sponsor. 50 CFR 21.82 does not let an apprentice self-supervise. [1]
Delaware is a small state. The hard part is finding someone who still flies birds and will answer the phone in January. Ask DNREC if they keep a willing-sponsor list. Ask a national club. Show up in person. A cold email with no facilities plan gets ignored, and it should.
Your sponsor is not your employee. They can drop you. They can tell DNREC you are not ready to trap. I'd pick the person who actually hunts, not the person with the prettiest hybrid on social media.
Federal rules also set a cap on how many apprentices one sponsor may carry. Read the current number in 21.82. Confirm Delaware did not set a lower cap. [1]
Can't find a sponsor? You wait. Buying a bird first is how people break the law.
Nobody has a good public census of active Delaware falconers that I can cite. The closest honest statement is that this is a small community in a small state, so you may drive across a state line for a mentor. Do that legally. Dual-state paper is a DNREC question, not a guess.
What facilities does Delaware inspect before you get a bird?
DNREC will inspect your mews and weathering area before you possess a bird. Federal housing rules in 50 CFR 21.82 are mostly performance standards: humane, healthful, protected from predators and weather, with a bath and a way to inspect the bird. States apply those standards on the ground. [1]
Have a scale that actually reads in grams or half-ounces. Have a bath pan. Have perches that will not wreck ceres or feet. Indoor housing needs ventilation and a door that a raccoon cannot peel.
I would not pour a decorative courtyard. I would build a simple, lockable, shaded mews, then call for inspection. If you rent, get the landlord in writing. Inspectors notice a mews you cannot legally keep there.
Equipment at inspection usually includes a glove, jesses, a leash, a swivel, and a scale. Confirm the current checklist with the inspector. Do not surprise them with a bird already in the chamber.
The 2008 federal rewrite dropped some of the old rigid chamber measurements and moved toward welfare outcomes. That does not mean a converted dog crate passes. It means the inspector is looking at weather, predators, sanitation, and whether the bird can be examined. [3][1]
Build it, photograph it, then invite the inspection. Do not buy lumber until DNREC tells you what they want to see this year.
What raptors can an apprentice fly in Delaware?
Under 50 CFR 21.82 an apprentice may possess only one raptor, and wild-take options are narrow. The federal list for wild take at apprentice class is the American kestrel, the red-tailed hawk, and the red-shouldered hawk, unless the state is tighter. Confirm Delaware's current species list before you set a trap. [1]
A passage red-tail is the usual first bird in the East. Kestrels are fragile in the hands of someone still learning weights. I'd start with a red-tail if your sponsor agrees.
Captive-bred birds have banding rules. Hybrids have extra flight and ID duties in the federal rule. Apprentices should not start there.
You may not possess eagles at apprentice. You may not take threatened or endangered species. You report every bird on Form 3-186A. [4]
An apprentice falconer may possess only one raptor under 50 CFR 21.82. That cap is the one that wrecks people who try to hold a second bird as a spare.
The falconry board in arizona and the falconry board in colorado sit in different prey and take cultures. Copy their species talk only after you check Delaware.
Do you need a hunting license on top of the falconry permit?
Yes, if you hunt. Falconry is a method of take, not a free-fire card. Delaware hunting statutes in Title 7 still apply. Seasons, bag limits, and legal quarry do too. Chapter 3900 is where a lot of the method and season detail lives. [7][5]
If you hunt migratory game birds such as doves or ducks, you need Harvest Information Program certification. 50 CFR 20.20 is the federal HIP rule. That is a harvest survey hook, not optional folklore. [9]
Private land needs permission. Public land has its own rules, refuge closures, and sometimes a ban on free-flight raptors. Call the land manager. A state park is not your automatic flying field.
You do not hunt songbirds, shorebirds, or anything off the game list. If the current Delaware hunting and trapping guide does not list it, do not chase it. Guides change by season. Confirm the year you are hunting. [6]
Rabbits and squirrels are the realistic hawk quarry for most first-year Delaware flyers. Waterfowl adds stamps, HIP, and a lot more law. I would not start there.
How do you report a bird on Form 3-186A?
Every acquisition, transfer, release, escape, or death goes on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Form 3-186A. The Service's 3-186A page is the instructions, not a blog summary. File in the electronic system they specify. [4]
Keep copies. Inspectors ask. If a bird dies, you still report. If you transfer to another falconer, both sides report.
Bands stay on. Captive-bred birds carry closed bands. Wild birds get the federal marker the rule requires, or an ISO microchip where the regulation allows the swap. Read 21.82 before you pull a band. [1]
I'd keep a paper folder even if the system is electronic. Hard drives fail. So do phones in a marsh.
The reporting window is in the live 21.82 text. I will not freeze a 5-day or 10-day number here if you might read this after a revision. Open the eCFR section and write the current deadline on your fridge. Missed reports are how clean falconers become case files.
What if you move to Delaware with a falconry permit?
Tell the state you are leaving and tell Delaware you are arriving. 50 CFR 21.82 expects a falconer who moves to meet the new state's facilities standards. Delaware will want an inspection. They may issue their own permit at the class you already hold, if your paper is clean. [1]
Do not transport a bird into Delaware and wait six months to call. That is how people sit in possession without a valid state permit.
Temporary visitors hunting in Delaware need to confirm nonresident falconry and hunting credentials. I would not assume your home card is enough. Ask DNREC in writing.
The 2008 federal rule exists so states run this, not a single federal card you flash at a state line. The Service's own rule document is the history if you want to see why the dual-permit era ended. [3]
Bring your 3-186A history, your prior permit, and photos of the new mews. Then wait for Delaware's inspection. No approval guarantee. No promised week count.
How do Delaware rules sit next to 50 CFR 21.82?
50 CFR 21.82 is the national floor for facilities, classes, exams, reporting, and take. A state program has to meet it to be certified. Delaware can be stricter. It cannot waive the 80 percent exam, the sponsor, or the 2-year apprentice minimum. [1][3]
Read the federal section first. Then read 7 DE Admin. Code 3900 and ask DNREC where they add limits. That gap is where people get cited. [5]
The falconry board in georgia and the falconry board in arkansas work from the same federal floor. The differences are state fees, sponsor density, and game lists. Not the exam math.
If a club handout and the eCFR disagree, the eCFR wins. If DNREC and a social post disagree, DNREC wins. I would rather look slow than look unpermitted.
What should you do this month if you want to start?
Call DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife and ask who handles falconry permits. Ask for the current application, the exam process, the fee, and whether they have a sponsor list. Write the answers down. [6]
Read 50 CFR 21.82. Read Form 3-186A instructions. Sketch a mews you can actually build on land you control. Then find a sponsor. Until that person says yes, you are researching, not practicing falconry.
Do not trap. Do not take a bird as a rescue and call it falconry. Do not fly someone else's hawk on your glove as if that starts your 2-year clock. It does not.
FalconryPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. If you want the exam, sponsor, and mews paper in one kit, it is $149 one-time at /start. The primary sources above still win if they ever disagree with a summary.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for falconry in Delaware?
Yes. You need a Delaware falconry permit from DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife before you possess a raptor, plus a hunting license (and any required stamps) before you hunt. A separate federal falconry card is no longer the daily credential. Confirm the current application with Fish and Wildlife. No permit, no bird.
How much does falconry cost in Delaware?
The state permit and hunting license fees change, so confirm both with DNREC before you budget. The real money is the mews, food, an accurate scale, vet care, and telemetry. A fancy chamber on a rental lot is a waste in year one. Build simple housing that can pass inspection, then add gear you will actually use.
How long does falconry take in Delaware?
Federal rules set a 2-year minimum at apprentice class and 5 more years at general before master. Delaware can add time. It cannot cut those floors. Finding a sponsor in a small state can add a year before the clock even starts. No one can promise exam or inspection dates.
Is falconry legal in Delaware?
Yes, if you hold the state falconry permit, keep legal housing, report birds on Form 3-186A, and hunt only legal quarry in season with a hunting license. Unpermitted possession of a migratory raptor violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. A pet hawk is not a legal workaround.
Can I keep a hawk as a pet in Delaware?
No. Hawks, falcons, and most owls are migratory birds. Possession without a falconry or other federal-state wildlife permit is unlawful. Falconry is a hunting method with exams, sponsors, inspections, and reporting. If you want a pet, pick a domestic species that is legal to own without a raptor permit.
How do I find a falconry sponsor in Delaware?
Ask DNREC if they keep a willing-sponsor list, then ask national falconry clubs and show up in person with a real mews plan. Delaware is small, so you may wait. A sponsor must be a general or master falconer. Do not buy a bird while you wait. That is unpermitted possession.
Do I still need a federal falconry permit?
Not as a separate everyday card. The 2008 federal rule ended the dual federal-state falconry permit once a state program meets 50 CFR 21.82. You still follow federal standards, still file Form 3-186A, and still need Delaware's permit. Confirm with DNREC that their program is the one they want you to apply through.
What score do I need on the Delaware falconry test?
Federal rules require at least 80 percent on the exam the state administers. Delaware runs that test. Passing the exam is not the whole permit. You still need a sponsor at apprentice class, a facilities inspection, and a complete application. Confirm any exam fee and retake rules with DNREC.
Can I trap a wild red-tailed hawk in Delaware?
Only after you hold the right class of permit, only if Delaware still allows that species at your class, and only in the take window the state and 50 CFR 21.82 allow. Apprentices are limited to one bird and a short federal species list. Confirm seasons, landowner permission, and banding rules before you set a trap.
What if I already have a permit in another state?
Notify the state you are leaving and notify Delaware. Expect a facilities inspection. Delaware may issue its permit at your existing class if your records are clean. Do not sit in Delaware with a bird and only an out-of-state card. Ask DNREC in writing what they want for a transfer.
Do I need HIP to hunt doves with a hawk?
Yes. Dove hunting is migratory bird hunting. 50 CFR 20.20 requires Harvest Information Program certification. You also need the Delaware hunting license and any stamps the current guide lists. Falconry does not skip HIP. Register through the path DNREC names for that license year.
Does Delaware have a public falconry sponsor list?
Sometimes a wildlife office keeps an informal list. It is not something I can treat as a permanent public roster. Call DNREC and ask what they will share this year. National clubs help too. If nobody will sponsor you, you wait. There is no legal self-sponsored apprentice path under 50 CFR 21.82.
How old do you have to be to start falconry in Delaware?
Federal rules set a 12-year floor for apprentice class, with a parent or guardian signature if you are under 18, and 16 for general class. Delaware can set a higher minimum. Confirm the age DNREC will accept before you study for the exam. Do not assume the federal floor is the state age.
Sources
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 50 CFR 21.82 Falconry standards and falconry permitting: Federal floor for exam (80 percent), apprentice sponsor, 2-year apprentice period, facilities standards, class possession limits, species limits, and reporting
- 16 U.S.C. § 703, Migratory Bird Treaty Act: It is unlawful to take or possess migratory birds except as permitted by regulation
- Federal Register, Migratory Bird Permits; Changes in the Regulations Governing Falconry (E8-23765): 2008 rule eliminated the separate federal falconry permit and transferred program administration to certified states
- Delaware Administrative Code, Title 7, 3900 Wildlife: Delaware wildlife administrative rules that sit on top of federal falconry standards
- Delaware DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, Licenses: Current Delaware hunting and related license products, posted fees, and the hunting and trapping guide must be confirmed with DNREC
- Delaware Code, Title 7, Chapter 5 Licenses: Delaware statute chapter covering hunting and related license issuance
- Delaware DNREC, Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council: Delaware has a Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council that advises DNREC; it is not a falconry permitting board
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 50 CFR 20.20 Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program: Hunters of migratory game birds must be HIP certified
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 50 CFR 21.82 (eCFR current text used for exam quote): Shorter eCFR locator for the same falconry standards section, including the 80 percent examination requirement