Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
You need a Colorado Parks and Wildlife falconry license before you keep a hawk. That means an 80 percent exam, a sponsor at general or master class, and a mews inspection under 50 CFR 21.82. Apprenticeship lasts at least two years. Confirm current fees, take seasons, and legal apprentice species with CPW. Hunting licenses are separate.
Do you need a license for falconry in Colorado?
Yes. You need a Colorado falconry license from Colorado Parks and Wildlife before you possess a raptor for falconry. Unpermitted possession of almost every hawk, falcon, and owl used in this sport is illegal under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Colorado runs the permit to the federal standards in 50 CFR 21.82.[1][3]
A bill of sale is not a license. A rehab shift is not a license. A small game license is not a falconry license.
Federal law is blunt. 16 U.S.C. 703 says that, "Unless and except as permitted by regulations made as hereinafter provided in this subchapter, it shall be unlawful at any time, by any means or in any manner, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill" migratory birds.[12] The falconry carve-out lives in 50 CFR 21.82. Colorado then writes the operating rules in Chapter W-6, Raptors.[5] Title 33 of the Colorado Revised Statutes is the parks and wildlife title that lets the Commission require licenses and adopt those rules.[4]
Read W-6. Read it again the week you plan to trap. Forum summaries rot.
Colorado can be stricter than the federal floor. It cannot be more permissive. If a group chat says an apprentice can fly a wild goshawk and W-6 says otherwise, W-6 wins.
You will still buy ordinary hunting credentials when you hunt quarry. That is a different CPW product. If you only want classes, renewal, and the fee line to confirm, use the companion page on the falconry license in Colorado.
How long does falconry take in Colorado?
The legal ladder takes at least two years at apprentice class, and that clock starts after you are licensed, not after you buy a glove. 50 CFR 21.82 sets a two-year practice floor with a general or master sponsor. Moving from general to master takes at least five more years at general class.[1]
That is the statutory minimum. It is not how long it takes to be useful in a Colorado wind.
Most first-year delay is human. You have to pass the exam. You have to find a sponsor who will actually take you hunting. You have to build housing that passes inspection. CPW does not publish a guaranteed processing time, and this page will not invent one. Confirm current application steps and inspection scheduling with the falconry contact at CPW.
Exam prep is a few weeks if you already know raptors, longer if you do not. The sponsor search can take months. It often takes longer on the Western Slope than along the Front Range because there are simply fewer general and master falconers. I would not order lumber on a guess.
After two apprentice years you still apply to upgrade. The upgrade is not automatic. Your sponsor has to be willing to say you are ready. Some people need a third season. That is normal, not a scandal.
The federal time bars are the same if you compare how to start falconry in Arizona or how to start falconry in California. The wait for a living sponsor is what actually changes.
How much does falconry cost in Colorado?
Nobody has an official first-year total. CPW does not publish a starter budget, and I will not invent one.
You pay in buckets. State falconry license fees change. Confirm the current resident and nonresident amounts on CPW license materials before you write a check.[4][5] Do the same for a small game license and the Colorado habitat stamp if those apply to your age and license type. Waterfowl adds federal stamp rules when you hunt stamped species.[9]
The exam is a state-run written test, not a commercial course. Do not pay a stranger for a guaranteed pass.
Housing is the first real number. A legal mews can be a sound shed you already own or a new build. DIY hardware cloth, perch stock, and a decent door can stay in the low hundreds if the structure is honest. A contractor-built mews can run into the thousands. I would not buy a prefab chicken coop and hope. Inspectors look at safety and weathering, not stain color.
Handling gear (glove, jesses, leash, swivel, bath pan, outdoor perch) is a few hundred dollars if you buy decent used or mid-grade new. A gram scale is not optional. Telemetry is where people light money on fire. VHF works. GPS is nicer and costs more. Fund a transmitter that you will actually use before you fund carved furniture.
Food is recurring. Quail, rats, and legally obtained rabbits add up. Nobody has a clean published Colorado average. Budget hundreds of dollars a year, more if you keep a large hawk through a hard winter.
Vet care is specialty work. Raptor medicine is not a cheap farm call. Colorado State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins is a real avian-capable teaching hospital if you need referral-level care.[11] Keep an emergency fund.
A wild-taken first bird, once you are legal to trap, is cheap in cash and expensive in time. A captive-bred bird has a purchase price that varies by species and breeder. I will not quote a fake average. Get current numbers from legal propagators after you are licensed.
Waste of money: a bird before the inspection, decorative hoods, paying for a sponsor who will not hunt with you, and any kit that claims to skip CPW.
If you want a paper checklist for the exam, sponsor talks, and mews specs, FalconryPath sells a $149 one-time State Exam + Sponsor + Mews Kit at /start. It is optional study material. It does not issue a license.
What exam do you take for a Colorado falconry license?
You take a supervised written exam that Colorado administers or approves. The federal pass line is 80 percent. 50 CFR 21.82 requires that you "correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on a supervised examination provided or approved by the State, tribal, or territorial agency that administers falconry in your State."[1][2]
The test covers raptor identification, natural history, care, disease, law, and field practice. It is not movie trivia.
CPW handles seating and retakes. Confirm the current exam process, any application you file first, and retake rules with CPW. I will not invent a sitting fee or a wait between attempts.
Study the federal rule and Chapter W-6, then a serious identification source. Know Accipiter from Buteo from falcon on the wing. Know what frounce and sour crop look like. Know what you are not allowed to trap.
I would sit with a general or master falconer and go through photos until you stop guessing. Flashcards help. A weekend cram usually does not.
Passing the exam does not authorize a bird. You still need the sponsor (if you are an apprentice), the inspection, and the license in hand.
Do you need a sponsor to start falconry in Colorado?
Yes, if you enter at apprentice class. Federal standards require a sponsor who is a general or master falconer.[1] Colorado follows that structure in Chapter W-6.[5]
A sponsor is not a signature mill. You should expect field days, housing checks, and blunt notes when your bird is fat. If someone will only text you after a payment, keep looking.
CPW will not assign you a sponsor. The North American Falconers Association publishes beginner guidance and is the usual national starting point for finding practicing falconers.[10] Hunt-meet introductions beat cold email.
I would ask to go hunting before I asked for a signature. Watch how they handle a bird on a kill. Ask how many apprentices they have finished, not how many they have started.
If you are under 18, parent or guardian consent is part of the federal age rules. The minimum apprentice age is 12 years.[1]
If your sponsor quits, you need another qualifying sponsor. The two-year clock is about practice under sponsorship, not about a lapsed friendship. Confirm with CPW how they treat a mid-apprenticeship sponsor change. Do not guess.
People who learned the paper path in a denser state, including how to start falconry in California, are often surprised how few sponsors sit east of I-25. Start that search early.
What mews and equipment does Colorado inspect?
Your housing and equipment get inspected before you keep a bird. 50 CFR 21.82 requires humane, healthful facilities and sets the federal performance standard for indoor mews and outdoor weathering areas.[1] Colorado inspects to those rules plus anything tighter in Chapter W-6.[5]
Do not build from a social-media stall. Read the federal housing language, then ask a master falconer to walk your site.
Inspectors care whether the bird can injure itself, escape, or sit in filthy water. They care about predator-proofing. They care about perches that do not wreck ceres and feet. They care that you own a scale, a bath, and jesses that actually work.
Colorado weather is the other half. A mews that works in a wet southern winter can fail in a February wind on the Palmer Divide. Hail will wreck a cheap tarp roof. I would overbuild shade and ventilation before I chased extra square footage.
Indoor-only apartments are a hard way to start. Some cities and HOAs restrict poultry and "wild animals" in ways that collide with raptor housing. A CPW license does not rewrite a lease. Talk to the landlord before you pay for lumber.
Inspection scheduling is a CPW operations fact. Confirm it. No article should promise you a date.
What birds can you fly as a Colorado apprentice?
Confirm the current apprentice species list with CPW before you trap or write a breeder a check.[5] Federal rules limit apprentices to a short list unless a state is stricter. That federal list has long centered on American kestrel and red-tailed hawk, plus red-shouldered hawk, which is not a practical Colorado bird.[1][2]
I will not tell you a wild goshawk is your first bird. It is not, unless current W-6 says it is. Read the chapter instead of trusting a memory of 2014.
A red-tailed hawk is the usual honest first hawk on the eastern plains. A kestrel is legal in many apprentice programs and will teach you weight management, then lose a slip in a March wind. Harris's hawks are common in captivity. Whether an apprentice may possess one is a state-list question. Check W-6.
Possession limits are class-based. The federal apprentice ceiling is one raptor. General class sits at three under the federal text. Master class has a higher wild-bird cap, with extra room for captive-bred birds in the federal rule.[1] Colorado may sit at or below those ceilings. Confirm.
Hybrids and expensive imprint falcons are a later-class problem. I would not plan an apprenticeship around one. Learn on a legal, hardy, common bird.
Compare the class page for a falconry license in Arizona if you might live across that line. Species lists are not identical.
What other Colorado hunting licenses do you need?
A falconry license lets you possess and train the raptor. It does not replace the hunting license you need to take game.[4][8]
Buy the Colorado hunting credential that matches the quarry. Small game covers cottontail, jackrabbit, and upland birds when those seasons are open. Waterfowl is its own pile. You need the state waterfowl privilege where CPW requires it, plus the federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp when you are a person who must hold that stamp to hunt ducks, geese, or other stamped species.[9] HIP registration applies when you hunt migratory birds.
Colorado also uses a habitat stamp for many hunters and anglers. Confirm whether it applies to your age and license type on current CPW materials. I will not invent the dollar amount.
Seasons and bag limits still apply when the hawk makes the catch. Falconry does not create a private season.
Land access is separate from licenses. State Wildlife Areas have property-specific rules. Some allow falconry. Some restrict dogs, raptors, or off-trail use. Read the property page. Private land needs landowner permission every time.
Nonresident hunting licenses cost more. Confirm the current nonresident small game price with CPW if you live out of state and want to fly Saturdays in Larimer County.
How do you take or acquire a first hawk in Colorado?
You do not acquire a hawk, then apply. You get legal, then you acquire.
Wild take (a passage bird) is the traditional apprentice route. Capture seasons, legal age classes, and any take limits live in Chapter W-6 and the annual season-setting process.[5] Confirm dates every year. I will not print a season that may have moved.
Trapping on public land is not automatically legal just because you hold a falconry license. You still need the right to be there and to use a trap. Some parks ban it. Some State Wildlife Areas allow it. Ask first.
When you take or receive a bird you file U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Form 3-186A, now handled through the electronic reporting system.[6] The reporting window is short, counted in days. Confirm the current deadline in 50 CFR 21.82 and on the form instructions, then file immediately so you do not blow a days-long deadline by waiting for Sunday night.
Wild-taken birds get a nonreusable U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band. Encounter reporting for found bands runs through the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory process.[7] Captive-bred birds carry closed uncut bands from the propagator, a single unbroken ring slipped on as a chick.
Buy from a legal propagator only after you can legally possess that species at your class. Ask for the 3-186A transfer. If they shrug at paperwork, walk away.
How do apprentice, general, and master classes work in Colorado?
Colorado uses the three federal classes: apprentice, general, and master.[1][5] The names match other states. The take rules do not.
Apprentice is the entry class. Minimum age is 12. You have a sponsor. You have a tight species list and a one-bird federal ceiling unless Colorado is tighter.
General class is the working license for most people. Federal rules require at least two years of apprentice experience and a minimum age of 16.[1] You can keep more birds. You can sponsor apprentices once you meet the federal sponsor experience bar (at least two years at general). Confirm Colorado's sponsor eligibility language in W-6, because states sometimes add extra time.
Master class requires at least five years at general.[1] It is not a personality award. It is a time and experience class with a higher possession cap.
| Class | Federal min age | Federal time bar | Federal wild-bird ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | 12 | Entry class | 1 |
| General | 16 | 2 years as apprentice | 3 |
| Master | 16, plus general years | 5 years as general | 5 |
Transfers between classes are applications, not birthday presents. Keep your 3-186A history clean. If you let a license lapse, reinstatement is a CPW question, not a forum vote.
If you are weighing a move, read falconry license in California or falconry license in Alaska next.
Can you practice falconry if you move to Colorado from another state?
Yes, you can usually bring a lawfully held falconry bird if you complete Colorado's entry process. You do not get a free year just because another state already licensed you.
Federal rules contemplate moving between jurisdictions and require you to meet the new state's facilities standards.[1] Colorado will want to see your existing class, inspect housing, and issue a Colorado falconry license. Confirm the exact incoming-falconer steps with CPW before the moving truck.
Do not assume your apprentice time automatically posts. Bring sponsor letters, old licenses, and your 3-186A history.
I would call CPW before I signed a lease with no yard. Housing fails kill more incoming applications than exams do.
For a harsher western comparison on season and species, not on the idea of a transfer, see how to start falconry in Alaska.
Where can you hunt with a hawk in Colorado?
You hunt where you have permission and where the quarry season is open. A falconry license is not a statewide access pass.
Eastern plains rabbits and pheasants are the realistic apprentice quarry for a lot of Colorado falconers. Ducks work if you have water, a suitable bird, and the extra waterfowl paper. Mountain grouse sounds better than it hunts in a short season.
State Wildlife Areas, state parks, and federal lands each have their own conduct rules. Some SWAs close to falconry or to any off-trail work. Read the property regulations the morning you go, not the year you got licensed.[8]
Municipal open space is often a no. Dogs and hawks get lumped into no-pursuit rules. I would not test that in a Front Range city to make a point.
HOAs and city animal codes can block the mews even when hunting land is an hour away. Solve housing first.
Winter access is the Colorado problem people from the South underestimate. Icy ditches, late waterfowl, short days. Build a season around the bird you have.
What paperwork do you file after you have a bird?
You keep a paper and electronic trail for the life of the bird.
Every acquisition, transfer, recapture, and loss goes on Form 3-186A through the federal reporting system.[6] Do it on time. "I was in the field" is not a defense you want to test.
If a banded bird is found dead or injured by someone else, encounter reporting runs through the Bird Banding Laboratory process.[7]
You renew the falconry license on CPW's cycle. Confirm the current term and fee. I will not invent a renewal month.
If the bird dies, you still report it. If it is stolen, you report it. If it is lost and not recovered, you report it. Then you decide, with your sponsor, whether you take another bird this season under your class limits.
Records inspections happen. Keep copies.
FalconryPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. The optional exam, sponsor, and mews packet is the $149 kit at /start. The license still comes only from CPW.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for falconry in Colorado?
Yes. You need a Colorado Parks and Wildlife falconry license before you possess a hawk, falcon, or owl for falconry. Federal law bans unpermitted possession of migratory birds, and Colorado administers the permit under 50 CFR 21.82 and Chapter W-6. A bill of sale or a hunting license is not a substitute. Confirm current application steps with CPW.
How much does falconry cost in Colorado?
There is no official first-year total. Confirm current falconry and hunting license fees with CPW. Housing can be a few hundred dollars DIY or several thousand if you hire a builder. Basic handling gear is a few hundred. Telemetry and vet care are the budget shocks. Food runs hundreds a year. Do not buy a bird before you pass inspection.
How long does falconry take in Colorado?
Plan on at least two years as an apprentice after you are licensed, which is the federal floor in 50 CFR 21.82. Finding a sponsor and passing inspection often take months before that clock starts. General class requires age 16 and those two years. Master class needs five more years at general. CPW does not guarantee processing times.
Can a 12 year old start falconry in Colorado?
Federal standards set the minimum apprentice age at 12, with a parent or guardian involved if the applicant is a minor. Colorado follows that class structure in Chapter W-6. A 12 year old still needs the 80 percent exam, a qualifying sponsor, and inspected housing. Confirm any extra state paperwork for minors with CPW before you study for the test.
Do you still need a federal falconry permit in Colorado?
You do not apply for a separate old-style federal falconry permit if you hold a valid Colorado falconry license. Colorado administers falconry under the certified-state system in 50 CFR 21.82. You still file federal Form 3-186A when birds move, and you still obey the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The state license is the permit you carry.
How do you find a falconry sponsor in Colorado?
CPW will not assign you one. You need a general or master falconer willing to take an apprentice. NAFA beginner pages and in-person hunt meets are the usual path. Ask to go hunting before you ask for a signature. Front Range sponsors are easier to find than Western Slope sponsors, simply because more falconers live there.
Can you keep a falconry bird in a Colorado apartment?
Rarely in a practical way. Housing has to pass a CPW inspection under 50 CFR 21.82 and Chapter W-6. Leases, city animal codes, and HOAs can ban the mews even when the state would license you. A falconry license does not override a landlord. Solve access to a legal outdoor weathering area before you sit the exam.
Is a red-tailed hawk legal for a Colorado apprentice?
Red-tailed hawks sit on the long-standing federal apprentice list, and they are the usual first hawk on the eastern plains. Colorado can still tighten species in Chapter W-6. Confirm the current apprentice list with CPW before you trap or buy. A red-shouldered hawk is on the federal list too, but it is not a practical Colorado bird.
Do you need a duck stamp to hunt waterfowl with a hawk in Colorado?
If you hunt ducks, geese, or other stamped migratory waterfowl and you are a person required to hold the federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, yes. You also need the matching Colorado hunting credentials and HIP registration. A falconry license does not replace those. Confirm current stamp and state waterfowl rules before opening day.
How often do you renew a Colorado falconry license?
You renew on CPW's license cycle, which is a state operations fact that can change. Confirm the current term, fee, and month with CPW rather than trusting an old blog. Keep your 3-186A history clean while the license is active. A lapse is a reinstatement problem, not a casual paperwork delay.
What if your Colorado sponsor drops you mid-apprenticeship?
You need another general or master sponsor. The two-year federal clock is about practice under sponsorship, not about a broken friendship. Tell CPW and ask how they treat a sponsor change so your time posts correctly. Do not keep a bird without a qualifying sponsor if your class requires one. Start that search the week you see trouble.
Can nonresidents get a Colorado falconry license?
Ask CPW before you assume yes. Some states issue nonresident falconry licenses. Others expect you to hold the license where you keep the bird. Even if Colorado will license a nonresident, hunting credentials are separate and usually cost more. Facilities still have to be inspectable in Colorado if that is where the raptor will live.
Is abatement the same as a Colorado falconry license?
No. Falconry is hunting wild quarry with a trained raptor under the falconry license and ordinary hunting rules. Abatement is paid bird-control work under different federal and state authorizations. Do not take airport or landfill jobs on an apprentice falconry card. If someone offers you abatement money in year one, walk away.
Sources
- eCFR, 50 CFR 21.82 Falconry standards and falconry permitting: Federal falconry standards set an 80 percent supervised exam, minimum apprentice age of 12, a 2-year apprentice period, 5 years at general before master, class possession ceilings, sponsor rules, and housing standards that certified states including Colorado must meet or exceed.
- Federal Register, 2008 final rule on falconry regulations (E8-23759): The modern federal falconry rule created the certified-state system, the 80 percent exam standard, and the apprentice/general/master class structure states now administer.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918: The MBTA makes it unlawful to take or possess migratory birds except as permitted by regulation, which is why a falconry license is required to keep hawks and falcons.
- Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 33 (2023) Parks and Wildlife: Title 33 is Colorado's parks and wildlife code authorizing Commission licensing rules and hunting licenses that sit alongside falconry credentials.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Form 3-186A: Form 3-186A is the federal acquisition and disposition report falconers must file when they take, transfer, or lose a raptor.
- USGS Bird Banding Laboratory: The Bird Banding Laboratory handles encounter reporting for numbered bird bands, including falconry bands found on dead or injured birds.
- North American Falconers Association, Become a Falconer: NAFA is the primary national industry body pointing new apprentices to sponsors, clubs, and the legal path into falconry.
- Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital: CSU's Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins is a Colorado referral hospital with avian capability for specialty raptor care.
- GovInfo, 16 U.S.C. § 703 (MBTA take prohibition): 16 U.S.C. 703 states that unless permitted by regulation it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, or kill migratory birds.