Is hunting hawks legal in Texas?

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Double Naught Spy said:
Then you would be wrong, mbt2001. Shooting fireworks at the birds would be illegal.
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maybe... If you can actually dig up the law... I don't think they are covered under the migratory bird laws, unless it is in the State. Some Hawks are, but not the Red Tailed that I know of...

Be hard to prove you were aiming for it.
 
You can't shoot explosive devices at the birds. You are not allowed to harm them or to try to harm them. Shooting bottle rockets at the birds would endanger them....plain and simple, and that would make the act illegal.

As for proving it, that is another matter, but the act you described, aiming AT the hawks would most definitely be illegal.

I don't think they are covered under the migratory bird laws
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What you think is not a defensible position. Red-tailed hawks are most definitely covered under the migratory bird act. Red-tailed hawks are indigenous migratory birds, hence are covered. There are a few exceptions that are delineated, but hawks are NOT of those exceptions.

Here is the listing....
http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/intrnltr/mbta/mbtandx.html

Pan down to the Hawk listings.

Also see...http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/protected/
Shooting fireworks at hawks would be covered under "attempting to harm."
 
maybe... If you can actually dig up the law... I don't think they are covered under the migratory bird laws, unless it is in the State. Some Hawks are, but not the Red Tailed that I know of...
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Trust me, they are. My wife is a Master Falconer, and I know the laws.

Be hard to prove you were aiming for it.
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Not a viable defense. You'll end up just as screwed and broke.
 
Do you have buildings in the area your chickens are ranging? String large monofiliment fishing line between the roof peaks. Use a double zig zag patternthat creates X's between the buildings. The hawks will not enter the area and your chickens will be safe in there.
 
Hunting them is illegal, but protecting livestock may not be. Especially if you're raising chickens for a living. Call your Fish and Game types and ask.
 
First get some Geese and Turkeys to hang with the chickens if you must free range. They will keep anything smaller than a bobcat from dining on your girls. If you can stand it get a couple of roosters as well. The martins are a great idea. Lastly if you don't get anywhere with those treatments then the chicken tractor is the best answer. Use bigger air filled tires and it can be built out of chainlink which will make it harder for the bears to rip it apart.

Chicken_Tractor.jpg


Jim
b7f2_1.jpg
 
Well, as tempted as I've been to shoot at hawks that raided my chickens.... I don't think its a good idea. If you want to keep deer out of your garden, build a fence... it's really the most effective way. At my place we've got a hawk proof chicken pen, which is great.

The really clever thing my buddy figured out is to put sections of fence propped up sideways (horizontally) so that the chickens can run underneath them. They are basically sideways propped up pieces of chicken wire that the hens can run underneath if a hop swoops down. Hawks don't like to spend time on the ground... so if the hens can hide under the chicken wire they are pretty safe.
 
Put up some Martin houses and they will keep the hawks at bay. A whole lot better deal for the hawk and you won't have any mosquitos.
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I put up a Martin house during the winter. Still no birds in it, hopefully they will occupy it soon.

Thanks for all the warnings and tips, guys. I should have mentioned that I already have a coop with chicken wire all around. I just like to let the birds free range from time to time. In addition to hawks we also have Great Northern Owls. I've seen both hunt and they are indeed fascinating to watch. I especially enjoy it when their intended prey, against all odds, manages to get away. :)
 
As has been said there are many ways you can protect your chickens without killing the raptors.

With that said you should contact your Game Officer in your area. Usually there are ways around the laws to portect your property. I had a friend here in NW Arkansas that was having problems with big birds of prey, he got a permit and was able to shoot them, but HAD to leave them where they fell.

Not saying I condone this, but there was no other way he could protect his livestock as he had tried many different things.

Check with your Fish and Game Office.

Tom
 
I used to bowhunt in a waterfowl sanctuary, and at times there would be 10,000 + ducks of various types in there. I've seen red tail hawks catch a duck in the air as it's hovering to land - pretty cool to watch.
 
I wouldn't be caught dead with so much as a feather from a bird of prey. A friend that I've hunted with for years got the third degree from a couple of game wardens in a cafe for having an eagle feather in his hat. This was probably in the mid 80s, and the feather was originally his grandfather's.
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Amain to that.
Back in 80 when I lived in Hayfork I found a spotted owl that had got creamed by a logging truck and dumb as I was I cut his claws off, tied them together with a piece of fishing line and hung them on the rear view of my truck. Fast forward a couple years and I'm just getting back to my truck after fishing at a small lake and who shows up, mister game warden. He checks my license and my catch and say have a nice day. I say you do the same. He walks forward past my truck toward the lake and turns around and says what is that hanging on your mirror. I don't lie and tell him the truth. He tells me that is big time illegal and he could arrest me and could impound my truck on top of being arrested. Then he told me to take those claws off the mirror and go throw them in the dumpster right now and not to ever do that again.

I was lucky that day. Could of been real bad.
 
A Turkey Vulture in many languages:
Latin: Cathartes aura
Cherokee: Suli
Spanish: Buitre de la cara roja
Spanish (Mexico): el Zopilote
Belize: John Crow


Status:
This bird is protected by international Migratory Bird treaties, and its numbers are healthy. It is estimated that turkey vulture populations have grown by 1.79% in recent years. (See the USGS population trend map, located at
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm03/trn2003/tr03250.htm)
 
Actually, they are covered, in part, under the Migratory Bird Act, along with about 800 other species of migratory birds.
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So at the very least, plug your magazine.;)

There's plenty of good advice here. I'd do that.

Law or no law, I wouldn't hunt hawks. Birds of prey are a real gift just to watch in the sky, and they taste terrible anyway.:uhoh:

"Hi, Mom! I'm going to jail!"

Red-tailed-hawk-20404-1.jpg
 
The way the law is written, the US Fish & Wildlife Service can take personal property involved in killing a raptor, and seize the accused's real property where the incident occurred. That includes your house, if they find any feathers, claws, etc.
 
I damn near had a bunch of feathers, guts, etc. in my real property, since I park in the garage, but it was through no fault of my own. A redtail was hunting a canyon, and a highway runs perpendicular to it. The bird flew RIGHT in front of my Jeep windshield as it crossed the road and I nearly intersected its path at 60 MPH.

Or do accidents count?
 
You always learn some thing here. You mean if a feather from one fell in my yard they could give me the third degree? They clean up for nature so we need them.
 
... is just as protected as the rest. What do you have against buzzards?
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they poke the eyes out of, and sometimes kill calves, but i'm not sayin i've shot any.

And as for the hawks, if you're too lazy to put up chicken wire (no shame in that), fireworks in general, not even aimed at the hawk, would probably keep it away, although you might have a few chickens die of a heart attack :D. Black-cats are loud:D plus when i use them, the birds stay away:D
 
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