ALL BIRDS OF PREY ARE STATE AND FEDERALLY PROTECTED! 

 

Fines for illegal activity under the USFWS Migratory Treaty Act are up to 6 months imprisonment and/or a fine of $15,000.00.

Free-ranged chickens and other birds:

If you have chickens that are not penned or “free-ranged” you are responsible for their safety. Your backyards and farms are homes and grocery stores for wildlife. They are simply being a wild animal coming in looking for food. You may not trap or harm any raptor because it should take an unprotected chicken or game bird. Another bird would simply move into that territory anyway. It is far less costly for a landowner to put up an area fenced-in with netting to protect their birds. When scared, a chicken will jump upwards allowing a raptor’s foot to come through the netting. Putting up a double layer of netting with 2 feet between layers can provide even more protection for your birds.

The penalty for shooting or harming any raptor is 6 months imprisonment and/or $15,000 in fines. 

Just think how the raptors are keeping  the rodents on your land under control. Wisconsin average’s 100-400 rodents per acre of land. A pair of mice can turn into 1/2 million in 6 months. A red tailed hawk can take 1800 rodents in one year! 

 

Is a BB Gun really a weapon?

When buying a gun for your children, remember to teach them how to use them and what not to shoot at.  BB GUNS, BLOW GUNS, OR CO2 GUNS should never be used on living creatures for target practice.  You must be 12 years of age and have passed the Hunter’s Safety Course by Wisconsin State Law to legally hunt even with a BB-Gun, they are a weapon and can kill. Children under 12 may possess BB Guns but may not shoot at birds or mammals, fines will be imposed. 

Imprinting: Do not attempt to raise infant wildlife yourself.   It is illegal and wild animals do not make good pets.  Imprinting is an irreversible behavior and is devastating for wildlife.  When their eyes begin to focus and they see their parents, they know what they are. If all they see is a human face they become imprinted on people. An imprinted bird or mammal will not reproduce, will compete with man for territory instead of a species of its like, become outcasts by their own species as they do not know how to interact. Ultimately they are destroyed by man or their own kind as they become a “nuisance” as to no fault of their own. 

 

Always make sure infant wildlife really needs you to intervene. Wild parents are not with the young all the time.  Watch and observe before you take the young bird, or mammal away from its home territory.

Cats:

Keep your cats and dogs with you, don't let them just run.  Feral cats roaming  kill some 39 million birds a year alone in Wisconsin. It is estimated there is an average of 114 cats per square mile in parts of Wisconsin. This can be devastating to wildlife that depends on prey for survival, creating an unnecessary competition for food between domestic and wild animals. In some instances, the decline of songbird species is a result of being killed by “well fed housecats”.  Cats kill for fun, raptors kill only when hungry. I personally have 2 cats, and keep them indoors where they are safe from cars and disease.

 

Often people ask about larger species of owls and hawks taking small dogs and cats as prey. While they may not be able to differential between a small domestic pet and a rabbit, it highly unlikely and very rare, perhaps a one in a million chance of occurence. If you stay with your pet it will be safe as wild animals are naturally fearful of humans.  Your unattended pet is a million times more likely to be hit by a car, lost or stolen, poisoned from chemicals, disease, or shot by an angry neighbor. Your are ultimately responsible for the safety of your pet, if you do not wish to be inconvenienced by keeping it on a leash, fenced in, or stay with your pet while outdoors, do not own one.

 

When cutting down a tree, check first to see if some wild bird is nesting in it. Some nests are easy to see on the branches, but some will be in the holes in that tree. Dead trees provide many food sources and nesting opportunities for wild birds.