I know I've seen this posted before. What is or is there a possibility to have one mounted legally...?
Who would be the first contact..??

I don't think so, but I may be wrong. I know my Taxidermist buddy won't.

On base where I work if we find a dead Osprey, Eagle or Hawk I call the wildlife guy and comes out and gets it.

You have to have a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to legally have it, or any part of it in your possession.

From the Migratory Bird Treaty Act:

Specific provisions in the statute include:

Establishment of a Federal prohibition, unless permitted by regulations, to "pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture or kill, possess, offer for sale, sell, offer to purchase, purchase, deliver for shipment, ship, cause to be shipped, deliver for transportation, transport, cause to be transported, carry, or cause to be carried by any means whatever, receive for shipment, transportation or carriage, or export, at any time, or in any manner, any migratory bird, included in the terms of this Convention . . . for the protection of migratory birds . . . or any part, nest, or egg of any such bird." (16 U.S.C. 703).


All birds of prey are afforded protection under the MBTA.

Interesting, I came up on an eagle eating roadkill between Eclectic and Wetumpka on 170 the other day.

Not legal to posess and they wont give a permit according to a Facebook question to our local GW a couple of months ago.

That all makes sense...but they leave the 15 bird limit for the bob white quail?

Just got off the phone. Not just no but he'll no. It was an owl. They are ranked right up there with eagle's. Beautiful too. Oh well.

That's effed up!

I didn't realize crows were protected by the feds until I explored crow hunting to get around the gun control rules at wma's where they've just about turned them into bow hunting clubs.

There's supposed to be a season on them according to federal regs. When I asked Chief Dodd how they got away with violating federal regs, he told me that was a legislative issue. They law says they aren't protected by the state. Section 9-11-233 but you'll find them in the DCNR regs.

The seasons are set by the commissioner, not by legislators. Cuff him and stuff him feds.


Federal crow regulations

Quail are not migratory, therefore not regulated by the feds.

I have seen Bald Eagles that died in captivity and were mounted with a special permit.

last I knew....you could get a permit from USFWS to have it mounted and DISPLAYED IN A PUBLIC PLACE, not your home or camp. You have to pay for the taxidermy but don't get the bird...ever.

You just need a "discreet taxidermist".

If I still have feathers on my bumper and grill am I breaking the law?

We had owl swoop out of tree to about 1ft off the road when he caught the headlight I my brothers ford escort. Killed the owl, knocked out the headlight and some other damage to the car we picked it up and called some official i can't remember I don't think it's was a GW but I could be wrong it was around 2006. He told us that was big negatory on the mounting and to put it back where we got it. So we took it back to where we let him meat the headlight and chunked it in the ditch like we was instructed.

Would like to have one myself but not worth going to jail for!

There was a guy around here arrested for killing migratory birds a few years ago.

news story

Understood...just being sarcastic. Fewer quail in the state than red tails...yet, you can still bag 15/day. I'd love to see 15 quail!!

Speaking of birds of prey, I was fishing from a dock at Lake Hollolla a few years ago and a bald eagle landed on the railing about 6 feet from me. That was the biggest bird I had ever seen. Quite intimidating and he was very interested in the fish I was catching.

After a couple of catches I decided to let him have the run of the place.

Get Birdcarver to carve you one out of wood if they look as good as the ducks I've seen, it'd be as good as a mount.

google bird carvings and then click images hover over the pic and it will show the website it's from.