Can someone help me out with questions on mounting migratory/protected species. I have checked the archives, but can I, as a state and federally liscenced taxidermist legally mount a crow, that I shot, for a customer as long as I only charge him the mounting fee. A fellow taxidermist has mounted several birds for a customer of his that he shot or got gifted to him from someone else. This taxidermist says there is no problem here but I'm sceptical.
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The way I understand it, the only way you can mount it for your friend is if you don't charge him anything and give it to him free as a gift. The same would go for all migratory birds. The only way you can mount for a person who didn't take the animal legally is if you purchased it from a breeder and had the appropriate papers with it. I could be wrong but that it the way I understan the law and run my business.
I'm hearing your customer shot the crow, that's all I gathered out of reading your whole paragraph, wink, wink...
We have a season in Maine and to the best of my knowledge COMMON CROWs are not governed by the federal migratory laws. We have no federal stamp requirements or special seals for crows so technically the local wardens have no way to know whether the customer shot it or if I did. I've heard allot of people say that crows are migratory birds but ive never had any wardens be concerned about any crows, but I may be way off base on this I think it depends largely on your state rules. As for charging for mounting that's labor and I believe you'll have no problem, or at least I haven't in 24 years, but to be safe check with your local DNR office.
I just looked up in my federal regulations and the Common Crow is listed as one of the migratory birds protected under the migratory act. Unless I am reading something wrong. Like Curtis said, check with the DNR to see if it is migratory.
Thanks, I just did a deeper search into the US Fish and wildlife and your right its listed.All these years not thinking so OPPS, such a scavenger I never gave it much thought. Curtis just disreguard my previous post sorry to be missleading , see that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Guess ill have to have a talk with one of my local warden buddies Thanks again Jim.
Curtis, things can get really complicated and confusing when you start to make exception as to who shot what when and what you will do and not do and who said what to whom. In my own business I keep things on the straight and narrow so I don't have to try and remember all those made up details. Here again I don't have the memory for it. Who knows, maybe the guy did shoot the crow. Did he have a hunting license? Good luck.
Thanks for all the comments guys, guess I'll just pass on making some money on this one. Too much grey area for me to deal with.
CRC50 migratory birds or waterfowl or the parts thereof taken within legal seasons may be given to another, but must be accompanied by the name address of the donor and the date and place of kill. They may not be sold, trader, bartered, or exchanged. So if you give the crow to someone. And they have you mount it. as long as the bird is accompanied by the donors info. and you have your federal migratory bird license to mount it. You will have complied with the letter of the law.
Your description of "disposing" a bird is exactly why the law was written as it is....to keep people from going out and killing migratory birds to mount and "sell". You can sugar-coat it all you like, but the "skinny" is, you shot a bird, mounted it, and got paid for it. That's against the law.
why don't you "gift" the crow to your client, then he could turn around and have you mount it? This shouldn't create a problem, should it?
U S A had no bag limits on crows. the mexicans complained because you see the crows would migrate there and eat the insects thus keeping the crop damage to a minimum. so our great Government said we would put a bag limit on crows if the mexicans would in return put a Limit on their water fowl season harvesting. therefore crows are migratory birds because thats why understand man ?
Bob, that's like selling a piece of driftwood for $200 and throwing in a duck for free! The paper trail still comes back to your bird that YOU killed and YOU mounted and YOU got money for it.