We bought a house that was previoulsy owned by a taxidermist. In the rafters in the garage we found some owls, hawk and a woodpecker. How do we stand legally in keeping or selling them. Written dates on the back are 1965. Thanks for any advice.
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reading down the ? and anwsers , i can tell what my responce will be, the best thing for me to do is call the game warden and explain how i got these and give them to him , your board is very educational , thank you
giving them to them, just burn them and say bye bye
During the time frame you indicated was written on the back of the mounts, many birds of prey and owls were NOT protected and thus could be killed and mounted. When the law changed, those already preserved specimans could be "grandfathered in" so possession could be retained. It is relatively easy to determine if a bird was mounted over 30 years ago - especially if it was kept in a garage - at any rate, if they are in good condition you appear to have a a few options. Verify that they are permited with your local fish and game officer - if not ask how it can be done. You could call the previous owner (the taxidermist) and ask him what he wants to do with them. You could keep and display them if they are in good condition. You could donate them to a local museum or school for display and use, donate them to the audobon society for educational purposes and so forth. I disagree that you should simply discard them in the trash unless they are in really poor consition. Good luck.
They are in fabulous condition! Outstanding! the taxidermist died 4 years ago. they were stored in boxes in the rafters and are in excelent condition, we also found a woodpecker! Thanks fof the advice.