Can apprentices possess a raptor that they have not captured themselves?

The correct response highlights an important aspect of falconry regulations in California. Apprentices are limited in their ability to possess raptors to those that they have personally captured. This regulation ensures that apprentices gain the necessary skills and experience in the proper techniques of capturing and caring for raptors, which is essential for their development as falconers. It also promotes responsible hunting practices and ensures that apprentices have firsthand knowledge of the birds they will be training.

By restricting possession to only those raptors that they themselves have captured, the regulations maintain the integrity of falconry as a practice that emphasizes skill, commitment, and ethical treatment of wildlife. Possessing raptors obtained through other means could undermine these learning objectives and may lead to issues with the proper management and training of the birds.

As such, while there may be scenarios where a falconer can share or temporarily care for a raptor, the core rule for apprentices is that they must capture their own birds to gain the required experience.