Trapping Regulations
Click Here for the PDF version of the 2008-2009 Trapping Pamphlet:.
FURBEARERS
The following animals are classified as furbearers: beaver, bobcat, coyote, gray
fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, river otter, red fox, raccoon and skunk.
2008-2009 SEASON
The trapping season will open STATEWIDE on November 20, 2008, and
will close March 31, 2009. Trapping season on management areas (See
management areas.)
LICENSES REQUIRED
Trapper: No person shall set or run traps of any type to catch furbearers
during the open trapping season without a current trapping license. No person
shall sell pelts or carcasses of furbearers without a current trapping
license. (This includes bobcat, raccoon and/or opossum hunters selling
pelts and/or meat.) Every fur trapper must at all times have his current
trapping license in possession while trapping or selling pelts or carcasses.
Fur Buyer: No person shall buy whole nongame quadrupeds for the purpose
of pelting, carcasses of furbearing animals, raw furs or skins from fur
trappers, alligator hunters, alligator farmers, fur buyers or fur dealers and
sell within the state without a current fur buyer's license in his possession
while conducting business.
Fur Dealer: No person shall buy whole nongame quadrupeds for the purpose
of pelting, carcasses of furbearing animals, raw furs or skins from fur
trappers, alligator hunters, alligator farmers, fur buyers or fur dealers and
ship or export these furs or skins from the state without a current fur dealer's
license in his possession while conducting business.
LICENSES
Trapper:
Resident: under 15 yrs. of age .....................................$5
15 yrs. of age or older .....................$25
Non-Resident ...........................................................$200
Fur Buyer:
Resident......................................................................$25
Non-Resident ...........................................................$100
Fur Dealer:
Resident ($500 deposit required).............................$150
Non-Resident ($1,000 deposit required)..................$300
Non-game Quadruped:
Breeder.......................................................................$25
Exhibitor ....................................................................$10
CAPTIVE FURBEARERS
Licensed trappers may hold in captivity live furbearers during the open trapping
season. Such animals must have been obtained by legal trapping methods.
Such animals must be released or pelted by the last day of the open
trapping season.
For detailed information on furbearer regulations and trapping, contact a
local enforcement agent or one of the Fur and Refuge Division offices.
LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
P.O. Box 98000 - Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000
(225/765-2811)
LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
2415 Darnall Rd. - New Iberia, LA 70560
(337/373-0032)
Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge
5476 Grand Chenier Hwy. - Grand Chenier, LA 70643
(337/538-2165)
METHODS OF TAKING FURBEARERS
All animals listed as furbearers may be taken only during the open trapping
season and only by means of a trap or snare. Nutria may also be taken by
licensed trapper for fur and/or meat during the open season by the use of a
rifle, only between the hours of sunrise and sunset.
On WMAs and private property, nutria may be taken recreationally by
licensed hunters from September 1-February 28, during legal shooting
hours by any legal hunting method with a daily limit of five (5). When taken
with a shotgun, steel shot must be used. On WMAs during waterfowl seasons,
nutria may be taken only by the use of shotguns with shot not larger
than F steel; during gun deer seasons on WMAs, anyone taking nutria must
display 400 square inches of "Hunter Orange" and wear a "Hunter Orange"
cap or hat. Recreational nutria hunters must remove each nutria carcass in
whole condition from the hunting area, except that nutria may be gutted.
Possession of detached nutria parts, including nutria tails, by recreational
hunters is illegal. Nutria harvested recreationally may not be pelted nor may
such nutria or any nutria parts from recreationally taken nutria be sold,
including the tail. Trespassing upon private property for the purpose of taking
nutria or other fur bearing animals is punishable by fines and possible
jail time (R.S. 56.265). The Coastwide Nutria Control Program is a separate
program and is in no way related to the nutria recreational season. For
questions on the Coastwide Nutria Control Program call the New Iberia
office (337)373-0032.
No trap, snare or other device used to capture furbearers shall be set more
than one day prior to the open trapping season. No traps shall remain set
after the closing day of the trapping season. All traps must be checked daily
and all traps must be removed from the trapping grounds the closing day of
the trapping season.
Any type of trap with permanent teeth or insert teeth is illegal and cannot
be used in Louisiana.
Furbearers can be taken only with traps. Firearms are illegal except as provided
for to take nutria, coyote, bobcat, raccoon and opossum, which may
be taken with firearms as per provisions below.
The use of dogs to chase or take furbearers is illegal except as provided for
when hunting raccoon, opossum, coyote, foxes and bobcats. Dogs may be
used during the taking of nutria between the hours of sunrise and sunset,
except during deer season where still hunting only is allowed and during
turkey nesting season as determined by the La. Wildlife and Fisheries
Commission.
Pelting: No pelting during the closed trapping season shall be permitted at
any time, except with department authorization. The sale of carcasses of
nongame quadrupeds is prohibited during the closed trapping season,
except with department authorization. These provisions do not apply to
nongame quadrupeds raised on farms.
FOX, Bobcat AND COYOTE
Foxes and bobcats may be run with dogs for “chase only” by licensed
hunters. Foxes can be taken only by trappers during the open trapping season.
A big game licensee shall only take bobcat during the time period from
one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset with approved
archery equipment, shotgun, primitive firearm or center firearm. Abig game
licensee shall not take more than one bobcat per calendar year. This regulation
applies only to property that is privately owned, state WMAs and the
Bayou des Ourses, Bodcau, Bonnet Carre, Indian Bayou, Loggy Bayou and
Soda Lake tracts owned by the Corps of Engineers, but does not apply to
state wildlife refuges, the Kisatchie National Forest or other federally
owned refuges and lands. On state WMAs the take of bobcat is restricted to
those open seasons on the WMAs which require the respective legal
weapons noted above. Bobcats cannot be pelted or sold without a trapping
license. Holders of hunting licenses may take coyotes year round during
legal daylight shooting hours. The running of coyotes with dogs is prohibited
in all turkey hunting areas during the open turkey season. Coyote hunting
is restricted to chase only during still hunting segments of the firearm
season for deer.
RACCOON AND OPOSSUM HUNTING - NO CLOSED SEASON
Raccoon and opossum can be taken at night by one or more licensed hunters
with one or more dogs and one .22 rimfire rifle. A licensed hunter may take
raccoon or opossum with .22 rimfire or shotgun during daylight hours during
the open rabbit season. Hunting from boats or motor vehicles is prohibited.
No bag limit for nighttime or daytime raccoon or opossum hunting during the
open trapping season except on certain WMAs as listed. The remainder of the
year, raccoon and opossum bag limit for daytime or nighttime is one per person
per day or night. No one who hunts raccoons or opossums as prescribed
above shall pelt or sell skins or carcasses of raccoons and opossums taken during
the open trapping season unless he is the holder of a valid trapper’s license
which shall be required in addition to his basic hunting license.
BOBCAT AND RIVER OTTER TAGGING REQUIREMENTS
United States, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is
required to ensure that only Louisiana trapped river otter and bobcat are
tagged with Louisiana export tags. To accomplish this, a special possession
tag will be made available to fur buyers, fur dealers and trappers.
A blue tag for river otter and a red tag for bobcat must be filled out by the
trapper at the time the pelt is first sold. The information required includes
trapper name, trapper license number, parish caught in and date trapped. No
bobcat or river otter pelts shall be purchased from a trapper or be in the possession
of a fur buyer or dealer without a possession tag until they are submitted
to the department in exchange for export tags. Dealers shall not purchase
bobcat or river otter pelts without an accompanying possession tag.
No bobcat or river otter pelt shall be shipped from the state without an
export tag attached. Dealers will obtain export tags for bobcat and river otter
by providing the department with one completed possession tag for each
pelt to be shipped from the state. It shall be illegal to falsify possession tags
or attach Louisiana export tags to out-of-state bobcat or river otter pelts.
Once possession tags have been received and counted by department personnel,
export tags will be mailed immediately. Trappers shipping bobcat or
river otter out of state must provide completed possession tags to the department
in order to receive export tags.
SHIPMENT OF RAW FURS OR ALLIGATOR SKINS
No fur trapper, alligator hunter, or fur dealer shall transport or ship raw
furs or alligator skins out of the state without first obtaining an official outof-
state shipping tag from the department. No fur buyer may transport or
ship raw fur or skins out of the state except to a licensed non-resident fur
dealer.
Severance Tax: There is levied a severance tax on all skins or hides taken
from any furbearing animals or alligators, within the state, payable to the
state through the department by the fur trapper, alligator hunter, or alligator
farmer shipping or taking his own catch out-of-state or by the dealer shipping
skins or hides out-of-state or tanning fur pelts or alligator skins in the
state. A fur trapper, alligator hunter, or alligator farmer must pay this tax at
the time the fur or skin is transported or shipped out-of-state. A fur dealer
shipping or transporting fur pelts out-of-state or tanning fur pelts within the
state must pay this tax within ten days following the department’s annual
audit. A fur dealer shipping or transporting alligator skins out-of-state or
tanning alligator skins within the state must pay the severance tax at the
time of shipment or prior to tanning.
The tax is as follows: beaver, bobcat, coyote, fox, muskrat, opossum, raccoon
and skunk, one cent (.01) on each pelt; nutria, two cents (.02) on each
pelt; mink, ten cents (.10) on each pelt; river otter and alligator, twenty-five
cents (.25) on each pelt or skin.
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS
Trapping: Self-clearing permit for trapping on the WMA is required.
Other special trapping exceptions are listed under respective WMAseason
schedules. All traps must be run daily. Traps with teeth are illegal. Hunter
orange is required when a deer gun season is in progress.
Raccoon Hunting (Experimental): Self-clearing permit for raccoon hunting
on the WMA is required. A licensed hunter may take raccoon or opossum,
one per person, during daylight hours only, during the open rabbit
season on WMAs. No bag limit for nighttime or daytime raccoon or opossum
hunting during the open trapping season.
Requests for information on maps, permits and WMAs may be directed to
any regional office or Fur & Refuge Division office:
Region 1 1401 Talton St., Minden, LA 71055 318-371-3050
Region 2 368 Century Tel Drive, Monroe, LA 71203 318-343-4044
Region 3 1995 Shreveport Hwy., Pineville, LA 71360 318-487-5885
Region 4 P.O. Box 1640, Ferriday, LA 71334 318-757-4571
Region 5 1213 N. Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70601 337-491-2575
Region 6 5652 Hwy. 182, Opelousas, LA 70570 337-948-0255
Region 7 P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898 225-765-2360
Region 8 2021 Lake Shore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70122 504-284-2023
New Iberia Fur & Refuge 337-373-0032
Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge 337-538-2276