About The U.S. Trapping Statistics
U.S. trapping statistics are compiled from differenct sources state-by-state. Below you will find notes in regards to the method in which data is gathered for each state.
Alabama — Data were tabulated from mandatory fur dealer reports submitted to the Montgomery, Alabama office and from trapping licenses (both resident and non-resident) purchased in each respective year.
Alaska — Data obtained from harvest reports, sealing documents, hunter surveys and interviews, unsealed furbearer reports, fur acquisition forms and fur export forms. Not all hunts require mandatory reporting. Of the 16 furbearer species trapped in Alaska, five require sealing statewide: beaver, lynx, river otter, wolf, and wolverine.
Alaska — Marten are required to be sealed in specific Management Units. Marten sealing is required in Region I and II (GMU's 1-5, 7, 13E, 14-16) only.
Alaska — Reported on "Wolf" only and does not distinguish between gray wolf and others.
Arizona — Data are collected from trapper reports. Trappers are required to report take on prescribed forms. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor violation.
Arkansas — Data are obtained from Fur Report Booklets. Fur dealers are supplied these booklets and instructed to complete and return them within 30 days following the close of the furbearing season. 1994-95 season was calculated from the percent change from the 1995-96 season.
California — Data obtained from trapper and fur dealers reports. All licensed trappers are required to report their season's harvest by the end of tapping year (July) or not receive a trapping license for the next season. Likewise, licensed fur dealers are required to report the number of furs of each species taken in California that they bought.
Colorado — Harvest statistics are generated via a mail survey. However, the state is moving toward a phone survey which should improve the quality of the data.
Colorado/Massachusetts — During the November 5, 1996 general election, voters outlawed leghold traps in Colorado and banned padded leghold traps in Massachusetts which previously also had unpadded traps outlawed.
Connecticut — Total estimated from questionnaire. The number includes trapped and may include hunted and vehicle-killed animals.
Delaware — Data are from voluntary mail surveys except for otter and beaver which must be checked and tagged by the state.
Florida — Harvest Summaries originate from fur dealer reports forms. Trappers and hunters are not required to report their take.
Georgia — Harvest numbers are estimated from figures taken from the Annual Trapper Survey.
Hawaii — There is no trapping in Hawaii in the sense that wild animals are trapped for commercial furs. Wild pigs are live-trapped where they become problems in agricultural or wildland areas because of damage to crops or vegetation.
Idaho — Estimated statewide harvest based on trappers' reports received by August 31.
Illinois — Reports required of all licensed fur buyers were used to determine annual furbearer harvest.
Indiana — Trappers are not required to report their annual take. Indiana obtains its hunting and trapping harvest estimates based upon stratified random mail surveys. Trapping estimates are not obtained on an annual basis. Indiana has not sampled its trapping license holders since 1989. Fur dealers must report their pelt purchases each year. The number trapped is an estimate from the total hunted and trapped with the estimate based on Indiana's Department of Natural Resources figures given in its April 16, 1997 letter.
Iowa — Data obtained from the requirement that every fur dealer must report the number of raw furs purchased from Iowa trappers and hunters by May 15, each year. The data are the combined animals hunted and trapped.
Kansas — Data from annual mailed Furbearer Harvest Survey.
Kentucky — Data shown are Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources estimate of the total trapped catch derived for licensed trapper surveys with the exception of the bobcat total which is obtained from actual tagging data. 1995-96 data are the total number of trapped bobcats that were tagged in the Eastern Bobcat Harvest Zone or LBL.
Louisiana — No trapper reports. Data obtained from 10 fur dealers, all are audited.
Maine — Pelts of all furbearers, except weasel, raccoon, muskrat, skunk and opossum, must be tagged by an agent of the MDIFW so an accurate count of the harvest can be obtained.
Maryland — The data estimates represent minimums due to under reporting. Maryland has no good way to extrapolate the figures to provide an "actual harvest estimate".
Michigan — Estimates derived from the furbearer hunting and trapping questionnaires are the results of postal mail surveys. Questionnaires are sent to a randomly selected sample of those having purchased either a Fur Harvester, Junior Fur Harvester, or Non-resident Fur Harvester license. Numbers given in this table are estimated trapped only harvest numbers.
Minnesota — Minnesota's estimates of trapper harvests are from the trappers response to mail surveys. Registered harvest for lynx and bobcat includes animals taken by hunting. Otter, Fisher, and Marten are registered harvests verses estimated harvests. The numbers given were rounded to the nearest 1000.
Missouri — The fur harvest estimates are based on mandatory recording of fur purchases by licensed fur buyers and fur dealers, on forms provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation: This provides a minimum harvest figure for both hunted and trapped furbearers. Bobcat harvest information was compiled from mandatory pelt registration records.
Montana — Furbearer trapping and hunting harvest data are compiled annually. The annual harvest of marten, fisher, wolverine, lynx, bobcat, otter, and a portion of the beaver harvest was monitored through a statewide pelt tagging and harvest registration system. Harvest data on two other furbearers and six fur producing mammals, (muskrat, mink, weasel, skunk, coyote, fox, raccoon, badger) and additional information on tagged furbearers, were collected through a trapping and furbearer harvest survey questionnaire mailed to license holders.
Nebraska — Harvest survey is obtained from a yearly mail survey sent in the spring to a percentage of the individuals purchasing fur harvest permits.
New Hampshire — The trapping license year runs July 1 to June 30. The required trapper reports are due on April 15 annually. The numbers reported since 1986-87 through 1992-93 are based on sealing records (except muskrat, skunk and weasel) and include trapped, hunted and miscellaneous kills. The harvest summaries since 1993 are based solely on mandatory trappers reports.
Nevada — Furbearer questionnaires are sent to all persons who purchased a trapping license for the season just prior to the season closing. The numbers are from this Post-Season Questionnaire and the returned questionnaire sample is expanded to reflect harvest of all licensed trappers.
New Jersey — New Jersey does not register or license its raw fur dealers or require them to keep records on the type or volume of fur that they handle. The trapper survey is the only tool presently available to estimate the volume of fur harvested. Written questionnaires are mailed annually to a sample of trappers and a sample of hunters. Response to the survey is voluntary. Coyotes are under a mandatory call requirement. Beaver and otter are brought to check stations and sealed.
New Mexico — Harvest figures are taken from the publication submitted by New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Service titled "Ecological-Based Management Evaluation For Sustainable Harvest and Use of New Mexico Furbearer Resources". Information on number of pelts bought and sold were obtained from Monthly Furdealer Reports.
New York — Pelt sealing is only required for beaver, coyote, fisher, bobcat, marten, and river otter. All trappers and hunters must report the number of pelts they obtain from these species. For other species reported, New York conducts a random telephone survey of trappers in February or March in order to compile statistics of trapping and hunting.
North Carolina — The furbearer count represent only the number of pelts sold to licensed fur dealers in North Carolina by licensed hunters and trappers. North Carolina does not have estimates of the numbers of furbearers taken, only fur dealer reports which reflect to some extent the distribution of the harvest and the proportions of each species which make up the total harvest.
North Dakota — All furbuyers within the state are required to submit to the Game and Fish Department an annual report of all furs purchased before their current license will be renewed. The 1994-95 season statistics represents only those furs that were sold to North Dakota furbuyers and includes trapping, hunting and snaring. The 1995-1996 statistics depict only trapped species with the numbers obtained from mailed questionnaires sent to sample individuals who indicated they would buy a furbearer stamp when they purchased their general license.
Ohio — The harvest count includes a list of furs received by the dealers direct from hunters and trappers. The information is not adequate to estimate the percentage of Ohio furs sold to dealers outside the state.
Oklahoma — The harvest summary data originate from various sources. Fur dealers are required to submit reports of all pelts purchased in state from hunters and trappers. Trappers are required to record the number of bobcats they harvest by having the bobcat tagged by a Department of Wildlife Conservation employee.
Oregon — Any person hunting or trapping furbearing or unprotected mammals is required to fill out and return the harvest report form by April 15. Failure to do so will deny the license holder the opportunity to purchase a hunting license for furbearers or furtakers license for the following furbearer season. Each person desiring to harvest bobcat or river otter must secure a bobcat or river otter record card prior to hunting or trapping.
Pennsylvania — Estimates given are from game take surveys prior to the 1990-91 seasons. Post 1990, harvest estimates of furbearer species was made by Pennsylvania through separate questionnaires mailings to a random sample of purchasers of furtaker licenses and of hunting licenses. Beaver counts are from mandatory tagged pelt counts. Coyote counts are from WCO estimates before 1990, game take survey (excluding furtaker license buyers) and furtaker survey beginning 1990.
Rhode Island — The furbearer statistics are collected from a mandatory catch card that licensed trappers are required to mail in. If trappers do not mail in their card they will be denied a license in following years. Information on pelts taken by fur dealers is taken from fur auctions that occur bi-annually in the state.
South Carolina — 1994/95 and 1995/96 are trapped harvest numbers only. All other years are trapped, hunted and other harvest methods. Furbearing animals taken for commercial purposes must be tagged at the time the fur is removed from the carcass or in the case of whole animals at the time it is stored or before it is sold. Any person taking furbearing animals for commercial purposes shall file an annual report of his harvest with the SCDNR by April 15 of each year.
South Dakota — Harvest numbers are from annually submitted fur dealer reports.
Texas — Texas requires a report by April 30 by holders of retail fur buyer and wholesale fur dealers licenses. Prior to purchase, sale or transport outside Texas, bobcat pelts taken in Texas must be permanently tagged.
Utah — Utah obtained harvest data for bobcats and marten through tagging. For other furbearers, data were determined through a furharvest questionnaire which was mailed to holders of a furharvest license.
Vermont — Harvest reports are produced annually. Data originate from trapper/hunter reports, fur dealer reports, and pelt-sealing. Data are obtained through written reports and pelt-sealing. Trappers are required to report and turn in the carcasses of bobcat, beaver, otter, and fisher for biological examination. All other species are reported on a mandatory trapper mail survey form. The harvest numbers excludes out-of-state pelt sales by trappers.
Virginia — Virginia produces a furbearer status or summary report annually. Most of their furbearer data are derived from furbuyers reports. Tagging is required of bobcat and river otter. A trapper report is not required
Washington — Bobcats and coyotes are the only species of these data that are allowed to be hunted. Trapping and hunting reports are published annually. Harvest summaries of furbearers are produced based on mandatory return of trapper catch reports and by mandatory pelt sealing records for bobcat and river otter. Harvest data are obtained from written trapper report of catch forms and from agency written pelt sealing records.
West Virginia — Data taken from mandatory fur dealer license reports.
Wisconsin — 1986 through 1989 data based on survey of hunters and trappers and include both hunted and trapped. 1991-1992 and 1994 through 1996 based on survey of furbearer trappers and only include animals trapped. Bobcats, fishers, and otters, must be registered/tagged by DNR (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) personnel.
Wyoming — Harvest data are compiled by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department from trappers of most furbearing wildlife from voluntary responses to a trapper survey report. A few trappers with limited quota permits are required to report to local game wardens.
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