Chapter 06. Furbearer Wildlife

All otter and fisher pelts shall be tagged within 15 days after the close of the season. Pelts may not be sold or otherwise disposed of unless properly tagged. A person may not possess an untagged otter or fisher pelt, or part of a pelt, following the above date, whether it was trapped, killed, or caught in this State or in any other state, territory, or country. Otter and fisher pelt tags may be obtained from the local field offices of the Service and the Natural Resources Police Force.

All skinned river otter carcasses harvested in Garrett and Allegany counties shall be forfeited to the Service at one of the Service offices in Garrett or Allegany counties within 45 days after the close of the season.

Except as otherwise expressly permitted or prohibited by law, trapping shall conform to the conditions in §§B—H of this regulation.

A person may set, tend, or operate smooth-jawed leg-hold traps having a jaw spread no greater than 5-3/4 inches except that smooth-jawed leg-hold traps set completely submerged underwater may have a maximum jaw spread of 7-3/4 inches.

A person may not set or tend body-gripping traps exceeding 8 inches by 8 inches or 8 inches in diameter except when the traps are submerged partially or totally in water.

A person may set and tend body-gripping traps equal to or less than 8 inches by 8 inches or 8 inches in diameter in State and private tidal wetlands, flooded nontidal wetlands, and in those portions of inland freshwater marshes, shrub swamps, wooded swamps, and bogs where water is covering the surface of the soil or the soil is waterlogged to the surface. In all other locations these traps may only be set if submerged partially or totally in water.

A person who sets any traps authorized by this regulation shall tend them or cause them to be tended at least once every day, except those traps which are set in water or tidal marshes, which shall be tended at least once every 2 days.

Live traps such as box or cage traps are permissible in all upland and wetland areas.

A person who traps any furbearer, taken during any established trapping season, may not transport it from the place of capture unless the animal has been killed.

A person who uses a snare, a trap, or another similar device to capture wildlife shall stamp their DNRid number on each device, or affix a metal tag with their DNRid number to each device, unless the device is being used on private property that is owned or rented by the person placing the device.

An individual may hunt coyote, fisher, gray fox, opossum, raccoon, red fox, or skunk, with a firearm, air gun, or bow, during the established open hunting season.

An individual may not hunt furbearers with an automatic loading or hand-operated repeating shotgun capable of holding more than three shells, unless the magazine is cut off or plugged with a solid, one-piece filler which cannot be removed from the loading end, so that the gun cannot hold more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined.

An individual may not hunt, except by trapping, beaver, long-tailed weasel, otter, muskrat, or mink.

Permit Required.

Permit Types.

Application. To obtain a furbearer permit, a person shall apply to the Department or a person designated by the Department.

Term. A furbearer permit is valid for a period of August 1 through July 31, annually.

Fee. The Department shall determine and establish the appropriate fee levels that will be charged for the electronic issuance and transmission of a furbearer permit.

Reporting. An association or group which holds a group furbearer permit shall maintain a log listing the names and mailing addresses of individuals using the privileges of the permit and submit this information in a format designated by the Service by September 1 following the end of each permit year.

Certificate Required.

Certified Instructors.