The legal trapping season opened, Dec 1, in Montana, for these 3 remaining species classified as “furbearers”. For a $29 purchase of a trapping license, Montanans can NOW also trap:
- a total of 1655 Bobcat,
- 7 of the rare Fisher,
- and for Pine Marten….UNLIMITED!
As a Montana retired US Forest Service district ranger once said to us, upon signing our 2014 ballot initiative, “It’s not like we are being overrun with furbearer”.
To stay abreast of Montana trapping season dates, quotas and numbers reported trapped, visit our website. See Home page, MT FWP links on the right.
Bobcat
Bobcat trapping season in Montana starts Dec 1.
Western and Southwestern Districts 1,2, 3, ends Feb 15.
Central and Eastern Districts 4, 5, 6, 7 ends March 1.
Closures are dependent on number reported trapped in each district.
Total allowable Bobcat quota trapped for 2015/2016 is 1655.
The lucrative fur of the Bobcat is sought for the demands predominantly of Russia and China. The foreign market currently is negatively impacting the fur trade.
Will that stop trappers?
Fisher
7 Fisher are permitted to be trapped and killed between Dec 1 to Feb 15 from Districts 1 and 2 only.
While other states work on reintroducing Fisher, Montana has a trapping quota on them. Small but why at all?
- State and federal wildlife officials are preparing to re-establish fishers into Mount Rainier and North Cascade
- B.C. fishers used to repopulate Cascade Mountains with endangered animal
Pine Marten
Pine Marten legal trapping season in Montana runs Dec 1 – Feb 15.
This cat size boreal animal lives in the forests and feeds predominantly on rodents, i.e squirrels, voles, shrews, mice.
When you see tracks in the snow off a trail into the trees that could mean baited conibears, aka, body crushing, traps in the branches to trap and crush these captivating species.
In Montana, the Marten can be trapped in unlimited numbers.