Trapping Regulations
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FURBEARERS
The following animals are classified as furbearers: beaver, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, river otter, red fox, raccoon and skunk.
2004-2005 TRAPPING SEASON 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 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
Resident 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 opentrapping season. Such animals must have been obtained by legal trapping methods. Such animals must be released or pelted by the last day of theopen 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, 1600 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112 (504/568-5885)
LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 2415 Darnall Road, New Iberia, LA 70560 (318/373-0032)
Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, 5476 Grand Chenier Hwy., Grand Chenier, LA 70643 (318/538-2165)
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 during the open season by the use of a rifle, only between the hours of sunrise and sunset. 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, 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. 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, 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. Holders of a hunting license 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
In order to obtain federal approval to export bobcat and river otter out of the 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. In order to accomplish this, a special possession tag will be made available to fur buyers. 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 to the Department 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 out-of-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: on beaver, bobcat, coyote, fox, muskrat, opossum, raccoon and skunk, one cent (.01) on each pelt; mink, ten cents (.10) on each pelt; nutria, two cents (.02) on each pelt; river otter and alligator, twenty-five cents (.25) on each pelt or skin.
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS
Trapping: Permits to take furbearers from WMAs may be obtained at District Offices when required. All traps must be run daily. Traps with teeth are illegal. On WMAs where permits are required each trapper must submit an annual trapping report to the District Office where his permit was obtained. Non-compliance will result in forfeiture of trapping privileges on WMAs. Permits may be obtained only between hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on normal working days at District Offices. Hunter orange required when a deer gun season is in progress.
Raccoon Hunting Experimental: Raccoon hunters with dogs must submit an annual report of their kill to the district office for WMAs where permits are required. Non-compliance will result in forfeiture of hunting privileges on WMAs. A licensed hunter may take raccoon or opossum, one per person, during daylight hours only, during the open squirrel season on WMAs EXCEPT Pass-a-Loutre, Pointe-au-Chien and Salvador. Raccoon bag limit one per person per night for raccoon hunters on WMAs except as otherwise specified. Permits, when required, may be obtained at District Offices only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on normal working days. Requests for information on maps, permits and WMAs may be directed to any District office:
District 1 - P.O. Box 915, Minden 71055 (318/371-3050)
District 2 - 368 Century Park Drive, Monroe 71203 (318/343-4044)
District 3 - 1995 Shreveport Hwy., Pineville 71360 (318/487-5885)
District 4 - P.O. Box 426, Ferriday 71334 (318/757-4571)
District 5 - 1213 North Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles 70601 (318/491-2575)
District 6 - 5652 Hwy. 182, Opelousas 70570 (318/948-0255)
District 7 - P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, 70898-9000 (225/765-2360)
