Furbearer Hunting

Furbearer Hunting

A valid hunting license is needed to hunt beaver, coyote, gray fox, long-tailed weasel, mink, muskrat, opossum, raccoon, red fox, and striped skunk. See the chart above for season dates.

• A continuously burning light that can be seen for at least 500 feet must be carried while pursuing furbearing animals between sunset and sunrise. It is illegal to:
• Remove wild animals from any cavity or den
• Disturb the den or nest of any animal by shooting, digging, cutting, or chipping with the aid of smoke, fire, fumes, chemicals, ferrets or other small animals, or with any device introduced into the hole where the animal is sheltered
• Use or carry tree-climbing or cutting equipment for the purpose of dislodging an animal from a tree
• Hunt furbearers from a boat

Dog Running

The dog running season for raccoon and opossum extends from Feb. 1 through Oct. 25. A person needs a valid Indiana hunting license to chase wild animals with dogs. See license exemptions in License Information. It is legal to hunt and chase foxes (Oct. 15 - Feb. 28), raccoons (Nov. 8 - Jan. 31), and coyotes (Oct. 15 - March 15) with dogs during the established hunting seasons. Youth who are younger than 13 years old, do not possess a bow, crossbow, or firearm, and are accompanied by a valid license-holding individual who is at least 18 years of age are exempt from needing a hunting license while chasing a wild animal during the dog running season. Certain restrictions apply on DNR-managed properties. It is legal to chase foxes and coyotes with dogs year-round with a hunting license and permission of the landowner.

Fox & Coyote Hunting

It is legal to hunt fox and coyote with the use of mouth or hand-operated calls, or with the use of recorded calls. Spotlights may be used to take fox and coyote. There are no restrictions on hunting hours or firearms for hunting fox and coyote. It is illegal to hunt fox or coyote from a roadway or with the use of any motor-driven conveyance.

Badgers

It is illegal to take a badger in Indiana. If you accidentally trap a badger, and the badger is dead, report it to an Indiana Conservation Officer (see DNR Law Enforcement). If a non-target animal is accidentally captured, the carcass must be surrendered to an Indiana Conservation Officer. If the animal is released alive, report the incident through the Indiana DNR Wildlife page. There is no penalty for accidental captures. Information provided by hunters and trappers about badgers is an important means of determining the status and distribution of this species in Indiana.

If you encounter a badger conflict on property you own or lease, you must obtain a nuisance wild animal control permit before capturing or removing it. The application form is available on the Indiana DNR Permits and Commercial Licenses page.

Possession of Furbearers

Lawfully obtained untanned hides or unprocessed carcasses of furbearers may be possessed year-round.

Legally harvested furbearers or untanned hides of furbearers can only be sold to licensed fur buyers. Live furbearers (lawfully acquired) may only be sold to licensed fur buyers during the open season or to those with a game breeders license year-round.

Only raccoons, red foxes, gray foxes, and coyotes can be retained alive during the trapping season for those species.

Raccoons, foxes, or coyotes that are removed from a trap and kept alive must be confined in a cage or other enclosure that: (a) makes escape of the mammal unlikely and prevents the entrance of a free-roaming mammal of the same species; (b) is structurally sound; (c) is of sufficient strength for the species involved; (d) is maintained in good repair and smoothly secured to prevent escape or injury to the mammal in the enclosure; (e) is constructed to allow sufficient space for individual posture, to turn about freely, and make normal social movements; (f) is secured when unattended with protective devices at entrances and exits to prevent escapes if kept outdoors and if needed to prevent injuries to human or the mammal’s health; (g) and has ambient ventilation by means of windows, doors, vents, fans, or air conditioning to protect the health of the mammal and to minimize drafts, odors, and condensation. Night quarters, transportation cages, and nesting boxes may not be used as primary housing. Surface water must be adequately drained from a cage or enclosure where the mammal is housed. If necessary for the mammal in possession, adequate lighting must be provided by artificial or natural means and cycled for an appropriate photoperiod. The cages or enclosures must also have adequate shelter from the elements and provide adequate shade for the animals.

You must remove and dispose of food wastes, feces, urine, and bedding from the enclosure. You must also remove from the enclosure and appropriately dispose of trash, garbage, debris, and carcasses as soon as they are observed.

You must also provide daily: 1) fresh, clean drinking water in clean containers and 2) food that is unspoiled, uncontaminated, appropriate to the dietary needs of the mammal, and of sufficient quantity for the mammal involved.

Furbearers that are possessed alive and their cages or other enclosures must be made available for inspection by an Indiana Conservation Officer upon request.