Furbearer Hunting & Trapping

License Requirements

• A person trapping in Vermont on property not owned by the trapper must have a valid Vermont trapper’s license.
• Fur Buyers: A person dealing in pelts must have a valid Vermont fur buyer’s license.
• A person trapping for compensation must have a valid Vermont trapper’s license.

Furbearing Species

• Beaver, bobcat, coyote, fisher, grey fox, red fox, mink, muskrat, opossum, otter, raccoon, skunk, and weasel.
• No open season: marten, lynx, and wolf.

Trap Check Interval

• Land sets must be checked once every calendar day.
• Body-gripping traps in water or under ice must be checked at least once every 3 calendar days.
• Colony/cage traps underwater or foothold traps under ice must be checked at least once every 3 days.

Identification

• All traps must be tagged with the trapper’s name and address.
• Traps under ice need to have tags above the ice.
• Landowner permission is required prior to setting traps on private land.

Setback Requirements

• Traps must be set at least 50 feet from the traveled portion of a legal, public trail or public highway.
• Traps must be set at least 100 feet from public buildings, parking lots, shelters, pavilions, schools, camps, or campgrounds, designated wildlife viewing areas, or recreational facilities such as ball fields and tennis courts and their maintained areas, owned and managed by municipal, state or federal agencies, unless with the explicit permission of schools, camps, or campgrounds.
• Setback requirements do not apply to Wildlife Management Areas, except for those WMA trails specifically designated by the Department as requiring a setback, or to traps set in the water or under ice.

Reporting Requirements

• Anyone who holds a valid trapper’s license must submit an annual trapper’s report, including those who did not trap and those who trapped for compensation. Failure to submit a report will result in a non-point violation.
• Any domestic dog or cat caught must be reported to a warden within 24 hours of discovery.
• Bobcat, fisher, and otter harvest must be reported to a warden within 48 hours of season end. Pelts must be tagged by a warden prior to being transported out of state. Tags must stay on pelts until tanning. Carcasses must be forfeited at time of tagging.
• Notify the Department immediately if a lynx or marten is captured.

Dispatch

• Animals in traps must be dispatched upon discovery by shooting [rifle/handgun/muzzleloader/arrow] or carbon dioxide chamber. This does not prevent a trapper from releasing an unharmed captured animal or domestic pet.

Prohibited

• Toothed foothold traps and snares.
• Possession of living fur-bearing animal, unless approved by the Department or is being transported for lethal dispatch.
• Possession of furbearer fur or skin taken unlawfully.
• Taking by use of explosives, chemicals or poisons.
• Taking furbearers from dens by cutting, digging, smoking or mechanical devices other than a legal trap set in accordance with these rules.
• No trap may be set on land between December 31st and the following 4th Saturday in October.

Trapping Restrictions

General:

• Refer to section 6.0 (10 App. V.S.A. § 44) for trapping for compensation.
• Bait refers to any substance [animal, vegetable, fruit, mineral or other material] that can attract wildlife, including lures.
• All meat-based baits must be covered at the time trap is set. Examples – leaves, brush, snow, enclosures constructed of wood, plastic, metal, wire or other natural materials.

Foothold Traps Set on Land must:

• Have a base plate with center chain mount with swivel with free moving chain and at least two additional swivels [3 total swivel points].
• Be anchored with a minimum of 12” and maximum of 18” of chain [total length includes swivels and/or shock springs]. Drags not permitted.
• Be padded, offset, or laminated or jaw thickness of 5/16” or fully encapsulate the foot [dog-proof traps].
• Jaw spread may not exceed 6 ¼” measured inside the jaws.
• Be adjustable for pan tension if tripped by downward pressure.

Body-gripping Traps Set on Land must be:

• Maximum size 40 square inches without use of bait, or
• Over 40 and less than 60 square inches set 5 feet above ground, or
• Over 40 and less than 60 square inches set on the ground in an anchored enclosure with an opening less than 60 square inches and the trap trigger must be recessed at least 12” from opening.
• Over 60 square inches must be set in water.

  Jaw Spread	Legal on Land	Legal in Water	Legal in Baited Enclosure	Legal in Culverts (in water)
  20.25 in². (#110/#120)	Yes*	Yes	No	Yes
  25 in². (#150)	Yes*	Yes	No	Yes
  36 in². (#160)	Yes*	Yes	No	Yes
  49 in². (#220)	Yes**	Yes	Yes**	Yes
  64 in². (#280)	No	Yes	No	Yes
  100 in². (#330)	No	Yes	No	Yes
  * Cannot be baited ** Must be in anchored enclosure with openings no greater than 60 square inches and recessed at least 12” from all openings and/or greater than 5 feet above the ground.

Beaver/Muskrat:

• Do not set traps for beaver within 10 feet of the nearest point, above water, of a beaver house or dam, during the month of March.
• Do not disturb or destroy or place a trap in, on, or in the entrance of beaver or muskrat houses or dens.
• When trapping muskrat in the month of March, body-gripping traps are restricted to 5 inches or less.

Wildlife Management Unit E, only for the 4th Saturday in October to December 31 for land set body-gripping traps:

• Traps must be set completely within a lynx exclusion device, or set 5 feet above ground or snow level on a 45-degree leaning pole or tree [less than 4 inches in diameter at the trap], and must be free of branches below the trap. Refer to section 4.22 (10 App. V.S.A. § 44) for diagrams.
• Exclusion device can not have opening greater than 6” x 8”.
• Exclusion device opening must be on side or top of the device.
• Exclusion device must be constructed of wood or wire mesh [16 gauge or less] with openings no greater than 1.5” x 1.5” or 1” x 2”.
• Trap set within the exclusion device must be minimum of 18” from the closest edge of the opening.
• Exclusion devices must be anchored outside of the device.

Coyote Hunting Competitions Prohibited

It is illegal to participate in a coyote hunting competition for a prize. Fine for first offense is $400 to $1,000 and ten points on a hunter's license and second offense is $2,000 to $4,000 and twenty points on a hunter's license.

Raccoons

• A person shooting raccoons during the raccoon hunting season shall use a .22 caliber rimfire firearm or a shotgun with #2 shot or smaller.
• A light may be used to illuminate and shoot a raccoon once treed by a dog, or dogs, during the raccoon hunting season. A light may also be used to illuminate a raccoon once treed by a dog, or dogs, during the training season.

More on Furbearer Hunting & Trapping Methods

Furbearer Hunting & Trapping Regulations changed in 2024. Please consult vtfishandwildlife.com for more information on current regulations: