PENNSYLVANIA FURBEARER SEASONS UNDERWAY

Pennsylvania's furbearer harvest seasons, which began in mid-October, annually provide unique opportunities for trappers and hunters in the Commonwealth.  While pursuing their outdoor interests, these sportsmen and sportswomen also provide an important service to many Commonwealth residents in dealing with sometimes over-abundant populations of furbearers such as raccoons, skunks and coyotes.

"Pennsylvania has long recognized the importance of trappers, predator callers and houndsmen in managing the furbearer populations," explained Vern Ross, Game Commission executive director. "Every year, these hunters and trappers make substantial and meaningful furbearer management contributions afield that affect communities and municipalities across the state. Residents who think nuisance wildlife problems are bad now can't begin to imagine how bad they'd get if these individuals weren't removing some of the surplus furbearers our state produces annually.

"Trappers help reduce the number of furbearers that spread rabies, stalk pets, prey on livestock, raid garbage cans, flood rural roadways, and cause crop-damage. Each year, they annually remove thousands of surplus furbearers from fields, forests, waters and suburban areas. In the process, they are helping to align furbearer populations with the carrying capacity of the habitat they live in, and reducing the frequency in which residents will encounter these animals - or the damage they can cause to property. It's a great help to those people who are looking for relief from the troubles caused by nuisance furbearers."

Pennsylvania's furbearer populations continue to thrive and the international market demand for most furs remains strong. Although pelt prices fluctuate annually for many species, most trappers and hunters make enough from pelt sales to cover their basic expenses.  Most Pennsylvania furtakers market their pelts through local fur buyers, state auctions, or international auction houses. Additionally, an increasing number of furtakers have begun processing the furs from animals they harvest for personal use.   

In 2004, Pennsylvania sold 24,094 furtaker licenses, which was the largest since 1998, when 25,998 were sold. The Commonwealth began selling combination licenses (provides hunting and trapping privileges, as well as archery and muzzleloader stamps) for juniors and seniors in 1999, which has caused much of the decline in the total number of furtaker licenses that are sold.  Yet, since 1999, furtaker licenses have rebounded from 17,604, which proves that trapping and furtaker hunting remain popular and remains at least marginally profitable.

The hunting season for raccoons and foxes runs from Oct. 15 to Feb. 18. Coyotes,

skunks, opossums and weasels may be hunted from July 1 to June 30.  Bag limits for all are unlimted.

The general trapping season for coyotes, foxes, raccoons, skunks and weasels started Oct. 16, and runs to Feb. 18. The mink and muskrat season runs from Nov. 19 to Jan. 7.  Again, bag limits are unlimted.

Although pelts have value during the season opener, trappers are encouraged to consider waiting to start setting traps until the pelts of most furbearers are fully prime - and more valuable to the market place.

"In most areas of Pennsylvania, pelt primeness for raccoons, foxes and coyotes usually increases dramatically by the first week of November and early- to mid-November is an excellent time to start trapping for these species," said Dr. Matt Lovallo, Game Commission furbearer biologist.

In 2003, furtakers took about 105,000 raccoons (106,000 in 2002); muskrats, 71,500 (75,000); opossum, 34,000 (34,500); red fox, 31,500 (33,000); gray fox, 16,000 (18,500); mink, 6,500 (10,000); coyote, 11,500 (11,500); and skunks, 9,500 (7,000). Budget constraints have forced the Game Commission to cancel the recent Game-Take Survey, which provides furbearer harvest estimates, so figures for 2004 were not collected.

"Harvests for most species have been relatively stable during recent years," Lovallo said. "Early winter conditions, such as excessive precipitation or early freezing can make trapping more difficult and result in reduced harvests.  But, we have not seen extreme winter conditions during recent seasons."

Despite significant harvests for many furbearers statewide, most furbearers in Pennsylvania and other northeastern and mid-Atlantic states remain underutilized. Muskrats may be an exception to this statement.

Muskrat populations and resulting muskrat harvests have declined significantly throughout Pennsylvania and other nearby states over the past 15 to 20 years.  Furbearer biologists throughout the east and the Midwest are perplexed by these regional declines. The cause for these population declines is largely unknown, but it is thought to be related to changes in the complex interactions among water quality, aquatic vegetation, annual variations in precipitation events, and predator-prey relationships. Understanding muskrat population declines has become a research priority among state furbearer biologists. 

Muskrat harvests in Pennsylvania have slowly dropped over the past two decades. In the early 1980s, trappers were taking half a million muskrats or more annually. Recent muskrat harvests - usually less than 100,000 - pale in comparison.

Another aquatic furbearer species that isn't suffering from the ills of habitat loss and deterioration is the beaver. Like muskrats, beavers are rodents, but their habitat requirements and preferences are quite different. Over the past 20 years, beavers - reintroduced in the state in 1917 - have been expanding their range as muskrats have declined. Their expansion has occurred mainly in the Susquehanna and Delaware river systems. Overall, their population has remained relatively stable.

"Trappers have done an excellent job managing Pennsylvania's beaver population, particularly over the past 10 years," Lovallo pointed out. "Left unchecked, beavers have the propensity to cause problems for waterfront property owners by building dams that inundate backyards, driveways and roads, and by cutting down shade trees."

In 2003, trappers took 6,757 beavers. The 2002 harvest of 4,538 marked a drop of more than 50 percent from the 2001 harvest of 10,934. In 2000, trappers took 8,408.

"Weather conditions - deep snow and ice - can profoundly influence the state's beaver harvest by limiting trapper effort and access and consequently impacting their productivity," Lovallo explained. "But the state's beaver trappers are a hardy and dedicated bunch and they generally don't throw in the towel without trying to set traps, even if they have to dig through two feet of snow and seven inches of ice."

Beaver trapping will open Dec. 26 and will continue until sunset March 31. Trappers are reminded that beaver bag limits for the upcoming season are set by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU). Consult page 82 of the 2005-2006 Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest for WMU bag limits.

Beaver trappers also are reminded that they no longer are required to have harvested beavers tagged by Game Commission personnel. In addition to agency money and personnel time, the tagging program was terminated because the detailed harvest information is no longer needed to manage beaver and establish seasons and bag limits.

For the fifth consecutive year, Pennsylvania is holding a limited bobcat hunting and trapping seasons. This year, the Game Commission awarded through a public electronic drawing 615 bobcat permits. The field of applicants totaled 4,608. Each permit holder may take one bobcat in either the bobcat hunting season - Oct. 15-Feb. 18 - or trapping season - Oct. 16-Feb. 18.  As of Nov. 18, 56 bobcats have been taken so far.

In 2004, the Game Commission also allocated 615 bobcat harvest permits.  Each permit allowed for the harvest of one bobcat from either Wildlife Management Units 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, or 3D.  Hunters and trappers reported 196 bobcats harvested from 28 counties.   County totals were: Bedford (1), Bradford (22), Cameron (7), Centre (3), Clarion (1), Clearfield (12), Clinton (8), Columbia (2), Elk (12), Fayette (2), Forest (3), Indiana (1), Jefferson (3), Lackawanna (1), Lehigh (1), Luzerne (4), Lycoming (23), Mckean (6), Monroe (2), Pike (5), Potter (25), Somerset (2), Sullivan (20), Susquehanna (3), Tioga (19), Wayne (3), Westmoreland (1), Wyoming (4).  Bobcats were harvested from within all 8 wildlife management units: 2C (9), 2E (5), 2F (18), 2G (67), 3A (26), 3B (52), 3C (11), 3D (6) (WMU has not been determined for 2 bobcats).  The harvest sample consisted of 124 female bobcats, 70 males and 2 of undetermined sex. The average weight of harvested females was 19.6 pounds, and the average weight of males in the harvest sample was 27.7 pounds.

Weather conditions were favorable during January and February, particularly for trapping bobcats, because of limited precipitation.  In fact, 42 percent of the harvest occurred during in the 2004-05 license year, after New Year's Day. Trapping was the most commonly used technique, as 87 percent of the harvested bobcats were taken in traps. In addition, six percent were taken using predator calls; three percent were harvested using trained hounds; and the remaining four percent were taken using a variety of hunting methods.

"All of the tools that we use to monitor bobcat populations indicate that Pennsylvania's bobcat population continues to increase," said Lovallo.   "Wildlife Conservation Officers reported 111 bobcat road-kills from 27 counties in the Commonwealth during 2004.  These reports were added to a database of more than 1,000 road-kills documented since these efforts began in 1985.

Based on the annual furtakers survey, the Game Comission estimates that furtakers who did not possess a bobcat permit, captured and released more than 690 bobcats while pursuing other species during the 2003-04 trapping season. Most recently, the agency has began to using questions about bobcat sightings on its semi-annual Game-Take Survey, which is sent to two percent of general license buyers. A total of 10,005 hunters responded to the 2003-04 survey and reported seeing 763 bobcats while hunting in the Commonwealth. 

For the first time in many decades, Pennsylvania trappers are being permitted to use a specialized type of snare, called a "cable restraint," to harvest foxes and coyotes during late winter periods, when deep snow and freezing conditions render traditional foothold traps ineffective.

"After studying reports about the safe and efficient use of cable restraints to capture coyotes and foxes, we believed it was time to offer trappers the opportunity to use this device to manage these species in Pennsylvania," said Lovallo. "When used properly, cable restraints have a great track record of holding captured animals without mortalities and with few injuries."

Under the new trapping option, licensed trappers will be required to complete a certification course to use cable restraints.  Agency-certified trapper instructors will conduct the four-hour course.  The cost of the course is $15.  Students will receive various education materials and one legal cable restraint, and a permanent certification card will be mailed following completion of the class.

As of Nov. 23, reports submitted to the Game Commission headquarters show that 39 cable restraint certification courses were held throughout the state and that 1,114 students have been certified to use cable restraints.

All cable restraints must be equipped with at least one swivel device to allow any captured animal to have 360-degree, unobstructed movement around the anchor point to prevent entanglement.  The regulation also specifies that cable restraints may not be placed near a fence or other obstruction, such as a bush or exposed root system, which would permit the animal to entangle itself.

Cable restraints used in Pennsylvania are required to have a "deer stop" installed at eight inches circumference to allow deer to simply step out of the device if accidentally caught.  The cable restraint must include a breakaway device that enables animals larger than a fox or coyote to escape. 

Trapping is a highly regulated activity in Pennsylvania.  A furtaker license - or combination license - is required to trap in the Commonwealth. All traps must have an identification tag that provides the trapper's name and address or a number issued by the agency. Body-gripping traps must be set within a watercourse. It is unlawful to set a trap with bait visible from the air, or to disturb the traps of another. Traps cannot have a jaw-spread exceeding 6.5 inches. Traps must be visited by the owner at least once every 36 hours and each animal removed.

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