Furbearer trapping and hunting

Oregon Furbearer Trapping and Hunting Regulations

Trapper Education

All first-time Oregon trappers need to complete an approved trapper education course. The course is not required if you’re trapping on land you own or lease. This also applies to your immediate family, or an agent you have authorized to control damage to livestock or agricultural crops on your property.

You can take the course at home, but the final test will be at a nearby ODFW office. Staff at ODFW’s headquarters in Salem will issue a furtaker’s license once it has received the successful test results, and the license application with payment.

Course materials are available from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, I&E Division, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr. SE, Salem, OR 97302, (503) 947-6000, ODFW.Info@state.or.us.

Trapper Education Program

License requirements and fees

Furtakers need either a Furtaker’s License or a Hunting License for Furbearers. A Furtaker's License allows you to trap, hunt and pursue. A Hunting License for Furbearers allows for only to hunting and pursuing.

A general hunting license allows you to only hunt unprotected mammal (see list below), this does not include trapping, hunting or pursuing furbearers.

Furtaker License Application

Kids younger than 12 don’t need a license, except to hunt or trap bobcat and otter. However, youth must register to receive a brand number through the Salem ODFW office. To trap bobcat or otter, youth must first complete the trapper education course.

Landowners can get either a Furtaker’s License, a Hunting License for Furbearers, or a free License to Take Furbearers on land they own and on which they reside. To receive the free license, the landowner must obtain from the ODFW Headquarters office a receipt of registration for the property.

Landowner Furtaker License Application

^{The above license and record card fees each include a $2 license agent fee. To get more information about licenses and tags, write or phone Department of Fish and Wildlife, Licensing Section, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr. SE, Salem, OR 97302, (503) 947-6100.}

Mandatory annual reporting

Annual reporting is required. If you were licensed, you need to fill out and submit a completed furtaker harvest report online or postmarked by April 15. If you fail to report, you will not get furtaker's harvest license for the next season until you complete and return the late Harvest Report form and application with a $50.00 fee at time of renewal.

ODFW created an online reporting system that allows licensed furtakers to submit their Furtaker Harvest Report online.  Submitting a paper report is still an option, although online submission is preferred. Be sure to include your email address in your furtaker license application and harvest report to get email confirmation that your report has been received.

Online submission
Furtakers Harvest Online Reporting

Mail/Fax Submission
2019-2020 Furtaker Harvest Report Form

Important marten harvest information

If you harvest a marten, ODFW asks you to turn in all marten carcasses, along with the date, location of harvest and sex of marten taken, to the local ODFW office prior to March 1, following each season. Furtaker cooperation is critical to successful future management of this species.

Furbearer pursuit seasons (statewide)

No animals shall be killed except during authorized open harvest seasons. A bobcat record card must be in possession to harvest bobcat. A Furtaker's License or Hunting License for Furbearers must be in possession to pursue.

Furbearer harvest seasons

Definitions

What is a furbearer? 

In general, a furbearer is an animal whose fur has commercial value. In Oregon, this includes beaver, bobcat, fisher, marten, mink, muskrat, river otter, raccoon, red and gray fox.

For any person owning, leasing, occupying, possessing or having charge or dominion over any land (or an agent of this person) who is taking or attempting to take beaver or muskrat on that property, these two species are considered to be predatory animals.

What is an unprotected mammal?

Unprotected mammals are badger, coyote, gophers, moles (Scapanus townsendii, S. orarius and S. latimanus), mountain beaver, yellowbellied marmots, nutria, opossum, porcupine, spotted skunk, striped skunk and weasel. 

For any person owning, leasing, occupying, possessing or having charge of or dominion over any land (or an agent of this person) who is taking or  attempting to take coyote, gopher, mountain beaver (boomer), marmot, nutria or porcupine on that property, these six species are considered to be predatory animals.

What is a predatory animal?

Predatory animals are coyotes, rabbits, rodents and feral swine, which are or may be destructive to agricultural crops. Therefore these animals have no closed season, bag limit or weapons restriction.

This however does not mean that all rabbits and rodents are available to hunt. A hunter must first find out if the small game they are seeking to hunt is either federally or state protected and if it carries any special regulations, such as closed seasons, bag limits or weapons restrictions.

Protected species

Protected species may not be taken without a valid license and tag during authorized seasons, or a Scientific Take Permit. However, you may take rabbits and rodents destructive to agricultural crops, products and activities.

Feral (wild) Swine

Feral swine are defined as a predatory animal by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (OAR 603-010-0055). It is legal to hunt feral swine on public land with a valid hunting license. Hunting feral swine on private land does not require a valid hunting license, but you must have landowner permission. You must follow all general hunting regulations. (See Current Big Game Hunting Regulations for general hunting regulations.)

There is no set season, no bag limit and no weapon restrictions for feral swine.

What are they?

Domestic swine (pigs) become feral when they meet the following criteria set by the Oregon Department of Agriculture:

1. Animals are free roaming on public or private lands and not held under confinement.
2. No notification to the landowner has been made by the swine owner of the swine having escaped confinement within a radius of five miles during the past five days.
3. The swine do not appear to be domesticated and are not tame.
4. The swine do not meet the description of escaped swine in section 2 above. Feral swine come in all shapes and sizes and can reach 400 pounds. They can look like common domestic barnyard pigs, Russian/European Boars or something in between. They will eat anything they can find and are most active at night. During the day they are loafing in clear cuts and brushy areas. They require abundant water and spend considerable time near ponds and streams. Sows and young pigs often travel in groups.

Where are they?

Feral swine populations are widely scattered and found mostly on private property. No landowners have requested assistance in removal and ODFW has no contact lists.

Additional resources and reports

• Furbearer Management in North American Wildlife Conservation
• Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Trapping in the United States
• Fur Handling Manuals
  • Fur Harvesters Auction Inc.
  • North American Fur Auctions

Reports

• Oregon Furtaker License and Harvest Data, June 2018
• Forest Carnivore Research in the Northern Cascades of Oregon, July 2, 2014
• ODFW Furbearer Program Overview (2011)