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 need to be scheduled at a nearby ODFW office. ODFW headquarters office in Salem will issue a furtaker’s license once it has received the successful test results, and the license application with payment.

Trapper course material

• Today's Trapper: a guide to trapping responsibly and safely
• Oregon Furbearer Trapping and Hunting Regulations

Request course materials by mail: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, I&E Division, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr. SE, Salem, OR 97302, by phone: (503) 947-6000, or by email: ODFW.Info@odfw.oregon.gov.

Procedures for completing trapper course

1. Complete the TODAY'S TRAPPER: a guide to trapping responsibly and safely manual.
2. Review the Oregon Furbearer Trapping and Hunting Regulations.
3. This is a self-paced course; take as much time as needed to complete the course.
4. When you are ready to take the State Trapper Exam contact your closest ODFW office. A list of offices and contact information is included with the course materials. Special note: ODFW personnel will attempt to schedule your test as soon as possible; however, the exam can only be administered when ODFW personnel are available. Give yourself plenty of time before the trapping season to take the exam!

State trapper exam

• The exam consists of 60 multiple choice, and animal identification matching questions.
• Students must achieve a minimum score of 80% (can only miss 12 questions).
• Exam takes approximately 1 hour to complete.
• The test is scored when the student completes the exam.
• ODFW will maintain a record of your successful completion of the course.
• If you do not pass the exam; you may re-schedule to take the exam at another date.
• A furtaker's license and brand number will be issued by the ODFW Salem headquarters office after the exam is successfully completed and the license application with payment has been processed.

License requirements and fees

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

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

Furtaker License Application

Juveniles younger than 12 years of age are not required to purchase a license, except to hunt or trap bobcat and river otter. However, they must register to receive a brand number through the Salem Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office (ODFW). To trap bobcat or river otter, juveniles must complete the trapper education course. Juveniles 17 and younger must have completed hunter education to obtain a furtaker's license.

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. For more information about licenses and tags, write: Department of Fish and Wildlife, Attn. Licensing, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr. SE, Salem, OR 97302 or phone: (503) 947-6100.}

Mandatory annual reporting

Any person possessing a valid furtaker's license or hunting license for furbearers is required to complete and return the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Furtaker Harvest Report form, postmarked by April 15, 2026 for the 2025-2026 season. 

Report your harvest

Failure to report harvest will deny the license holder the opportunity to purchase a hunting license for furbearers or furtakers license for the following furbearer season unless the late Harvest Report form and application is submitted with a $50.00 fee at the time of renewal.

Mail/Fax Submission: 2025-2026 Furtaker Harvest Report Form

Your furtaker harvest report provides valuable information to ensure sound management of Oregon's furbearers.

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.

Seasons

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

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.

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)