Florida Fur Trapping Laws

Raccoons are still trapped in Florida.

There was a time when trapping animals for their fur was an important part of the economy. Before the Industrial Age, trappers would venture into the wild and bring back pelts for sale. The fur trade was especially important in the northern U.S. and Canada, but Florida also had its share of fur traders who dealt in beavers, rabbits, raccoons, bears and other mammals. Nowadays, trapping fur-bearing animals is more for sport or for pest control than business. Although the state doesn't track the number of animals that are trapped each year, the activity remains common enough in Florida that there are regulations for trapping.

License

Anyone who traps animals to sell their fur or meat must have a trapping license, which is issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). As of 2010, the trapper's license costs $25 per year and can be bought at the FWC website, the offices of county tax collectors and some stores selling hunting equipment.

Season

There is no limit to the number of pelts you can possess of the following animals: raccoons, opossums, coyotes, skunks, nutrias and beavers. Between Dec. 1 and March 1, there is no limit on the number of bobcats and otter pelts a trapper can have. Possessing more than one bobcat and otter pelt is prohibited from March 2 through Nov. 30, unless the hides have been tagged with FWC seals. Traps and snares must be checked at least once every 24 hours. Steel traps and leg-hold traps are illegal.

The following animals cannot be trapped: foxes, minks, weasels and round-tailed muskrats. Also, no fur-bearing animals can be trapped in state wildlife management areas.

Nuisance Animals

The FWC does not normally trap nuisance animals on private property. However, the state agency keeps a list of licensed trappers who can be called by a property owner to trap nuisance animals.

References

• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Hunting Furbearing Animals With Traps
• Economic History Association: The Economic History of the Fur Trade: 1670 to 1870
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Furbearer Trapping License
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Wildlife Assistance

Resources

• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Nuisance Wildlife Trapper