Other Considerations

Recording your trapping location: It’s wise to record and mark the location of your trap on a map or a GPS unit and share that information with a friend or family member. This information could be useful in the instance that you are not physically able to check your trap due to illness or in an emergency.

Trap Tending: During the season, folks will likely have obligations such as work, school, or other commitments that will impact the ability to check a bear trap in a consistent and timely manner. This needs to be considered BEFORE planning your bear trapping activities to ensure compliance with daily checking requirements and to ensure ethical trapping behavior.

If you have plans that may prevent you from tending your trap once every 24 hours, disable the trap and remove it until you can resume your normal trapping activities and tending requirements.

Hunting vs. Trapping bear: One major difference between the hunting for bear and trapping for bear is that you may tend your traps at any time. This includes at night as well as on Sundays, whereas hunting is not permitted at night (except raccoon or coyote in season) or on Sundays. If you are trapping on private land, it is a good idea to notify the landowner about this fact as well as when you may be tending your trap to minimize confusion or potential suspicion of illegal activity.

Setting Expectations: It is important to know not only where to trap, how to do it safely and ethically, but also what bears are likely to use the trapping site. Your license allows you to take a bear, regardless of sex or size, yet larger, mature bear are typically sought. The use of a game camera, or by setting a larger diameter in a live restraint cable device, you can minimize the chance of catching a small bear or cub.

While you may anticipate catching a large bear, you very well may catch a smaller one. The law states that you must kill or immediately release an animal caught. It’s important that you consider this well before setting a trap for bear and understand that releasing a trapped black bear is not easy. Releasing a bear is potentially dangerous, and not for the inexperienced. Knowing this and planning ahead, the ethical trapper will be prepared to harvest and tag a bear that is caught, regardless of size.

Restoring the Site: If you are trapping on private property or public lands, it’s important to return the site to the condition that you found it.

• Re-naturalize the area to the best of your ability.
• Remove all labels, flagging, and anchor devices.
• If using a tube/ pipe type trap, be sure to fill the hole in once you remove the trap and replace duff, debris, and vegetation.
• Thank the landowner for the privilege of using their land.