Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fur Bearer Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Division updates bobcat limits and reviews fur‑bearer and otter management questions
Summary
The division updated bobcat season parameters and answered rack questions about river otter management, fur‑harvester education requirements and the status of otter management plans; bobcat permits will allow 6 per person for Nov. 18–Mar. 1 with no overall cap.
Division staff provided an informational update on fur‑bearers and bobcat seasons. The division recommended season dates and parameters for the 2026–27 cycle, keeping a six‑permit per individual limit and a full season running Nov. 18 through March 1, with no overall cap on permits.
Rack members asked whether the river otter management plan had been updated; staff said the most recent full plan they found dated to 2020 but noted recent angler outreach and monitoring efforts. Members also raised concerns about the fur‑harvester education course requirements: the course is required for furbearer harvest (e.g., bobcat) but, per the code change, lions (cougars) are not classified as furbearers and therefore do not require that permit to be trapped under current law.
Several trappers and houndsmen in the audience urged clearer, more consistent training requirements and suggested separate course tracks for trappers and houndsmen; the division agreed to pass comments to program coordinators.
No formal board action was taken on the otter management questions; the bobcat parameter recommendation was discussed and noted as informational for the rack's three‑year cycle.
