Regulated trapping plays an important role in the ecology and conservation of Minnesota's furbearers, which are mammals that are hunted and trapped primarily for fur. Learn more.
New furbearer registration requirements for 2026
- Trappers will be required to present only the heads of bobcats at furbearer registration. The full carcasses of bobcats are no longer required.
- Keep female and male heads of fisher, pine marten, and bobcat separated for placement in the appropriate bins at registration.
Whole bobcat carcasses will no longer be collected at registration. Bobcat heads will be collected. The pelt of each bobcat, fisher, pine marten, and otter must be removed from the carcass and presented for registration by the person taking it. The head of each bobcat, pine marten, and fisher must also be surrendered. To facilitate tagging, please be sure that pelts are thawed before registration.
Pelts, heads, and completed site validated trapping coupons—electronic or paper—must be presented for registration at a DNR registration station or area wildlife office (by appointment in case of an unavoidable conflict) before the pelt is sold or removed from the state and no more than 48 hours after the season closes for fisher, pine marten, and bobcat. River otter may be registered through May 17, 2027.
Bring the following information for each animal to be registered: species, sex, method of take, date taken and county, township and range where taken. Forms are available at wildlife offices and online. Individuals who take more than one bobcat, fisher, or marten should keep heads from males and females separate for placement in the appropriate bins at furbearer registration.
Plastic registration tags must remain attached to the raw pelt until the pelt is tanned or mounted. Site validation coupons do not need to be attached to the animal.
Mandatory trapper education: Persons born after Dec. 31, 1989, who have not been issued a trapping license in a previous year may not obtain a trapping license without a trapper education certificate. The Minnesota Trappers Association conducts free trapper education courses statewide and issues certificates that satisfy this requirement. More information about trappers education courses is online at the Minnesota Trappers Association web site.
Releasing trapped lynx: Do your part to protect, manage and recover Minnesota's Canada lynx population. Review the existing trapping regulations and new rules on how to avoid the incidental taking of lynx, download our lynx release guide and follow this procedure to release incidentally trapped ones.
Helpful links:
- Conservation officer locator
- Emergency game and fish rules
- Hunting and Trapping regulations
- Small game rules
- Snare breakaway requirement
- Statutes related to trapping
Trapper resources
- Fur registration form
- Minnesota Trappers Association
- Minnesota Forest Zone Trappers Association
- Bodygrip Traps on Dryland: A Guide to Responsible Use
- Lynx avoidance brochure (20 pages | 168k)
- Otter avoidance brochure (2 pages | 165k)
- Fur registration Q&A (2 pages | 27k)
- Furbearer Management in North America (43 pages | 1.7MB)
- Modern snares: definitions, mechanical attributes and use considerations
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies best management practices for furbearers
- Annual surveys
- Fur harvest reports
- Trapper surveys