About Possible Changes to Wildlife Trapping Regulations

Regulated trapping benefits people and wildlife. It is one way to help minimize property damage or public safety threats caused by wildlife, along with removing food attractants and securing pets. Regulated trapping can be used to manage wildlife exhibiting conflict behavior and sick or diseased wildlife.  

Trapping assists experts in researching species, and in some cases, relocating or restoring them to areas where they can thrive. For example, river otters were once absent from some of the Northeast and most of the Midwest but now populations are stable throughout these areas. This turn of events contrasts with conditions in the early 1900s when river otters nearly disappeared due to a substantial loss of habitat and 200 years of unregulated trapping and hunting. Thanks to a partnership between trappers and wildlife biologists, nearly 4,000 otters were released back into the wild in 12 states throughout the Midwest and Northeast, after being trapped in places where they are abundant, such as Louisiana and North Carolina. The traps and techniques used for those relocations are examples of best management practices.

Regulated trapping can help restore threatened and endangered species populations by managing wildlife that may prey on these species or destroy their habitats. Sea turtles, shorebirds, whooping cranes, and other rare species in Florida often benefit from predation management efforts to restore their populations. Wildlife managers use a variety of tools including targeted trapping of individual animals to ensure survival of protected species’ nests and young.

Regulated trapping by licensed members of the public is a humane, effective, and species-specific method for harvesting/taking wildlife. It is a sustainable use of wildlife resources, providing connection to nature, outdoor skill development, and increased knowledge of wildlife as well as being an effective method of managing and studying wildlife populations. Regulated trapping incorporates modernized technologies designed to enhance animal welfare.

See an infographic about the uses of regulated trapping.

Wildlife management is a complex, scientific discipline that incorporates habitats, wildlife damage control, public health and safety, and the responsible treatment of wildlife. Our goal is to apply this science to manage wildlife populations. Balancing the long-term well-being of wildlife with the benefit of people is the focus of our mission. Regulated trapping is a proven method for conserving and managing Florida’s wildlife resources.

There are a variety of resources available to trappers including:

• AFWA Best Management Practices
• Trapper Education Courses
• FWC Furbearer Trapping Regulations

Possible rule changes would also include required training.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) represents North America’s state, provincial and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies coordinated with experts from all state fish and wildlife agencies in the U.S. and Canada as well as other conservation, natural resource and animal welfare organizations and agencies to improve and modernize trapping technology. Professional wildlife biologists, veterinarians and experts in the field of trapping developed best management practices using scientific research to identify efficient and humane traps, improve those tools and techniques, and develop trapping education programs.

Best management practices (BMPs) are available to federal, state and provincial wildlife agencies, trapper organizations, and any other interested parties. Visit the Furbearer Management and Best Management Practices for Trapping webpage to download BMPs for 22 North American furbearer species and trapper education information. The BMPs and the trapper education materials have been incorporated into federal, state and provincial wildlife management programs.

Wildlife professionals, in cooperation with wildlife veterinarians, use the information gathered through the trapping best management practice research to determine which devices are most effective, species-specific and humane. This information is collected following standards for evaluation outlined by The International Organization for Standardization, an organization that determines standards for products around the world. Those standards for evaluation are intended for use in the United States and worldwide. These standards are consistent with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' best management practices, which are supported by The Wildlife Society, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Trapping methods and technologies have improved over time to support more species-selective and humane practices. To better align with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' best management practices, the FWC is exploring possible rule changes that would limit sizes, types and usage of traps.

Modernizing trapping practices and equipment are based on decades of scientific research. These improvements, coupled with a commitment to comprehensive trapper education, prioritize animal welfare. The FWC is dedicated to reviewing and developing rule changes that align with best practices developed in support of humane trapping. Staff is actively seeking public comment throughout this process.

Learn more by reviewing current trap types and requirements and possible changes. 

FWC staff across the agency are working together to evaluate rules that address the regulated use of trapping in an effort to modernize trapping rules to align with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ best management practices in support of effective, species-specific humane trapping methods.

Input from stakeholder groups and individuals who are involved or interested in trapping is vitally important to this effort. The FWC actively seeks feedback from stakeholders and the public. We thank everyone who attended our webinars and provided their input via the online commenting tool, which was available through Jan. 8, 2022. At this time, we are reviewing the input we received. The FWC plans to provide additional opportunities in the future to provide input.

NOTE: In 2021, the FWC contracted with the Florida State University Consensus Center to facilitate a series of 5 webinars. In addition, the FWC contracted with the University of Central Florida - Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences to capture and analyze input provided via an online commenting tool. FWC staff is working with UCF experts to gain a comprehensive understanding of the feedback received as we develop a well-informed approach to exploring possible rule changes to better align with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' best management practices.

The FWC is in the process of evaluating rule language and exploring possible changes and will bring proposed draft rule changes to a future Commission meeting for consideration. Staff will actively seek public comment throughout this process.

The recommended changes are based on extensive research efforts that show which trap designs, types, and locations will minimize injury to captured animals. For more information see the AFWA Best Management Practices introduction.

Possible changes would limit the size, type, and placement to reduce the chances of catching unintended captures or nontarget animals. For example, corral traps for hogs would be required to have open tops, which allows nontarget animals like deer, bear, or turkey to get out of the trap.

Learn more by reviewing current trap types and requirements and possible changes. 

Snares, cable restraint, foothold/foot enclosed, body gripping, corral, cage, and glue traps are addressed in the possible changes.

Learn more about current trap types and requirements and possible changes. 

Please see a summary of the concepts being explored.

Steel traps (i.e., body gripping and foothold traps) are only allowed by special use permits.  

In 1973, the Florida Game and Fish Commission (FWC’s predecessor) restricted the use of steel traps to only allow them with special use permits. Since that time, the agency updated policies on steel traps to include increased reporting and restrictions. Possible changes currently being considered would further modernize trapping rules to increase selectivity and improve animal welfare. 

Snares can be lethal to captured animals. The proposed cable restraint is designed for live capture and has several features that reduce nontarget captures and improve the welfare of captured animals.

Learn more about current trap types and requirements and possible changes. 

The FWC is proposing to reduce the length of time a trapped animal can be held to reduce stress and injury captured animals can experience. People trapping nuisance wildlife who are releasing, relocating or humanely killing an animal offsite after it has been trapped currently have 24 hours to do so. The possible changes would reduce this to 12 hours. See the current Taking Nuisance Wildlife rule for more information. 

Wildlife can be trapped to manage nuisance wildlife behavior, increase success of threatened and endangered species management, game species restoration programs, or for the sustainable harvest of wildlife for food and other uses.

Wildlife that causes or is about to cause property damage, presents a threat to public safety, or wildlife causing an annoyance within, under or upon a building. 

Homeowners who are using two or fewer cage traps on their property would be exempt from registration, training and reporting requirements. 

Yes. Possible changes would apply to any individual checking or setting wildlife traps, with the exception of fully open-top corral traps or homeowners using two or fewer cage traps on their own property.

Anyone setting foothold traps, body-gripping traps, cable restraints, or cage traps (unless setting 2 or fewer cage traps on their own property) will need to take the trainings. The North American Basic Trapper Education Course covers safety, skills, ethics and responsibility. The Florida module will cover wildlife trapping laws specific to Florida.

Homeowners using cable restraints, foothold or body gripping traps would be required to follow registration, training and reporting requirements. While the FWC  encourages training for everyone using traps, homeowners using two or fewer cage traps would not be required to complete the registration, training or reporting requirements. 

Anyone setting foothold traps, body-gripping traps, cable restraints, or cage traps (unless setting 2 or fewer cage traps on their own property). 
 

Anyone setting foothold traps, body-gripping traps, cable restraints, or cage traps (unless setting 2 or fewer cage traps on their own property) would need to register, report and complete the trainings.

The FWC seeks to modernize trapping to align with the updated methods, technologies and research in the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' best management practices for effective, species-selective and humane ways to manage wildlife. The FWC is considering possible rule changes that would regulate specific trap sizes, types and usage of traps and would require training and reporting by most trappers.

Regulated trapping requires anyone who participates to follow rules established and enforced by the FWC. Possible changes to trapping rules might include required training and reporting, restrictions on species, seasons, types and sizes of traps, how often traps must be checked and areas in which trapping is permitted. FWC Officers are trained to identify trapping devices in the field and will enforce rules regulating trap use. Penalties for trapping rule violations range from fines to jail time. In some cases, hunting, fishing and trapping licenses and privileges may be suspended, which could result in the loss of privileges in all 50 states that are members of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact (IWVC).

Learn more by reviewing current trap types and requirements and possible changes.