Section 141.62. Beaver and otter trapping

(a) General. There shall be one durable identification tag attached to each trap or snare by means of an extension wire of sufficient length so that the name tag is completely above the water or ice level and totally visible for inspection purposes. The name tag shall visibly set forth the owner’s first and last name and legal home address, or a number issued by the Commission.

(b) Unlawful acts. It is unlawful to:

(1) Place, or make use of, materials or products except raw native wood or stone to direct the travel of beaver or otter. Man-made materials may be used only to support traps or snares.

(2) Place, check, reset or tend a trap or snare on an established beaver dam or beaver house, or within 15 feet of either a dam or a house. Measurement shall be from directly above the trap or snare, across the water, ice or land to the nearest point of the structure.

(3) Set body gripping traps larger than 10 inches in height by 12 inches in width.

(4) Set, tend or operate any number of traps or snares for beaver trapping in excess of the limits established by this paragraph.

(i) Beaver trappers are generally limited to a combined Statewide total of 20 traps or snares, no more than 10 of which may be traps. No more than 2 of the 10 traps may be body gripping traps, except in Wildlife Management Units where beaver bag limits are 40 or more per season where all 10 traps may be body gripping traps.

(ii) Beaver trappers are limited to using no more than five traps or snares, no more than two of which may be body-gripping traps, in any Wildlife Management Unit with an open otter trapping season. This limitation is inclusive of any otter traps or snares set under paragraph (7). This limitation is applicable during periods when the open beaver trapping season overlaps by calendar date with the open otter trapping season and shall extend for 5 additional consecutive days after the close of the otter season.

(5) Check, set, reset or otherwise maintain a beaver or otter trap or snare, or remove a beaver or otter from a trap or snare, unless the person is identified by the attached name tag as the owner. This paragraph does not prohibit the lending of assistance when the person whose name appears on the trap tag is present.

(6) Equip snares with a spring-activating mechanism or any device designed to aid the closing of the snare loop.

(7) Set, tend or operate any number of traps or snares for otter trapping in excess of the limits established by this paragraph. Otter trappers are limited to a combined Statewide total of five traps or snares, no more than two of which may be body-gripping traps. This limitation is inclusive of any beaver traps or snares set under paragraph (4)(ii).

The provisions of this § 141.62 adopted June 19, 1987, effective July 1, 1987, 17 Pa.B. 2464; amended July 22, 1988, effective upon publication and applies retroactively to July 1, 1988, 18 Pa.B. 3213; amended December 9, 1988, effective December 10, 1988, 18 Pa.B. 5495; amended May 25, 1990, effective July 1, 1990, 20 Pa.B. 2752; amended August 7, 1998, effective August 8, 1998, 28 Pa.B. 3801; amended May 18, 2001, effective May 19, 2001, 31 Pa.B. 2577; amended June 20, 2004, effective June 21, 2003, 33 Pa.B. 2878; amended June 11, 2010, effective June 12, 2010, 40 Pa.B. 3105; amended May 27, 2011, effective May 28, 2011, 41 Pa.B. 2699; amended June 22, 2012, effective June 23, 2012, 42 Pa.B. 3592; amended May 23, 2014, effective May 24, 2014, 44 Pa.B. 3100; amended May 29, 2015, effective May 30, 2015, 45 Pa.B. 2607. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (372008) to (372009).

Notation

Authority

The provisions of this § 141.62 amended under the Game and Wildlife Code, 34 Pa.C.S. § § 2102 and 2901(b).