Section 141.66. Cable restraints

(a) Cable restraint devices may be used from December 26 until the end of the established trapping season to harvest red fox, gray fox and coyote. Nontarget furbearing species incidentally captured in cable restraint devices during an open trapping season for that species may be taken and utilized, provided the trapper possesses all applicable licenses and permits.

(b) Cable restraint devices may only be set by furtakers who have completed a certified cable restraint training course approved by the Director and possess a valid furtakers license, qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706 of the act (relating to resident license and fee exemptions) or qualify for trapping exceptions under section 2363 of the act (relating to trapping exception for certain persons). The Director will establish a fee for the course and the fee will only be what is necessary to cover the cost of the course. The trapper shall have a certificate from this course in possession while setting or checking sets using cable restraints and present the certificate upon the request of any person whose duty it is to enforce this title.

(c) Cable restraints must be anchored to prevent the animal caught in the restraint from moving the restraint from the point it was originally anchored.

(d) Cable restraints must be set to allow the animal caught in the restraint to move freely in a 360° arc for the entire length of the restraint without the risk of the cable restraint becoming entangled by any object.

(e) Cable restraints must be set so that the bottom of the restraint cable loop is no less than 6 inches or greater than 12 inches above the first surface beneath the bottom of the cable restraint where the surface is ground, ice, crusted or packed snow or any other hard material.

(f) Cable restraints will be considered traps for the purposes of the section 2361(a)(3), (4), (7), (8), (10), (12) and (14)—(16) of the act (relating to unlawful acts concerning taking of furbearers).

(g) The following locks are approved:

(1) Reichart 180° reverse bend washer.

(2) Kaatz ‘‘Relax-a-Lock.’’

(3) Penny lock.

(4) MicroLock.

(5) BMI Slide Free Lock.

(6) Berkshire 90° bend washer.

(h) It is unlawful to:

(1) Use, set, tend or operate a cable restraint having any lock that has not been approved under this section.

(2) Set any cable restraint where entanglement may occur or in any manner which could result in an animal held in the restraint being suspended.

(3) Use a device commonly known as a drag with any cable restraint.

(4) Equip cable restraints with a spring-activating mechanism or any device designed to aid the closing of the cable loop.

(5) Fail to comply with any other provisions of this section.

The provisions of this § 141.66 adopted April 15, 2005, effective April 16, 2005, 35 Pa.B. 2304; amended June 29, 2007, effective June 30, 2007, 37 Pa.B. 2956; amended June 5, 2009, effective June 6, 2009, 39 Pa.B. 2800; amended June 11, 2010, effective June 12, 2010, 40 Pa.B. 3105; amended May 29, 2015, effective May 30, 2015, 45 Pa.B. 2605. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (372011) to (372012).

Notation

Authority

The provisions of this § 141.66 issued under the Game and Wildlife Code, 34 Pa.C.S. § § 322(c)(5) and 2102(a), (b)(1) and (d); amended under the Game and Wildlife Code, 34 Pa.C.S. § 2102(d).