Trappers and Hunters in West Virginia Must Tag Furbearers in 2012 Hunting Season
OutdoorHub 10.17.12
Trapping season in West Virginia will open this year on November 3, 2012. Trappers harvesting beaver, bobcat, fisher and otter are reminded that they must present the whole animal or pelt to a game checking station or Division of Natural Resources representative within 30 days after the close of the respective season. A tag provided by the checking station shall be attached to the whole animal or pelt until it has been sold, tanned or mounted.
Information provided by hunters or trappers on the checking tag is used to monitor the harvest and assist in future management of these furbearer species in West Virginia. Decisions regarding season length, opening and closing dates, and bag limits rely on accurate data obtained from these tags.
The law no longer requires bobcat hunters and trappers to field tag each bobcat before moving the animal from the location where it was killed. Hunters and trappers are to present the unskinned bobcat when checking the animal.
The state’s second otter trapping season will soon be underway. Trappers are once again being asked to deliver skinned carcasses to any of the six West Virginia DNR district offices or the Elkins Operations Center. The biological samples collected at these facilities will provide important data and assist wildlife biologists in their efforts to make informed decisions regarding future trapping seasons.
