Trapping licenses for resident and nonresidents available for purchase

HELENA – Nonresident and resident trapping licenses and supplemental trapping permits are now available to purchase at a Fish, Wildlife & Parks office or online at https://ols.fwp.mt.gov/. Trapping licenses are sold separately from other licenses, such as base hunting licenses and conservation licenses. Those who purchase a resident trapping license do not need to purchase a bobcat hunting license.

In addition to a trapping license, a free supplemental trapping permit is required for trappers targeting nongame species (raccoon, badger, red fox) and predators (coyotes, skunks, weasels) within the geographic area identified on the attached map.

To purchase a Montana resident trapping license, residents must complete a Montana trapper education course or have purchased a trapping license in at least three prior years (in Montana or another state). Residents must be at least 12 years old to purchase a trapping license. Youth 6 to 11 years old, must purchase a trapping license and are exempt from the requirement to take trapper education and are limited to what animals they can trap.

The course consists of an online component, an in-person field day and a written test. This general trapper education course also satisfies the Montana wolf trapper education requirement.

Nonresidents need to do one of the following:

• Provide a notarized affidavit on a form approved by the department listing the person's legal residence, including the state;
• Provide documentation that the person's resident state issues nonresident trapping licenses that allow Montana residents to trap the same species for which the person seeks to trap in Montana; or
• Attest on the affidavit that the person's resident state does not offer reciprocity for trapping the fur-bearing species the person seeks to trap in Montana because the species does not exist in the resident state.

To learn more about trapping, or to register for a trapper education course, go to fwp.mt.gov/hunt/trapping.