Changes in trapping WACs now up for comments

[Humptulips]

https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/regulations/development/2024-2026-season-setting

The changes are on the CR-102. Also, you can open the page for comments from this page.
It should be presented to the Commission on March 26th, Public Comment allowed at this time also.

Here is what they are though: Changes are in yellow.
 WAC 220-400-050  Requirements for sealing of pelts and collection
of biological information for river otter, cougar, lynx, and bobcat.
(1) It is unlawful to possess river otter, cougar, lynx, or bobcat
taken in Washington without a department identification seal which has
been attached to the raw pelt, on or off the carcass, prior to the
pelt sealing deadline.
 (2) The raw pelt of a bobcat or river otter must be presented to
an authorized department employee, or authorized individual under per
mit with the department, for sealing
 , and the associated harvest re
port must be submitted to the department by April 20th after the close
of the appropriate hunting or trapping season in which it was killed.
 Any person who takes a bobcat must present a cleaned and air
dried complete lower jaw (both sides), in such a manner that the ca
nine tooth can be extracted for aging, to an authorized department em
ployee at the time of sealing before a pelt seal will be issued.

 WAC 220-417-030  Wild animal trapping.  (1) The trapping season
authorizes the taking of furbearing animals for their hides and pelts
only. Furbearers may not be taken from the wild and held alive for
sale or personal use without a special permit from the director.
 (2) Any wildlife trapped for which the season is not open shall
be released unharmed. Any wildlife that cannot be released unharmed
must be left in the trap, and the department of fish and wildlife must
be notified immediately.
 (3) Lawfully trapped wild animals must be lethally dispatched or
immediately released. A firearm may be used to dispatch trapped ani
mals.
 (4) It is unlawful to trap for wild animals:
 (a) With body-gripping traps without a special permit from the
director.
 (b) Unless kill traps are checked and animals removed within
((
 seventy-two))
72 hours.
 (c) Unless animals captured in restraining traps (any nonkilling
set)
are visually checked (via binoculars, trail camera, spotting
scope, or in person) each calendar day and are removed within ((
 twen
ty-four))
24 hours of capture.
 (d) Using game birds, game fish or game animals for bait, except
nonedible parts of game birds, game fish or game animals may be used
as bait.
 For purposes of this section, the meat of animals classified as
furbearing animals in WAC 220-400-020 is not considered edible.
 (e) Within ((
 thirty))
30 feet of any exposed meat bait or nonedi
ble game parts which are visible to flying raptors.
 (5) Game bird feathers may be used as an attractor.


I would urge trappers to comment about the requirement to turn in bobcat jaws. I have not been able to get them to budge on this but why are trappers required to destroy a bobcat skull and cougar and bear hunters get by with removing a premolar. I have spoken with the lab that handles these teeth for aging and while not as accurate it is possible to use an incisor. Please urge the change to allow the use of a pulled incisor in place of the entire jaw.

I am not happy with the language on trap check times but I think it is the best we are going to get.

[JakeLand]

Our game dept. Sucks ! Air dried clean jaw *censored* I’m not cleaning the jaw , if it goes through they’ll get what they get

[TeacherMan]

I sell on the taxidermy market, that would not work in any way. And a 24 hr check? 🤣😳

[Humptulips]

I sell on the taxidermy market, they would not work in any way. And a 24 hr check? 🤣😳

Well, not in so many words but we now have a 24 hour check essentially so it is hard to argue against that.

[Loup Loup]

The trap check rule is essentially the same, just the wording is now longwinded.
It is better than it could have been.
The Bobcat jaw proposal is unrealistic, and unsustainable. We ( hundreds of successfull Bobcat harvesters yearly) are not going to clean and air dry jaws for them. Period. Then what is WDFW going to do when a jaw does not meet their cleanliness standard? Refuse to tag that Sapp’s cat? Forcing the Sapp to be in possession of an illegal raw Bobcat skin? This rule as proposed is set up for failure.
The skull whether separate, or as Teacherman stated, on the carcass, has monetary, or sentimental value to the harvester. Why waste that and devalue the animal when it is not nessesary.
The premolar has always been used on Cougar, Bear, and Wolf. Bobcat is no different.
If the premolar tooth gives good enough data for Cougar, Bear, and Wolf (in Idaho), bobcats no difference.
I remember when we had to turn in the whole carcass of Otter, and Bobcats when we had the pelts sealed. I remember always into late spring a pile of slimy carcasses out back by the garbage cans at the regional WDFW office rotting away. They never did anything with them.

[HillHound]

Having to turn in the lower jaw on a predator is stupid And in my eyes it’s just another rule change to try to turn people who are now law-abiding citizens into lawbreakers. We will all be criminals when they are done changing enough laws. Yes even you Boy Scouts that won’t do anything wrong because as soon as drinking your morning cup of coffee is wrong guess what you’re a freaking criminal to. Why would you have to turn in half your trophy. That would be like having to cut the left antler off every deer or elk that you harvest to turn it in to WDFW. Makes no freaking sense why they can’t use the same tooth we use on everything else like was already stated. And if you live in an apartment or somewhere you don’t have the means of boiling animal heads yourself you are going to have to pay someone to do it, a cost they should be paying If they want to confiscate your trophy from you, or half of it anyways. Who knows maybe they will start requiring us to cut all the feet off our clams to turn in so they can verify counts and ages too. Maybe half the legs off every crab or a fillet off each king salmon we catch this spring might be going to them too I suppose because it would make just as much sense…NONE

[Skyvalhunter]

Don't be giving them ideas now!!

[boneaddict]

The lower jaw thing bothered the heck out of me.  That’s half the trophy. 

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Made my thoughts known and was pleased to see those only comments from those involved or affected by the change, unlike in the comments for Elk hunting changes.

[JakeLand]

The lower jaw thing bothered the heck out of me.  That’s half the trophy.

the lower jaw on cats is a big blow to trappers financially and for euro mounts

[Loup Loup]

Overly burdensome for all hunters, trappers, taxidermists, and any person or agency that wants a Bobcat skull for their collection.

[Humptulips]

I agree with everyone but just a few points.
When they say the jaw has to be cleaned I think they mean skinned and most of the meat cut off. I don't believe they mean it has to be professionally cleaned. Probably just don't want something that is going to rot and stink. This should be clarified.
Abut the teeth. I think we should ask to substitute an incisor because there already is a study on using bobcat incisors. Nothing that I know of on premolars at least as far as bobcats are concerned. I think a skull missing an incisor would still look pretty good and not detract from the value.

[boneaddict]

Is this going to bother any of you guys if it goes through?

WAC 220-417-040 add: common rat and mouse traps cannot be used to trap
furbearers

[Humptulips]

Is this going to bother any of you guys if it goes through?

WAC 220-417-040 add: common rat and mouse traps cannot be used to trap
furbearers

Where did you get that from? It is not in CR-102 that I can see.

[Loup Loup]

Humptulips: the wording says cleaned. Who are we to say how that is to be interpreted. Taking the jaw is wrong on many levels. Simple as that. I don’t care how much meat is acceptable on it.
The incisor is the front teeth right up front. They take incisors out of ungulates. All predators that I know of they take the premolar. A small tooth, between the canines and the molars. (Reference bear hunting regs). The removal of which does not detract too much from the appearance of the skull. A Bobcats tooth information is no different than a bear, cougar, or wolf. The premolar is an “easy” tooth to remove. In Washington the hunter removes the premolar on bear and sends it in. In Idaho you take the bear to a participating business where an employee pulls the tooth. Heck, many times it’s the barmaid that pulls the tooth. Predators incisors are so tight together I don’t know how you would get one out without destroying most of the row. Irregardless if some other agency uses incisors, that’s a bad decision on their part.