MILES CITY – Trapping season for several species in Montana begins on Nov. 1. As a reminder, resident trappers who still need to take a trapper education class must complete the online coursework and attend an in-person field day if they wish to trap during the 2022-2023 trapping season.

Beginning this year, to purchase a Montana resident Class C trapping license, residents must complete a Montana trapper education course or have purchased a trapper’s license in at least three prior years (in Montana or another state). The requirement is in legislation from the 2021 Montana Legislature.

The online course can be completed at your convenience, but currently there is only one field day scheduled in Montana prior to the Nov. 30 deadline to purchase a resident trapping license that is valid for bobcats. The online trapper education course can be accessed at https://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/education/trapping. You can register for the field day scheduled in Bozeman on Nov. 19 at the same site.

Volunteer trapper education instructors are still needed to help with providing field days around the state. For more information or to be a trapper education instructor, please contact Wayde Cooperider at 444-4497 or at wacooperider@mt.gov.

Important requirements

• Residents must be at least 12 years old to purchase a Class C trapping license.
• Youth 6 to 11 years old who wish to trap must purchase a youth trapping license and are exempt from the requirement to take a trapper education course until they are 12. However, youth trappers are limited to trapping only mink and muskrat.
• Nonresidents are exempt from the trapper education requirement as they cannot purchase a trapper’s license to trap furbearers in Montana.
• Nonresidents who desire to trap wolves must still take the virtual wolf trapper education course (sign up for wolf trapper certification course here).
• Resident trappers who have purchased a trapper’s license during three previous seasons, but have not taken the wolf trapper certification course, must take the course to trap wolves.
• Resident trappers who have not purchased a trapper’s license in three previous seasons, but have taken the wolf trapper certification course, must take the trapper education course.

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