Chapter 8: Trapping and Furtaking Basics
Trap Categories

Quick-Kill Traps

Body-Grip Trap—In Pennsylvania, this trap is legal only in water sets

• Designed to kill the captured animal quickly
• Frame wires clamp furbearer's body

Snares

• Special type of body-gripping trap used only in water sets in Pennsylvania
• Less expensive, lighter in weight, and less likely to freeze in cold weather than other types of traps
• In Pennsylvania, snares are used only for beavers and must have a "stop-device" limiting its closure

Live-Hold Traps

Box Trap—May be used only on land

• Used when the possibility of catching pets is high
• Mesh box has a swinging door to let animal in, but not out

Foot-Hold Traps—Used on land or in the water

• Trap holds an animal's foot and typically will cause little damage to the animal

Cable Restraint

• Less expensive, lighter in weight, and less likely to freeze in cold weather than other types of traps
• In Pennsylvania, cable restraints are used only to trap fox and coyote from January to the end of the established fox and coyote seasons
• Restraints must have maximum and minimum loop stops and must have breakaway devices to help prevent capture of non-target species
• Trappers must successfully complete a Cable Restraint Certification course before using cable restraints to trap

Trap Sets

Which Trap for Which Animal?

• Body-Grip Traps: Mink, beaver, muskrat
• Foot-Hold Traps: Coyote, fox, raccoon, muskrat, bobcat, beaver, mink, opossum, skunk, weasel
• Box Traps: Raccoon, skunk, weasel, opossum, trapping near residential areas
• Snares: Lawful only for trapping beaver in Pennsylvania
• Cable Restraints: Lawful only for trapping coyote, and red and gray fox from January to the end of coyote and fox seasons

Trap Maintenance

Traps, just like bows and firearms, need to be maintained. Maintaining this equipment ensures that the traps will work properly. Properly working traps fitted with additional chain swivels will limit injury to captured animals. All traps in Pennsylvania must have a durable identification tag that displays the trapper's name and address or an assigned identification number. Contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission to be assigned an identification number.