Trapping Regulations

Part of being a responsible trapper involves knowing Oregon trapping regulations.

All traps and snares, whether set for furbearing or unprotected mammals, must be legibly marked or branded with the owner’s license number that has been assigned by the ODFW. Unmarked traps or snares may be set for unprotected mammals by any person or member of their immediate family upon land that they lawfully own.

• No branded trap or snare may be sold unless accompanied by a uniform bill of sale.
• It is unlawful for any person to trap for furbearers, predatory animals, and/or unprotected mammals using:
  • A steel foothold trap with a jaw spread greater than 9".
  • A No. 3 or larger longspring foothold trap or any foothold trap with an inside jaw spread at dog greater than 6" not having a jaw spacing of at least 3/16 of 1 inch when the trap is sprung (measurement excludes pads on padded jaw traps) and when the set is not capable of drowning the trapped animal.
  • Flesh of any game bird, game fish, or game mammal for trap bait.
  • Any killing trap having a jaw spread of 7.5" or more in any land set except when authorized by the ODFW.
  • Any toothed trap or trap with a protuberance of the facing edge of the jaws that is intended to hold the animal, except pads on padded jaw traps.
  • Or possessing the branded traps or snares of another unless in possession of written permission from the person to whom the brand is registered.
  • Sight bait within 15 feet of any foothold trap set for carnivores to reduce the risk of capturing raptors.
• On state or federal lands, except when authorized by the ODFW, no traps or snares may be set on land:
  • Within 50 feet of any public trail.
  • Within 300 feet of any trailhead that is designated and maintained as such by the public land management agency and is accessible to vehicular traffic.
  • Within 300 feet of any public campground or picnic area designated and maintained as such by the public land management agency on the most current official map of the agency.
  • Within 500 feet of the center of the mouth of an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) wildlife crossing structure located between US Highway 97 mile posts 149 and 153.
• An artificial light may be used to provide light to aid in the dispatch of animals legally restrained in a trap or snare.
• It is unlawful to disturb or remove the traps or snares of any licensed trapper while that person is trapping on public lands or on other land by landowner’s permission.
• It is unlawful for any person to damage or destroy any muskrat house at any time except where such muskrat house is an obstruction to a private or public ditch or watercourse.
• The use of traps or snares suspended in trees is prohibited in the Siskiyou and Siuslaw National Forests.
• The general furbearer regulations do not apply to the trapping of gophers, moles, ground squirrels and mountain beaver (boomer).