Current through Bulletin 2024-18, September 15, 2024
(1) Any foothold
traps used to take a furbearer, cougar, coyote, or raccoon must have spacers on
the jaws which leave an opening of at least 3/16 of an inch when the jaws are
closed, except;
(a) rubber-padded jaw
traps;
(b) traps with jaw spreads
less than 4.25 inches; and
(c)
traps that are completely submerged under water when set.
(2)
(a) Any
cable devices, such as snares, used to take a furbearer, cougar, coyote, or
raccoon, except those set in water or with a loop size less than 3 inches in
diameter, must be equipped with a breakaway lock device that will release when
any force greater than 300 lbs. is applied to the loop.
(b) Breakaway cable devices must be fastened
to an immovable object solidly secured to the ground.
(c) The use of drags is prohibited.
(3) On the middle section of the
Provo River, between Jordanelle Dam and Deer Creek Reservoir, the Green River,
between Flaming Gorge Dam and the Utah Colorado state line; the Colorado River,
between the Utah Colorado state line and Lake Powell; and the Escalante River,
between Escalante and Lake Powell, trapping for a furbearer, coyote, or raccoon
within 600 yards of either side of these rivers, including their tributaries
from the confluences upstream 1/2 mile, is restricted to the following devices:
(a) Nonlethal-set foot hold traps with a jaw
spread less than 5 1/8 inches, and nonlethal-set padded foot hold traps.
Drowning sets with these traps are prohibited.
(b) Body-gripping, killing-type traps with
body-gripping area less than 30 square inches.
(c) Nonlethal dry land cable devices equipped
with a stop-lock device that prevents it from closing to less than a six-inch
diameter.
(d) Size 330,
body-gripping, killing-type traps modified by replacing the standard V-trigger
assembly with one top side parallel trigger assembly, with the trigger placed
within one inch of the side, or butted against the vertical turn in the
Canadian bend.
(4) A
person may not disturb or remove any trapping device, except:
(a) the owner of the trapping
device;
(b) peace officers in the
performance of their duties;
(c)
the landowner where the trapping device is set;
(d) the owner of a domestic pet caught in the
device may disturb the device to remove the domestic pet; or
(e) as provided in Subsection (6).
(5) A person may not kill or
remove wildlife caught in any trapping device, except:
(a) the owner of the trapping device who
possesses the permit, license, tag, or legal authorization required for the
species that is captured;
(b) a
peace officer in the performance of their duties;
(c) as provided in Subsection (6);
or
(d) as provided in Section
R657-11-11.
(6)
(a) A
person, other than the owner, may possess, set, disturb or remove a trapping
device; or temporarily possess, kill or remove wildlife caught in a trapping
device provided:
(i) the trapping device is
appropriately marked with the owner's trap registration number;
(ii) the person possesses a valid furbearer
license and appropriate permits or tags when working with furbearer
sets;
(iii) the person's trap
registration license or furbearer license are neither denied nor suspended;
and
(iv) the person has obtained
written authorization from the owner of the trapping device with the following
information printed on the authorization in permanent ink:
(A) date written authorization was
obtained;
(B) name, address, and
phone number of the owner;
(C)
owner's trap registration number;
(D) the name of the individual being given
authorization; and
(E) signature of
owner.
(b)
Nothing in Subsection (6)(a) authorizes a person to use the owner's trap
registration license, furbearer license, permit or tag.
(7) The owner of any trapping device
providing written authorization to another person under Subsection (6) may be
criminally liable and civilly responsible under Section
23-19-9 for any violations of
Title 23 Wildlife Resources Code of Utah, this rule, or applicable guidebooks
resulting from the use of the trapping device by the authorized
person.
(8) The owner of any
trapping device providing written authorization to another person under
Subsection (6) must keep a record of all persons obtaining written
authorization and furnish a copy of the record upon request from a conservation
officer.
(9)
(a) A person may not set any trapping device
on posted private property without the landowner's or lessee's written
permission.
(b) Wildlife officers
should be informed as soon as possible of any illegally set trapping
devices.
(10) Peace
officers in the performance of their duties may seize all trapping devices and
wildlife used or held in violation of this rule.
(11) Except as provided in Subsection (6), a
person may not possess any trapping device that is not permanently marked or
tagged with that person's trap registration number while setting, checking, or
moving a trapping device targeting a furbearer, coyote, or raccoon.
(12) All trapping devices used to take a
furbearer, coyote, or raccoon must be checked and animals removed at least once
every 48 hours, except;
(a) killing traps
striking dorso-ventrally;
(b)
drowning sets; and
(c) lethal cable
devices that are set to capture on the neck, that have a nonrelaxing lock,
without a stop, and are anchored to an immoveable object; which must be checked
every 96 hours.
(13)
(a) A person may not remove from a trapping
device and thereafter transport or possess:
(i) live protected wildlife; or
(ii) a live coyote or raccoon in violation of
Section 4-23-111.
(b) Any live animal found in a trapping
device must be:
(i) euthanized and removed
from the device by the trapper within the 48-hour trap check period in
Subsection R657-11-9(12);
or
(ii) released immediately by the
trapper unharmed.
(14) The trapping restrictions in Subsections
(1), (2), and (3) do not apply to a trapping device set within 600 feet of a
building or structure occupied or utilized by humans or domestic livestock,
provided the trapping device is set:
(a) to
capture a coyote or raccoon; and
(b) with the landowner's or lessee's
permission.
