Trapping Laws in Wyoming: Licenses, Seasons, Trap Checks, and Penalties
October 14, 2026
Wyoming is one of the few states that writes the right to trap into its constitution, yet you can still run into serious trouble over a missed trap check or an untagged trap. Understanding trapping laws in Wyoming means knowing which animals need a license, which ones do not, and how the rules change depending on the species you target.
This article walks you through the legal framework, from licensing and seasons to trap types, public land use, pelt tagging, and penalties. The details come from Wyoming statutes and Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) regulations. Rules change, so confirm every detail against the current WGFD furbearer regulations before you set a trap.
Pro Tip: Wyoming splits animals into two legal groups: furbearers and predatory animals. Almost every rule below depends on which group your target species falls into, so identify the group first.
Is Trapping Legal in Wyoming
Yes, trapping is legal in Wyoming and has strong legal footing. The right to trap is codified in the Wyoming constitution, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department manages and regulates furbearer trapping.
The state does limit what you can take. Only common and abundant wildlife species can be legally trapped, and threatened, endangered, or state-protected animals such as river otters, lynx, and wolverines are off limits.
Wyoming also treats predatory animals differently from furbearers. Furbearing species include badger, beaver, bobcat, marten, mink, muskrat, and weasel, while foxes, coyotes, jackrabbits, porcupines, raccoons, skunks, and stray cats are predatory animals that can be harvested without a license. If you are dealing with a nuisance animal on your own property, our guide to nuisance wildlife laws in Wyoming covers the options in more detail.
Trapping License and Education Requirements in Wyoming
You need a furbearer trapping license to take furbearing animals, but not to trap predatory animals. Any person, upon application and payment of the proper fee, may receive a license to trap any furbearing animal. Predatory animals and predacious birds may be taken without a license.
Resident fees are modest. According to the WGFD 2021 furbearer regulations (the most recent fee schedule in my research), a resident furbearer hunting or trapping license cost $45.00, and a resident youth license for those under 17 cost $6.00. Fees can change, so check the WGFD licensing page before you buy.
Nonresident Licenses
Nonresidents face a reciprocity test. The department issues a trapping license to a nonresident only if the applicant’s home state licenses Wyoming residents to trap the same species. You must also supply a notarized affidavit stating your legal address and state of residence, plus a copy of your state’s current statutes or rules showing that reciprocity.
Reciprocity works species by species. Trappers on one forum explain that a nonresident whose state bars outsiders from trapping bobcat can generally still trap other species in Wyoming, though that is user commentary, so confirm with WGFD.
Trapper Education
Wyoming has historically not required trapper education before you buy a license. That may be changing. A 2025 bill, Senate File 0140, proposed that anyone born on or after January 1, 2000 obtain a certificate of trapping education, with special authorization for people accompanied by a qualified mentor. I could not confirm whether it passed, so check with WGFD for the current requirement. The department also advertises a hands-on Trapper Education Class whether or not it is mandatory.
Trapping Seasons and Legal Furbearer Species in Wyoming
Furbearer seasons are limited, with one notable exception. Trapping of furbearers, except badgers, is not allowed year-round. Seasons for most furbearing animals run from October 1 through April 30, though exact dates vary by species and area.
The Commission sets those dates. State law empowers the Commission to fix seasons and bag limits on wildlife, except predatory animals, predacious birds, protected animals and protected birds. That is why predators have no season at all.
| Category | Species | License Needed | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furbearers | Beaver, bobcat, marten, mink, muskrat, weasel | Yes | Set by WGFD, generally fall through spring |
| Furbearer (exception) | Badger | Yes | Open year-round in Area 1, most of the state |
| Predatory animals | Coyote, red fox, raccoon, skunk, porcupine, jackrabbit, stray cat | No | No closed season |
| Protected | River otter, lynx, wolverine | Cannot be trapped | Closed |
One local outfitter’s guide reports that Area 1, which covers most of the state, allows beaver trapping from October through April without a bag limit. Other areas carry bag limits, and some zones use limited quota permits. Any qualified person may submit one application for a limited quota trapping area drawing and list as many as three choices.
Important Note: Gray wolves fall under special rules. They are classed as furbearers only outside the wolf trophy game management areas, and trap specifications for wolves are set separately by the Commission. Read the current regulations before targeting them.
Legal Trap Types and Restrictions in Wyoming
Wyoming allows leghold traps, live traps, body-grip traps, and snares, with equipment rules written into statute. Every trap and snare must carry identification. All traps and snares used for furbearing or predatory animals must be permanently marked or tagged with the owner’s name and address or the department-assigned identification number. You can apply to the Department for a trap identification number.
Several other equipment rules apply:
- Snare breakaway devices: All snares used for furbearing or predatory animals must have a break-away device.
- Bait setbacks: No trap or snare may be set within 30 feet of exposed bait or a carcass over five pounds.
- Prohibited bait: You cannot use any part of a game animal, game bird, or game fish as bait to trap or poison wildlife.
- Prohibited devices: Game animals, game birds, and game fish cannot be taken with pits, pitfalls, nets, traps, deadfalls, poison, or similar devices, except as otherwise provided.
- Lights: Artificial light and infrared technologies are not legal for taking furbearing animals.
Non-target catches have their own rules. Big or trophy game animals, game birds, protected animals, and protected birds that are trapped must be released unharmed. Since 2016 it has been legal to release a pet or livestock from a trap. If you have livestock near your traplines, see our overview of open range laws in Wyoming.
Trap Check Requirements in Wyoming
Wyoming’s check intervals are longer than in many neighboring states. Leg-hold traps and live traps must be checked at least once every 72 hours, while snares and quick-kill body-grip traps must be checked at least once each week, except during the initial week they were set.
| Device | Minimum Check Interval |
|---|---|
| Leghold traps | Once every 72 hours |
| Live traps | Once every 72 hours |
| Snares | Once each week |
| Quick-kill body-grip traps | Once each week |
Neighboring states are stricter. A Powell Tribune report notes that Colorado and Nebraska require traps be checked within 24 hours, versus 72 hours to 13 days in Wyoming. That report dates to 2020, so confirm current rules for any state you cross into.
Missing a check is a common mistake. Our raccoon article notes that the most common trapping offenses in Wyoming include failing to check traps within 72 hours. Build the interval into your schedule, and do not treat it as a suggestion.
Common Mistake: Setting a snare on a Monday and assuming you have two weeks. Because the weekly check is counted by week, the gap between checks can stretch long, but you still need to check at least once in each full week. Do not rely on the edge of that window.
Where You Can and Can’t Trap in Wyoming
Public land is broadly open, which is a point of controversy. According to Wyoming Untrapped, an advocacy group opposed to current trapping rules, trapping can occur almost anywhere on public lands except national parks, the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, and a few other defined areas, though traps cannot be placed within 30 feet of an officially designated road. That page is an advocacy source and its age is unclear, so verify against WGFD.
On private land, you need to follow the same statewide rules. Private landowners can trap on their own property or grant permission to someone else, and they must follow WGFD regulations. Always get permission before you set a trap on land you do not own.
Setbacks are a live policy issue. Wyoming has no general trap setback from trails, unlike Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Nebraska, which all have trap setback regulations, according to a WyoFile opinion column. A 2025 bill, SF0139, proposed to expand the Game and Fish Commission’s authority to establish trap setback specifications on public and state lands. Check whether any setback rule has taken effect before you trap near trails.
Firearm and dog rules also touch trapping. No person may fire any firearm from, upon, along or across any public road or highway, which matters when you dispatch an animal near a road. Related rules on hunting and public access are in our guide to hunting laws in Wyoming, and if you have a dog on a trapline, see the leash laws in Wyoming.
Tagging, Reporting and Selling Pelts in Wyoming
Bobcat is the species with mandatory registration. A properly licensed trapper must present a bobcat raw fur in an unfrozen condition to a game warden or a Department Regional Office, and it is unlawful to possess an untagged bobcat raw fur after the registration period expires. A Department employee attaches the tag, and Wyoming bobcat tags are free.
Registration requires harvest details. Before a tag is issued, you provide the bobcat’s age and sex, the management area, method of take, date taken, number of traps set, and number of days traps were set or days hunted.
The reason is federal. According to Wyoming Untrapped, the requirement is rooted in CITES, and because bobcat resemble protected species such as the Canada lynx, managers want to ensure no protected species are being killed. If you ship products out of the country, you must first obtain a federal CITES permit for hides, skulls, meat or products of black bears, wolves, lynx, bobcats or river otters.
Moving fur across state lines also has a rule. Anyone bringing hides or fur into Wyoming from another state may not remove any tag, tattoo, mark or other identification placed on them by the other state’s authorities. Fur dealers have separate licensing and tagging obligations, so contact WGFD before selling in volume.
Reporting Non-Target Catches
Reporting is limited. According to Wyoming Untrapped, trappers are only required to report game and protected animals trapped and killed or injured seriously enough to cause death. The WGFD also runs a voluntary harvest survey after each furbearer season.
Penalties for Trapping Violations in Wyoming
Wyoming statute 23-2-303 includes penalty, confiscation, and inspection provisions for trapping violations, and Commission regulations back them up. The state’s regulations note that violations of Commission rules carry penalties under Wyoming Statutes.
Some offenses are serious. Using prohibited devices or game-animal bait under statute 23-3-304 is a high misdemeanor. I could not verify exact fine amounts or jail terms in my research, so consult the current statute or a WGFD warden for specifics.
The most common violations are straightforward to avoid:
- Failing to check leghold or live traps within 72 hours.
- Failing to check snares and body-grip traps at least weekly.
- Setting traps without a name, address, or ID number attached.
- Possessing an untagged bobcat raw fur after the registration period.
- Tampering with another trapper’s legal traps or removing furbearers from them, which has been illegal since a 2004 regulation.
Keep your license, trap IDs, and records organized, and call the local warden if you catch something you should not have. Wyoming also runs the TIP411 tip line for poaching reports. For broader rules on taking and handling wildlife, read our guides on roadkill laws in Wyoming and feral dog laws in Wyoming.