Missouri Trapping Season Opens November 15, but Raccoon, Opossum and Skunk Open August 1 and Several Species Run Into April
November 14, 2026
Missouri’s 2026-27 trapping season does not start on a single date. Raccoon, opossum and striped skunk open August 1, most other furbearers open November 15, and coyote, raccoon, opossum and skunk get an extra window on private land into April.
Trapping season in Missouri 2026-27 also comes with rules that differ from hunting: daily trap checks, labeling on durable material, road restrictions for killing-type traps and mandatory tagging of bobcat and otter pelts. This article lays out each rule so you can plan your trapline before the first set goes out.
Dates and methods below come from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Wildlife Code of Missouri. Use the MDC’s regulations pages for the final legal text before you set a trap.
Trapping Season Dates in Missouri 2026-27
Missouri splits trapping into an early season for three species and a main season for everything else. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation trapping page, striped skunk, raccoon and opossum open August 1, 2026 to October 15, 2026 and again November 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
Most other furbearers open November 15. Beaver and nutria run the longest, to March 31, 2027, while badger and both fox species close January 31, 2027.
- Early season: August 1 to October 15, 2026 (raccoon, opossum, striped skunk)
- Main season opener: November 15, 2026 for all trapped furbearers
- Private-land extension: March 1 to April 14, 2027 for coyote, raccoon, opossum and striped skunk
Pro Tip: Traps cannot go out early. Under the Wildlife Code, traps may not be placed or set before midnight of the first day of the applicable trapping season and must be removed by midnight of the last day. Plan your first night of sets for the stroke of midnight, not the afternoon before.
Furbearer Trapping Season Dates by Species in Missouri
Each species has its own window, and the dates below follow the MDC species pages for 2026-27. Trapping most of these animals requires a Resident Trapping Permit or a Nonresident Furbearer Hunting and Trapping Permit.
| Species | Trapping Season |
|---|---|
| Badger | November 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027 |
| Red and gray fox | November 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027 |
| Bobcat | November 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027 |
| Coyote | November 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027, plus March 1 to April 14 on private land |
| Mink | November 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027 |
| Otter and muskrat | November 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027 |
| Raccoon, opossum, striped skunk | August 1 to October 15, 2026 and November 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027, plus March 1 to April 14 on private land |
| Beaver and nutria | November 15, 2026 to March 31, 2027 |
| Rabbit | November 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027 |
The MDC lists the seasons by species with the allowed and prohibited methods for each. Rabbit is trapped under the resident permit only, and rabbit carcasses cannot be sold.
What’s New for the 2026-27 Trapping Season in Missouri
The biggest recent change is structural. A rule amendment published in the Missouri Register on July 1, 2025 rewrote 3 CSR 10-8.515 so that badger, beaver, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, raccoon, red fox, river otter, and striped skunk are all listed as furbearers that may be taken in any numbers by trapping.
The same amendment sets the special harvest season on private lands, when coyote, opossum, raccoon and striped skunk may be taken from March 1 through April 14. That spring window is now part of the standard calendar.
For 2026-27, beaver and nutria carry the dates November 15, 2026 to March 31, 2027, and the MDC lists both a 2025-26 and a 2026-27 window on the same page. Make sure you read the year in front of the date.
Trapping Zones, Units and Open Counties in Missouri
Missouri does not divide furbearer trapping into zones or units. The seasons above apply statewide, and every county is open during them.
Two things still vary by location. The March 1 to April 14 extension applies to private land only, and conservation areas can add their own rules, so check the area brochure before trapping on any MDC-managed property.
Species You Can Trap Year-Round in Missouri
No furbearer has a year-round trapping season. Coyote is the closest: the MDC lists coyote hunting as open January 1 to December 31, 2026, but coyote trapping stays tied to the November 15 to February 28 season and the private-land extension.
Groundhogs fall under the trapping permit as well. The MDC says the Resident Trapping Permit allows you to trap and sell furbearers and groundhogs, which is separate from the furbearer season calendar. Nuisance situations outside the season are covered near the end of this article.
Trapping License and Permit Requirements in Missouri
Residents need the Resident Trapping Permit to trap furbearers. MDC describes it as available for Missouri residents only and notes permits are valid until June 30.
Raccoon is the one species where other permits can substitute. The raccoon page lists the Resident Trapping Permit, the Archer’s Hunting Permit, the Nonresident Furbearer Hunting and Trapping Permit and the Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only) as valid.
The Wildlife Code also requires you to carry the permit while trapping. Buy it before the August 1 early season if you plan to run raccoon or skunk sets.
Trapper Education Requirements in Missouri
The MDC trapping page does not list a trapper education course as a condition of buying the Resident Trapping Permit. Hunter education is required for firearms hunting, which matters if you plan to take furbearers with a firearm during the same trip.
Even without a requirement, MDC offers trapping education resources and workshops through its hunting and trapping program. A first-season trapper benefits from learning set placement and trap-check habits before the opener.
Nonresident Trapping in Missouri
Nonresidents buy the Nonresident Furbearer Hunting and Trapping Permit. It covers the same trapping seasons as the resident permit for badger, bobcat, beaver and nutria, coyote, otter, muskrat, opossum, raccoon and striped skunk.
Check the permit page for the species list before you buy, because the resident permit includes rabbit trapping and groundhogs while the nonresident permit page lists furbearer seasons. The MDC nonresident permit page shows the dates it is valid for.
Trapping vs. Hunting Furbearers in Missouri
Some seasons overlap and some do not. Bobcat, badger, fox, opossum, raccoon and striped skunk have combined hunting and trapping seasons with matching dates, while beaver, nutria, mink, muskrat and otter are trapping seasons only for most of the year.
| Rule | Trapping | Hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Dogs | Not applicable | Furbearers cannot be chased, pursued or taken with the aid of dogs, except raccoon treed with dogs |
| Artificial light | Not applicable | Allowed for raccoons treed with dogs |
| Coyote | Nov. 15 to Feb. 28 plus private-land extension | Open January 1 to December 31, 2026 |
| Dogs on aquatic furbearers | Not applicable | Not allowed for beaver, muskrat, mink or otter |
Bag Limits, Quotas and Season Limits for Trapping in Missouri
There are no bag limits on trapped furbearers. The Wildlife Code allows species to be taken in any numbers by trapping, and the MDC lists the beaver and nutria daily and possession limits as any number.
No quota or tag draw applies to trapping. The only counted animals are bobcats and otters, and those are counted through mandatory registration, not through a limit.
Legal Traps, Snares and Cable Restraints in Missouri
Under 3 CSR 10-8.510, traps must have smooth or rubber jaws. Legal devices include foot-hold traps, Conibear and other killing-type traps, foot-enclosing traps, cage-type traps, colony traps with openings no larger than six inches by six inches, snares set in water only, and cable restraint devices.
Cable restraints are allowed during specified seasons under the Wildlife Code, and snares on land are prohibited for furbearers. Traps may also be used with electronic calls.
Pro Tip: Read 3 CSR 10-8.510 before buying cable restraints, since the code defines the device and limits when and where it can be used.
Banned Traps and Trap Restrictions in Missouri
The MDC lists the prohibited methods on each species page. Snares on land, pitfalls, deadfalls and nets are all prohibited for trapping furbearers.
Wildlife held in a trap may be killed or removed only by the user, so no one else can dispatch or release your catch. During the early August 1 to October 15 season, only foot-enclosing traps and cage-type traps may be used, which keeps killing-type and foot-hold traps out of the warm-weather raccoon, opossum and skunk season.
Trap Check Requirements and Trapping Hours in Missouri
Missouri’s check rule is daily for most devices. The Wildlife Code says all other traps, snares, and cable restraint devices must be attended daily and wildlife removed or released.
The exception is the 48-hour group. Conibear or other killing-type traps set underwater, colony traps set underwater, and drowning sets shall be attended and wildlife removed at least once every forty-eight hours.
Missouri does not set separate trapping hours. Because traps cannot be set before midnight on opening day and must come out by midnight on the last day, those two cutoffs are the only clock that matters for the season window.
Trap Tags, Labeling and Marking Requirements in Missouri
Every trap needs your name on it. The MDC regulations page says traps must be plainly labeled on durable material with the user’s full name and address or Conservation Number.
Use a metal tag or stamped plate, since paper or marker on a rusting jaw will not hold up through a full season. This is separate from the bobcat and otter pelt tags covered later.
Bait, Lure and Set Restrictions in Missouri
Missouri allows baits and lures for furbearer trapping, and the MDC lists no general bait ban for traps. The restrictions are about where a set can go.
- Traps cannot be set in paths made or used by people or domestic animals.
- Killing-type traps cannot be set along public roadways.
- Only cage-type or foot-enclosing traps may be used near dwellings and roads where the code limits the type.
- Traps may be used with electronic calls.
The Wildlife Code also restricts snares to water sets. Check the species pages for method-specific limits, especially for aquatic furbearers where dogs are not allowed.
Trapping on Public Land vs. Private Land in Missouri
Private land has more trapping time. The March 1 to April 14 extension covers coyote, opossum, raccoon and striped skunk on private land only.
Public land follows the statewide seasons, and conservation areas can restrict trapping by area. Review the specific area page or brochure before you set anything on MDC land.
Landowner Permission for Trapping in Missouri
You need the landowner’s permission to trap on private land. Without it, a set is trespass regardless of whether the season is open.
Get permission before the August 1 or November 15 opener, and ask specifically about spring trapping if you want to use the March 1 to April 14 private-land window. Keep the landowner’s name and contact information with your trapping records.
Trap Setbacks From Roads, Trails and Homes in Missouri
Road rules are the clearest setback in the code. Killing-type traps may not be set along public roadways, with an exception for underwater sets in permanent waters.
The Wildlife Code also restricts the trap type allowed within a set distance of dwellings and roads. Under 3 CSR 10-8.510, only cage-type or foot-enclosing traps may be set within a specified distance, so read the full rule on the Secretary of State’s Code of State Regulations before trapping near a home or road.
No trap may sit in a path made or used by people or domestic animals, which covers walking trails and farm lanes.
Protected Species and Nontarget Catches in Missouri
Only listed furbearers can be trapped in Missouri, and the season for each species controls when you can take it. Wolves and mountain lions have no open season.
If a trap holds a nontarget animal, wildlife must be removed or released on your daily check. The code lets only the trap’s user kill or remove wildlife held in the device, so release pets and protected wildlife carefully and report anything you cannot safely release to your local MDC office.
Cage-type and foot-enclosing traps reduce nontarget injuries, which is why the early season restricts you to them.
Pelt Tagging, Sealing and Harvest Reports in Missouri
Missouri tags only bobcats and otters. Under 3 CSR 10-8.515, bobcats and otters or their pelts shall be delivered by the taker to an agent of the department for registration or tagging, before selling, transferring, tanning, or mounting but not later than April 10.
Once tagged, bobcats and otters or their pelts may be possessed by the taker throughout the year. There is no harvest report for other furbearers.
Pro Tip: The MDC suggests putting a pencil or stick through the upper lip and eye socket before freezing the skin. The tag then goes through those holes at registration without damaging the pelt, according to the MDC regulations page.
Lower Jaw and Tooth Sample Requirements in Missouri
The Wildlife Code sections reviewed for this article do not require a lower jaw or tooth sample for trapped furbearers. The only mandatory biological step is registering and tagging bobcats and otters.
If an MDC agent asks for a tooth or carcass at registration for management work, the request comes through the agent at the check station. Bring your pelts frozen and labeled with the county and date of take.
Selling Furs and Fur Dealer Rules in Missouri
The code says pelts of furbearers may be possessed, transported, consigned for processing, and sold only by the taker with a valid permit throughout the year. After tanning, pelts can be possessed, bought or sold without a permit.
Bobcat and otter rules are tighter. Tagged pelts may be sold only to licensed taxidermists, tanners or fur dealers, and it is illegal to purchase or sell untagged bobcats, otters or their pelts.
Rabbit carcasses cannot be sold, even though rabbits may be trapped under the resident permit.
Trapping Nuisance Wildlife Outside the Season in Missouri
Outside the season, the trapping permit does not authorize taking furbearers for fun or fur. Landowners dealing with damage should contact the MDC for the current nuisance wildlife rules before setting any trap.
The coyote exception helps here, since coyote hunting is open year-round in 2026 and the private-land extension runs into April 14. For beaver damage, the long beaver and nutria season to March 31 gives you the widest legal window.
If you are also planning big-game dates this fall, see the Missouri deer season dates, the pheasant season dates and the Missouri elk hunting rules.
Trapping Season in Missouri 2026-27: Frequently Asked Questions
When Does Trapping Season Start in Missouri?
Raccoon, opossum and striped skunk open August 1, 2026. Everything else opens November 15, 2026.
When Does It End?
Most furbearers close February 28, 2027, badger and fox close January 31, 2027, and beaver and nutria close March 31, 2027. Coyote, opossum, raccoon and skunk can be trapped on private land through April 14, 2027.
Is There a Bag Limit?
No. Furbearers can be taken in any numbers by trapping.
How Often Must I Check Traps?
Daily for most traps, snares and cable restraints. Killing-type and colony traps set underwater, and drowning sets, can be checked every 48 hours.
Do I Need to Tag Pelts?
Only bobcat and otter pelts. Register them with an MDC agent before selling, tanning or mounting, and no later than April 10.
Can Nonresidents Trap in Missouri?
Yes, with the Nonresident Furbearer Hunting and Trapping Permit.