Message from the Minister

Trapping is an important part of Alberta’s history and our connection to the land. For many Albertans, it is a tradition that connects families across generations. For others, it is an opportunity to learn new skills, spend time on Alberta’s landscapes, and a build a deeper understanding of wildlife and the natural environment. Whatever your connection to hunting and trapping is, you are part of a community that helps inform our government with on the ground knowledge to better manage Alberta’s wildlife populations.

Alberta is home to some of the most diverse and productive wildlife habitats in the world. Maintaining that legacy requires good science, and people who care deeply about the land. As Minister, I know that effective wildlife management depends on good information. Trappers play an important role in that effort through ethical and responsible practices that support wildlife conservation, local economies, and communities across the province. Strong partnerships are crucial to these efforts. Alberta’s government works closely with the Alberta Trappers Association and trappers to gather information through effective reporting, and make informed decisions that help ensure trapping remains sustainable for future generations.

This guide is designed to help you understand the rules and responsibilities that come with trapping in Alberta. It includes information on licensing requirements, season dates, harvest regulations, and reporting obligations. I encourage you to review it carefully before heading out on your trapline, stay informed about any regulatory changes, and make safety a priority throughout the season.

Thank you for your commitment to responsible trapping and for the contribution you make to wildlife management in Alberta. Your stewardship helps ensure trapping remains a respected and sustainable activity while supporting communities and traditions across our province.

I wish you a safe, successful and rewarding trapping season.

Sincerely, Todd Loewen Minister of Forestry and Parks

Important Information for 2026-2027

• NEW: Senior holders of Registered Fur Management Licences are requested to submit completed trapping activity reports (‘logbooks’) in support of the Alberta Furbearer Stewardship Program. Please see below for further instructions on logbook submission. Fur Harvest Reports are currently still required for
  annual licence renewals; there is no change to the licence renewal process.
• NEW: Trappers setting a baited killing neck snare within 200 metres of the boundary of an occupied dwelling must notify the occupant of that dwelling of the presence of that baited snare set.
• Additional traps have been certified under the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS). Trappers are reminded that it is unlawful to use traps that do not meet the requirement of the AIHTS.
• REMINDER: Trappers that harvest wolverines are now required to deliver the skull along with the pelt during the mandatory registration process so that a tooth and a small pelt sample may be obtained. Trappers may extract the tooth and pelt sample themselves and present these to the registrar instead. For further information on sample submission, click here.
• REMINDER: Certified cage and box traps for raccoon are now mandatory for use beginning with the 2026/27 trapping season.
  
• REMINDER: Certified coyote foothold restraining traps will be mandatory for use beginning with the 2028/29 trapping season.
• First time trappers must successfully complete the Alberta Trapper Education Course. If you are interested in taking the Alberta Trapper Education Course, contact the Alberta Trappers Association office in Westlock at 780-349-6626, or visit
  http://albertatrappers.com/trapper-courses.html for a list of course locations and dates.
• Non-residents residing in or within 30 miles of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, who trap on a registered fur management area that is wholly situated both north of the northern boundary of Township 118 and east of Wood Buffalo National Park, are exempt from the mandatory registration of fisher, lynx, otter or wolverine. Further, an Alberta Provincial Export Permit is not required to export such fisher, lynx, otter or wolverine outside of Alberta.
• REMINDER: For Registered Fur Management Licence holders, please ensure you renew your annual licences by September 30 each year. This is a requirement under the Alberta Wildlife Act and Regulation, and not doing so may result in your RFML privileges being revoked.

Alberta Furbearer Stewardship Project

• Alberta Forestry and Parks is partnering with the Alberta Trappers Association and the Alberta Conservation Association to gather enhanced information on furbearer harvest and
  trapping effort under the Alberta Furbearer Stewardship
  Program. Senior Registered Fur Management Licence holders are requested to please submit trapper logbooks. These logbooks solicit additional information on trapping activities, harvest, trapping effort and general knowledge to help ensure long-term sustainability of Alberta’s furbearers.
  
• To participate in the Alberta Furbearer Stewardship Program logbooks online please visit: http://atalogbook.ab-conservation. com/.
  
• A pull-out logbook can be found in the centre of this guide. Click here for a downloadable pdf version.

Definitions

The following definitions will help you understand this Guide:

Fur Management Zone (FMZ) – Alberta is divided into eight (8) Fur Management Zones, based on similar environmental features. Season timing and length is established on the basis of these zones, reflecting differences in furbearer status, trapping pressure and seasonal pelt quality.

Killing Device

1. a device designed and set in a manner to trap and kill a furbearing animal by the action of the trap;
   
2. a snare set to tighten on the neck of a furbearing animal in order to kill it, where the energy to tighten the snare is provided by the animal; or
   
3. a device that is set so that it will hold and kill a furbearing animal under water.
   

Partner – a person with written permission from a senior holder (see senior holder definition) to trap on the senior holder's Fur Management Area. A partner must be a resident and must obtain a licence. Partners who are first-time trappers must meet mandatory requirements, before their partnership agreement can be approved. For further information, contact the Hunting and Fishing Branch.

Resident – a person who either

• has his or her only or primary residence in Alberta and
     - is a Canadian citizen or admitted to permanent residence in Canada, or
     - has lived in Canada for the 12-month period immediately preceding the relevant date;
  
  or
  
• is on full-time service with the Canadian Armed Forces and would, if an election were held under the Elections Act (Canada), be eligible to vote in Alberta under that Act.
  

Registered Fur Management Area (RFMA) – a parcel of public land the boundary of which is described on the original Registered Fur Management Licence.

Registered Fur Management Licence – a licence to hunt and trap furbearing animals on the lands described on the licence, as well as on private lands that the licence-holder owns or occupies.

Resident Fur Management Licence – a licence available for trapping on privately owned and some public lands not included in Registered Fur Management Areas. For further information contact the Hunting and Fishing Branch.

Senior Holder – the principal holder of a Registered Fur Management Area, and the person who has authority to give written consent to establish partnerships.

WMU – Wildlife Management Unit. A geographical area prescribed in legislation.