Furbearer Seasons

The following tables list the seasons in each Fur Management Zone.

O - October    N - November    D - December    J - January    F - February    M - March    Ap - April    Ma - May

SPECIES	Zone 1	Zone 2	Zone 3	Zone 4	Zone 5	Zone 6	Zone 7	Zone 8
Badger	CLOSED	CLOSED	D1-Ap15	D1-Ap15	D1-Ap15	D1-Ap15	D1-Ap15	D1-M31
Beaver	O1-Ma15	O1-Ma15	O1-Ma15	O1-Ma15	O1-Ma31	O15-Ma15	O15-Ap30	O15-Ap30
Bobcat	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	D1-F15	CLOSED	N1-F28
Coyote	O1-F28	O1-F28	O1-F28	O1-F283	O1-F283	O1-F283	O1-F28	O1-F28
Fisher	N1-J312,4	N1-J312,4	N1-J312	N1-J312	N1-J312	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED
Fox	O1-J314	O1-J314	O1-F28	O1-F283	O1-F283	O1-F283	O1-F28	O1-F28
Lynx	D1-F152	D1-F152	D1-F152	D1-F152	D1-F152	D1-F152	CLOSED	CLOSED
Marten	N1-J314	N1-J314	N1-J312	N1-J31	N1-J31	N1-J31	CLOSED	CLOSED
Mink	N1-J314	N1-J314	N1-J31	N1-J31	N1-J31	N1-J31	N1-J31	N1-J31
Muskrat	O1-Ma15	O1-Ma15	O1-Ma15	O1-Ma15	O1-Ma15	O15-Ma15	O15-Ap30	O15-Ap30
Otter	D1-Ma151	D1-Ma151	D1-Ma151	D1-Ma151,6	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED
Squirrel	N1-F28	N1-F28	N1-F28	N1-F28	N1-F28	N1-F28	N1-F28	N1-F28
Weasel	N1-F28	N1-F28	N1-F285	N1-F28	N1-F28	N1-F28	N15-F145	N15-F145
Wolf	O1-M31	O1-M31	O1-M31	O1-M313	O1-M313	O1-F283,7	O1-F28	O1-F28
Wolverine	N1-J311,4	N1-J311,4	N1-J311	N1-J311	N1-J311	N1-J311	CLOSED	CLOSED

(1) This season is provided only for those who are authorized under the authority of a Registered Fur Management Licence.

(2) This season is provided only for those who are authorized under the authority of a Registered Fur Management Licence, Indian Fur Management Licence or Métis Fur Management Licence issued under the Métis Settlements Act.

(3) Seasonal Snaring Restriction: In order to reduce the potential for accidental harvest of Grizzly Bears, seasonal snaring restrictions will apply for Fur Management Zones 4, 5 and 6. For the period October 01 through November 30, the use of snares is ONLY ALLOWED in the following WMUs of Fur Management Zones 4, 5 and 6 (WMUs 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324, 330, 332, 334, 336, 337, 338, 348, 360, 410, 412, 414, 416, 417, 418, 507, 508 and 521).

(4) Season extended to February 15, 2025, in WMUs 524, 532, 534, 536, and 539.

(5) Weasel may not be harvested in that part of the province described as ranges 1 – 5, west of the 4th meridian, from the international boundary to the north boundary of township 63. This does not apply to Indian Reserves and Métis Settlements set aside under the Métis Settlements Act, which fall within the area described.

(6) This season applies only to WMUs 330, 336 to 360, 507, 508 and 521.

(7) This season does not apply in WMUs 314, 316, 318, 410, 412, 414, 416, 417 and 418. The season for wolves in these WMUs is from October 1 - March 31.


Black Bear Seasons and Baiting

Six black bear may be hunted but not trapped in each Registered Fur Management Area north of the Red Deer River during the open season for black bear. Registered trappers who are permitted to hunt black bear on their RFMA may use bait for that purpose in the following WMUs: 322, 330-338, 348, 358-360, 500-506, 509, 510, 512-520, 522, 523, 529-536, 539-544 and portions of 320, 324, 357, 507, 521, 526, and 528.

Baiting is prohibited within 1.6 km (1 mi) of occupied dwellings (owners or occupants of dwellings are exempted from this restriction if they have permission to bait from the owner or occupant of all other dwellings within 1.6 km of the bait), Provincial Parks that are not designated as Wildland Provincial Parks, provincial and forest recreation areas and some industrial sites. Each bait site must have a readily observable sign legibly showing the owner’s name or Registered Fur Management Area number. Furthermore, each bait must be posted with surrounding signs to warn other people of its presence. Also, baiting is restricted to the open season and preceding 2 weeks in each specific WMU.

During November in WMUs or partial WMUs where baiting is permitted, only meat or meat products may be used for bait. Any livestock dying other than through proper slaughter for human consumption must be disposed of in prescribed ways and may not be used for baiting bears.

See this section of the current Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations. for more information.


Limits

ATTENTION: For the 2024-2025 trapping season, furbearer limits have been removed where open seasons currently exist.

Zero harvest is still in place for Wolverine and Canada Lynx in FMZ 7 and 8; for Fisher in FMZ 6, 7 and 8; and for River Otter in FMZ 5, 6, 7 and 8. River Otter also remain closed in Zone 4, WMUs 320-328, 332, 334, 429.


Registered Fur Management Area Limits

ZONES	Fisher	Canada Lynx	River Otter	Wolverine
	Basic Limit	Basic Limit	Basic Limit	Basic Limit
Zone 1 WMU 511, 512, 516-519, 529	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 1 WMU 530-532	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 2 WMU 357-359, 522-527, 534-537, 539	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 2 WMU 520, 528, 540-542, 544	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 3	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 4 WMU 320-328, 332, 334, 429	No Limit	No Limit	0	No Limit
Zone 4 WMU 330, 336-342, 348, 507, 508	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 4 WMU 344, 346, 347, 352	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 4 WMU 349, 353-356, 360, 521	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 4 WMU 350, 351	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Zone 5	No Limit	No Limit	0	No Limit
Zone 6	0	No Limit	0	No Limit
Zone 7 & 8	0	0	0	0

Mandatory Registration

If fisher, lynx, otter or wolverine are killed during an open season they must be registered within 30 days of the close of that season. If they are killed outside of an open season they must be registered within 30 days of the kill. In all cases they must be registered before being sold, processed or exported.

To register furbearing animals the trapper must take the pelt in to a Fish and Wildlife District Office or another approved location.

Fisher, lynx, otter or wolverine killed by non-residents residing in or within 30 miles of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, 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 reporting requirements. Further, an Alberta Provincial Export Permit is not required to export such fisher, lynx, otter or wolverine outside of Alberta.

All bobcat taken under any authority must be registered before the skin is sold, processed or exported from Alberta or within 30 days after the date of harvest.

Registration is a way of recording information about the harvest of furbearers. This information helps fur managers set seasons and quotas for following years. Registration provides information such as:

• the size and number of males, females and juvenile animals captured;
  
• the time of the season they were caught; and
  
• where they were caught.

Trappers benefit from the mandatory registration requirement because it allows for appropriate changes in quotas and seasons. Accurate data prevents the over-harvest of sensitive species of furbearers, ensuring a viable resource for the future (click here for registration information).

Primeness of Pelts

Furs that are at their peak in quality (their prime) offer trappers the greatest financial return. Successful trappers concentrate their efforts so that they collect most of their furs when pelts are in their prime.

The pelt of a furbearing animal is in its prime when the underfur is dense, deep and well covered by the longer guard hair. The leather side should be clear and white or slightly blue, and pliable. Each species reaches its prime during a short period of the season. The following table shows the approximate time of the year when each species is in its prime.

Summary of the Fisher Tooth Analysis – 2023-2024 Trapping Season

The fisher head collection program resulted in 90 usable fisher samples being submitted from the 2023-2024 trapping season. Each sample was processed and the upper right canine tooth extracted. Where the upper right canine was broken or otherwise unusable, an alternate canine tooth was extracted. Teeth were measured for length and width dimensions and radio-graphed (X-rayed). The amount of tooth pulp cavity observed on the X-ray plates was assessed to determine juvenile/adult age classification; a large pulp cavity equated to a juvenile animal (< 1 year of age) while teeth exhibiting a closed or narrow pulp cavity were classified as adults (> 1 year of age). Sex was determined from tooth dimensions according to the measurement criteria in Table 1.

ANALYSIS OF SAMPLE DATA
The intent of fisher management is to maintain a juvenile to adult female ratio in a trapped sample near 3:1. Sample data for the 2023-24 season yielded a ratio of 1.72 : 1 juveniles to adult females. The ratio of males to females was 0.96:1, adult male to adult female ratio was 0.88:1, and ratio of juvenile males to juvenile females was 1.05:1.

Analysis of trapper harvested fisher carcasses continues to be an inexpensive and relatively accurate method of scrutinising the harvested Alberta fisher population. .

Table 1. Sex assignment criteria for upper and lower canine teeth using tooth length and width measurements.

Tooth measurement criteria (mm)
Measurement Type	Male	Female
Upper canine – length	> 27.2	< 27.2
Upper canine – width	> 6.75	< 6.75
Lower canine – length	> 26.2	< 26.2
Lower canine – width	> 6.15	< 6.15

SAMPLE DATA
Analysed data was apportioned into sex (male, female), age cohorts (adult, juvenile), and age/sex cohorts. The number of samples per cohort is presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Fisher tooth samples per cohort.

Fisher Cohort	Number of samples
Female	46
Male	44
Adult	47
Juvenile	43
Adult Female	25
Adult Male	22
Juvenile Female	21
Juvenile Male	22

Sale of Wildlife

In Alberta anyone may sell the following:

• processed (tanned or otherwise permanently preserved, but not dried, salted or frozen) skins of furbearing animals;
  
• black bear skins, provided they have been taken lawfully (black bear claws may only be sold if they remain attached to the whole skin);
  
• the skins of most animals, including skunk and raccoon, for which a licence is not required;
  
• unskinned beaver carcasses harvested outside the beaver trapping season; or
  
• all parts of lawfully taken furbearing animals, other than the unprocessed skin.
  

Sale of Pelts and Parts
No pelt of any furbearing animal, except one taken according to the regulations listed under Control of Problem Wildlife, may be wasted, destroyed or spoiled. No raw skins of furbearing animals may be sold to anyone who is not a fur dealer. Anyone in legal possession of a beaver harvested outside the beaver trapping season may sell the unskinned carcass of the beaver to use as bait or animal food. Except as noted under Exporting (below), it is unlawful to export from Alberta all, or any part of, the skin or pelt of a furbearing animal, without first obtaining a provincial Export Permit.

All parts of lawfully taken furbearing animals, other than the unprocessed skin, may be sold without restriction (note that black bears are not included as they are big game animals). These parts of furbearing animals may also be exported without a provincial export permit (note that Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna – CITES permits are required for exporting any part of a wolf, lynx, bobcat or otter across an international boundary).


Exporting

With some exceptions noted below, those wishing to export furbearing animals from Alberta must have a provincial export permit. These permits may be obtained from any Fish & Wildlife District Office.

Persons exporting wolf, lynx, bobcat, otter or black bear products out of Canada must also obtain a federal export permit issued according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Information about CITES permits may be obtained at Environment Canada offices in Edmonton (780-951-8891) or Calgary (403-292-4103).

The following products* may be exported without a provincial export permit:

• beaver castor,
  
• beaver oil glands, claws, skulls and teeth of furbearing animals, and
  
• processed (tanned or otherwise permanently preserved, but not dried, salted or frozen) skins of furbearing animals.
  
• coyote skins lawfully possessed.

*The above products must have been harvested under a lawful authority in Alberta or elsewhere.

(Note: Black bear are classified as big game, not as furbearing animals. Most black bears taken from an RFMA require provincial export permits. For more information on export conditions for black bear, please contact the nearest Fish & Wildlife District Office. CITES permits are still required for exporting any part of a black bear, wolf, lynx, bobcat or otter across an international boundary.)

*Persons exporting fur directly to the European Union without using the services of Canadian fur auction houses, should be aware that special documents may be required. Please contact the receiving jurisdiction for applicable information.

Fisher, lynx, otter or wolverine killed by non-residents residing in or within 30 miles of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, 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, do not require an Alberta provincial export permit to export such furbearers from Alberta.

Commercial Export of Wildlife to the United States
The United Sates Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS) regulates commercial shipments of wildlife that enter or leave the U.S. In particular, taxidermist, trappers and outfitter-guides may experience difficulties transporting wildlife to the U.S. unless such businesses are licenced with the US FWS for transporting commercial shipments of wildlife across the U.S. border. For more information, contact the US FWS at 1-800-344-9453 or view information at: www.fws.gov