MONTPELIER — The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board will hold a public hearing about proposed changes mandated by the legislature to the existing regulation on hunting and trapping of furbearers on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m. in Whitcomb Jr.-Sr. High School, 273 Pleasant Street, Bethel.
The proposed changes would apply to persons who trap nuisance furbearers or rabbits for compensation. The changes would require these people to visit traps within a timely manner, label their traps, use approved traps, and submit the carcasses of certain species, as well as a biological trapping survey report to the Fish & Wildlife Department. These trappers are prohibited from using poison to take furbearers.
The proposed rule changes would increase accountability for those individuals or commercial entities trapping furbearers or rabbits in defense of property for compensation. The proposed rule changes maintain enough flexibility for individuals, landowners and municipalities to successfully address nuisance problems, while prohibiting unsuitable or inappropriate actions.
The proposed regulation changes can be viewed on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department website, vtfishandwildlife.com. Comments may be emailed to [email protected]. The public comment period ends January 15, 2019.