What trapping is. Who it affects. What the law says.
The complete guide to trapping on Montana's public lands: the facts, the myths, the animals, and your rights.
Why trapping is wrong.
“We trappers do cause pain and suffering to animals and apologize to no one.”
Trapping:
- Is animal cruelty
- Is not a recreational activity
- Commercializes wild animals
- Threatens ecological integrity
- Is a threat to public safety
Montana is one of the last places in the lower forty-eight states where an extraordinary diversity of wildlife still survives, including grizzlies, wolves, foxes, coyotes, beavers, bobcats, and Canada lynx.
We all treasure these places. Millions of visitors travel here each year because they seek wildness: open spaces, healthy ecosystems, and the possibility of encountering wildlife living freely in their natural habitats. Wildlife watching, photography, hiking, camping, and simply knowing that these animals still exist enrich our lives and help define Montana's identity.
Yet hidden from public view, another reality unfolds across these same landscapes.
Montana's state wildlife agency, Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), administers a recreational trapping program that runs from September through May. A minority of Montanans (just under 4,000 individuals purchase furbearer trapping licenses annually) sets tens of thousands of steel-jaw traps, body-gripping traps, and snares across our public lands and waters. With little to no oversight, trappers reportedly kill between 50,000–60,000 wild animals every year for recreation and commerce. The real death toll is likely three times as high. Dick Randall, a former federal trapper, told Congress: "My trapping records show that for each target animal I trapped, about two unwanted individuals were caught. Because of trap injuries, these nontarget animals had to be destroyed."
Concealed and baited traps pose a significant safety risk to adults, children, and companion animals recreating on public lands. Every year, dogs are caught in traps or snares. Some survive their severe injuries, some do not. Many people are fearful of the consequences of trap encounters and regretfully forego public land recreation entirely. Trapping is a secretive activity. Trappers prefer to stay under the radar because they know most people are appalled by its cruelty to animals. There is no oversight, no responsibility, no transparency, and no accountability in trapping. We should not accept that.
Trappers treat wild animals as interchangeable units, which is scientifically and ethically wrong. As social beings, wolves live in family groups. Beavers engineer wetlands that support biodiversity, water storage, and climate resilience. Mountain lions maintain territories and raise dependent young. Coyotes help regulate rodent populations. Trappers destroy these social and ecological relationships.
The trapping of wildlife for recreation and profit is an anachronism. Its blatant cruelty can no longer be masked under the guise of economics or wildlife management. The future of Montana's wildlife should be guided not only by tradition, but by science, ethics, and a commitment to compassionate coexistence. It is time to move beyond trapping and toward a more compassionate vision of wildlife stewardship, one worthy of the wild Montana we claim to love.
Animal victims of trapping.
These are just a few of the animals caught in Montana's traps: their intelligence, their ecological roles, and their value to wild landscapes.
Gray Wolf
Heavily trapped and huntedWolves are highly intelligent, social animals that live in tight family groups. They are keystone predators whose presence restructures entire ecosystems: restoring rivers, increasing biodiversity, and regulating prey populations.
Wolverine
Federally threatenedThe wolverine is a solitary, wide-ranging carnivore found in Montana's high-elevation snowpack zones. Climate change is already shrinking their habitat. After 20+ years of advocacy by Footloose Montana and partners, wolverines were listed as threatened in 2023.
Beaver
Commercially trappedBeavers are ecosystem engineers. Their dams create wetlands that store water, filter sediment, recharge groundwater, and support hundreds of other species. In a drought-stressed West, beavers are among the most valuable wildlife we have. Trappers kill 6,000 beavers annually.
American Marten
Commercially trappedThe American marten is a small carnivore of old-growth forests, highly sensitive to habitat disturbance. Trappers reportedly killed just under 700 martens in 2025–26. Their presence is an indicator of healthy, intact forest ecosystems.
Canada Lynx
Federally threatenedThe Canada lynx is federally listed as threatened. Its survival is tightly linked to snowshoe hare populations and intact boreal forest. Lynx are caught as non-targeted animals in traps and snares set for other species. After being federally listed in 2001, lynx were still caught in traps and several died. Legal action forced FWP to create special lynx protection zones with mandatory reporting rules.
River Otter
Commercially trappedRiver otters are highly playful, social animals that live along Montana waterways. They toss rocks, play games of tag and hide-and-seek, and are important indicators of aquatic ecosystem health. Trappers reportedly killed over 150 otters in 2025–26.
Bobcat
Commercially trappedRather elusive and solitary in nature, bobcats keep populations of rabbits, mice, and other small mammals in check, which supports overall ecosystem health and adds balance to Montana's landscapes. Bobcats are hunted and trapped in Montana. Trappers reportedly killed nearly 1,300 individuals in 2025–26.
Swift Fox
At-riskDespite weighing only 4–7 pounds, the swift fox can sprint at 35–40 mph, making them one of North America's fastest foxes. Trappers call these small animals 'naïve' and 'easy to trap.' Despite being an indicator species for healthy native prairie ecosystems and facing a continued struggle for survival, trappers killed 10 individuals in 2025–26.
Mink
Commercially trappedCalled 'tiny river wolves,' mink are adapted to water and land. As semi-aquatic forest and wetland guardians, they regulate populations of aquatic and terrestrial prey and occupy an important niche between smaller predators like weasels and larger carnivores such as bobcats and coyotes. Trappers reportedly killed 413 mink in 2025–26.
Fisher
Commercially trappedFishers are secretive, solitary members of the weasel family adapted to dense old-growth forests. Once nearly eliminated from Montana, they are highly sensitive to habitat loss and trapping pressure. Fishers are commercially trapped for their thick, dark fur and are among the species most depleted by trapping.
Common misconceptions and the evidence.
The trapping industry relies on a set of recurring claims. Here's what the evidence actually shows.
Trapped Animals
Images of Animals that Have Been Trapped
WARNING: Graphic images depicting trapped animals are contained in this album.
What Montana law says, and doesn't say.
A plain-language summary of Montana trapping regulations for people who use public land. View 2025 FWP Furbearer and Wolf Trapping Regulations →
Where and when trapping is permitted
Trapping is permitted on all of Montana's public lands. There is year-round, largely non-regulated trapping of predators and non-game animals (e.g., coyotes, badgers, and red foxes). Montana's regulated furbearer season (beaver, otter, muskrat, mink, marten, fisher, wolverine, bobcat, swift fox, and lynx) runs from September through April 15. Wolf hunting and trapping season runs from September through March 15.
Setback requirements
There are NO setbacks in Mineral, Sanders, and all of Lincoln County south of Hwy 2, and NO setbacks for trapping furbearers and wolves along roads closed year-round to motor vehicles and OHVs. Generally, leghold traps and snares are allowed 50 feet from the edge of roads and hiking trails, and 300 feet from trailheads.
Trap check requirements
Montana has no mandatory trap check. The only exceptions are a 48-hour mandatory check for wolves and for bobcats in Canada lynx protection zones. As a result, animals can suffer in traps and snares for several days and nights until the trapper returns — if the trapper returns. There is no monitoring.
Licensing and reporting
Trappers are only required to purchase a license to trap 'furbearers' and wolves. All other animals — predators, non-game species — are a free-for-all: no license, no regulations beyond a 50-foot setback, and no reporting. Reporting is required only for furbearers with a quota (bobcat, otter, marten, fisher, wolf, and swift fox), endangered species, wolves, and dogs. Only trappers know where they set their traps; FWP does not, so there is effectively no monitoring of these requirements.
Tagging and tampering
Traps must be tagged with the trapper's name and address, but traps are often difficult to find and tags are not always present. Removing or tampering with a trap is illegal — even if you find the trap endangering your dog or a wild animal.
Who promotes trapping in Montana.
These organizations are some of the Trophy Hunting and Trapping Network, who are anti-predator, and protect their proclaimed right to kill wildlife for fun, recreation, trophy and profit. They aggressively lobby for the expansion of trophy hunting and trapping, oppose trap-free public land initiatives, actively work against the endangered species act (ESA), and dictate Montana’s anti-wildlife policy.
Montana Trappers Association (MTA)
The primary trade organization representing Montana's commercial and recreational trappers. Lobbies the Montana Legislature and Fish, Wildlife & Parks for the expansion of trapping and trapping methods, and against setback requirements, trap check intervals, and any restriction on trapping on public lands.
Visit site →Safari Club International
One of the world's largest trophy hunting organizations, with significant financial and political influence. Opposes protections for wolves, grizzlies, and other large carnivores and funds litigation against Endangered Species Act listings.
Visit site →Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife (MTSFW)
A Montana-based advocacy group whose mission is to protect the proclaimed rights to hunt, fish, and trap. They oppose wildlife protections and have actively campaigned against ballot initiatives to restrict trapping on public lands, including I-177 in 2016.
Visit site →Foundation for Wildlife Management
An organization operating in Idaho and Montana that pays bounties (called 'reimbursements') for killing wolves — up to $2,000 for a dead wolf. They ruthlessly target wolves under the premise of "managing" ungulate herds for hunters. Their website states that they fund 75% of all wolf killings in Idaho and 55% of all wolf killings in Montana. They boast that they have 'removed' at least 3,049+ wolves so far.
Visit site →Montana Outfitters & Guides Association (MOGA)
A statewide trade association for commercial outfitters and guides that lobbies against wildlife protections and trap-free public-land measures, and works to expand hunting and trapping access on Montana's public lands.
Visit site →These groups feature prominently in our latest newsletter: Take Action: Protect National Wildlife Refuges →
“It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the suffering thus endured from fear, from acute pain, maddened by thirst, and by vain attempts to escape.”
Types of Traps
The leghold, body-gripping, and snare devices used on Montana's public lands.
What to do if you find a trap.
Practical guides for people who encounter traps on public land.
How to release a dog from a trap
Step-by-step guide for safely releasing a dog from a leghold trap without injuring yourself or the animal further. Print and carry when hiking with dogs.
Watch the video →Carry cable cutters
Footloose Montana sells lightweight, steel cutting cable cutters with snubbed noses so they won't cut into your dog's neck and arteries.
Email us to order →What to do if you find an illegal trap
If you encounter a trap on Montana public land, please document it and email us before reporting it to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Contact your local warden →