Bill > SF277

This bill modifies several provisions related to trapping in Minnesota, focusing on three key areas. First, it establishes that trapping seasons for fur-bearing animals will officially begin at sunrise on the day prescribed by the commissioner's rules. Second, the bill updates regulations around trap tending, allowing trappers to use portable artificial lights when checking traps on foot, with some restrictions on firearm use during this process. It also modifies rules for body-gripping traps and snares, permitting them to be checked every third calendar day instead of daily, with the requirement that captured animals be removed from snares. Third, the bill adjusts restrictions on trap placement near water, generally maintaining the 50-foot distance requirement from water sources before mink and muskrat hunting seasons, but introducing a new exception for "foot-encapsulating traps" - which are defined as traps with enclosed triggering mechanisms and a single opening no larger than two inches in diameter. Additionally, the bill repeals a previous rule about daily snare tending, aligning with the new every-third-day check requirement. These changes aim to provide more flexibility for trappers while maintaining animal welfare considerations.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF0277&ssn=0&y=2025