Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 49 - CONSERVATION AND ECOLOGY (§§ 49-NEW-001 — 49-39-7) › Chapter 7 - HUNTING AND FISHING (§§ 49-7-1 — 49-7-351) › IN GENERAL (§§ 49-7-1 — 49-7-149) › Section 49-7-13 - Definitions; fee for resident trapper's license; permission of landowners to trap; certain types of traps prohibited; identification of traps; placing or setting traps near public roads or streets; exemptions; selling of skins and meat of certain animals during and after trapping season

(1)
For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed herein, unless the context determines otherwise:
(a)
"Raw fur" means the skin that has not been removed from the carcass of a fur-bearing animal or nuisance animal.
(b)
"Green pelt" means the skin, with hair or fur attached, that has been removed from a fur-bearing animal or nuisance animal, but has not been tanned or fleshed, stretched and dried.
(c)
"Dried pelt" means the skin of a fur-bearing animal or nuisance animal that has been fleshed, stretched and dried.
(2)
Any resident of the state sixteen (16) years of age or older, upon application, is entitled to receive a state trapper's license with tag for the sum of Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00), plus the fee provided in Section
49-7-17
. This license shall be required of each helper or assistant sixteen (16) years of age or older employed or used by a trapper. No license shall be required of a resident who traps on lands in which the record title is vested in that person.
(3)
(a)
No person shall trap on the lands of another unless he has the permission of the landowner.
(b)
No person shall use, on any public lands, a conibear-type or body-gripping trap with an inside jaw spread exceeding seven (7) inches, unless it is partially submerged in water. The designated legal authority of any public lands and its agents shall be exempt from the requirement of this subsection for the purpose of nuisance control.
(4)
(a)
Each licensed trapper shall have an identification number issued by the department. The licensed trapper shall have the identification number permanently inscribed on the trap or attached to the trap by a metal tag.
(b)
A person exempt from purchasing a trapping license must tag or permanently inscribe any trap with his name, phone number and address.
(c)
The conservation officer may take up any traps not properly marked.
(d)
Every trapper shall visit his traps at least every thirty-six (36) hours.
(5)
Except as otherwise provided in this section, no person shall place or set a trap on or within one hundred (100) feet of any street or public road. Public roads shall not be construed to mean public waterways.
(6)
(a)
A licensed trapper or resident under sixteen (16) years of age shall be allowed to trap fur-bearing animals during trapping season, and sell or consign the raw fur, green pelts and dried pelts of fur-bearing and nuisance animals during the trapping season and for thirty (30) days after the close of the season. Only a licensed trapper or resident under sixteen (16) years of age may sell or consign the raw fur, green pelts and dried pelts of fur-bearing nuisance animals.
(b)
A trapper may not transport the raw fur or green pelts of fur-bearing animals within the state from eleven (11) days after the close of trapping season until the opening day of the following trapping season, unless each raw fur or green pelt is tagged or documented with the name, address and trapping identification number of the person who harvested the raw fur or green pelt and the date and place of harvest. An official possession tag that has been issued by another state shall be considered legally documented.
(c)
A licensed trapper may possess and maintain in storage the raw fur, green pelts and dried pelts of fur-bearing and nuisance animals at any time.
(d)
The meat of legally acquired raccoons, opossums and muskrats may also be bought and sold during trapping season, and for thirty (30) days after the close of the season.
(7)
(a)
A municipality or county, or any person who has contracted with a municipality or county for the purpose authorized in this subsection, may place or set only snare traps within one hundred (100) feet of any road or street located within such municipality or county. Before the action authorized by this section is taken, the governing authority of the municipality or the board of supervisors of the county shall make a finding that such placement of snare traps is reasonable and necessary to protect the public safety by removing fur-bearing and nuisance animals that threaten the safety of public roads and bridges. Snares shall be submerged at least fifty percent (50%).
(b)
Landowners and their designated agents may place or set snare traps, conibear-type or body-gripping traps, live cage traps and foothold traps on property owned by the landowner within one hundred (100) feet of any road or street, but not within the maintained public road or street right-of-way.
(c)
Snare traps, conibear-type or body-gripping traps shall be submerged in water at least fifty percent (50%) and foothold traps shall be completely submerged in water.
Codes, 1942, § 5873; Laws, 1932, ch. 123; Laws, 1978, ch. 465, § 7; Laws, 1988, ch. 435, § 7; Laws, 1993, ch. 463, § 3; Laws, 1999, ch. 401, § 1; Laws, 2005, ch. 489, § 1; Laws, 2006, ch. 522, § 2; Laws, 2010, ch. 491, § 1, eff. 7/1/2010.
Amended by Laws, 2013, ch. 514, HB 1005, 1, eff. 7/1/2013.