Registering a Harvest
If you successfully harvest a bobcat, fisher or river otter, you’ll need to complete additional requirements to register and/or certify the harvest successfully. Timely completion of these simple – but mandatory – steps will assure legal transfer of ownership to you and allow the department to make sound management decisions. Mandatory steps to complete after harvesting a bobcat, fisher or river otter can be found by clicking on the corresponding species tab below.
No other trapped species require registration.
River Otter
• An otter application or pelt tag is no longer required. Two otter harvest authorizations per trapping license will be issued for the 2023-24 season. These authorizations can be used in either zone.
• Harvested river otters must be registered via GameReg by 5 p.m. the day after recovery. Register online at gamereg.wi.gov (the fastest and easiest method) or by phone at 844-426-3734 (844-GAME-REG). Be prepared to indicate which game management unit the animal was harvested in (page 16 of the trapping regulations).
• Following successful registration of river otter via GameReg, a CITES tag will be sent to the trapper’s address listed in Go Wild. Upon receiving the CITES tag in the mail, the trapper must immediately affix the CITES tag to the head portion of the otter pelt to certify that the animal was harvested legally.
• After the CITES tag has been attached, all registration and certification requirements are complete. The requirement for a trapper who has successfully trapped an otter to meet with a warden or other approved staff in person to have the pelt certified has been eliminated.
Fisher
• A fisher application is still required and must be submitted by Aug. 1.
• Following the drawing for fisher, all successful applicants will receive a harvest authorization. A physical permit will no longer be sent to successful fisher applicants.
• Harvested fisher must be registered via GameReg by 5 p.m. the day after recovery. Register online at gamereg.wi.gov (the fastest and easiest method) or by phone at 844-426-3734 (844-GAME-REG). Be prepared to indicate which game management unit the animal was harvested in (page 16 of the trapping regulations).
• Following registration of a fisher via GameReg, all registration requirements are complete. The requirement for a trapper who has successfully trapped a fisher to meet with a warden or other approved staff to have the pelt certified has been eliminated. The requirement to seal a fisher pelt with a metal state tag has also been eliminated.
• In the 2023-24 season, the department will collect the lower jaw from a subset of harvested fisher. Those trappers randomly selected to provide a jaw sample will be contacted via mail prior to the season. Trappers selected to provide a sample will be supplied with a durable sample ID, envelopes and special instructions for preparing the sample for mailing.
Bobcat
• A bobcat application is still required and must be submitted by Aug. 1.
• Following the drawing for the bobcat, all successful applicants will receive a physical permit in the mail. The permit will include a pelt and jaw tag that must be affixed in accordance with the instructions provided with the permit.
• You may not possess any bobcat carcass unless you immediately validate, attach and seal your pelt tag through the opening of the animal’s mouth to the opening of its eye, immediately beneath the skin. The pelt and DNR registration tags shall remain attached to the pelt until removed by a fur dresser or taxidermist at the time of preparation.
• Harvested bobcat must be registered via GameReg by 5 p.m. the day after recovery. Register online at gamereg.wi.gov (the fastest and easiest method) or by phone at 844-426-3734 (844-GAME-REG). Be prepared to indicate which game management unit the animal was harvested in (page 16 of the trapping regulations).
• In addition, harvested bobcats must be presented to a warden or other approved DNR staff within seven days after the month of harvest to have the pelt certified.
• Before presenting a bobcat pelt to a warden or other approved DNR staff, you must skin the animal and separate the pelt from the carcass. Be sure it is thawed out on the day of certification so that a certification tag can be attached. This does not need to be completed before certification for specimens going to a taxidermist, but you must retrieve the carcass from the taxidermist and deliver it to the DNR within 30 days of registration. Note: These animals must still be registered and certified prior to taxidermy. To certify your harvest, contact a conservation warden or other authorized DNR personnel. Visit dnr.wi.gov and search “trap” or call 888-936-7463.
• In the 2023-24 season, the department will collect a section of the lower jaw from all bobcats harvested during time period 1.* The remainder of the carcass can be used for personal use or properly discarded. The lower jaw must be removed and placed in a plastic baggie, along with the jaw tag, prior to certification. Specific instructions for cutting the lower jaw and preparing the sample for submission will be mailed to all bobcat trappers and hunters who draw a time period of 1 permit. If a full bobcat skull is submitted, it will not be returned by the DNR.
*The carcass and/or lower jaw of bobcat harvested in time period 2 permit will NOT be collected during the 2023-24 season. The carcass collection schedule will alternate for the 2024-25 season when the department will collect the lower jaws of all bobcats harvested during time period 2 and no lower jaws during time period 1.