(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission, by rule, shall prescribe and administer a trapper education program to provide instruction in the proper use of trapping equipment. The program may also include instruction on wildlife and natural resource conservation, firearms safety, first aid and survival and such other subjects as the commission considers desirable to promote good outdoor conduct and respect for the rights and property of others. The commission may cooperate and enter into agreements with other public or private agencies and individuals in carrying out the provisions of this section.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, no person shall trap mammals with commercial fur value unless the person has in possession a certificate issued by the commission indicating that the person has satisfactorily completed a course in trapper education prescribed or approved by the commission. However, the commission shall issue the certificate automatically, without the necessity of completing the course, to any person who has previously held a valid trapping license issued by the commission and who is 18 years of age or older on July 1, 1986.
(3) The certificate referred to in subsection (2) of this section is not required of a person to trap mammals with commercial fur value on land owned or leased by that person or a member of that person’s immediate family.
(4) Nothing in this section is intended to prevent any person or the persons’ agent from taking mammals with commercial fur value that are damaging livestock or agricultural crops on lands the person owns or leases.
(5) As used in this section, “mammals with commercial fur value” means badger, beaver, bobcat, coyote, red fox, gray fox, marten, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossums, raccoon, river otter, striped skunk, spotted skunk and weasel. [1979 c.774 §4; 1985 c.467 §1]
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