Trapping provisions modifications

Minnesota Senate Bill 277 modifies trapping regulations for fur-bearing animals. It requires trapping seasons to begin at sunrise, restricts using lights to tend traps between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., and limits firearms used during daytime trap-tending. The bill changes tending requirements: body-gripping traps and certain snares must now be checked no more frequently than every third day (replacing the previous daily requirement). It also restricts setting traps within 50 feet of water (except for specific foot-encapsulating traps) during mink and muskrat season without a permit. These changes directly affect licensed fur trappers operating in Minnesota.