May be time for another citizen resolution.

What’s the consensus on a split fisher season to match the split bobcat season?
I never gave it much thought until a buddy had a late season cat tag. He also had a fisher tag that expired, for which no pursuits were taken.

Frankly I like the split bobcat season. To spread opportunity.

I also believe, for the trapper there are advantages to the late season choice. Better cats and less conflicts are two good ones.

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Why split it? Just run it with raccoon.

Same question? Fisher is trapping only.

Run it by the overlords in the Fur Harvest Committee first. Might save you several years of time and energy.

That would also work.

I guess I’m disappointed, it isn’t unusual to catch a fisher in a cat set and if you are a late season participant you lose opportunity and are burdened with incidentals.

Why do we split the cat season?

Agreed. Especially because it is not that important too me

Cat season is split because trappers wanted the front of season and the guys running dogs wanted the back half.

The guys in the north can’t figure out how to trap once cold and snow come

In the north it would be very rare to have a cat tag and a fisher tag the same year.

There is no reason to split fisher season. Fisher is by trapping only. Bobcat is split so that part of the tags can get allocated to the late season when there is better running conditions for dog hunting.

I figured I was a contrarian.
As a southern trapper, Would rather wait on the cat and run the lines in conjunction.

Part of the reason I dislike trophies.

In the south it wouldn’t be at all unusual to carry both tags.

It amazes me how trophies don’t overlap seasons when incidental catches occur.

So what you really want is to extend fisher season. Not split it. You could probably build a case for that.

Ultimately yes

But if splitting, to match, would be beneficial for whatever reason, what’s the difference?

Fisher is only available to trappers. Splitting only makes sense if you have multiple groups to split it with.

So early cats is reserved for trappers and vise versa?

No. The quota got split because conditions aren’t good for dog hunting until there’s snow.

And that would be a fear with splitting fisher?

Guys want to have their cake and eat it too. They want the early start so they can keep when they get as incidentals coon/coyote trapping, but the long season for when they don’t.

Make guys decide between two seasons and it might drive down success rates. Lower success rates and they might lower number of permits out of fear. Everyone in the south got a tag this last year—some even got two. I don’t mind shortening the season as it should increase the opportunity. Lowering success rates means you can give out more tags.

Isn't just a Wisconsin thing. Bobcats and fishers are overmanaged in a lot of places.
I'd agree with Justin on having it run with raccoon season.
In MN the limit of fisher should match bobcat and run hand in hand with cat season. (Or just get rid of the limits.) The difference between a fisher and a cat set? There isn't a difference, only thing is cats don't go everywhere fisher go. Vice versa a fisher will go anywhere a cat goes.
I don't know why cat season doesn't run consecutive with land season other than the issues of people using 220s. Not Wisconsin, guess I'm just venting more than anything.

One reason to split would be to allow the late season candidates the opportunity to keep fisher. Because


I can think of a number of other good reasons to wait until the late season to trap.

Perhaps if you had to choose and decided to select the unpopular late season your odds would increase?