330 regulations

What is your states Regulations/Laws regarding large body grip traps??

Iowa is entirely under water.

Halfway

Completely submerged in Ohio

Alaska has an upper size limit but doesn't restrict placement except in specific areas. 13 inch spread max for body grip but 330s are around 10".

X2

Here in NY it depends on which DEC Officer you ask. lol. Seriously I would like to know the legal answer.

Half under in Va.

Completely submerged 72 hr check.

Half submerged if beaver trapping, 24 hour check

Fully submerged extends it to a 72 hour check

Need consent to place within 500 yards of occupied buildings and need to check every 72 hours. No regulations involving submergence.

Fully submerged in CT
24 HR check

In Georgia they must be within 10 feet of water.

Completely underwater for anything bigger than 7" jaw spread.

Anything bigger than 5" needs to be either completely submerged or at least 6' off the ground, on land controlled by Nebraska game and parks.

Under water or 4ft off the ground in michigan. And coon cubbies 4ft. Off the ground dont seem to work.

In Oregon some portion of the trap must be submerged except in tidewater where it must be placed lower than the high water mark. 48 hour check. I helped write the new regs and was instrumental in getting the tidewater part in there. Also the provision that water levels may drop but you’re still legal if you reset the trap according to the regs on each check.

A 330 is not required to be completely under water here. The Reg states that a trap larger than 5.5” between the hinges CAN BE SET 1/2 SUBMERGED to be qualified in the water.

TTT

x3

In Utah 330's are unrestricted except on four rivers. On portions of the Green, Colorado, Escalante and Provo they can only be set with a single trigger positioned vertically within one inch of one side. This restriction is designed to protect river otters which are totally protected in Utah.

Maine is as well entirely under water

No restrictions

TTT

Mike is working to get our regulations improved for the trappers. Please help him out. If your state is not already listed, please answer if you can.

Half under water for 280s or bigger
7 days check

I see that most states have more restrictive 330 rules than does Oregon. Our furbearer coordinator with ODFW back about 11-12 years ago re-wrote the rules to what they are now. 330's used to be able to be set in any "water set" but didn't need to be touching water. A trapper himself, he felt that clamping down a little bit and removing some of the gray areas of our rules would be beneficial to us.

Here is what most of my 330 sets look like:

TTT

Iowa
Wisconsin
Ohio
Alaska
Minnesota
New York
Virginia
North Carolina
Connecticut
Georgia
Pennsylvania
Nebraska
Michigan
Oregon
Utah
Maine

Lots of states left.

Ours could be more clear, but water sets need a trap with minimum one-third of trap submerged

From Virginia DWR,
"Trappers must visit all traps once each day and remove all animals caught therein, except for completely submerged body-gripping traps which must be visited at least once every 72 hours."
"The use of body gripping traps with a jaw spread in excess of 7½ inches is prohibited except when such traps are at least half submerged by water."

This

As of now in NH the law says in water for large body grippers, BUT Fish and Game is in the process of making them half wayin the water. Also our checks are once in a calander day.

Texas

It is unlawful to:
Shoot at, take or attempt to take any fur-bearing animal from a boat on public waters in Texas.
Take fur-bearing animals by means of falconry without a valid falconry permit issued by the department.
Take fur-bearing animals with a foothold or body grip trap except during the season for commercial harvest.
Take fur-bearing animals with a foothold or body grip trap within 400 yards of any school.
Use smoke, explosives or chemical irritants of any kind to harry or flush fur-bearing animals.
Take fur-bearing animals with body grip traps with a diagonal opening greater than 10 inches set on land or in less than 6-inch deep water.
Take fur-bearing animals with snare, foothold, body grip traps, and live or box trap unless such devices are examined at least once every 36 hours and animals are removed.


Fur-bearing animals include:
Badger
Beaver
Fox
Mink
Muskrat
Nutria
Opossum
Raccoon
Otter
Skunk
Ring-tailed cat

Sounds like a lot of rules! Compared to there, Alaska has very little regulations. We still have our fair share, but not as many as that!

Here is some SD data

Let’s try this again…

For those sizes less than eight inches it would fall under the 48 hr check I have here on the east side of the mighty Mo.

Illinois. “You cannot legally in water use a body gripping trap that has a jaw spread larger then 10 inches on a side if square and 12 inches if round”

Missouri
Killer or Conibear®-type traps:
◾ With a jaw spread greater than 5 inches may be set under
water, but not in any dry-land set.
◾ With a jaw spread not greater than 8 inches may be set 6
feet or more above ground-level in buildings.
◾ Having no food, scent, or visual lure placed within 1 foot of
the trap may be partially exposed above water as long as
the trap’s hinges are fully submerged.

WV=illegal to set body grip with spread pf more than 5 inches on land. Larger may be used in water sets,but doesn't specify whether completely submerged or not.

NY?

I just crossed the states of guys who replied. I didn't realize you don't know what the regulations are there.

TT

No doubt! I always here how we aren’t allowed to do anything and then I compare our trapping regs to some of this and it’s clear that is false.

Can you post the section of Title 34 or 58 that requires a 330 to be in the water? The regulations state that bodygriping style traps can only be used in a water course, waterway, marsh, or dam. A watercourse need not be the actual water, but anywhere where water traditionally flows. The PGC normally limits trap to a 6.5 X 6.5 , but permits 10 X 12 traps for beaver and otter.

A 330 used for beaver needs only to be set in a watercourse. I routinely set them at a castor mound, where very little of the trap is in the water. Snares, buy law, must have some part of the loop in the water.

I was wrong about my reply. I was corrected on this subject yesterday by a friend of mine
I thought that was the registration, but again I was wrong

I used to think the same about the Pa regulation. I think the law used to read different.

up

Indiana

280 and up - Half submerged, 48 hrs check

TTT

220-2-.30 Fur-Bearing Animals Designated/Trap Specifications/ And Prohibited
Devices/Tagging Requirement
The following shall be named and designated as fur-bearing animals in Alabama:
Beaver, Bobcat, Fox, Mink, Muskrat, Nutria, Opossum, Otter, Raccoon, Striped Skunk,
Coyote, and Feral Swine.
(1) Trap Specifications –It shall be unlawful for any person to set or use a leg hold trap on
land that has an inside diameter jaw spread greater than six (6) inches as measured at
the widest point perpendicular to the frame and parallel to the trap dog and for those
traps without a dog, at the widest point parallel with the pan shank. Leg hold trap having
teeth or serrated edges along the inside of one or both jaws are prohibited. All body
gripping traps with jaw width exceeding 5 inches as measured from the inside of the
main jaw at the trigger assembly to the inside of the opposing jaw across the entrance
window, and snares (except powered foot snare with a maximum loop of 5 1/2 inches)
are prohibited for use in trapping fur bearing animals on land. It shall be unlawful for
any person to trap in the State of Alabama without identifying each trap with a metal tag
bearing the name and address or Conservation Identification Number (CID) of the
owner. Instructions for obtaining a CID are available at www.outdooralabama.com.

Alabama regulations are sorta vague concerning how much water is necessary to be legal with body grips over 5 inches.

8" and larger, completely submerged in Nebraska.
Roy

Saturday run to the top.

Still missing q bunch of states.

Thanks for Helping with this project.

Think this covers the rest of them.


AZ- Cannot
4. Use any:
a. Body-gripping or other instant kill trap with an open jaw spread
that exceeds 5 inches for any land set or 10 inches for any
water set;
b. Foothold trap with an open jaw spread that exceeds 7 1/2
inches for any water set;
c. Snare, unless authorized under subsection (I);
d. Trap with an open jaw spread that exceeds 6 1/2 inches for any
land set; or
e. Trap with teeth

AR
land
body-gripping traps with a jaw spread of 6 inches or less (measured on the inside edge of the trap from hinge-to-hinge and from top-to-bottom at the dog and may not exceed the specified maximum size either horizontally or vertically)
water
body-gripping traps with a jaw spread of 11 inches or less (measured on the inside edge of the trap from hinge-to-hinge and from top-to-bottom at the dog and may not exceed the specified maximum size either horizontally or vertically)

CA
It is unlawful for any person to trap for the
purposes of recreation or commerce in fur any
fur-bearing mammal or nongame mammal with
any body-gripping trap. A body-gripping trap is
one that grips the mammal’s body or body part,
including, but not limited to, steel-jawed leghold
traps, padded-jaw leghold traps, conibear traps,
and snares. Cage and box traps, nets, suitcasetype
live beaver traps, and common rat and
mouse traps shall not be considered bodygripping
traps.

CO
E. Furbearers
1. Any rifle or handgun.
2. Any shotgun.
3. Handheld bows and crossbows.
4. Any air gun, except that for coyote or bobcat the air gun must be a pre-charged pneumatic air gun .25 caliber or larger.
5. Live traps, limited to cage or box traps. All live-trapped wildlife shall be released immediately or dispatched by any legal method of take for that species in regulations #303.E.1-4. If local ordinances or public safety prohibit all legal methods of take from being used, American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for Euthanasia of Free-Ranging Wildlife, as provided in S7.6 of the 2013 edition of the AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia of Animals, may alternatively be used to the extent allowable by law.

DE-unlawful to;
Use killer or conibear traps with a jaw spread in excess of 5 inches

FL
Use of other types of traps (foothold, body-gripping, or dog-proof raccoon) is prohibited, except under FWC authorization.

HI
illegal

ID
• Place or operate, except as a waterset, any body-gripping trap
that has a maximum jaw opening, when set, of greater than
7 ½ inches measured from the inside edges of the bodygripping
portion of the jaws, within 30 feet of any bait, lure,
or other attractant.
• Place or operate, except as a waterset, any body-gripping trap
that has a maximum jaw opening, when set, greater than
6 ½ inches and less than 7 ½ inches measured from the inside
edges of the body-gripping portions of the jaws unless:
1) The trap is in an enclosure and the trap trigger is
recessed 7 inches or more from the top and front most
portion of the open end of the enclosure;
2) No bait, lure, or other attractant is placed within 30 feet
of the trap; or
3) The trap is elevated at least 3 feet above the surface of
the ground or snowpack.

KS
TRAP SIZE RESTRICTIONS
The following may only be used in water sets: body-gripping traps with inside jawspreads 8 inches or greater; and foothold traps with outside jaw-spreads greater than 7 inches. Measurements should be taken across the jaws of both trap types at a 90-degree angle. “Water set” means any trapping device in which the gripping portion is placed at least half-submerged in flowing or impounded waters and remains in contact with the water.

KT
There are no restrictions on the size or type of trap used as water set, except that any body-gripping trap greater than 20 inches wide must be set so the trap is completely submerged underwater. A water set is a trap set in the water of a river, stream, pond, lake, wetland or other body of water so that a portion of the trap body is underwater.

On private land, a body-gripping trap with a maximum inside jaw spread of 7½ inches measured parallel with the trigger

On wildlife management and outdoor recreation areas, a body-gripping trap with a maximum inside jaw spread of 5¼ inches

LA
Near as i can tell, anything goes
https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/asset...tions/2024-2025-Trapping-Regulations.pdf

md
Body-Gripping Traps
Body-gripping traps with a diameter greater
than eight inches can be set when partially
or totally submerged in water.
Body-gripping traps with a diameter
of eight inches or less can be set above
ground in bogs, flooded non-tidal wetlands,
fresh water marshes, tidal wetlands, wooded
swamps, in areas where water covers the
surface of the soil or in areas where the soil
is waterlogged to the surface. In all other
areas these traps may be set when partially
or totally submerged in water.

ma
There is a detailed procedure for obtaining a special permit to use bodygrip traps (e.g., Conibear™ traps) to address certain types of wildlife damage. Contact your local MassWildlife District office for details.
Prohibited traps

Steel-jaw foothold traps, padded jaw traps, body-gripping (Conibear) traps, snares, deadfalls, colony traps (traps designed to take more than one mammal at a time), and any traps other than those specified above are prohibited. Such traps may not be set, tended, used, or possessed in the field.

ms
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.

nv-????
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nac/nac-503.html#NAC503Sec025
Starts on 503.150

nj
Traps, Body-gripping
or Killer-type
No body-gripping or killer-type trap shall be used
in non-tidal waters unless completely submerged
underwater when the water is at the normal level. In
tidal water, such traps must be completely covered
at normal high tide.
It is illegal to use, set or maintain a body-gripping
or killer-type trap having a jaw spread greater than
6 inches without a permit for beaver or river otter. A
body-gripping or killer-type trap with a jaw spread
of no more than 10 inches may be used for beaver or
river otter. Jaw spread shall be measured between
the inner edges of the jaws across the trigger of
a set trap.
Beaver and otter trap tags must be placed above
the water line and exposed to view.

nm
illegal

nd
TRAP SET RESTRICTIONS
• State wildlife management areas
Year-round: Body gripping traps
with greater than 6-inch inside jaw
spread must –
• Be in 4 inches or more of water;
or
• Be recessed at least 7 inches in
a plastic, wood or metal cubby
with a maximum 50 square inch
opening; or
• Be recessed at least 10 inches
in a plastic, wood or metal cubby
with a maximum 80 square inch
opening.
• All other lands
September 1 – October 27: Body
gripping traps with greater than 8
inches inside jaw spread and all
water sets must –
• Be in 4 inches or more of water;
or
• Be used in an upland set and
recessed at least 10 inches in
a plastic, wood or metal cubby
with a maximum 80 square inch
opening.
October 28 – January 7: Body gripping
traps greater than 8 inches
inside jaw spread must –
• Be in 4 inches or more of water;
or
• Be used in an upland set and
recessed at least 10 inches in
a plastic, wood or metal cubby
with a maximum 80 square inch
opening.
January 8 – March 15: No restrictions
on placement.
March 16 – May 10: Foothold and
body-gripping traps placed in or on
water, but not used on float sets,
must –
• Have a protective covering; or
• Foothold traps not being used on
a float set must be submerged
under water; or
• Body-gripping traps less than 8
inches inside jaw spread must
have no more than 2 inches of
the trap above the water surface.
• Foothold and body-gripping traps
used on float sets must have
a protective covering May 1
through May 10.
May 11 – August 31: No restrictions
on placement.

ok
body-gripping traps for fully submerged sets with no more than twelve (12) inches in diameter on private land only. Any trap not listed here is illegal.

ri
G. Body gripping (“e.g. Conibear”) type traps with a jaw spread up to but not
exceeding six and one half inches (6.5”) as measured from hinge to hinge, are
permitted on land or in water. Body gripping traps with a jaw spread larger than
six and one half inches (6.5”) but not exceeding eight inches (8”) are permitted
only if the trap is completely submerged in water in a vertical position or placed at
least six feet (6’) above the surface of water or ground (i.e., pole or tree sets). All
other body-gripping type traps with a jaw spread exceeding eight inches (8”) are
prohibited.
1. For the taking of beaver, the use of body-gripping (“e.g. Conibear”) type
traps with a jaw spread up to but not exceeding ten inches (10”) as
measured from hinge to hinge is permitted. Such traps must be set
completely submerged underwater and in a vertical position.

sc
Body gripping traps of the Conibear® type
in water or slide sets only. No bait is allowed
to be used with body-gripping traps.

tn
Steel square instant-kill traps must have an exterior jaw measurement of sixteen (16) inches or less measured at the widest point, and steel circular instant-kill traps must have an exterior measurement of twelve (12) inches or less measured at the widest point.

vt
Body Gripping Traps Are Allowed On Land If:

it is under 40 square inches and unbaited.
it is over 40 square inches but less than 60 square inches and is set 5 feet or more above the ground.
it is over 40 square inches but less than 60 square inches and is in an anchored enclosure with openings no greater than 60 square inches and with a trap trigger that is recessed at least 12 inches from all openings.
NOTE: body-gripping traps over 60 square inches shall only be set in the water or under the ice.

wa
IT IS UNLAWFUL TO TRAP FOR WILD ANIMALS:
With body-gripping traps which include, but are not limitedto, foot-hold traps, snares, and conibear-type traps.Specified body-gripping traps identified by WDFW may beused with a special trapping permit to abate human-wildlife conflict under WAC 220-417-040.

wy
f. A quick-kill body-grip trap having a jaw measurement of ten (10)
inches or greater when measured vertically at its widest part of the
jaw shall not be set, other than on private land, unless the bottom of
the quick-kill body-grip trap is at least partially submerged in water
when set.

Goneelkn - Thank you very much. That was very kind of you to take time and put all that all together. Terrific helpful post.

Don't know what he is doing with the info, but i'm sure he has time into it also!!

Thanks.

Thanks. I apologize but did I miss New York?

I looked over the trapping booklet for NY the only restrictions on 330’s is that can only be set in water. Does not say anything about how submerged they need to be, just in water.

The only other restrictions on them are if you’re using them in certain areas of the state during closed otter season you can use a 4 way trigger and the trigger wires are to be straight and touching each other the entire length of the wire.

In Illinois,, 330s and 12 inch rbg is the largest body grip we are allowed,, as far as water sets itself,, the body grip just needs to be touching water,, it could even be in 1 inch of water and still be legal

ADC. Thanks. One DEC officer told me the above. Another officer told me 280 and bigger had to be totally submerged. Go figure!