Submitted by:
Robert Colona, Furbearer Project Leader
July 17, 2007

Introduction
Maryland's diverse ecosystems support a rich and varied assemblage of furbearer species.  They range from the solitary fisher of Garrett County spruce and hemlock forests, to the highly social South American nutria inhabiting vast wetland systems of the Eastern Shore.  Maryland's citizens enjoy a variety of ecological, recreational, economic, and cultural benefits from these valuable resources.

Maryland's 14 resident furbearer species yield many user days of recreation, while also providing the nucleus for many traditionally based rural activities.  The fur harvest industry is a multibillion‑dollar enterprise nationally and offers significant contributions to Maryland's economy.

The mission and goals of the furbearer project are to ensure the viability and ecological integrity of Maryland's native furbearer populations.  Additionally, they promote sustainable and compatible uses of the resource.  Harvest of the following species is currently regulated in Maryland: beaver, bobcat (closed season), coyote, fisher, gray fox, long‑tailed weasel, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, otter, raccoon, red fox, and skunk.

Rabbits And Squirrels
Maryland is also blessed with healthy rabbit and squirrel populations.  Although red squirrels and eastern fox squirrels have somewhat limited ranges, cottontail rabbits and gray squirrels are distributed statewide.  During the 2005-06 hunting season, 6,816 rabbit hunters spent 30,051 days in the field harvesting 34,467 rabbits.  For squirrels, 10,286 hunters also spent 52,097 days afield while harvesting 59,593 gray squirrels.  During this same year, 1,835 hunters harvested 3,209 eastern fox squirrels while spending 10,226 days afield.  Although pursuit of these species is still popular, overall harvest statistics have declined markedly between the 2000-01 and 2005-06 hunting seasons (Table 1).  Harvest statistics are not available for red squirrels; however, hunters in western Maryland also pursue this diminutive squirrel.

Furbearer Project Highlights

Bowhunter Survey

Bowhunters annually spend a large number of days in the field, and as a result of this avocation, they tend to be quite observant.  These 2 traits enable these individuals to be ideal participants in structured observational surveys like the Bowhunter Survey.

In an effort to gain insight into furbearer and other wildlife populations across Maryland, the Bowhunter Survey was established in 2002 and has been conducted annually since.  Survey participants are asked to complete the survey form and record any observations of wildlife while they are bow hunting.  They are also asked a myriad of other questions, such as the number of hours hunted, county hunted, if the hunt occurred on public or private land, and if lure, cover scent or an elevated stand were used.

The resulting data is then tabulated and reduced to a standard unit of measurement (observations/100 hours of hunting).  This standard unit of measurement is then used to analyze a number of different variables including population trends of various species on a regional and statewide scale.

Results from the 2004-05 Bowhunter Survey can be found on this website.  Data from the 2005-06 and 2006-07 Bowhunter Surveys are currently being analyzed.  Upon completion, these results will be incorporated into this report as well as posted in a separate report.

Coyote and Bobcat Distribution
Results from the 2005-06 Hunter Mail Survey include observations of coyote in 21 counties and bobcat in 14.  The greatest number of recorded observations for both species occurred in Garrett and Allegany counties (Table 2).

Fur Dealer Records
The marketing of raw furs by trappers and hunters has undergone considerable change during the last 20 years.  Historically, small country fur dealers and larger regional dealers were distributed throughout the mid-Atlantic region.  The majority of fur harvesters exercised the option of selling their fur locally.  This marketing strategy allowed for many benefits.  They could sell furbearers in the ‘round’ without skinning or handling the pelts, market the meats, sell furs daily or weekly if desired, and receive immediate payment for the pelts they sold.

Recently however, structural changes in national and international fur markets have dramatically influenced how fur is marketed on the local level.  Very few local fur dealers remain in business in Maryland.  The majority of the pelts harvested in Maryland are no longer sold within the state; instead, they are now marketed to larger regional dealers or are shipped directly to the international fur auctions.  During the 2005-06 season, Maryland licensed fur dealers purchased furs from 11 different furbearer species (Table 3). 

Trappers harvested 13 otter in Management Zone 2, which includes Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, and Washington counties.  An additional 195 were harvested in Management Zone 1 that includes the remainder of the state with the exception of Garrett and Allegany counties, which currently have a closed season (Table 5, Table 6).

The season bag limit in Management Zone 1 is 5 otter.  The 75 trappers that successfully harvested otter in this zone averaged 2.6 otter, or approximately 52% of their allowable bag limit.  Some trappers in this zone harvested otter in multiple counties.  The average harvest per trapper by county ranged from 1 to 3.46 (Table 5).

The season bag limit in Management Zone 2 is 1 otter.  Understandably, the 13 trappers that tagged otter in this zone harvested 13 otter, averaging 1 per trapper and 1 per county, and achieved 100% of the allowable bag limit (Table 5).

Furbearer harvest pressure is largely driven by market demand and average pelt prices.  As pelt prices increase or decrease, subsequent harvest levels typically mirror these fluctuations.  During the 2004-05 harvest season, otter prices advanced rapidly and record prices were paid.  By February 2006, the average price paid for otter at the North American Fur Auction (NAFA) was $143.31.  Understandably, otter harvest increased by 29% during the 2005-06 season.

By the summer of 2006, the otter market crashed and the majority of otter offered at the September NAFA auction were withdrawn.  This prompted the major international auctions and regional fur buyers to advise trappers to limit their harvest of otter.  Otter remained largely unsold at the international auctions during the 2006-07 season, and local buyers were paying $30-40, if they would purchase otter at all.  As a result, the number of successful otter trappers declined by 34%, and statewide harvest declined by 42% during the 2006-07 season (Table 6).

Yearly harvest rates have fluctuated somewhat since the 1996-97 season.  The largest recorded harvest during this period occurred during 2005-06, and the lowest was reported in 2006-07 (Figure 2).

2006-2007 Fisher Harvest Characteristics
During the 2006-07 fisher harvest season, 45 trappers and hunters harvested 45 fisher.  A total of 7 were taken in Allegany County, and 38 in Garrett County.  Twenty one males (47%) and 24 females (53%) were included in the harvest (Table 7).  The season bag limit is 1, therefore all individuals tagging a fisher harvested 100% of their allowable bag limit.

Forty (89%) were trapped and 5 (11%) were shot (Table 8).  Fisher harvest for 2006-07 surpassed the 2005-06 total by 73%.  Garrett County experienced a 73% increase, while a 75% increase was recorded in Allegany County  (Table 8),  (Table 9).

During May 2005 the average price paid for fisher at the NAFA auction was $32.27, by February the 2006 average price had advanced to $83.24 and resulted in increased trapper interest.  During the 2006-07 season, harvest increased by 75%.  Yearly harvest rates fluctuated between the 1998-99 and 2002-03 seasons.  Since that time, harvest has been increasing (Figure 3).

Furbearer Permit
The 2006-07 hunting license year ushered in a new Furbearer Permit requirement for any individual that hunts, traps, chases or pursues furbearers.  Sales have exceeded 21,400 individual permits and 90 group permits.  The relatively large number of permits that have been purchased indicate the importance of furbearers to the sportsmen and sportswomen of Maryland.

Effective for the 2007-08 hunting license year, anyone that recreationally traps in Maryland will be required to complete a trapper education course unless they possessed a Furbearer Permit or its equivalent prior to August 1, 2007.  For information about trapper education courses please contact the Maryland Natural Resources Police, Safety Education Division, 1804 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401: or visit the DNR website at http://www.dnr.maryland.gov

Furbearer Permit Survey
DNR will be conducting a random survey of Furbearer Permit holders.  The survey will be designed to give DNR valuable baseline data that can be used to estimate harvest characteristics, recreational value, and population trends of resident furbearer populations.  Results from this survey will contribute greatly to management of Maryland's furbearer resources and the recreational opportunities they support.

Links to Tables and Charts

Table 1.  Cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel and fox squirrel harvest characteristics for 2000-01 and 2005-06

Table 2.  Coyote and bobcat observations by county from the 2004-05 Hunter Mail Survey

Table 3.  Maryland licensed fur dealer transactions in 2005-06

Table 4.  Otter harvest by sex and county in 2006-07

Table 5.  Otter trapper success by county during the 2006-07 trapping season

Table 6.  Otter harvest by county and the percent change between the 2005-06 and 2006-07 otter trapping seasons

Table 7.  Fisher harvest by sex and by county for 2006-07 

Table 8.  Fisher harvest by method and by county in 2006-07 

Table 9.  Fisher harvest by county and the percent change between the 2005-06 and 2006-07 fisher seasons

Figure 1.  Otter harvest by county in 2006-07

Figure 2.  Total otter harvest by season

Figure 3.  Total fisher harvest by season

Published by the Wildlife and Heritage Service
Maryland Department of Natural Resources