The Yukon is home to fourteen species of furbearing mammals that are trapped for their fur: beaver, coyote, fisher, coloured fox, Arctic fox, lynx, marten, mink, muskrat, otter, squirrel, weasel, wolf and wolverine.

Over 400 Yukoners hold trapping licenses; most are registered trapping concession holders, and the others are assistant trappers. Most pursue the occupation for its unique lifestyle. Trapping provides an opportunity for self-employment in one of the best working environments - the great outdoors.

Approximately 50 percent of Yukon trappers are First Nations. For them, trapping is a way of life with strong social and cultural traditions that pre-date the arrival of white men to the territory.

A registered trapping concession is a parcel of land on which the holder is given exclusive rights to harvest furbearing animals. There are 352 registered trapping concessions in the Yukon and seven group areas each held by a collective group of members of the local First Nations community. This system encourages trappers to manage an area the way farmers manage their land, and allows for close monitoring of furbearer populations.

The economic value of trapping in the Yukon is significant. It is an important winter revenue source in many smaller communities, providing income at a time of year when unemployment is high. Over the past two decades, the Yukon's fur harvest has fluctuated in value between $250,000 to over $1 million annually, with economic spin-offs worth two to three times that amount. Trapping is a legitimate and sustainable use of a renewable resource and is vital to the economy and lifestyle of Northern Canada. Trappers have been in the forefront of promoting the search for humane and efficient trapping systems. Canada leads the world in humane trap research.

Regulations Highlights

Trapping Seasons
International Humane Trapping Standards and Certified Traps

Licence Fees
Senior citizens	Free
Group trapline members	Free
Any other person	$10
Duplicate copy	$2

Requirements

You must have a valid annual trapping licence or assistant trapper licence to trap in the Yukon.

To be eligible for a trapping licence you must:

hold a trapping concession and meet the requirements applying to concession holders.

To be eligible for an assistant trapper licence you must:

be at least 16 years old,

be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident whose principal residence has been in the Yukon for at least 12 months immediately before applying for a licence, and who has been physically present in the Yukon for at least 185 days during that period, or who qualifies under a Residency Exemption form.

have written consent from the holder of the trapping concession on which you plan to trap, and

graduate from a recognized trapper training workshop. (Trappers over 65 years of age who have previously held a trapping licence or assistant trapper licence are exempt from this requirement.)

Canceling an assistant trappers licence
A trapping concession holder can cancel an assistant trapper licence by completing a form available at Environment Yukon offices and submitting it to a Conservation Officer. The cancellation will take effect 10 days after the Conservation Officer notifies the assistant trapper.

Mandatory Trapping Education
The Yukon Trappers Association offers two types of trapper training workshops to help you meet this requirement: a five-day basic workshop and a two-day upgrading workshop.

Trapping Concessions

Concession Fees
Probationary Concession, or renewal	$10
Full Term Concession, or renewal	$20
Group Area Concession	$100

Requirements

To be eligible for a trapping concession you must:

be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident whose principle residence has been in the Yukon for at least 12 months immediately before applying for a concession, and who has been physically present in the Yukon for at least 185 days during that period, or who qualifies under a Residency Exemption form.

demonstrate to a Conservation Officer that you are able to run a trapping concession as required by the Wildlife Act and regulations,

be at least 16 years old

have no convictions for significant wildlife offences,

be eligible for a Yukon hunting licence, and

graduate from a recognized trapper education workshop. (Trappers over 65 years of age who have previously held a trapping licence or assistant trapper licence are exempt from this requirement.)

You can hold only one trapping concession at a time. Trapping concessions may also be granted to a partnership or a group if all members are qualified.

Note: A person who lives outside the Yukon, but within 150 km of the trapping concession they are applying for, may be considered a Yukon resident under the trapping regulations.

Probationary Concession

A Probationary Concession may be granted to someone who has not held a concession before.

A Probationary Concession gives you the exclusive right to trap in that area for one year. Unless it is cancelled, a Probationary Concession runs out on the next March 31 after it was issued.

A Probationary Concession may be renewed twice if a longer probationary period is warranted, or upgraded to a Full Term Concession, at the discretion of the Minister of Environment. You must apply for renewal of a Probationary Concession at least 30 days before its expiry date.

Full Term Concession

A Full Term Concession gives you the exclusive right to trap in that area for five years. A Full Term Concession runs out on March 31, five years after it was granted or renewed.

You will receive 90 days notice of your concession's expiry by registered or certified mail. The notice will be sent to the address given on your last application, or another address if given in writing to Environment Yukon.

You must apply for renewal of a Full Term Concession within the 90 day period before its expiry date if you wish to be considered before anyone else. When an application is received, the concession may be renewed for five more years.

When an application is received, the concession may be renewed for five more years, or a period of less than five years if the applicant has violated the Wildlife Act or the Minister believes it is necessary for wildlife conservation or public interest. Before renewing the concession for a period less than five years the Minister must refer the application to the Concession and Compensation Review Board.

Concession cancellations and non-renewals
A concession may be cancelled or not renewed if:

the applicant is convicted of using poison, interfering with traps, wasting pelts or using unlawful weapons,

it is necessary for the conservation of wildlife anywhere in the trapping area, or

it is necessary to protect the public interest, or

the applicant does not meet the trapping concession requirements.

Marten Quotas
Marten quotas apply to most traplines in the Marten Conservation Area (MCA) which extends from the Teslin River to Kluane National Park and north to Carmacks and Aishihik Lake. The quotas are intended to minimize harvest pressure on marten in the area, in an effort to build a stable resident population.  Trappers who accidentally capture more than their quota of marten must report this to a Conservation Officer. Prior to the start of the 2004-05 trapping licence year, all trapping concessions in the MCA will be issued or re-issued as needed so that marten quotas may be defined as a condition of the concession on the registration. The condition will set the maximum number of marten that may be taken in a trapping concession. This places the responsibility on the concession holder to ensure they are carefully monitoring all harvest on their concession by all trappers including assistant trappers. Where a person exceeds the quota, the excess animals must be delivered to a Conservation Officer as soon as practical.