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Furbearers

Iowa DNR Furbearer Biologist Vince Evelsizer provided a report on fur-bearing wildlife such as raccoons, muskrat, beaver, coyotes and badgers, typically sought for trapping. The report indicated the buying market for animal furs has remained weak, which has kept the trapping pressure low across the state.

Though populations have remained relatively stable for most of the fur-bearing wildlife species, with the exception of muskrats and the gray fox, harvest numbers have declined steadily over the past decade.

Muskrat harvest illustrates the decline most dramatically, going from over 33,000 harvested in 2015-16 to around 16,000 harvested in 2020-21.

Full story here.