A vision for the future of furbearer management in the United States

Furbearer management evolved during the past century and led to the restora tion of many species, including those that were once bountied. Regulated fu r trapping programs have been integral to furbearer management. Typically, such regulations were created and later modified to allow trapping to meet the goals of population management. Societal changes have placed furbearer management in the midst of contention, with the foothold trap as a centerpi ece. Furbearer managers must adopt a shared vision for the future and colle ctively strive to achieve it. We suggest such a vision. Key components are the development of Best Management Practices for trapping; cost-effective, reliable innovations to maintain scientific rigor and leadership in assessm ent of furbearer populations; and an effective, integrated, internal outrea ch program designed to build and maintain support for hunting and trapping as sustainable uses of natural resources and management tools within state fish and wildlife agencies.