LRB-3421/1
ZDW:wlj
2017 - 2018 LEGISLATURE
October 27, 2017 - Introduced by Representatives Quinn, Stafsholt, Born,
Loudenbeck, Horlacher, Kleefisch, Mursau, Ripp and Skowronski,
cosponsored by Senators Moulton and Olsen. Referred to Committee on
Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage.
AB605,1,5 1An Act to renumber and amend 29.331 (1); to amend 29.331 (5) (a) and 29.351
2(1r); and to create 29.241 (5), 29.241 (6), 29.331 (1) (b) and 29.563 (6) (a) 1s. of
3the statutes; relating to: youth trapping, creating a mentored trapping
4license, restrictions on taking or appropriating a trap or its contents, and
5requirements for tagging traps.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill authorizes a person under the age of 16 to engage in trapping without
obtaining a trapping license or a trapping education certificate of accomplishment
if the person is trapping under the supervision of a licensed trapper.
Current law generally requires a person engaging in trapping to obtain a
trapping license from the Department of Natural Resources. Current law also
prohibits a person from obtaining a trapping license unless he or she holds a valid
certificate of accomplishment indicating that he or she has successfully completed
a trapper education course.
This bill creates a mentored trapping license, which authorizes the holder to
engage in trapping while in contact with a qualified mentor. Under the bill, “contact”
means visual or voice contact without the aid of any mechanical or electronic
amplifying device other than a hearing aid. To qualify as a trapping mentor, a person
must 1) be at least 18 years of age, 2) be the parent or guardian or authorized by the
parent or guardian of the person being mentored, 3) be in contact with the person
being mentored at all times, and 4) hold a current valid trapping license or be
authorized to trap without holding a trapping license.

Current law generally prohibits a person from taking another person's trap or
its contents. The bill creates exceptions to this prohibition for persons under the
supervision of a licensed trapper or receiving instruction from a mentor.
Current law requires each trap used under a trapping license to be tagged with
a metal stamp containing certain identifying information. The bill allows more than
one licensed trapper to operate a trap and requires the trap to be tagged with the
metal stamp of each trap operator. The bill also provides that a trap being used by
a mentor and a person being mentored may be tagged by either or both persons. A
trap tagged only by a person being mentored may be operated by that person and his
or her mentor, but only if both persons are present.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB605,1 1Section 1. 29.241 (5) of the statutes is created to read:
AB605,2,42 29.241 (5) Youth trapping. A person under the age of 16 may engage in
3trapping under the supervision of a licensed trapper without holding a trapping
4license or a certificate of accomplishment under s. 29.597 (5).
AB605,2 5Section 2. 29.241 (6) of the statutes is created to read:
AB605,2,66 29.241 (6) Mentored trapping license. (a) In this section:
AB605,2,77 1. “Contact” has the meaning given in s. 29.324 (1) (a).
AB605,2,88 2. “Mentor" means a person who provides trapping instruction to a mentee.
AB605,2,109 3. “Mentee" means a person holding a mentored trapping license who is
10receiving trapping instruction from a mentor.
AB605,2,1411 (b) A mentored trapping license shall be issued subject to ss. 29.024 and 54.25
12(2) (c) 1. d. by the department to any resident applying for this license or to any
13nonresident of this state who applies for this license and who resides in a state that
14allows nonresidents of that state to trap within that state.
AB605,2,1615 (c) A mentored trapping license authorizes trapping by a mentee while in
16contact with a mentor who meets the following qualifications:
AB605,2,1717 1. The person is 18 years of age or older.
AB605,3,3
12. The person is the parent or guardian of the mentee or is authorized by the
2parent or guardian to serve as a mentor. This requirement does not apply to a person
3serving as a mentor for a person who is 18 years of age or older.
AB605,3,54 3. At all times when serving as a mentor, the person is in contact with the
5mentee.
AB605,3,76 4. The person holds a current valid trapping license or is authorized to trap
7without holding a trapping license as provided under s. 29.337.
AB605,3,108 (d) A person may be issued only 2 mentored trapping licenses in his or her
9lifetime, and each mentored trapping license shall be valid for only one trapping
10season.
AB605,3,1311 (e) A mentor under this subsection may take more than one person trapping
12at a time if the mentor determines he or she can adequately and safely serve as a
13mentor for all of the persons he or she takes trapping at one time.
AB605,3,1714 (f) A person holding a mentored trapping license is not eligible to receive a
15harvest tag for trapping purposes for any species for which the department limits the
16number of available tags but may assist his or her mentor in the trapping of a species
17for which the department limits the number of available tags.
AB605,3 18Section 3. 29.331 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 29.331 (1) (a) and amended
19to read:
AB605,4,320 29.331 (1) (a) Each Except as provided under par. (b), each trap used under a
21trapping license shall be tagged with a metal tag stamped with the name and address
22or customer identification number of the operator of the trap. If a trap is operated
23by more than one licensed trapper, the trap shall be tagged with the metal stamp of
24each operator of the trap.
All untagged traps shall be seized and confiscated, and the
25owner or person using or attending the untagged traps shall be punished as provided

1under s. 29.971 (4) and (12). This paragraph does not apply to a person under the
2age of 16 trapping under the supervision of a licensed trapper as provided in s. 29.241
3(5).
AB605,4 4Section 4. 29.331 (1) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
AB605,4,105 29.331 (1) (b) Each trap used by a person who is trapping with a qualified
6mentor as provided under s. 29.241 (6) shall be tagged with a metal tag stamped with
7the name and address or customer identification number of the person using the
8trap, the qualified mentor, or both. If the trap is tagged only by a person who is
9trapping with a qualified mentor, the trap may be operated only by that person or by
10the mentor and only when both are present.
AB605,5 11Section 5. 29.331 (5) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB605,4,1812 29.331 (5) (a) No person may molest, take or appropriate a trap belonging to
13another person when the trap is lawfully placed. No person may take or appropriate
14the animal or contents of any lawfully placed trap belonging to another person. This
15paragraph does not apply to a person taking a trap belonging to a supervising trapper
16or mentor, or taking the contents of that trap, if the person is acting under the
17direction of a supervising trapper under s. 29.241 (5) or a mentor providing
18instruction under s. 29.241 (6).
AB605,6 19Section 6. 29.351 (1r) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB605,5,220 29.351 (1r) No person may possess the raw skin of any muskrat, mink, otter,
21fisher, or pine marten at any time unless the person is the holder of a valid scientific
22collector permit, fur dealer license, trapping license, mentored trapping license, or
23resident conservation patron license. No license is required for a person breeding,
24raising, and producing domestic fur-bearing animals in captivity, as defined in s.

129.627, or for a person authorized to take muskrats on a cranberry marsh under a
2permit issued to the person by the department.
AB605,7 3Section 7. 29.563 (6) (a) 1s. of the statutes is created to read:
AB605,5,44 29.563 (6) (a) 1s. Mentored trapping license: $9.25.
AB605,8 5Section 8. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication,
6except as follows:
AB605,5,87 (1) The treatment of sections 29.241 (6), 29.331 (1) (b), 29.351 (1r), and 29.563
8(6) (a) 1s. of the statutes takes effect on September 1, 2018.
AB605,5,99 (End)
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