Furbearer registration Tuesday in Stephenson

Courtesy:  Michigan DNR

STEPHENSON — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will hold furbearer registration hours at the Stephenson Field Office on Tuesday, Dec. 16, from 4 to 6:30 pm (CST).

The Stephenson Field Office is located at West 5420 River Rd. in Stephenson, Mich., 49887.

Anyone taking a bobcat, river otter, fisher, marten or incidental catch must bring the animal to a designated furbearer check station for examination. The deadline for registering marten and fisher is Thursday, Dec. 18.

Additional furbearer registration hours will be held in Stephenson on Tuesday, Feb. 10, Wednesday, March 11, and Tuesday, May 5, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. (Central).

Furbearers may also be registered at the Escanaba Field Office and DNR operations service centers during regular business hours or by appointment. Please call ahead to confirm wildlife staff will be available to register the animal.

DNR staff members collect biological data from the harvested animals, including sex, age and physical condition of the specimen. The skull of each specimen will also be retained for tooth and DNA samples. An official seal is then attached to each pelt to show it has been inspected.

Trappers and furbearer hunters are reminded that they must register their own take and cannot register for others. Complete details and instructions for furbearer registration can be found in the 2014 Michigan Hunting and Trapping Digest, which is available online at www.michigan.gov/hunting, at DNR operations service centers, and at authorized license vendors statewide.

For more information, contact DNR wildlife biologist Dusty Arsnoe at 906-786-2351.

To learn more about harvesting furbearers in Michigan, visit www.michigan.gov/trapping.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.