With Kentucky’s furbearer season underway, hunters and trappers have a wide variety of wildlife to pursue, from raccoons and river otters to coyotes and bobcats.

Night hunting with dogs for raccoons is arguably the state’s most popular form of furbearer hunting. The sporting tradition dates back to 1948, when the Kentucky General Assembly established the season.

“Statewide, there are thousands of raccoon hunters,” said James Caldwell, a founder of the Kentucky Houndsmen Association and native of Independence, Ky. “Raccoon hunters are passionate about their sport and their dogs, and they pump a lot of money into the economy pursuing their sport.”

Hunting for raccoons opened Nov. 1 and continues through Feb. 28, 2011.

Trapping is another tradition of furbearer season.

“In the last five years, the number of licensed trappers has nearly doubled,” said Laura Patton, furbearer biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “A lot of people who trapped in their youth are taking the grandkids out, teaching them about trapping.”

Kentucky’s furbearer trapping season opened on Nov. 15 and continues through Feb. 28, 2011.

The number of licensed trappers and the amount of harvested fur in Kentucky fluctuated dramatically since the 1960s, reflecting the changes in profitability. Fur prices often have a direct influence on participation. Trapping license sales in Kentucky fell from a high of 7,071 in 1980-1981, to a low of 515 sold during the 1993-1994 season.

Four categories of trapping licenses are currently available in Kentucky: Kentucky landowner and tenant, $10; Kentucky resident, $20; non-resident, $130 and junior (ages 12-15), $5.

The total trapping licenses sold for the 2009-2010 season in Kentucky was 1,731, up from the 947 sold for the 2005-2006 season.

A generation ago, rural residents depended on trapping to supplement their income during the winter months. Many of the furs taken by Kentucky trappers are sold at an annual fur auction, held each winter in Elizabethtown. This season’s auction will be held Feb. 12, 2011.

“We usually have about six to 10 fur buyers at the auction,” said Paul Brown, president of the Kentucky Fur Takers. The statewide fur trapper organization, which has about 200 members, started the auction in the early 1970s.

Brown said Kentucky fur is exported to Europe and Asia. “Russia has always bought a lot of fur, depending on how cold their winters are, but in recent years buyers in China have become especially interested in our river otter.”

A mixture of forces determines fur prices. “It’s a combination of demand for fur, the amount and quality of fur taken, and the economy — how much money people have to spend on fur,” said Brown.

In recent years, the coyote has garnered considerable attention from furbearer hunters. While coyotes may be hunted year-round, they can only be trapped from Nov. 15, through Feb. 28, 2011, with two exceptions.

“Farmers suffering livestock depredation can get a permit to trap coyotes year-round, and in urban and suburban areas,” Patton said. “Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators can be hired to trap problem coyotes.”

Coyotes expanded their range into Kentucky in the late 1970s and are now common statewide. Concerns grew about the coyotes’ impact on native red and gray fox populations in Kentucky. While studies have shown that coyotes may negatively affect red fox populations through competition, the impact on gray foxes is unclear.

Gray fox populations in Illinois declined markedly during the past 25 years. A 2005 study in Illinois found that coyotes will seek out and kill gray foxes at den sites when their territories overlap. In contrast, a study in Mississippi determined that while the home range of coyotes and gray foxes overlapped, gray foxes spent most of their time in areas where the two species would not directly compete for food, cover and den sites.

Another possible cause for localized declines in gray fox populations may be outbreaks of canine distemper, a viral disease encouraged by high populations of raccoons. While gray foxes are very susceptible to canine distemper, red foxes rarely contract the disease.

In Kentucky, red foxes are more abundant on agricultural land, while gray foxes are more likely to be found in forested areas and early successional habitat such as a former field returning to forest.

The harvest of two Kentucky furbearer species, the river otter and bobcat, is closely monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that international trade is not detrimental to the survival of wild populations.

Both species were listed in 1977 in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Hunters or trappers who intend to sell the raw fur of a river otter or bobcat must go online to fw.ky.gov or call 1-800-858-1549, provide their Telecheck confirmation number and request a CITES tag. The CITES tag shall be attached to and remain with the pelt until processing.

Take advantage of these unique opportunities this winter in Kentucky.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. For more information on the department, visit our website at fw.ky.gov.