The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service carefully manages trapping activities on national wildlife refuges to ensure that safe, effective practices are used, to ensure the sustainability of wildlife populations, and to protect refuge infrastructure.
Trapping may be used as a wildlife management tool and may be available for public recreation. The use of trapping is determined on a station-by-station basis in accordance with a refuge’s conservation purpose and related legal authorities.
Refuges that allow trapping as public recreation may require trappers to obtain a refuge special use permit. Special use permit rules ensure that trapping activities are compatible with refuge purposes. Special use permits are not required in waterfowl production areas within wetland management districts.
Trapping in waterfowl production areas is open each year, subject to state laws and regulations. The Fish and Wildlife Service opens national wildlife refuges to recreational trapping in accordance with the Refuge Recreation Act (as amended in 1973), the Refuge Administration Act (as amended in 1997) and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Some national wildlife refuges may prohibit recreational trapping even though trapping for management purposes is occurring. All trapping must be done in accordance with state laws, regulations and licensing requirements.
In Alaska, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act allows for subsistence uses, including trapping, on all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to informing the public about where trapping may occur.
- We have installed signs at all refuges where trapping may occur.
- We encourage you to contact your local refuge or district manager or visit the individual refuge or wetland management district wetland management district
A wetland management district is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office that manages waterfowl production areas in one or more counties. Waterfowl production areas are small natural wetlands and grasslands that provide breeding, resting and nesting habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland birds and other wildlife. The Fish and Wildlife Service acquires waterfowl production areas under the authority of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act, primarily using funds from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps. The Refuge System’s 38 wetland management districts comprise thousands of waterfowl production areas – almost all in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Northern Great Plains.
Learn more about wetland management district website for specific information and regulations.
Where Trapping Occurs
Trapping is authorized to occur on the following national wildlife refuges, in accordance with state laws, state regulations, state licensing requirements and the National Wildlife Refuge System mission. Although authorized, trapping may not occur regularly at all the locations listed below. Trapping may occur intermittently from year to year or seasonally at any of the locations.
Alabama
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge
Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
Alaska
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Becharof National Wildlife Refuge
Innoko National Wildlife Refuge
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge
Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge
Selawik National Wildlife Refuge
Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge
Arizona
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
Arkansas
Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge
Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge
Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge
Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge
Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge
Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge
Overflow National Wildlife Refuge
Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge
California
Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area
Colusa National Wildlife Refuge
Delevan National Wildlife Refuge
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
Salinas National River Wildlife Refuge
San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge
Sutter National Wildlife Refuge
Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge
Delaware
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Florida
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge
Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge
Georgia
Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge
Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge
Wolf Island National Wildlife Refuge
Hawaii
Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge
Huleia National Wildlife Refuge
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
Maui National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Oahu National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Illinois
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Great River National Wildlife Refuge
Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge
Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge
Indiana
Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge
Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge
Iowa
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
Iowa Wetland Management District
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge
Kansas
Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge
Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
Kentucky
Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge
Louisiana
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge
Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge
Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Breton National Wildlife Refuge
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge
D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge
Delta National Wildlife Refuge
Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge
Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge
Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge
Red River National Wildlife Refuge
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
Shell Keys National Wildlife Refuge
Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge
Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge
Maine
Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge
Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge
Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge
Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge
Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge
Maryland
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Patuxent Research Refuge
Massachusetts
Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Michigan
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Michigan Wetland Management District
Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge
Minnesota
Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge
Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge
Big Stone Wetland Management District
Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District
Fergus Falls Wetland Management District
Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge
Litchfield Wetland Management District
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Minnesota Valley Wetland Management District
Morris Wetland Management District
Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Rydell National Wildlife Refuge
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge
Windom Wetland Management District
Mississippi
Coldwater River National Wildlife Refuge
Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge
Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Hillside National Wildlife Refuge
Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge
Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge
Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge
Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Tallahatchie National Wildlife Refuge
Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge
Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge
Missouri
Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge
Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge
Great River National Wildlife Refuge
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge
Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
Mingo National Wildlife Refuge
Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
Montana
Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge
Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge
Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Nebraska
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge
Nevada
Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
New Hampshire
Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge - Pondicherry Division
Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge
New Jersey
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge
New Mexico
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
New York
Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge
Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge
North Carolina
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge
Currituck National Wildlife Refuge
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge
North Dakota
Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge
Audubon National Wildlife Refuge
Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge
J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge
Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge
Ohio
Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Oklahoma
Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge
Little River National Wildlife Refuge
Oregon
Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer
Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
Pennsylvania
Erie National Wildlife Refuge
South Carolina
Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge
Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
Tybee National Wildlife Refuge
Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge
South Dakota
Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge
Waubay National Wildlife Refuge
Tennessee
Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge
Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge
Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Isom National Wildlife Refuge
Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge
Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge
Texas
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge
Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge
Utah
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Vermont
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge
Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge - Nulhegan Basin Division
Virginia
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge
Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge
Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Washington
Columbia National Wildlife Refuge
Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Hanford Reach National Monument/Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge
Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer
Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge
West Virginia
Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Wisconsin
Horicon National Wildlife Refuge
Leopold Wetland Management District
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
St. Croix Wetland Management District
Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge
Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Wyoming
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
Guam National Wildlife Refuge
Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
