Furbearer Tagging Instructions
Thank you for electronically registering your furbearer harvest. Next, you must present your harvested animal for tagging at your earliest convenience or 14 days following the close of the season. Refer to the following procedures:
Fishers
The pelt must be removed from the carcass prior to presenting your fisher to Department personnel for tagging. No fisher pelt will be tagged until the animal is skinned and presented with the entire carcass, including the head. The carcass shall remain the property of the Department.
No taxidermist or fur dealer shall possess or purchase an untagged fisher. If you would like to have someone skin your fisher for you prior to tagging, you must first make arrangements with our Department prior to transferring possession.
To acquire a pelt tag, please do one of the following:
- Visit one of our district offices Monday-Friday during business hours to present your pelt for tagging and relinquish your carcass.
- Visit one of these designated furbearer tagging events to present your pelt for tagging and relinquish your carcass:
- None available at this time.
- Contact your local Game Warden to make arrangements for a time and place that works for both to have your fisher tagged and relinquish the carcass.
River Otters
The pelt must be removed from the carcass prior to presenting your river otter to Department personnel for tagging. No river otter pelt will be tagged until the animal is skinned and presented with the entire carcass, including the head. The carcass shall remain the property of the Department.
No taxidermist or fur dealer shall possess or purchase an untagged river otter. If you would like to have someone skin your river otter for you prior to tagging, you must first make arrangements with our Department prior to transferring possession.
To acquire a pelt tag, please do one of the following:
- Visit one of our district offices Monday-Friday during business hours to present your pelt for tagging and relinquish your carcass.
- Visit one of these designated furbearer tagging events to present your pelt for tagging and relinquish your carcass:
- None available at this time.
- Contact your local Game Warden to make arrangements for a meeting time and place that works for both to have your river otter tagged and relinquish the carcass.
Bobcats
The pelt must be removed from the carcass prior to presenting your bobcat to Department personnel for tagging. No bobcat pelt will be tagged until the animal is skinned and presented with the entire carcass, including the head. The carcass shall remain the property of the Department.
No taxidermist or fur dealer shall possess or purchase an untagged bobcat. If you would like to have someone skin your bobcat for you prior to tagging, you must first make arrangements with our Department prior to transferring possession.
To acquire a pelt tag, please do one of the following:
- Visit one of our district offices Monday-Friday during business hours to present your pelt for tagging and relinquish your carcass.
- Visit one of these designated furbearer tagging events to present your pelt for tagging and relinquish your carcass:
- None available at this time.
- Contact your local Game Warden to make arrangements for a meeting time and place that works for both to have your bobcat tagged and relinquish the carcass.
Mountain Lions
Instructions for presenting your mountain lion for tagging are dependent on which unit and season the animal was taken during and whether or not that season has a female sub-quota:
Zone 1 early-season, Zone 1 conditional season, or Zone 2
The pelt must be removed from the carcass prior to presenting your mountain lion to Department personnel for tagging. No mountain lion pelt will be tagged until the animal is skinned and presented with the entire carcass, including the head. The carcass shall remain the property of the Department.
No taxidermist or fur dealer shall possess or purchase an untagged mountain lion. If you would like to have someone skin your mountain lion for you prior to tagging, you must first make arrangements with our Department prior to transferring possession.
To acquire a pelt tag, please do one of the following:
- Visit one of our district offices Monday-Friday during business hours to present your pelt for tagging and relinquish your carcass.
- Contact your local Game Warden to make arrangements for a meeting time and place that works for both to have your mountain lion tagged and relinquish your carcass.
Please note, if you would like to have the head returned after necropsy, please indicate this to Department personnel at the time of tagging. Mountain lion heads must be picked up by you or someone you designated at our Wildlife Health Laboratory in Bismarck after necropsy. We will contact you via phone after our necropsy is completed to let you know the head is available for pick-up. We will store the head for you for approximately 6 months after necropsy, after which time we will dispose of it if not picked up. We cannot guarantee the head will be completely intact after necropsy.
Zone 1 late-season
Your entire mountain lion, including the head, must be presented for inspection and tagging. Legally taken animals will be returned to the hunter following inspection so that the pelt may be removed, but the carcass must be returned to the Department after the pelt has been removed.
No taxidermist or fur dealer shall possess or purchase an untagged mountain lion. If you would like to have someone skin your mountain lion for you prior to tagging, you must first make arrangements with our Department prior to transferring possession.
To have your mountain lion inspected and acquire a pelt tag, please do one of the following:
Please note, if you would like to have the head returned after necropsy, please indicate this to Department personnel at the time of tagging. Mountain lion heads must be picked up by you or someone you designated at our Wildlife Health Laboratory in Bismarck after necropsy. We will contact you via phone after our necropsy is completed to let you know the head is available for pick-up. We will store the head for you for approximately 6 months after necropsy, after which time we will dispose of it if not picked up. We cannot guarantee the head will be completely intact after necropsy.
- Visit one of our district offices Monday-Friday during business hours to present your pelt for tagging and relinquish your carcass.
- Contact your local Game Warden to make arrangements for a meeting time and place that works for both of you to have your mountain lion inspected and tagged.