Manage your trapline

Trapping cabins

Trapping cabin administration is governed by the Trapping cabin land application policy. You are responsible for applying for and maintaining a lease for all the cabins in your concession area that you use for trapping. Leases provide increased certainty of ownership of your cabin and recognize your interest in the land.

Trapping area signs

Be a good neighbour. Many Yukoners are active on the land during trapping season. Post “Active Trapping Area” signs when you are trapping on or near multi-use trails. Remember to remove your signs when you are done for the season so people don’t become used to them and ignore them.

Signs are available for free from all Department of Environment offices or from the Yukon Trappers Association.

Trapping subsidies and financial incentives

You are exempt from paying taxes on fuel that you use in off-road vehicles for the operation of your trapping concession.

Apply for a fuel tax exemption permit.

Contact the Yukon Trappers Association, the Yukon Outfitters Association, or your local First Nation for information about other incentives that may be available.

Get notifications about development activities in your trapping concession area

Set up an account with the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) Online Registry if you'd like to get notifications about development activities in your concession area that are being reviewed by YESAB.

We also encourage you to contact your nearest YESAB designated office.

Trapping concession holder personal contact information

The Government of Yukon takes your privacy seriously. We collect the personal contact information of trapping concession holders on our forms for the administration and enforcement of the Wildlife Act and for evaluation, research, statistical and land management purposes. We will only release your contact information to a third party if they ask for it for one of those purposes. We will release your name to anyone that has a reasonable reason for contacting you.

Companies and government agencies often look to the Department of Environment to provide contact information for trapping concession holders if proposed activities or projects may affect trapline access, habitat or furbearing animals. Make sure that the Department of Environment has your most up-to-date information on file.

How we administer trapping concessions

Your first trapping concession will be issued for a 1 year probationary term and can be reissued up to 2 times. This probationary period is your opportunity to show that you are committed to the area. A full term, 5 year concession is issued once you have shown your commitment. All concessions expire on March 31.

The Yukon is divided into trapping concession areas or traplines. Different processes and circumstances apply depending on:

Trapping concession categories

There are 2 major groups of trapping concessions:

Those that are considered to be more than 50% within a particular Traditional Territory where a Final Agreement is in place, and less than 50% within another Traditional Territory.

  • These traplines are typically overseen by a local Renewable Resources Council (RRC).
  • Each RRC has set guidelines about what concession holders need to do to show commitment to their concession area.
  • The councils make recommendations about who unassigned traplines should go to or if concessions should be reissued to the same holder when they expire.
  • Trapping concession areas of this kind are designated as:
    • Category 1: the local First Nation receives the recommendation of the RRC and makes the final decision.
    • Category 2: the Minister of Environment receives the recommendation and makes these decisions.
    • All the Final Agreements state that 70% or sometimes more, of all traplines are to be held by citizens of First Nations with Final Agreements.

Those that are considered to be more than 50% within an area where no Final Agreement is in place or are considered to be more than 50% within 2 or more Traditional Territories (overlap areas).

  • The Government of Yukon is the final decision making authority when it comes to assigning or reissuing trapping concessions in these areas.
  • In these situations, the Government of Yukon works with local First Nations (when applicable) to make these decisions.
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