THE NEW TRAPPER S NOTEBOOK Notebook completion guide
The notebook : an important tool! The notebooks provide essential information that complements information from fur transactions and facilitate the production of provincial wildlife harvest status reports mffp.gouv.qc.ca/the-wildlife/hunting-fishing-trapping/provincial-fur-bearing-animalharvest-status-reports-2014-2015/ 2
The notebook : an important tool! 3 It is also the ideal way for trappers, who are thoroughly familiar with the territory, to actively contribute to the management of species. It is essential that the information submitted be ACCURATE. Accurate information Accurate situation reports Proper management decisions
Why change the notebook? To facilitate information input (it is easier to fill out and clearer) To enhance the quality of data To bring it into line with the key broad lines of the new 2018-2025 management plan 4 mffp.gouv.qc.ca/documents/faune/plangestion-animaux-fourrure-2018-2025-ang.pdf Second, the MFFP will also review how the notebooks are distributed between regions and networks (unstructured territory and traplines).
New features New species have been added with respect to daily monitoring of the animals captured: 5 Potentially more sensitive species: grey wolf, river otter, Canada lynx, bobcat, marten and fisher, which are usually species that can tolerate fairly low levels of harvesting. Such species must be more closely monitored. Muskrat, coyote Grouping of species trapped with the same traps: Facilitate the link between the trapping devices used and the species caught; Acknowledge that traps are often not intended for only one but several species.
New features 6
New features 7 When you note the number of traps installed (= effort), you must do so for all of the traps that target the same group of species, regardless of the species targeted. For example, indicate the number of traps installed that target beaver + the number of traps that target otter + the number of traps that target both species. However, only note captures of the species requested. For example, only indicate the number of otters captured, whether or not the fur is subsequently sold. It should be noted that this information will only be compared from year to year and not from one region to another or from one trapper to another.
Why is this information being requested? Effort = the number of traps installed and their duration of activity Captures = the number of animals captured in the traps, whether or not they are kept or sold This information is used to calculate trapping success (the number of animals captured per unit of effort). This is a better indicator of the state of populations than the number of furs sold since the trappers can alter their effort from one year to the next for various reasons such as an early winter, the price of furs, personal reasons, and so on. Sex of martens and fishers The proportion of female martens and fishers harvested is an acknowledged indicator of harvesting level. Age of lynx and bobcats The proportion of young animals in the lynx and bobcat harvest indicates the state of the populations. Indeed, when lynx and bobcat populations are declining, the production of young is very limited or non-existent. 8
How to fill out the effort section (= number of traps) 9 Indicate the date on which you started your trapping season under START and the date on which you no longer had any traps set under END. 6 6 0 0 0 6 6 If you temporarily interrupted trapping during this period, enter 0 to indicate that your traps were not in use (for example, the traps were installed but you closed them for several days).
How to fill out the effort section (= number of traps) Groups A and B (canids-lynx-bobcat) 10 Indicate the number of traps installed for canids + lynx + bobcats and specify: the number of snares the number of rotating jaw traps the number of foot-hold traps. For example, the trapper installed 50 snares for coyotes starting on October 18. He installed 2 rotating jaw traps for bobcats on October 20. On October 23, he removed all of his traps.
How to fill out the captures section Groups A and B (canids-lynx-bobcat) 11 3 coyotes with snare Captures of foxes do not have to be recorded. For wolves and coyotes, indicate the number of animals captured. For lynx and bobcats, also indicate the age group of the animals captured by the letter A for adult or Y for young animal. When several types of traps have been installed, itemize on the bottom of the page the number of captures by trap for the entire week. The trapper captured 1 coyote on October 19 and 2 on October 22. He also caught 3 young bobcats on October 21 and recorded the details at the bottom of the page.
How to fill out the effort section (= number of traps) Groups C and D (mustelids-raccoon-skunk-squirrels) 12 Indicate the total number of traps installed for martens + fishers + raccoons. For example, the trapper installed 10 traps for martens on October 18. On October 20, he added 5 traps for fishers and raccoons until the following day. On October 22, he had no traps set.
How to fill out the captures section Groups C and D (mustelids-raccoon-skunk-squirrels) 13 For martens and fishers, indicate the sex by the letter M for male or F for female. For example, the trapper captured 2 male martens on October 19 and 1 female marten on October 20. He did not capture any fisher. Captures of raccoons must not be recorded.
How to fill out the effort section (= number of traps) Group E (beaver-otter) 14 Indicate the total number of traps installed for beavers + otters. 5 5 5 5 0 For example, the trapper installed 5 beaver traps on October 18. On October 22, he had no traps set.
How to fill out the captures section Group E (beaver-otter) 15 Indicate the number of daily captures of otters. 1 5 5 5 5 0 The trapper caught 1 otter on October 19. Captures of beavers must not be recorded. If beavers alone were caught, only record the effort. 5 5 5 5 0
How to fill out the effort section (= number of traps) Group F (muskrat-mink) 16 Indicate the total number of traps installed for muskrats + minks, including submersion traps. 4 24 24 24 26 26 26 For example, the trapper installed 4 submersion traps on October 18. He added 20 rotation jaw traps on October 19 and 2 submersion traps on October 22. The traps remained in use the following week, which explains why END is not indicated.
How to fill out the captures section Group F (muskrat-mink) 17 Indicate the number of daily captures of muskrats. 12 16 9 4 24 24 24 26 26 26 For example, the trapper captured 12 muskrats on October 19, 16 on October 21, and 9 on October 24. Captures of minks must not be recorded.
New features The MFFP is aware that certain specific cases will still be difficult to record, but in such situations it encourages trappers to explain their methods in the notes pages. A page has been provided to record intergroup captures (page 41). 18 0 0 1 0 3 1 1 For example: 1 fisher captured in a snare (for example, a coyote snare) 3 muskrats and 1 mink captured in beaver traps 1 mink captured in a marten trap although the species are in different groups.
New features All of the species trapped will now be recorded in the pages that indicate the abundance and the trend (in the centre of the notebook). Accordingly, the MFFP will be aware of the trappers perceptions of changes in the abundance of all species trapped and their potential prey (pages 24 and 25). 19 Trappers must provide information based on their observations. For certain species, they do not know.
New features The MFFP is taking advantage of the notebook to collect additional information on trapping of black bears (page 40). 20 The trapper installed 2 bear traps for 10 days in the fall. He captured 1 bear. 39 2 10 1 18 19 4 7 1 He also installed 4 traps for 7 days in the spring and captured another bear. This trapper traps in FAMU 39. Remember to indicate the year for the fall and spring.
New features The MFFP will include hunting of fur-bearing animals midway through the management plan to ensure that it incorporates all harvesting methods for fur-bearing animals. This additional information will reveal the proportion of trappers who also hunt fur-bearing animals (page 40). 21 3 No Yes No 1 1 0 For example, the trapper spent 2 half-days (= 1 day) hunting coyotes. He harvested 1 coyote but did not sell the fur. He kept it to tan it himself and make a fur collar for his granddaughter. He did not hunt other canids. Attention: indicate the hunting zone and not the FAMU here.
New features The MFFP also wishes to ascertain the use of live traps in Québec (page 41). 22 x x For example, the trapper used foothold snares for bears and foot encapsulating traps for raccoons. x
The notebook : an important tool! 23 You must fill out 1 notebook per FAMU/UGAF. Trappers who trap in several FAMUs are asked to fill out a notebook for each FAMU visited. Please provide your up-to-date contact information, including your email address. If you have other questions on the notebook, please contact the president of your regional trappers association, the Fédération des trappeurs gestionnaires du Québec (FTGQ) or the regional MFFP office.
The notebook : an important tool! 24 It is important to return the completed notebook to the regional office of the MFFP (the address is indicated in the notebook). The deadline for returning the notebooks is July 8 for spring bear trappers, but you can send them at the end of your trapping season. The information will be enter into the fur-bearing animal information system. The MFFP can return the notebook to trappers if they so desire once the data entry has been completed. A check box has been added for this purpose to the notebook (page 1).
The notebook : an important tool! Do you want to participate in the management of fur-bearing animals? Contact the regional MFFP office and ask to fill out a trapper s notebook. The MFFP will hold a random drawing of Daniel Bonneau s lithographs among the trappers who have completed the notebook. 25