Fur Bearer skulls

I'm just trying to find out how many states REQUIRE you to hand over the skull of your
Bobcat
Otter
Fisher
Martin
When getting them checked and/or sealed by your state wildlife agency?

Here in Michigan we have to Surrender all four of the skulls listed. I am in the process of trying to get facts from our state why they continue to keep the skulls. Many fur harvesters like myself would like the option to keep the skull. (As a trophy, to sell, give to local schools, ect.)

I do understand the importance of recording numbers of certain species and location so you can have an accurate count for future limits, season dates and so on.

I have even asked our DNR personal what is the cost per skull. (With no answer yet)

I don’t think PA requires that? Of course I never have caught any of those elite species. That’s not fair. You bought a tag, caught it legally, you should be able to have it

Bobcat the whole carcass and fisher the head.

In Oregon we have to turn in the lower jaw of cites species so they can determine the animal’s age. Knowing what age classes are mostly being caught helps them determine population health. It actually helps trappers when the antis made unsubstantiated claims about how many critters were allowed to catch.

You’re right. Don’t have to turn over anything. When the fisher, cat and otter seasons were first started, the regs said you were to keep the carcass for 30 days….in the event that the PGC biologists wanted to look at them. That all went away. Probably too many wives complaining about a bloody carcass in the freezer next to the Sunday roast.

In WI we have times when you need to turn In a bob cat skull. But It;s not a yearly thing. And you can get that skull back If you want It.

Thank you all that have responded so far.

South Dakota wants the front half of the lower jaw of bobcats.

Texas does not take anything from you

They will pull samples for CWD off of deer in certain areas but they do it the hard way if you are planning to mount the deer

Bobcats and otter get CITES tagged

Oregon requires bobcat lower jaws (no getting around it, although I turned in an upper jaw once because my dog ate the lower jaw while I had my back turned) and otter lower jaws. Idaho will pay for bobcat jaws but don't require them. Wyoming will take them but also don't require them. Idaho pulls a tooth from bear, cougar and wolf, as do a lot of other states.

I was at the main Oregon office in Salem probably 25 years ago and watched them dumping buckets of bobcat jaws in the dumpster. Made me really cynical about their requirement of turning them in. I honestly don't believe they do anything with them most of the time, but they still require you to turn them in.

No such requirement in Alaska for the managed fur bearers.

Only cats and otter here but don't have to turn in anything. They don't even want to look at them. Just go to the office and tell them how many tags you need.

Lower bobcat jaw is minimal here. I have plans for the carcass and it’s not turning it in to end up on an auction I spend enough for my license for them to be taking back what I catch if I can use it.

That cut up jaw already ruined a good skull.

As elsmasho and Bigbrownie said, no state requirement to turn in skulls on any specie. We don't have marten...yet.

That stinks that you can't at least get them back after the state examines them.

I do have to turn in the lower jaw along with the weight of deer I kill on a 3,500 acre timber company property I hunt. They want the deer on their property to be young and fat. I guess that means we are killing enough and all their hardwood seedlings are not being eaten.

We have to surrender Marten skulls and the entire Cat carcass in MN

Wyoming requests lower jaw for aging, we do not give them and tell the tagging person we plan to sell the skulls- they are fine with it.
They just require seeing the hide for CITES tagging.
We do determine if they are mature or not and weigh every cat in case they want that data.
For mt lions they do ask , not sure if required, to take a small lower tooth for aging and it does not affect the look of the skull.

I have had 2 cats aged in the recent past though, both toms and were aged at 6 1/2 and 8 1/2 yrs old. Found that interesting.

No requirement in Kansas for heads or jaws.

Maybe they had already pulled one canine tooth for aging? I've talked many times with the main biologist in the Corvallis office who does the ODFW aging on bobcats and otters. Seems legit as he's showed me charts for ages from teeth extracted.