With the trapping season still yet to come, there are some tips that trappers should know about.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jeremey King says that there are a few main things that those who enjoy trapping should do before getting started for the season. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the biggest one is to make sure that they have permission to trap where they want to set their traps.

“Every year it seems like property ownership, or rights, or somebody leases, something changes. So I just encourage any hunter or trapper out there to make contact with those landowners annually. Make sure nothing’s changed, make sure everything is still good to go. It’s always a bad thing when people ask permission once, and they think they have perpetual permission for the years until they’re told no.”

King mentions that another thing trappers need to remember is that their traps have to have tags on them with their name and address, and their Iowa DNR number. He adds that the last thing they need to remember is that they will have to check their traps every 24 hours, so that an any animal that may get caught isn’t left suffering.