Fur and Trapping Lexicon

This dictionary is intended to give animal activists a look into the nomenclature of the fur and trapping industry to further their understanding of these areas, and better rebuke efforts by trappers, fur farmers, auctioneers, and consumers to justify such atrocities.

Bag Limit

This is the number of the particular animal being hunted that each hunter is allowed to kill or “bag” daily. For instance, if the kill limit for squirrels is seven with a total possession limit of fourteen this means that hunters can kill seven squirrels before they are legally barred from killing more. Hunters must then take the squirrel bodies home before they can return to hunt. However, upon their return they can kill seven more squirrels. At this point hunters have reached their total possession limit for squirrel bodies. Hunters must then reduce the number of squirrel bodies in their possession before they can kill again. Once the number of squirrel bodies is below the possession limit of fourteen, the hunters can return to kill more squirrels. In this way there is no limit as to the total number of animals that can be killed in any given hunting season. The exception to this is if a permit is required. Some species, generally larger animals, - such as white-tailed deer- require a permit before they can be killed. This permit limits the hunter to one kill per permit.

Fur Farm

This type of structure is an intensive confinement system where furred animals are raised to be killed for their pelts (skin still containing fur). Animals are crowded into cages and rarely fed on a regular schedule if at all. Most fur farms house their animals in a colder, harsher environment than what is normal. This type of climate causes the imprisoned animals’ fur to grow faster. By suggesting that this type of facility is a farm or ranch, animal exploiters lend credence to the erroneous notion that furred animals are meant to be raised in this manner; that this is where they belong, “on a fur farm.” More appropriately termed, fur farms become furred animal confinement facilities where animals are imprisoned, enslaved and murdered.

Fur Ranch

See "Fur Farm."

In the Round

This refers to a animal whom after being trapped and killed is sold to a "fur buyer" without being skinned. A body sold “in the round” brings a lower price, than the pelt with fur alone.

Permit

A permit is sold by state agencies allowing hunters to kill a certain species of animal (one per permit) for a variety of reasons. First, a permit allows such agencies to control the number of animals from a species, white-tailed deer for example, to be killed each year. While agencies claim this insures a proper balance, it also ensures that a certain animal is not over killed, thus providing an ample selection of animals (moving targets) for the next hunting season. Second, it allows the demographics of the killed animals to be controlled. It also serves as a kind of deterrent against illegally killing animals. Any dead animal that requires a permit to hunt must have the accompanying tag with the body. In some states even the meat taken from a animal must have the accompanying permit. Because a permit is often necessary postmortem it helps to enforce possession laws which determine the number of dead animals a person may keep as a food source at any given time. Some permits allow only male or female deer to be killed while others are indiscriminate. Last, and ethically by far the least, it allows for a greater generation of revenue by the state departments, thus continuing their existence.

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Posted/Updated: 10/21/04