571—108.8(481A) River otter and bobcat.
	108.8(1) License requirements. Each person who takes river otters or bobcats shall have a valid fur harvester license and pay the habitat fee if normally required to have a license to hunt or trap.
	108.8(2) Open area. River otters may be taken statewide. Bobcats may be taken in the following counties: Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Audubon, Boone, Cass, Cedar, Cherokee, Clarke, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Mills, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, Page, Plymouth, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, and Woodbury.
	108.8(3) Seasonal bag limit.
	a. 	The seasonal bag limit for river otters is 3 river otters per person.
	b. 	The seasonal bag limit for bobcats is 1 bobcat per person in the following counties: Audubon, Boone, Cedar, Cherokee, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Delaware, Guthrie, Harrison, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Lyon, Monona, Muscatine, Plymouth, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Webster, and Woodbury.
	c. 	The seasonal bag limit for bobcats is 3 bobcats per person in the following counties: Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Cass, Clarke, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Fremont, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Mills, Monroe, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, and Wayne.
	d. 	No more than 3 bobcats total can be legally harvested by a fur harvester in a season. River otters or bobcats trapped in excess of the seasonal bag limit or in a closed area must be turned over to the department; the fur harvester shall not be penalized.
	108.8(4) Season dates. The season for taking river otters and bobcats opens on the first Saturday in November and closes on February 28 of the following year.
	108.8(5) Reporting requirements. Anyone, including a landowner or tenant not required to have a fur harvester license, who takes a river otter or bobcat must report the harvest and arrange to receive a CITES tag from the officer or designated DNR employee within seven days of harvest. The river otter or bobcat shall be skinned and its lower jaw or skull turned over to the DNR conservation officer or designated DNR employee at the time the CITES tag is issued. If the specimen is to be kept whole for taxidermy purposes, a cut shall be made by the trapper between the gum line and eye so the CITES tag can be attached to the skin.
	108.8(6) Tagging requirements. Every river otter or bobcat that may legally be kept must have a CITES tag attached. Tags will be supplied by the conservation officer or designated DNR employee. The tag must remain with the pelt until the pelt is sold or used for other purposes that render it no longer available for sale. Persons displaying river otters or bobcats as taxidermy mounts or as other decorative items must keep the tags in their possession as proof of legal harvest.
[ARC 7933B, IAB 7/1/09, effective 8/5/09; ARC 8889B, IAB 6/30/10, effective 8/18/10; ARC 9654B, IAB 8/10/11, effective 9/14/11; ARC 0188C, IAB 7/11/12, effective 8/15/12; ARC 0831C, IAB 7/10/13, effective 8/14/13; ARC 3799C, IAB 5/9/18, effective 6/13/18; ARC 4530C, IAB 7/3/19, effective 8/7/19; ARC 5067C, IAB 7/1/20, effective 8/5/20; ARC 5681C, IAB 6/16/21, effective 7/21/21; ARC 7010C, IAB 5/3/23, effective 6/7/23; see Delay note at end of chapter]