On Tue, 10 Mar 1998, BriteMeado wrote to the FML:
 
>I still don't know if hunting is illegal in the USA, would someone comment?
 
Hunting laws come under the jurisdiction of the several States, not the US
government (unless you're trying to do something illegal across state
lines).  Unfortunately, there is no uniform wording among state hunting
regulations, and the rule regarding hunting with ferrets may be in the form
of a statute, an agency regulation, or even just a memo from headquarters to
game wardens and animal control officers.  It is possible that some counties
or incorporated areas may have more restrictive hunting laws than does the
state.
 
Depending on your state, hunting game animals with ferrets may be explicitly
outlawed or allowed.  It may be also prohibited or regulated by class (that
is, without specifically mentioning ferrets), as by a regulation outlawing
hunting with any household animal, which may have orginally been written to
outlaw hunting with tabby cats or coon dogs.
 
Regulations written to prohibit hunting of wildlife may be worded so
vaguely as to prohibit hunting of pest species as well.  For example,
under Massachusetts regulations, woe betide the ferreter SUSPECTED by an
environmental officer to be in pursuit of any "small vertebrate".  The
wording is a holdover from the old days, when there was a lot of concern
about overhunting of small game and migratory birds (not necessarily with
ferrets).  I am seeking clarification from the Fish and Wildlife Division
here to see whether pest species (ie.  rats) are exempt--it's far from
clear.
 
To find out more about the regulations in your state, avail yourself of
"constituent services".  Contact the legislative assistant of your state
representative or state senator.  They should be able to provide you at
least with citations for the relevant section in the state code, or tell you
whom to contact at your Fish & Game HQ.
 
If you decide to use ferrets for ratting or for extermination of other
pests, please be careful and try to get some expert advice on how to
proceed.  Cornered rats have been known to kill or seriously injure ferrets,
and to attack humans.  Also, while ferrets may be immune to rodent-borne
diseases such as plague, leptospirosis, and hantavirus, ferreters are not.
Handling a ferret that has come in contact with an infected rodent's feces,
urine, or fleas will expose you to the disease.  IMO, this really is a
profession for experts and their trained ferrets, not for the casual ferret
owner.
 
Also, epage wrote:
>-Okay my other item is my little girl Tess (Female, MF, fixed and
> descented/only way they can be sold in my state) has been smelling like a
 
Massachusetts regulations do not address descenting at all.  While ferret
OWNERS are required to spay or neuter their animals, pet shops here are
specifically exempt.  The burden of the law falls on the owner--it is the
buyer's responsibility to make sure that they secure the paperwork from the
store that certifies that the ferret is fixed.
 
-- Lee
[Posted in FML issue 2243]