Quinn signs bill to create muskrat trapping season

CHICAGO — Gov. Pat Quinn has signed legislation creating a muskrat trapping season in Illinois.

Quinn signed House Bill 6 on Tuesday. It takes effect immediately.

The law permits muskrats to be taken by trap during an open season to be set every year by the state director of natural resources.

It's illegal to trap muskrat or mink with a leghold trap or a body-gripping trap unless the body-gripping trap is submerged under water when set.

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, muskrats live in every county in the state, usually in ponds and other bodies of water. Some of the highest numbers are in the northeastern and northwestern regions.