STEPHENSON - Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials have announced specific dates and times the Stephenson Field Office will be available to register furbearers.

The office is located at W5420 River Road, next to the Michigan State Police post in Stephenson.

Furbearer registration hours will be from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Central time) on Dec. 17, and on Feb. 11 and May 5, 2010.

A special Saturday registration session will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on March 6, 2010.

Anyone taking a bobcat, river otter, fisher or marten must bring the animal to a designated furbearer check station for examination. DNR staff will attach an official seal to the pelt of each inspected animal.

"It is preferable to skin the animal prior to sealing, but unfrozen, whole carcasses also are acceptable," said DNR western Upper Peninsula wildlife supervisor Bob Doepker. "Trappers and furbearer hunters also should be aware that they must register their own take and cannot register for others."

Depending on the furbearer species, the skull or canine tooth will be collected by DNR staff to determine the sex, age and physical condition of the specimen. Complete details on furbearer registration and the location and hours of other registration stations can be found in the 2009 Michigan Hunting and Trapping Guide, which is available online at www.michigan.gov/dnr, at authorized license agents or DNR Operations Service Centers.

In addition to announcing furbearer registration hours at the Stephenson office, DNR officials remind hunters the Stephenson Field Office deer check station will not be open during the 2009 deer season because of staff limitations and a lack of funding.

Hunters who would like to have their deer checked can do so at other deer check stations that will be open during the firearms deer season. For a list of open stations and hours, go to www.michigan.gov/deercheck.

Hunters who bring their deer in for examination at a check station help DNR wildlife staff in the collection of valuable information about the herd, including the sex and age of harvested deer, antler measurements and harvest location. In appreciation for bringing a deer to an open deer check station, hunters will be given the 2009 Deer Management Cooperator and Successful Hunter Patch.

For more information about furbearer registration and deer check stations in the western Upper Peninsula, contact Bob Doepker at (906) 228-6561.