How to identify it
Smallest carnivore in the family: long tubular body, short tail under a quarter of head-body length. [1][2]
Winter coat pure white in northern animals, but never a black tail tip. [1][2]
Summer: rusty chocolate-brown back, white belly. [1][2]
North American animals average about 45 g and about 190 mm including tail. [1][2]
Compared with the ermine / stoat: Larger with a black tail tip in winter. [1][2]
Compared with the long-tailed weasel: Larger, with a long tail and black tip. [1][2]
Species it is confused with
Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.
- Ermine · Mustela erminea
- Long-tailed weasel · Neogale frenata
Where it lives
Open forests, farmland, grassy fields and meadows, riparian woodland, hedgerows, alpine meadows, scrub, prairies and coastal dunes; generally avoids deep dense forest. [1][2]
How it behaves
Where it is listed for legal take
These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.
Where legal take is listed
- Alberta — trapping · Alberta Guide to Trapping Regulations 2026-2027
- British Columbia — trapping · 2026-2028 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis
- Manitoba — trapping · Trapping of Wild Animals Regulation, M.R. 245/90, Schedule A
- Ontario — hunting, trapping · O. Reg. 670/98 Open Seasons — Wildlife (read via e-Laws .doc export)
- Québec — trapping · Périodes de piégeage
- Saskatchewan — trapping · 2026-27 Trappers Guide
- Alaska — trapping · 2026-2027 Alaska Trapping Regulations No. 67
- Illinois — trapping · Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-2027 (PDF read from cached copy of the digest linked on this page)
- Iowa — hunting, trapping · 2026-27 Iowa Hunting, Trapping & Migratory Game Bird Regulations (DNR PDF; page numbers cited)
- Kansas — hunting, trapping · Kansas Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, Fall 2025-Spring 2026
- Kentucky — hunting, trapping · Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide, August 2026-March 2027
- Montana — hunting, trapping · Predator Shooting (FWP web page)
- North Dakota — hunting, trapping · 2026-2027 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation
- Ohio — hunting, trapping · Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27 (effective 1 Sep 2026-31 Aug 2027); PDF read from cached copy
- Pennsylvania — hunting, trapping · 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits
- South Carolina — hunting, trapping · 2026-2027 South Carolina Hunting & Fishing Laws and Regulations Guide
- South Dakota — hunting, trapping · 2026 South Dakota Hunting and Trapping Handbook
- Tennessee — hunting, trapping · Summary of Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Seasons Dates | TWRA
- Vermont — hunting, trapping · 2026 Vermont Guide to Hunting & Trapping Laws (official lawbook, publisher-hosted)
- Virginia — trapping · Furbearer Trapping Regulations and Seasons | Virginia DWR
- West Virginia — hunting, trapping · West Virginia 2026-2027 Hunting Season Dates | WVDNR
- Wisconsin — hunting, nuisance or unprotected take, trapping · 2026 Wisconsin Hunting and Trapping Seasons PUB-CS-076-2026 (updated 06/08/2026)
- Wyoming — hunting, trapping · WGFC Ch. 4 Furbearing Animal Hunting or Trapping Seasons (dated Jul 14 2021; matches 2026/27 brochure)
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Circumboreal. Most of Canada and Alaska, south to British Columbia, Montana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia and along the Appalachians; range has expanded south in the Great Plains since the mid-1960s.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology