Guest Column
People, Pets, and Traps: A Deadly Mix on Public Lands
By K. Stachowski, 3-19-07
Anyone who has lost a canine companion knows a special brand of heartbreak. Our best friends, even when they exit our lives gently, leave us with monumental grief in the wake of their passing.
But not all exits are timely or gentle. The recent death of a border collie-cross in a trap intended for beaver hammers home this point: a casual stroll on public land can have horrific and deadly consequences; traps are nearly anywhere and everywhere on Montana’s citizen-owned land. Cupcake’s brief life ended along Rock Creek near Valley of the Moon, a popular Forest Service recreation site southeast of Missoula where trails, interpretive signs, and fishing access attract people and their dogs.
There is no consolation in the idea that Cupcake was a “non-target” victim of an illegally-set trap and a fate meant for another sentient, albeit wild, creature. The dog was killed by a Conibear trap (named for its developer), a body-gripping device designed to crush and/or suffocate. When used for beaver, the trap is typically set under water and the animal drowns. The jaws, which spring shut with enormous pressure (90 lbs. per square inch for a beaver trap), are virtually impossible to open with one’s hands alone.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), the state agency that regulates trapping, also champions trapping. In “Maintaining a Buckskin Lifestyle in a Polar Fleece World,” Tom Dickson, editor of FWP’s Montana Outdoors magazine, attempts to borrow cachet for today’s trappers with historical and romantic allusions to Native Americans, Lewis and Clark, and mountain man heritage. There’s little romance involved, however, for citizens enjoying their public land when a much-loved dog is caught in a snare—a wire noose trap that tightens as the animal struggles—as happened earlier this year at Lee Creek, a heavily-used Forest Service cross-country ski and snowshoe destination 26.5 miles west of Lolo on U.S. 12.
Nor has the Bitterroot been immune to canine trapping tragedies. A Conibear death occurred in the Bitterroot National Forest’s Bear Creek drainage when Annie followed the wrong scent. Like Cupcake, she died as her frantic human attempted and failed to wrest open the deadly jaws. In 2005, a trapper shot a companion dog he found caught in his trap in the valley. Elsewhere, in the Ninemile Valley alone, six dogs have been trapped in recent years.
Public outrage over the Conibear death of Buddy (again, on public land) in the Flathead nearly ten years ago forced an improvement in trapping regulations, but after protests from trappers, the FWP Commission now requires that ground snares and traps be set back only 300 feet from trailheads and 50 feet from roads and trails on our public lands.
It’s worth noting that even these lax regulations are limited in scope. Only the so-called “furbearers”—beavers, mink, bobcats, etc.—are managed by FWP and require a trapping license. “Also trapped, though with no license requirement,” according to Dickson, “are badgers, raccoons, and red foxes (classified as nongame wildlife), as well as coyotes, weasels, and skunks (classified as predators).” Public land setbacks from roads, trails, and trailheads don’t apply to this latter, unlicensed group, nor are these trappers required to take trapper education. Montana trappers aren’t even required to check their traps within a mandatory timeframe—a “should” rather than a “must” makes it a suggestion only: “Traps should be checked at least once every 48 hours. It is the trapper’s responsibility to check his/her traps regularly.” (2006 Montana Trapping and Hunting Regulations. )
Fathom this: forty-eight hours—or more—alone in a trap. Terror, pain, thirst, blood-loss, hypothermia. The untold suffering a trapped animal experiences makes instant death seem like mercy. Yet Conibears frequently trap their victims in a manner resulting not in immediate death, but, like a leghold trap, with a period of extended suffering before the animal dies or is dispatched by the trapper. Who would wish this upon a domestic dog…or a wild coyote? Upon a companion cat…or a wild bobcat? Upon bald eagles and owls and other unfortunate “collateral damage”?
Next time you venture out on your vast and spectacular (and taxpayer-funded) federal public land, perhaps you’ll find it necessary to leave your peace of mind at home, particularly if a dog accompanies you. You’ll remember that traps might lie in wait, baited with enticing meat or hidden beneath the water’s surface, and that life and limb are jeopardized by the concealed menaces littering our wild and not-so-wild landscape.
Or maybe you’ll just remember Buddy, Annie, and Cupcake, non-target victims who didn’t return home alive with their grieving humans. Perhaps a carefree day wandering your public land with your best friend won’t seem like such a good idea after all.
Montana FWP trapping regs: http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/trapping/default.html
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Or, are you going to continue to "coddle" the trappers, which unlike hunting organizations, contribute absolutely nothing towards promoting conservation and enhancement of land, wildlife and wildlife habitat?
Since I've learned that traps are pretty much everywhere on our public lands, I don't go recreating anymore during trapping season, which sucks! I just don't want to put my dogs in danger! This is simply unfair since I pay for public lands with my tax $$!! Trappers should not be allowed to use our lands for their cruel "sport'!
I'm not a trapper, and agree with you that a lot of suffering is entailed in the business of trapping. But it is kind of a fact of life in the West that some people do trap, and make a little extra money in that way. It's incomprehensible to animal lovers, and it is one of the truly divisive activities in the modern world.
I have two of my dogs caught in traps, on public land, and yes, I raised some hell, -- not until my dogs got caught--I figured that the trapper was engaged in a legal activity and I had no right to interfere until thye caught my dogs. I have a suggestion.
One of my dogs was caught in a cam lock snare-and this is, toome, an infernal device--which was strung at head level in a thicket with a dead rabbit hanging in front of it as bait. My dog had her mouth open while running and got caught through the jaws and around her head, rather than around her neck, which would have killed her. I looked for her for about two hours-it was dark, she could only make some weird gagging noises when I called for her--and I was able to cut the snare off with my leatherman tool, then cut the wire, flesh and all-it was buried deep by this time, and her head looked like a soccer ball--with some wirecutters i had in my truck.
That was a close call and she still has the wire scar. The other times, were just single or double spring leg hold traps, and they are easy enough to learn how to release, by standing on the springs. They don't hurt the dog too badly if you get there before they fight the trap. People with pets should learn how they work. A drowning set for beaver killed, horribly, a black lab of a family I know--the dog ran out on a log, stepped into the trap, and the concrete block to which it was chained then slipped off the log, as it was meant to do, and the dog drowned within sight of the family--now, there was no way to release the trap, with no way to stand on it (it was on the dog's foot, six feet underwater), but if they had known how, they could have jumped in, grabbed the chain, and unhooked it from the block. Tough but possible. Learn how these things work, so that you save your animals from them if they get caught.
Also, in the case of snares or coyote "getters" that shoot a cyanide pellet into their mouths, you just have to learn whether they are in use, and if so, keep your dogs away--then comes the good argument about whether anybody has the right to keep you from using the lands.
Hal
It appears that they try very hard to align themselves with hunters when it comes to wildlife management and conservation. That is nothing but a distortion of facts.
Under the title, "Practicing Conservationists", Scott Hartman, president of the National Trappers Association states..."The public needs to know that there is no trapping of endangered species".
This is an NOT true. All one has to do is check on the USFWS Northern Gray Wolf website under "weekly reports" and note the number of wolves(endangered species) that have been killed or maimed in coyote traps. Add eagles and lynx to the list and you'll realize the absurdity of his statement.
In fact, there are court cases pending in Maine and Minnesota against their departments of wildlife for allowing trapping in areas frequented by endangered species.
One last point....trapping occurrs year-round with even less regulations than during regular trapping season. Coyote, fox, skunks, etc can be trapped at any time and there are no set back requirements adjacent to trails, roads, streams or trailheads.
Our public lands are not public when a small population of trappers control them and make them unsafe for all. Trapping is not part of our heritage that anyone should be proud of...it's time to end this barbaric activity. Fish, Wildlife & Parks it's time to step into the 21st century.
This "blame it on the pet owners" is getting old.
I couldn't agree more. Setting traps, which amount to concealed weapons, on public land belonging to all citizens, is neither safe nor responsible.
On stupid trapper setting traps illegally obvoiusly is getting all the attention and I guess we do need to get stricter on trapping regulations. Better signage I think could help to make people aware that there are dangers near by. I guess we just need to realize, trapping is a necessary evil and improve the regulations.
I can accept losing a dog to a cougar, wolf, bear etc..I'm in their territory.
And for those of you who have said, "Yo Mr. Hagener, are you listening to the people of this state" and "listen to the masses". I ask you, have you attended public comment hearings regarding trapping regulations? Have you written to your representatives asking for them to put forth legislation banning trapping? Have you organized a citizen's initative to achieve the afforementioned? If not, I don't see what the problem is. If everyone on here who posted arguing for the banning of trapping really cared they would have done all of these things already. If you have, then I comend you. Please keep in mind I am not a trapper or a trapping advocate but I do believe in personal responsibility, action, and looking at all aspects of the situation.
Also remember, many traps, like at Bear Creek, are set illegally. Trappers are old-school, and make money from public resources. Most freeloading trappers aren't going to care about non-target species.The girl at Bear Creek left a note where the trap was, the trapper called from a pay phone and said SHE wanted her trap back. FWP did a spectacularly lame-ass job of following up on the Bear Creek issue, and SHE was never caught. Don't expect anything else if it's your dog.
If you are familiar with conibear traps, they can be relieved by one fairly strong person, but your time is limited. The following website describes how to free conibears (and others):
http://fwp.mt.gov/FwpPaperApps/hunting/trapping/trapbrochlegal.pdf
I printed this out and carry it in every backpack I own. Also, FWP office in Missoula should have these traps so you can go in and see how they work yourself.
Illegal trapping kills more pets than legal trapping (look at the regs to find out why), so we have to be proactive. If my dog dies in a trap, I will stake that thing out and execute serious revenge on the freeloader.
You think it could've stopped after we eliminated 99.5% of the native bison herds, with single marksmen shooting up to 300 a day, and pissing on the barrels of their muzzle-loaders to keep the barrel from getting too hot while they continued to "drop em"
I can understand the culture, tradition, and heritage of the trapping community, where it came from, and how it really worked with the once abundant furbearers that blanketed the West, but like many things that just don't work anymore, like placer mining whole streams for gold, and slaughtering whole bison herds because we could, doesn't mean we can continue to remove and pressure these species just because they happen to be fur-bearers. Certainly stricter controls,safety, limits, and restoration of both habitat, diversity, and numbers could also be part of our stewardship responsibilities to this Great State
as a dog “owner”, I have the responsibility to prevent my dogs from injuring or killing other dogs, wildlife or people – I do leash my dogs when I feel they could get in or cause trouble - THIS is my responsibility! It is NOT my responsibility to leash my dogs (and prevent them from having a good time sniffing and running around in the woods!) just because trappers, a small interest group, want to rip off the skin of innocent wild animals and sell them for a few bucks. The least of the trapping community’s responsibilities is to prevent my and other dogs from getting injured and/or killed in their traps, which pose a threat to everyone.
as a dog “owner”, I have the responsibility to prevent my dogs from injuring or killing other dogs, wildlife and people – I do leash my dogs when I feel they could get in trouble - THIS is my responsibility! It is NOT my responsibility to leash my dogs (and prevent them from having a good time sniffing and running around in the woods!) just because trappers, a small interest group, want to rip off the skin of innocent wild animals and sell them for a few bucks. The least of the trapping community’s responsibilities is to prevent my dogs from getting injured and/or killed in their traps, which pose a threat to everyone.
Government agencies need to be responsible for the consequences of their wildlife management decisions; when it comes to the torture and killing of animals, there's plenty of bad karma to go around.
We have a group TrailSafe and a website trailsafe.org
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