Montana Trapping Ban

[Ben Lamb]

Bambistew - check this article out

http://billingsgazette.com/news/sta...cle_80a58ed7-b32d-54a7-8dce-a6aa905284ad.html

The Montana Trapping Association has been working with the FWP for years to try and reduce conflicts with other forest users. Other than what is mentioned in this article, they were also a driving force in NOT allowing snares for wolf trapping. If you read the article you will see that they are suggesting even further setbacks than what FWP wants.

MTA has been trying to get mandatory trappers ed in statute for years now. We almost had it in 2011, but it was killed in the Senate over some pretty rank politics. When SB 400 and another bill died, the Senate killed Pt Connel's trapper ed bill on third reading.

Trappers have been good on a lot of issues in MT. it's the politicians that won't sit down and get the work done.

 

[Bambistew]

Thanks for the link. Glad to see MTA is trying to get ahead of this. I think they have a pretty serious uphill battle, and I think they will have to give up more than a couple hundred feet of trail corridor.

Elkantlers... why would someone trapping coyotes, or fox, or.. care about "fur friendly" traps. Lack of regulation over predators and non-game animals is going to be a critical issue I think.

I often wondered why some states regulate coyotes, fox etc. Do you think if MT regulated all their animals they could regulate means and methods for trapping on private/public lands? Do you think it stands a chance of ever happing?

 

[Ben Lamb]

I often wondered why some states regulate coyotes, fox etc. Do you think if MT regulated all their animals they could regulate means and methods for trapping on private/public lands? Do you think it stands a chance of ever happing?

Due to predation concerns on sheep and calves, coyotes have typically been unregulated in the west, especially where the Ag lobby is dominant.

 

[elkantlers]

Elkantlers... why would someone trapping coyotes, or fox, or.. care about "fur friendly" traps.

Wow, you really have to ask this question?
I use fur friendly traps because I am not cruel. I don't want to see animals suffer. I also respect the animals I traps same as the animals I hunt. I also use them because of non-target catches. Listen up...... I DON'T WANT THE ANIMALS HURT...

Why do you try to make good clean one shot kills on the animals you hunt? Because you don't want to see them suffer. At least that's why I try.

I have posted photos of animals in traps on here before and people have commented on how relaxed the animals are.

I also traps in the same areas as people that run hounds in. I have caught hounds in traps and the guys just give me a call and let me know they removed the dog, Unharmed, and that I need to go reset the trap next time I am up there. I have asked them and not once was a hound injured.
I think that speaks volumes about trapping the right way. I can coexist with houndsmen and have no issues.

 

[DAVIDKERR]

work togethert

you hunters in mt need to support the trappers in mt for a host of reasons not the least of which if the trappers arent trapping predators, the predators will be dining on your selected species you like to hunt>from elk to pheasants.