You have talked over and over about people being in areas where they shouldn't be and trespassing. What about people that are hunting legally on PUBLIC land? I fully understand the need for trapping - I really do, and I value your rights to do that which you enjoy. My problem is that I don't think these two activities can exist on public land at the same time. As a hunter, I am not bothering your trapping if we are in the same legal area, but as a trapper, your trap is a danger to my dog. There is no way to make it totally safe for someone with a hunting dog - period. I have a small English cocker spaniel - around 25 pounds - what do you think the chances would be of her living thru a meeting with a 220?
My recommendation is that trapping can only be done on any public land OUTSIDE of hunting seasons. Private land is another situation - trapping can exist all they want if they have permission from the owner. Then, it is up to the regular hunter to stay away from trap that are legally marked if they also have permission.
We can all coexist together - just not at the same time on the same land - it won't work.
No - tell me why this is unfair and won't work.
:thumbsup::cheers: There thats better, LOL. Well if what I said is implemented, the 5' off the ground rule, on public land works fine.
I run springers so I am aware of the size thing. A big lab or chessie will not even be able to get the head in the darn thing. I have discussed the public land thing a few times. That is the only place it should be an issue, or road right of ways. Now, trappers as said need to travel, so to have a 5' off the ground rule eliminates most of the WPA's and public land right there. You will have to have a dead fall or tree etc to place the set in. Now a trapper wanting to cover ground is not going to pull in a parking lot and walk out to the middle to a tree to place one. And if he does, it is up safe. They simply will not do it though.
To make a trapper go when season is closed to you, is not going to pan out either. Again lack of trapping knowledge. The fur, for those that do not know, has to be "Prime" as they say. Early, the fur is not prime, the skin is blue. Late, and the critters, coon being the main one, are denned up, like a bear. So you have thousands in time, effort, work, and gas for empty traps. The season is going on at the same time. That will never change.
So this is tricky, a small change in the wrong way, can and will stop trapping all together. People have had strong protests for years and years against trapping, it is not new. So when this pops up from some story in a news paper, trappers go, "God, here we go again"
. They have protested every trapping convention for years. I have been there.
As said above, this rule on public land does protect dogs. And most of this happens in in the north grouse range. Thats where grouse hunters, and trappers are in the woods together. There is thousands of miles of gravel roads in rural MN with no bird cover or trees any where. There are no hunters, there are no birds. There is small creeks, etc full of coon. So change for those trappers ruins the trapping.
Now here in wst cen MN the cover is abundant. Public land, many will not offer a spot to place traps 5' off the ground. There is no trees. But thats fine. Trappers do recognize these areas as hit by humans hard. Highly avoided by them, because they don't want the set messed with. Every set discovered will be destroyed by people. Some reading this might just have done that?
No?. Well good. But it happens to any set found. It truly does. They are stolen, or just pulled and tossed in the weeds where a trapper will not find it. That is the reason, in most of the whole state, but northern grouse ranges, you will not find this trap on public land. We don't want your dogs.
I have talked to several trappers that have trapped for 50-60 years. Never, ever have they caught dogs. Thats a long dang time to never have that accident. And most state wide, will say the same thing. Again pointing out just how rare it truly is. 99.9% of the time, where a trapper sets is where a dog will not go hunting, nor will you. unless the individual is one that walks road ditches. That is where trappers do much of the trapping or close to a road, on private land, so he can see it as he drives by. Also, farm roads where access is easy to drive out to be able to see the set, or short walks. Time is important, in order to have several sets out. It just does not pay for them otherwise these days. Creek crossings, tile washouts, tiny culvert streams, dredge ditches, river bridge areas. Abandon, or even lived in farm sites with old barns, buildings etc. Wooded edges with highly visible varmint paths leading to food, like corn.
So if the rule is applied to place them off the ground on all public. And no hunting or trapping road right of ways with out permission. Will solve the problem, if you ask, and follow the law.
The trapper must be able to use them on the ground on private land .. If not, it will be no more trapping basically. I would never trap again but at home, to control varmints here.
Now if the gov, or some very wealthy person wants to trade all the 220's for live traps I think we could work something out. Live traps are very expensive and not affordable for trappers setting long lines to make some money. For the pest control guy sure. He gets paid good for getting rid of urban problems mainly. But to buy say a hundred traps at 40 bucks a piece is well again not cost effective. I would gladly hand them over for Live traps at a certain size in a gov program. Say Bring in a 220, and we will give you a live trap for every 220. or even 2, 220's for one live set. I would use those. You just need to dispatch the animal with a 22 or something. So that would also be an option, but who would foot the bill?
For a trapper to have to pay thousands for new traps, while throwing away thousands he paid already, will again ruin him. And he will be done.
So there is two easy ways to do this, one costs the state a bunch of doe, or fund the exchange with our pheasant stamps etc. Or the 5' rule on public only, with permission only, for "everything" including hunting, on road ways or private, still allowing any of the present ground sets. Those are the only real ways this works for both concerned sides.
