Pup killed by conibear trap....

[LOTWSvirgin]

http://www.terrierman.com/traprelease.htm

Sorry the only way I can do it is with a link

[Dave S]

Very useful info. Thanks LOTW.

[jigginjim]

Very sorry to hear about the pup. The thing that was not said was the type of set. Cubby sets are designed to Hopefully prevent dogs from getting into coni traps. I try to do cubby with a large over hang to prevent dogs from getting near the trap or do a downing set if possible. The other set is a coon foot hold trap (dog proof) dog can't get paw into hole for trap. This can be a very hard subject for both sides, trappers have done alot in the past several years to try not to catch pets. (feral cats don't count as pets) you see them, you can count on 1 pheasant per day being eatin.

[picksbigwagon]

I have no idea about the trapping laws and what is legal and what is not. On that same line of thought, I am no position to decide what is "ethcical" and what is not either. Common sense should prevail in most of life's situations, including this one.

I totally agree that the loss of the pup's life is tragic.

I liked the idea of comparing it to pheasant hunting ditches, it is legal, but common sense needs to prevail. I was pheasant hunting a few years ago SE of Belle Plain. The swamp offered one bird and as i swung the gun, the bird flew on a course that took it past a house, definitely outside the 500 foot barrier, I was on public land but I didn't take that towards the house with the kid looking out the window. common sense.

[SneakAttack]

And after 3 pages of another controverisal issue with so many trappers who are pro-trapping on public land, not one of you has posted anything about how to release a pet from a conibear trap.

My neighbor was walking her yellow lab who was a little too curious about something and found himself with a paw and his head stuck in a conibear. It was a half hour before someone could get there who knew how to release the trap and get the dog out. Had he not had his leg in the trap also, he would have been another casualty.

So here's my calling out to the trappers in this thread. Many of us have no idea how to release one of these traps if the need arises. Fill us in. Not just text, show us a pictorial view of how these things work.

It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

The 2009 hunting and trapping regs has the entire page 53 showing how to release a dog from a conibear

As a trapper, i don't set many traps in high traffic areas but when i do and the public land says you are required to, I use the cubby set shown on page 51 and have good succes with that set

[Surface Tension]

Considering the topic you guys are staying fairly cool. Thank you for that.

Sorry about your pup.

jparrucci, when you cool off a bit you'll realize that your beliefs and PETA's are much much different.

If your goal is to "safer" trapping practices you'll be a lot more effective going a different route and stand a better chance of being taken serious as opposed to being associated with a bunch of lunatics.

[benbosh]

And after 3 pages of another controverisal issue with so many trappers who are pro-trapping on public land, not one of you has posted anything about how to release a pet from a conibear trap.

Its also in the 2009 hunting and trapping regulations booklet on page 53

... never mind, SneakAttack put the sneak attack on me and beat me to putting it on here

[Dave S]

Ben,

I'm not a trapper so I pay no attention to the trapping reg's. But thanks for pointing out the location of the info.

[Nate McVey]

Thanks for posting that info guys, it is helpful to those of us that don't trap. I'm very sorry for the loss of this pup, but also grateful for the trappers and the benefit to the small game population.

I would like to get into trapping when I move out of the cities and have learned a lot from reading your posts in this forum. Thanks.

[benbosh]

Ben,

I'm not a trapper so I pay no attention to the trapping reg's. But thanks for pointing out the location of the info.

Either am I but sometimes I just look at stuff just 'cause. I even read the Wild Rice regulations and to be honest, I dont even know what it looks like for sure other than what it looks like in my turkey soup or with my pheasant in the crock pot

[mudslinger]

Good info guys. I guess we all should be able to utilize the same lands some how. We all pay for it equally. Im a bird hunter and I have a choc lab that does all the work. I feel lucky I have never had a problem but that could also be because of responsible trapping practices. Thanks to all the trappers that use good judgement. If we all keep each other in mind, negative experiences should minimalized

[Flying_Fort]

First off, it's very sad to hear about the pup.

I am a very novice trapper. They only real trapping I have done has been up north of Bemidji for beaver and coon. Didn't get any. I have family in SW MN and hunt public land down there. I do not think it is as bad as some people think. Sure, there are not as sharp people everywhere, but a pandemic no.

As far as banning ANY of our outdoors privileges is a bad idea. Think about it for a minute, you successfully ban trapping in the state. What is next? With one win the PETA folks and many other organizations will be salivating to ban hunting and fishing next. Because, fish have feelings too!

I cherish my time in the field be it hunting or trapping. Neither I am great at since I am self taught, my Dad was not much of an outdoorsman. He would rather hit little white balls into a hole in the ground, which is also fun!

[walleyes12]

Wow I really thought this topic would be heated by the time I got to work this morning, but its been very cool. Like I mentioned before, I am a serious trapper, I have friends that trap for the goverment, to help ranchers out west. I am too trying to get a job with the goverment to trap for ranchers. so some of you bleieve it or not we trappers are doing good.

I was thinking about this last night, if you non trappers are concered about a trap our a trapper in your area, please call your local CO!! I have had a few times were a non trapper saw my trap and called our CO. The CO officer then called me up, told me I was doing nothing illegal, but someone is concerened about your trap. I then would go and apologize to the home owner, give them my business card, and pull my traps. Both times the land owner gave me 80 more acres to trap. My best advice is stay in contact with your CO, work together! Lets not start bashing other hunting groups, we all enjoy the outdoors!!

[Cooter]

I might have to look up the WI trapping laws - when I used conibears for fisher there were rules in regards to using a cubby with only a certain size entrance plus it had to be recessed inside it X amount as well. Believe it was no more than 49 or 50 square inches, which is what a 220 is, and had to be in 10 inches? When I trapped it would have taken a pretty small and narrow dog to have gotten in there.

Now of course for coons you'd need a slightly different cubby setup, exactly what that would be I don't know. However it seems like a logical way to allow trapping and minimize such accidents. Maybe I'm missing something, have only trapped for fishers one year so I'm very limited on experience.

[bigg edd]

Getting a dog out of a 220 is no easy task. Next time your in a store that sells traps try squeezing the springs of a 220 together and getting the saftey hook set. Now imagine a 80 or 100 pound dog thrashing around. It's not going to be easy given the amount of time your going to have getting the trap off before doing harm to the dog.

I don't trap public land. If somebody wants me to trap their land for predator control the first thing i ask about it dogs. If they have them they must keep them tied up or i wont trap. period. I also ask them to talk to their neighbors and let them know someone is trapping in the area.

[mrklean]

very sad story never want to hear about anyones dog being killed

[ironman]

Lets just say I strongly dissagree with banning trapping on public lands.

[T&KK]

I'm don't want trapping banned on public land either. What I believe in is a heighten amount of responsibility through very minimal regulation. I can't stand peta so don't think i'm agreeing with anything they say either. My only gripe is that there is no safety on a trap so if they won't place boundaries then trapers need to be more educated and responsible for what they catch. If you place your trap where you catch a dog, be ready to pay for the consequence. That way it is up to you to take the risk. Maybe the half witted trappers would get weeded out and the rest of the good population of trapers would get a better image in the public eye. I appreciate all the responsible trapers posting on here, but unfortunately not everyone is as level headed as you. If as many dogs got shot as caught in traps, people would be going crazy.

[Recon]

Was out grouse hunting yesterday with my springer Kira. She's only 30lbs and a great little bird hunter, grouse, pheasant. We were hunting a low area full of deadfalls, along a cut, north of Crosslake. After 2 hrs of no birds or tracks we were nearing a logging road, when she gets birdy. Finally a bird, I thought. Lucky for us she was only 10 feet in front of me when I spotted something out of place, just in front of her. Conibear set in a box, baited with a dead pheasant! So does it make sense to bait with game bird remains when typically at this time of the year the many outdoors men are bird hunting? Consider us birds hunters, when trapping. Kira was just doing what she loves and was breed to do. Unfortunately, in this situation it almost cost me my best friend!

There needs to be a system of marking sets!!!!!

[T&KK]

Thankyou recon,

This is exactly what i am talking about. Trapers need to figure out a way to weed out the dumb to save what they love to do and their god given right. With rights comes responsibility.

[walleyes12]

Thankyou recon,

This is exactly what i am talking about. Trapers need to figure out a way to weed out the dumb to save what they love to do and their god given right. With rights comes responsibility.

Come On! Thats true for all outdoor activities!!!!! Trapers have just as much rights as you do

[upnorthozzy]

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[TylerS]

Thankyou recon,

This is exactly what i am talking about. Trapers need to figure out a way to weed out the dumb to save what they love to do and their god given right. With rights comes responsibility.

In that respect, lets weed all the dumb people out of fishing and hunting. Force hunter ed courses every 10 years for people who want to particpate. Never mind that a majority of sportsmen know what they are doing and are doing it respectfully and ethically. Punish everyone because of the a small minority.

Sound argument....

[JayinMN]

I would be devastated if one of my dogs got caught in a trap and killed. They go everywhere with me and are like part of the family. I have had them get caught in snares and leg hold traps while on public land, luckily no conibears. Those are the risks you take when taking your dogs off your property unleashed, they may get killed by a trap, wolf, car, whatever. They do not have a right to run loose on public land it is a privilege and trapping is not going to get banned because a few peoples pets are get caught each year. Dogs will lose out before humans do. I enjoy taking my dogs outdoors and there is already enough public land they are not allowed loose on.

I could argue hunting creates far bigger problems then trapping does and the facts are probably there to prove it. Instead of finger pointing maybe the better way of going about this would be for a bird hunting group or dog club to approach the Minnesota Trappers Association to let them know their concerns and see if they would publish a article in their magazine with ideas on how to help keep pets safe. I bet they would be more then happy to put it in there and it would be more proactive then joining peta or finger pointing between groups.

[walleyes12]

JayinMN- Great Post, Trappers and dog owners need to work together!!! I also do alot of pheasant hunting wtih my springer! I also carry a pair of "setters" in my hunting vest incase my dog finds a conibear. Myself, I am more than willing to work with dog owners and bird hunters, as long as there willing to work with trappers. I am not going to stand for finder pointing at trappers!!! Its a two way street!