Body traps
Oct. 20 is just around the corner and with it comes a danger that most people aren’t aware exists. The danger can be hidden in the grass, in the ditch, in a box or bucket or even in your driveway culvert.
That danger is the body grip trap. The trap is designed to kill animals like coon, fisher and bobcat and it works very well. The problem comes when an irresponsible sets it where dogs can find it because the trap will kill them as quickly as it kills a coon.
Each fall and winter dozens of Minnesota dogs are killed in body grip traps that were set on the ground, baited with meat or hidden in weeds along coon trails.
Despite the hard work of Rep. John Ward the legislature failed to fix the problem so a nonprofit group called Dog Lovers 4 Safe Trapping Minnesota has formed to change the way body grip traps are used to prevent dogs from being killed in them. Our website is http://www.doglovers4safetrappingmn.org <http://www.doglovers4safetrappingmn.org> .
The solution is simple and trappers in many other states and Canadian provinces are already using dog safe methods. We have short videos showing the common sense solutions. Simply placing the traps five feet off the ground will protect dogs and still allow the trapper to catch plenty of furbearers and still allows the trapper to only check the trap every three days. The three day check seems to be the biggest reason why some trappers use body grip traps.
You can read more about these common sense solutions on our website. You can also read how to hold the trapper who kills your dog financially accountable.
John Reynolds
Merridfield
Comments (39)
Add commentHow about people or kids?
Thanks for the article. I thought these were already illegal as a rule. And as much as I love my dog--and I do--I would worry even more about one of my young children, my husband, or myself playing and accidentally stepping in one. Dogs are sweet and well loved in our family, but babies are irreplaceable.
John
How many furbearers can you trap five feet off the ground? Muskrats? Mink? Beaver? Weasels? Coyotes? The only thing that comes to my mind would be a pine marten.
Putting traps off the ground that high would effectively abolish trapping in MN. If that is that what you really want, just say it.
Trip
What do you think of that last sentence?? I was kinda hoping that this would not make the online. I read it in paper this morning. Gee thanks Denton.
Everything I have found so far on line
says 6 dogs last year. Where does fish come up with dozens?
That's DFL votes per dog, I assume.
eyolf slowly slinks lower.......
OFB
I didn't see that. That IS very interesting. It sounds like they can now perform a citizens arrest(?).
Right, eyolf. And there will be hundreds of dead women from "back-alley" abortions if Roe V. Wade is overturned.
What animals can you catch
What animals can you catch off the ground?
Raccoon, fisher, marten can be and are caught 5' off the ground. Maine allows 7x as many fisher and marten as MN allows each season and they require body grip traps to be set off the ground.
Dave Orrick from the St. Paul Pioneer Press just did an article on body grip traps. He really did his homework and dug deep into this issue.
Here's the article.
http://www.twincities.com/outdoors/ci_21812576
Here's what he found when he contacted states that have already changed the way body grip traps are used in their state. The fur harvest was STABLE. In other words all the sky-is-falling rhetoric is just that; empty rhetoric.
Here's a prime example of empty rhetoric from someone who obviously doesn't know much about trapping.
"Putting traps off the ground that high would effectively abolish trapping in MN."
Other states have led the way and it had NO EFFECT on the number of furbearers taken. Trappers just adjusted to the new methods and the sky didn't fall.
At a recent meeting our group
At a recent meeting our group held the DNR furbearer specialist was there. He said the biggest sticking point is bobcat trappers who depend on body grip traps because bobcats can't routinely be caught 5' off the ground but ALL the other species normally caught in body grip traps can be routinely taken off the ground or in real dog proof boxes.
He said the DNR estimates that only 700-900 trappers set for bobcats. Take the figure 800 and subtract the bobcat trappers who don't use body grips on land and I'm willing to bet the real number of trappers who set body grips for bobcats is LESS than 500. There are 2,000,000 dog owners in MN.
Footholds are more effective for catching bobcats but require daily checking. Body grip traps are less effective but only have to be checked every 3 days and that is the number one reason why some trappers depend on them. It's less work for them but less work for them means more dead dogs for us.
I forgot about that tripwire.
They haven't outlawed a scissors to the skull of a living emerging infant yet, but one of the people supporting that want's a choke trap for an animal outlawed. Sorry fishhead, a dog doesn't qualify ahead of a child. I see what's wrong with the liberal way now.
Was smartguy your teacher fish?
6 maybe = dozens???????
More empty rhetoric from the MTA
Here's a good one.
The MN Trappers Association (MTA) representative testified last spring that the sky-would-fall and trapping would disappear or something to that effect if body grip traps were required to be set off the ground and away from dogs.
Here's the MN Trappers Association training manual.
http://www.mntrappers.org/_fileCabinet/trapper_manual.pdf
Pay special attention to page 46. You'll see a pole set built exactly in the way the MTA rep testified would NOT WORK. He was wrong because fisher, coon, and marten have been caught by the thousands on this exact set. I believe he was deliberately misleading the committee.
Read what the WI furbearer
Read what the WI furbearer specialist said about dogs being killed in body grips. It's interesting to hear how many were killed and then to hear some trappers in MN claim that it's a rare event and that nothing needs to change.
One thing the WI guy is wrong about is that large dogs are only being killed in illegal sets. At least 2 full sized dogs were killed in WI last year in legal sets. They've done a good job and deserve to be commended but they need to go further in order to bring the number to zero.
http://www.twincities.com/outdoors/ci_21812576
25 dogs reported caught in a single year. Unknown number of dogs caught, killed and not reported.
Out of the 25 dogs caught (and reported) 18 were killed.
They were concerned enough in WI that the WI DNR activated emergency rule making to fix the problem. In contrast the MN DNR is stalling the inevitable change.
When you start out with "Fubby" you
make yourself irrelevant, eyolf. Grow up and come back to talk another time. I am tired of your hillbilly Deerwood blather.
Pssst. did you leave that fireworks at the lot in town?
Was part of your hatred of magnum because you got fired?
traps in the air??
How in the --LL are you going to get a beaver?? Beavers are one of our biggest problems.
Beaver can be caught in
I agree. Beaver can cause a lot of property damage and need to be controlled. Taxpayers spend a lot of money keeping culverts open and repairing road damage from beavers. They can also eliminate their own food supply. I can take you to a dozen beaver ponds where they have completely stripped all the aspen within 150' of the water. That forces them to spend extra time on land where the wolves can catch them or depend on lower food quality plants.
Beaver can be caught in submerged 330's just like we currently do. No one is talking about changing the restrictions on them because they aren't the ones killing dogs.
The author is still angry because his dog died.
He was out checking his own traps with his dog, let his dog run with no control on the dog and the dog died. He – the author – is responsible for his dog’s death. He was an irresponsible dog owner and the dog lost.
It's easy to tell which replies
are from people that don't own a pet, think life is simple and who will vote for Obama. Or pretend they wont but they really do want the "simple easy life" and will.
I wonder why is there so much
I wonder why is there so much resistance to making trapping sets safer? If the industry has stayed stable in states that have already adopted this simple safety precaution, then what is the big deal?
I don't trap, but I do have kids and pets. I would hate to have one of them lose life or limb just for someone else's convenience. I do know a person who traps and I asked him to explain this to me, and he said he has no problem with setting them off ground as that is his normal practice anyway. He traps on his own land and also has dogs. He doesn't want to catch his own dogs or anyone else's. It just seems like common sense to trap in the safest method possible, especially since it doesn't effect the yield at the end of the year.
minnesota
does MN. not have a leash law?? I live in the country and I keep my dog in my yard unlike the teacher down the road from me.
Well, should I keep the
Well, should I keep the teenage kids on a leash too? Wouldn't it just be easier to encourage responsible trapping? I as joking with my husband that maybe land mines would be a better option than these traps...I mean, the explosion could let you know when to go check them.
I'm really surprised at this argument...we can't have decent fireworks sold in the state of MN because we need 'protection' as a people...but you guys won't insist on responsible hunting devices?
Minnesota allows hunters to
Minnesota allows hunters to use free ranging dogs and non-hunting dog owners to be accompanied by dogs off leash. The excuse that dog owners aren't "managing" their dogs is just an attempt to evade responsibility by a few and I emphasis few trappers. Most trappers do NOT use body grip traps on land.
The responsibility belongs to the person who sets the trap. The traps act like land mines and even worse can be baited or lured to attract animals including dogs. If you wanted to catch and kill dogs you would use body grip trap sets like are currently legal.
Trappers in many states and some Canadian provinces have already changed the way they use body grip traps to prevent killing dogs.
There is no reason why MN trappers cannot do the same.
Barbara,
your children are in more danger at school or on the way there, than they are on an excursion in the woods.
if you cant control your dog, or keep an eye on it you failed
when I am hunting, I ALWAYS know where my dog is...if the dog is doing something it shouldnt be doing, ZAP.
When you fail to control your dog, you failed the dog.
Fair n Balanced :)
My kids Minnesota Virtual Academy online, a fully accredited online public school. I get all the things I love about a traditional school setting including great teachers, community building social environment, and an awesome curriculum. But I don't have to put up with all the negatives found in or on the way to a brick and mortar school...and neither does anyone else if they can work out who can stay at home and be a learning coach. And it is 'working it out'....it isn't easy for any family to figure out how to lose an able bodied family member's income. But the outcome is definitely worth it. It's a blessing.
But Fair, if you read in the paper tomorrow that a teenager lost a foot tomorrow hiking with friends, that statistical anomaly wouldn't bother you? To me, it would be a preventable tragedy that everyone has to be sorry for after the fact. I hate preventable tragedies...I mean, it isn't like he or she would have chosen to go do something dangerous...which, by the way, I support anyone's right to do whatever they like whenever they like...with the exception of hurting someone else in the process.
To me, setting antiquated trapping devices when other strategies are viable seems really irresponsible. Kind of like...you can't have decent fireworks on the fourth of july even though that is my choice...but hey we can lure children out into parade routes with candy thrown in the streets....the consequence? a little three year old girl from I think it was Crosby gets her arm smashed under the wheel of a very big truck that couldn't see her. Would you really tell her parent...well, it was just one little girl. Sorry it was yours.
Restricting sale and use of fireworks and light bulbs hacks me off. It's my choice to raise my electric bill, or to risk losing my fingers. Telling people they cannot buy or set hidden traps where someone can unknowingly step on it and lose a limb...nope, that sounds like taking a precautionary measure to protect the public from legalized 'land mines.'
Barbara, body grip traps are
Barbara, body grip traps are not normally set where a person would step on them and when they are in boxes you'd see the box before you put your foot in it. I think you'd be more likely to trip over it than stick your foot inside and reach the trap.
The real danger is to our dogs because the bait or lure attracts them to the trap or set in trails the dog can be caught simply running down the trail.
Barbara,
lot's of people can't choose to keep their kids in the setting you are lucky to have.
It was an ironic statement I was posting.
Kids are getting taken and murdered on the streets, sometimes on the way to school and it seems that more and more teachers are being charged with crimes involving students all the time.
I challenge you to tell us of a child assulted by a trap in the last 5 years.
I'm not being nasty but, "your children are in more danger at school or on the way there, than they are on an excursion in the woods."
Thanks for the info...interesting point
Thanks for the info. But you know, clearly I don't know much about trapping because I'm not from MN. Typically I know better than to investigate things that I don't recognize when biking or hiking.
But I think how you just educated me about traps in boxes makes the argument. There are people out there that don't trap. Many of them are curious kids. Could a mistake happen? I mean, seriously, could it? I'd like to know. Would it bother you if a curious kid put his hand in a box you set because they didn't know it was a trap device?
If the concern is exclusively a beloved pet, would it bother you that someone lost their animal?
And just because I'd appreciate the information, where are people typically trapping? I'd like to share the information with my own family.
Barbara go to our website
Barbara go to our website http://www.doglovers4safetrappingmn.org and click on the Hot Topics link. There is a body grip trap fact sheet that can answer a lot of your questions on how they are used and where. You will be shocked at how little regulation there is on such a lethal device.
To answer your question on could a kid get caught in one reaching for the 'thing' in the back of the box the answer is yes. It's not uncommon to use feathers or fur for bait.
As far as where they can be set the answer is almost anywhere. That's also in the fact sheet.
And putting the trap
5 feet off the ground will "NOT" entice a curious child? What child sees something out of place in a tree and does not try to climb and get it? So you put it off the ground and now the child is caught and hanging there – real nice fishhead!
Until fishhead's dog died under his supervision (lack there off) he too was setting these kinds of traps or had no issue with them.
Fishhead, could a curious child place her hand or small foot in a leg hold trap? (the answer is yes and the child could be severely hurt and maimed) Would there be a parent there to help the child? Maybe but how would the person even know how to open the trap – so they may have to leave their child to go get help. But in your logic, hey at least the person who set the trap will be in there within 24 hours.
The trap that you allowed your dog to get killed in was legally set. You were responsible for watching over that dog and you did not and your dog lost. You know what these types of traps look like and where to set them and yet you were setting traps near another trappers line while not watching your dog - don't get mad at anyone but yourself.
connibears
here we go again, thought we beat this up enough last year, if you want to complain about trappers you have that right but at least make sure you understand what your talking about.laws were changed this year moving the trap back 7 inches in the cubby to protect dogs,a trap set 5 ft. off the ground will still catch some furbearers but if you have any knowledge about trapping you know it will be much harder and in many cases impossible to intice that animal that far off the ground, so there will be less caught and then people will be complaining that they are missing there cats, fisher like cats, or there are less birds coon like eggs, etc. trappers need to be responsible and avoid areas with people and pets pet owners need to be responsible also. just because you dont understand trapping or what makes a trapper tick dosent make him wrong just different then you and that should be o.k. use some common sense folks. now i have to go check some traps.
I'm glad to learn that there
I'm glad to learn that there was a change made to make these types of traps safer for dogs. I hope they follow up to see how successful this change is.
I do wonder if anyone has looked into how many cats are killed by traps. Cats are also companion animals and some cats are kept outside for the purpose of hunting vermin. Our family has both indoor cats and barn cats. Since domestic cats are very close to the types of animals that would be trapped, can climb trees, and are notoriously hard to keep "in the yard", I wonder how many trappers have caught cats?
I remember as a child we had a barn cat go missing for about 3 weeks. When she came back, one of her front legs was stripped to the bone on both sides with just a strip of fur and the tendon on the front and back. Her paw was there, but was unusable because of the severed tendons and missing muscle. It was determined that she had been trapped and then released when trapper came to check the traps. It took her a long time to make it home and the wound was seriously infected. I remember the stench. I have no idea how much the vet bills were. We did manage to save the cat and she had a long life after that, but she never was able to use the leg again as anything other than a club (she could move the shoulder, but nothing else).
Does that kind of thing happen a lot? And if a trapper finds a cat like that in trap, do you usually kill the animal to put it out of it's misery? Or just release it and let the chips fall where they may?
I can't imagine that there is any way to make trapping more "cat safe" though. It's not practical to have every trap be a live-trap. Just curious about how the trapping industry deals with cats.
I know there are some people who are definitely NOT cat people. Please be respectful of those that are and don't make comments about killing cats is a good thing. :-)