Clockwise from top : An outdoor snare set ; a dog-proof or DP trap used for raccoons ; a foothold set for coyote trapping .
COURTESY OF BOB SHEPPARD ( TOP ); CHRIS INGRAM ( BOTTOM 2 )
release them alive and unharmed ,” he adds . “ For that reason , those types of traps are very restricted to how and where they can be set .” Wood adds that other wildlife is unlikely to be caught in body-grip traps , and those that do are usually other furbearing species that are legal and in season , such as an otter in a beaver set or even a squirrel in a marten set .
Next , we have foothold traps . Meant to catch an animal as they are walking , footholds often contain bait and lure in a set , which Wood suggests are more likely to catch a non-target . “ The benefit of a foothold is that you can release that animal alive ,” he says . As for catching cats and dogs : “ It does happen , but with footholds , they can be released unharmed ,” Wood concludes . And if this anecdotal evidence isn ’ t enough to suggest domestic bycatch isn ’ t a large issue , most states require that all domestic animals caught are to be reported to the warden service … seems like we ’ d be hearing from them if there were too many Fifis and Fidos being caught .
MYTH 3
Foothold traps break animals ’ legs , leave them in pain and force some to chew off limbs in order to escape . To dive deeper into this discussion , I reached out to Clay Creech , conservation director for the Missouri Trappers Association . Creech served more than three decades with the warden service in the Show-Me State and is a lifelong trapper and outdoorsman . He ’ s quick to point out that trappers use foothold traps not “ leghold ” traps . Footholds have jaws that clamp around the footpad or paw of animals , not their legs . Creech believes this myth is rooted in a
general ignorance to what traps are , fueled by the false belief that all contemporary traps are akin to the giant , double long-spring , toothy bear traps from the mountain man days .
He indicates modern traps are a far cry from folklore . “ We ’ ve come so far with traps , and trappers have been modifying traps and working with trap companies to make improvements ,” he attests . “ We ’ ve improved traps , but not in the fact that you ’ re going to catch more animals ; rather , the improvements that have been made are really about animal welfare . It ’ s in a trapper ’ s best interest for that animal to be comfortable . The less he fights , the better condition his fur is going to be in when you harvest that animal .” The truth is that trappers care deeply about the resource , so much so , they ’ ve become directly involved with wildlife managers in the development of Best Management Practices ( BMPs ), a program led by AFWA . Creech was one of the trappers who participated and tested 1.5-coilspring footholds in the nationwide study .
The purpose of BMPs was to study how traps affect animals and to provide guidance on the most safe , effective , selective , practical and humane methods and techniques for capturing furbearer species across the United States . Wildlife managers across the country worked with veterinarians , researchers , technicians , and trappers to test every make , model , style and size of trap . Animals were caught , dispatched , and sent to veterinary laboratories for necropsy and assessment of damages . Traps were ranked for animal welfare , selectivity , practicality , efficiency and safety of the trapping methods .
“ Very few modern traps failed the test ,” Creech says , “ although some may have ranked slightly higher than others .”
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