Trapline Journal Weblog

The deadline for submitting an application for one of 1010 bobcat tags is August 15th. The applications can be delivered to an area office by the 15th, or if mailed, must be postmarked by the 15th. There is a $5 non-refundable application fee. The drawing will be held on September 14th at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters. The public is invited to attend.

Applicants must use the form found on page 89 of the 2007-08 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting & Trapping Regulations, or at “The Outdoor Shop” on the Game Commission’s website http://www.pgc.state.pa.us.

The bobcat hunting season will take place Oct. 20 through Feb. 16. The bobcat trapping season will be held from Oct. 21 through Feb. 17.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a 24-page report titled 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

Some interesting survey results for 2006:

• More than 87 million Americans, or 38 percent of the United States’ population age 16 or older hunted, fished or observed wildlife.
• They spent $120 billion that year pursuing those activities which is roughly equivalent to one out of every 100 dollars of goods and services produced in our economy.
• 12.5 million hunters spent $22.7 billion last year. Although hunter and fisherman numbers are slightly declining, expenditures are increasing.
• Hunting of animals such as coyote, fox and raccoon attracted 1.1 million hunters who spent 15.2 million days afield.

The entire report can be found here
http://library.fws.gov/nat_survey2006.pdf

The following is Breaking News by the US Sportsmen’s Alliance. To have these alerts sent to your email account, sign up on the USSA website http://www.ussportsmen.org

(Columbus) – Microsoft has rejected a U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance request to abandon its partnership with the nation’s leading anti-hunting organization.

Microsoft, the software giant, will make a $100,000 donation to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and is partnering with the group on a pilot program called the i’m Initiative. Through the new program, whenever a Windows Live Messenger user has a conversation using i’m, Microsoft will give a portion of the program’s advertising revenue to one of ten organizations selected by the user. The HSUS is one of the choices, and there is no limit to the amount of money that can be donated.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the nation’s leading sportsmen’s advocacy organization, has urged Microsoft to end its support of HSUS, but the company refused. According to Microsoft representative Tara Kriese, Microsoft believes the i’m Initiative is “a great way to enable people to help causes that are important to them.”

“Microsoft is going to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars, probably more, into an organization that recently issued a manifesto that targets hunting for extinction,” said USSA President Bud Pidgeon. “If there was ever a time for sportsmen to take grassroots action, this is it.”

Sportsmen should contact Microsoft and demand that its financial support of HSUS be terminated. Contact Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft, 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052. Phone: (425) 882-8080. Fax: (425) 936-7329.

The Humane Society of the United States opposes all animal use, including trapping, hunting and fishing. It was a key player in the campaigns to outlaw dove hunting in Michigan, trapping in California, and black bear hunting in Colorado. The organization has created a hit list of hunting traditions that it hopes to dismantle, including bear hunting and hunting with hounds.

“The HSUS already has a multi-million dollar budget that it invests in legislative and ballot campaigns to ban trapping and hunting,” said Pidgeon. “The partnership that it has formed with Microsoft, the maker of the Xbox, will allow the organization to make money hand over fist, and continue to fund efforts to ban outdoor sports.”

Sportsmen can make a difference in an issue like this. Companies such as Iams, General Mills, Accor Hotels, Pet Safe, Sears, and Ace Hardware ended relationships with HSUS after thousands of sportsmen levied strong protest.

In 2002, Jeep raised the ire of sportsmen when it aired a blatantly, anti-hunting commercial called the “Deer Hunter.” After a flood of sportsmen’s contacts, Jeep pulled the commercial in three days.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, http://www.ussportsmen.org.

Legislation was unanimously passed earlier this week by the Michigan Senate to help protect
trapping, hunting and fishing.

“The livelihoods of hunting and fishing face risk today unless we can encourage more Michigan residents to appreciate and support these outdoor activities,” said Sen. Randy Richardville, R-Monroe. “This legislation will help promote the importance of these recreational activities and will provide protection by the Department of Natural Resources and state Legislature.”

Senate Bill 441 states that it is the mission of the Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Commission and Legislature to protect and promote the rights of hunting, fishing and trapping for Michigan residents and tourists. This mission statement will be inserted throughout key portions of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act.

Michigan is third in the nation for licensed hunters and eighth in the nation in licensed anglers. These groups provide $1.3 billion and $2 billion annually to the state’s economy.

It appears that bear trapping in Maine will continue. LD1635, “An Act to Prohibit Recreational Bear Trapping” was voted out of committee May 11th as “Ought Not To Pass”. If this bill had passed, it would have reversed a public vote to allow bear trapping.

The bill now moves to the House, but with the “Ought Not To Pass” recommendation from the committee, will likely be voted down.

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife made several policy changes in attempt to settle the concerns of the groups against bear trapping.

Several pro-hunting groups were aligned with the groups against bear trapping. The groups and politicians that sponsored this bill (again, after a public vote last year to continue to allow bear trapping) will never be satisfied until all consumptive use of animals is outlawed. They will not stop at trapping. As usual, their campaign consisted primarily of misinformation, including posting a video on YouTube of a hunter that appears to shoot a bear baited with a box of donuts.

The results of a survey conducted for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies provides information for trappers who wish to compare themselves with other trappers in their area or across the country. The 121-page report is titled “Ownership and Use of Traps by Trappers in the United States in 2004″.

Interesting facts from the report:

• In 2003-2004 there were 103,051 active trappers in the US
• The average trapper used 39 traps per day
• The average trapper owned 112 foothold traps, 50 bodygrip traps, 3 padded foothold traps, 3 cage traps and 36 snares
• The primary species targeted for trapping was raccoon, followed by red fox, coyote, muskrat, beaver, mink, bobcat and grey fox
• In 2004, 35% of trappers targeted coyote, 17% bobcat, 35% red fox, 34% muskrat, 25% mink and 14% grey fox
• 60% of trappers surveyed had been contacted to trap nuisance wildlife

The entire report is available from the Fur Takers of America - What’s Happening page. The entry to download the report is dated 2/17/07.

A good way introduce trapping to the general public is to run trapping booths or exhibits at community gatherings such as county fairs, local sportsmen’s group events, old timer days, Boy Scout meetings and Girl Scout meetings. On a national level, the US Sportsmens Alliance holds Trailblazer events in nearly every state and are always looking for volunteers.

An interesting display can be made of a few tanned furs of furbearers local to your area, some cleaned and whitened skulls, old and new traps and some literature handouts. Giveaways are always popular, and besides literature handouts, state game and fish commissions can usually supply pencils, stickers or other small items as free hand outs.

A trap throw gives the kids and teens something exciting to do. A few 2×4’s, a heavy tarp for a back stop, several set traps hanging from wire or bungee cord and a few baseballs is all the materials needed. The kids throw the balls at the set traps and when the pan is hit, the trap jaws close and hold the ball. Prizes such as teeth from coyotes and bobcats, feathers or inexpensive toys can be given. This can also be used as a fund raiser where you charge a few dollars for throws. Of course the prizes must be a little more substantial if charging people to participate.

Given the chance, most people enjoy looking at and touching furs and talking about their own fur trapping experiences or encounters with predators and furbearers. It’s quick and easy to destroy fur trapping myths about sharp toothed and sharp jawed traps, broken legs, animal injury and human injury. Doing a demo set and sticking your gloved hand in a trap immediately shows people that traps aren’t the destructive devices that some people portray them as. Most people will carry this to the next step with “Well if I was lied to about traps, what other lies about animal use have I been told?”.

You don’t have to give away all of your secrets or draw a maps to your honey holes, but giving the general public basic, hands-on information about fur trapping can go along way with clearing up misinformation and myths. These people will likely never set a trap but most vote or will someday.

JC Penneys and Neiman-Marcus, among others are being criticized for using dog fur in some of their clothing items. It is extremely unlikely they are knowingly using domestic dog fur, which would be a federal crime.

The fur in question is from a furbearer named raccoon dog, which is no more a pet than a common raccoon. Using this animals last name is just another example of groups using mis-information and emotion to force their way of life on others.

The raccoon dog is a wild canine (similar to fox, coyote) with a healthy population in eastern Asia and parts of Europe.

Support retailers who use real fur in their clothing lines by buying their  products and writing letters, emails, etc of encouragement when they are faced with these intimidation tactics.

Hunter, trapper, gun-nut and rock-n-roller Ted Nugent has put in a good word for us trappers lately. Had a good segment about snaring on his “Spirit of the Wild” TV show (Outdoor Channel, Tues, 8pm EST) and recently wrote an article in a Waco, TX newspaper.

What do you say to a trapper? Say ‘Thank You’
Waco Tribune Herald - Waco,TX,USA
In our world of city-fied disconnect and intellectually bankrupt denial, we have seen what happens with trapping bans — bureaucrats scrambling insanely for …

Ted is a life member of the following organizations: The National Rifle Association (NRA), Michigan Bow Hunters, Citizen’s Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Second Amendment Foundation, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners of California, Director Law Enforcement Alliance of America, New York City Benevolent Policeman’s Association, National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Michigan Big Game Hunters Association, Handgun Hunters International, Michigan Sheriff’s Association, National Trappers Association, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, Wisconsin Bowhunters Association, Mississippi Bowhunters, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Spokesman, Outdoor Writers Association of America, Coalition of Michigan Hunters, National Field Archers Association (NFAA), Director Canadian Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA), Putting People First, South Dakota Archery Association, Maryland Bowhunters Society, Arizona Bowhunter Society, United Bowhunters of Connecticut, Massachusetts Bowhunting Association, United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania, Ohio Society of Traditional Archers (OSTA), South Carolina Bowhunters, Director: Michigan Bowhunting Conference and Vice President:American Shooting Sports Council.

His very impressive biography and more can be found on his website www.tednugent.com

There appears to be a growing coyote problem in several southern states.

Coyotes Infest Red Bank Neighborhoods
WDEF News 12 - Chattanooga,TN,USA

Some Red Bank residents have started trapping coyotes in hopes to reduce infestations in their neighborhoods. Doctor John Farr wants to get rid of a pack of …

Coyote population growing in North Carolina
Durham Herald Sun, NC - RALEIGH, NC

Coyotes are showing up all over North Carolina, and some farmers are arming themselves to keep them from attacking their livestock. …

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Many folks do not realize that their pets are disappearing in the jaws of a coyote. Those who understand they have a coyote problem may not know that they can be safely trapped or who they can call. City police and dog catchers are not prepared to deal with the problem.

With prime southern coyote fur going for a $20 bill, that isn’t near enough pay for the effort and risk of trapping these problem coyotes near neighborhoods. Nuisance wildlife control operators can do the job but who’s going to pay the bill? One homeowner shouldn’t have to pay for something that benefits an entire neighborhood.

City officials and neighborhood associations need to face this problem soon. To the states that have banned trapping with footholds: What are you gonna do?

So, coyote trappers, do your part and whack those coyotes out in the wilderness areas and farms. Make some room so that a city coyote can move to the country!