Another dog was caught in a legally set 220 in Cass County. The owner ran to the dog and got the trap off pretty fast but according to the partner it took more than 15 minutes of CPR before the dog started breathing on it’s own. The dog appears to be fine but sometimes it takes months or even years before the true effects are seen.
Had the dog been caught in the trap out of sight or hearing it would likely be dead.
Another dog was killed in a trap or snare near Pequot Lakes on opening day of the bobcat season. She left behind a litter of 2 week old pups.
I didn’t see any posts about banning trapping or banning body grips in this thread. There are plenty of dog safe and proven effective ways to trap using body grips and footholds.
Until we trappers stop killing dogs we will continue to make enemies among hunters and especially among non-hunting dog owners. Considering trappers are a very small minority how sensible is that?
You do understand that this is a MN issue don’t you?
I don’t understand your insistence that hunters give up something in order for trappers to stop killing their dogs. That makes no sense to me.
The public land vs private land issue isn’t just about farmers and it isn’t just about hunting dogs. It encompasses all land and all dogs.
Just today I spoke with a woman who was caring for some puppies. Her neighbors dog disappeared yesterday afternoon. It just so happens that yesterday was the start of our bobcat season. My first thought was that the lab smelled something and tracked down the source. That source could very well have been a baited and lured body grip trap. A lab was killed just that way in Crow Wing County on Dec 30, 2012 after it was lured onto private property. It was the second dog to be killed that day in our county.
And once again. No one is telling you that you can’t continue to use body grips. I intend on continuing to use mine but would never consider putting one on the ground. We are only saying to stop killing dogs with them. That can be done with elevated body grips on either pole sets or the vertical box set I described.
When trappers stop killing dogs with body grips Dog Lovers goes away but until that day we have no choice but to continue to move legislation forward and to build support among the 2 million MN dog owners. Next year will will have a booth at the state fair. I expect that we will educate a lot of metro dog owners and find a lot of support for the changes needed.
It’s not true that adopting the proven effective methods of using body grips in ways that protect dogs is “banning” their use. I see that all the time. As soon as trappers are asked to stop killing dogs they start screaming that someone is trying to ban trapping or ban body grips. Nonsense.
If we want a ban the fastest way to get it is to keep killing peoples dogs. When that happens the general public gets involved especially when they see the trappers associations refusing to compromise. I’ve had lots of hunters say they USED to support trapping but no longer do because of the no compromise position of the MN trappers associations.
Definitely there are many dogs that have just ‘disappeared’ after being killed in a body grip trap so the actual count must be much higher than the 50+ we’ve documented in recent years.
FYI, body grips aren’t used for coyotes. They are much too cautious to be taken in numbers in that type of trap. If a person doesn’t want to learn how to trap the coons that are causing problems on their property they can always use ‘dog proofs’ or just use one of the elevated body grip trap sets that can be found on the internet. They are simple and they work without killing dogs.
Make a box 3′-4′ long and fasten it to a tree or fence post so the opening is facing upward 4′ from the ground. Cut your slots 12″ and recess the trap down 12″ from the opening. Put your bait in the bottom. Some people also put a cover on the opening with a 6″ diameter hole to line the coon up for a quick kill. A dog can stand up and smell the box but can’t get it’s head down into the box far enough to get caught. Plus with the bait in the bottom near the ground that is where the dogs attention is drawn. A coon has no trouble climbing up and prefer to enter the box from the top anyway.
One of the MN Trappers Assn instructors had a article in Fur-Fish-Game that was similar but he recommended the opening to be 6′ from the ground.
Effective dog safe alternative methods exist and are used by tens of thousands of trapper in MN and other states as well as in Canada.
Dogs don’t see property lines and neither do most humans for that matter. There is no justification for splitting public property from private property because we have effective dog safe methods of using body grips. No foothold trap is regulated differently based on property ownership. No body grip trap is regulated differently based on property ownership except the dog killing 220 and that has only been changed 2 years ago. For the first 56 years of body grip traps the 220 was not excluded. MN law has a long standing precedent for not allowing the killing of trespassing dogs unless they are doing damage.
In 2012 a lab was killed after being lured from her property by a baited body grip trap set for bobcat. Many dogs have suffered the same fate after being encouraged to cross onto private property by an attractive scent placed near the trap.
Even if a trap is legally set the property owner can be sued in civil court for killing a dog in a body grip trap. Also since trappers are unable to see invisible property lines continuing with statewide regulation of body grip traps makes it less likely for a trapper to accidently violate the law. It also makes it easier for enforcement to do their job.
Bottom line. It isn’t necessary to use sets that kill dogs anywhere.
Kooty, That is what we are asking for…tweaking body grip trap regulations so that trappers can continue to use this valuable too and protect our dogs at the same time.
Some people automatically assume any change is an attack on trapping or will be a ban. That’s not the case here. We just want trappers to stop killing dogs. We’ve asked the trappers associations to work with us and they gave us that ridiculous 7″ awning that many trappers were already using to keep snow out of their boxes. We asked for credible solutions and they gave us zip ties.
If we end up losing body grips in MN the blame will rest on the “don’t give an inch” attitude of the extremists within those organizations.
The current laws allow 330’s to be set partially submerged as this trap was set. It was a legal set that killed Bronco.
Of course trappers are the ones that need to change. Trappers (I’m one) are the ones killing people’s dogs so it stands to reason that we are the ones that need to change the way we use this deadly tool. It isn’t necessary to use the body grip sets that kill dogs and forcing 2 million dog owners to choose between allowing trapping and their dogs is a no-win deal.
The current regulations are killing dogs. That needs to change by adopting commonsense regulations. Five foot elevation or completely submerged would protect dogs so that trapping and hunting can co-exist. One dog safe way of effectively using body grips is to mount the box so the opening is 4′ above the ground and the trap recessed down into the box 12″. Coons like to come in from the top so it uses their natural instinct to our advantage AND protects dogs. What is wrong with that?
Other states have made the change, trappers adapted, and fur harvest levels weren’t affected. Why can’t OR WON’T MN trappers do that here?
Randy, your culvert set would kill my dogs.
Here is the first dog to be killed this season. His name was Bronco. He was a 95 lb yellow pointing lab and his owner said he was at the top of his game. They were hunting grouse when Bronco went off the trail a short distance and was caught in a 330. They tried to release the trap but couldn’t and Bronco died in his arms.
You can see that the trap broke his nose loose from his skull and if you look hard you can see how the trap compressed his muscular neck down to about an inch.
Bronco.png
The difference between those examples and this unnecessary problem is trappers are knowingly placing a lethal device on the ground within reach of a hunters dog and many times baiting it with grouse or some other meat. The same cannot be said for the straw arguments of sticks and highways.
We need to accept personal responsibility for the traps we set and stop putting all the responsibility on the hunter to avoid our hidden traps.
We can’t use set guns where you place a loaded gun facing a bait or a trail so why should we expect to do something very similar with traps that have been designed to kill anything that sticks it’s head between the jaws?
Partially.
Change the 36″ to 60″ for all body grips 155 and up or submerged. It’s currently not required to completely submerge any body grip at this time and 280’s and above cannot be set on land even in a tree. A partially submerged 330 is probably the type of set that killed the 95 lb lab on Nov 1st this season. 220’s can be set on the ground (baited in a box with an awning or unbaited 20′ from bait). The latter set is responsible for the bulk of the dog deaths and is what killed the dog near Foley recently. There are no restrictions on 160’s or smaller even though they’ve killed brittany’s and other mid-sized dogs.
I think it’s important to put the hysteria aside and look at the facts.
Killing dogs in body grip traps isn’t necessary in order to trap.
Tens of thousands of trappers in MN, other states, and Canada have proven every season that body grips can be effectively used in ways that are safe for dogs. The states that have moved to commonsense body grip trap regulations have shown that it has not hurt the fur harvest.
There is no basis for the false choice argument that it’s either accept our dogs being killed or effective trapping. None whatsoever. Making that claim is hurting trapping because we do not want to put dog owners in a position of supporting trapping OR protecting their dogs. The trappers associations who are fighting to “not give an inch” are damaging the image of trapping. Many hunters have told me that they USED to support trapping but because of the behavior of the trapping associations they no longer extend that support. Can we blame them?
The sham bill that the associations slipped through the legislature with the help of Rep. Denny McNamara and Senator Bill Ingribritsen were not effective and they were told that but refused to listen. Since then Rep. David Dill has refused to hear the dog protection bill in his committee effectively killing it and many more dogs. At least 20 more dogs have been killed since Oct 20, 2012 when the new regulations took effect.
Place a grouse wing 7″ under your couch and see if your dog will reach it. Now place the same wing 36″ off the ground and see if your dog will reach it.
Does your dog walk or run with it’s nose down? If it does it can run into an unbaited trail set and be killed.
Those 3 tests prove that the 2012 regulation changes weren’t effective and the trappers association wasn’t serious about protecting dogs. That needs to change.
