Here is my rant on the subject:
MikeG, YellowH, and Kirby you guys are right.
TrapWV, the antis are already (always) against trapping and hunting.
When someone politely asks if you hunt you better be ready to reply with: (politely) why, yes I do hunt. Who does your killing for you? Safeway or Albertsons?
Now, if they are an [beeep] about it as if in yelling or giving you a look of discus. You can add the every popular “Who the F--- does your killing for you? Please tell me, you have never eaten a McDonald’s hamburger.
Now, for trapping. Know why you trap? Why do you trap? As one who fought in the trapping wars of the (---) state of Washington (We lost, but more on that latter) and I will give my opinion on cowering or speaking out
When you are out (anywhere, anti trappers have a table or booth at any public gathering, county fair, public markets) trying to promote pro-trapping be prepared for the [beeep]-h who comes up yelling so everyone around can hear him. “How would you like to have your foot caught in a trap and someone walks up to you and shoots you in the head.
Instead of standing there looking stupid and stunned, with you mouth open, say something. How about something, like I would much rather die a quick death than get hit by a car and left struggling along the side of the road. Are we going to outlaw cars? I would rather die quickly than from starvation or disease. How many animal died plowing that feild for your cotten shirt, What animal died for your leather shoes?
Yep, we got out butts kicked, we lost trapping with leg hold and body gripping traps. The public did not want to listen to LOGIC, SCIENCE or PROFESSIONAL WILDLIFE BIOLOGESTS. Public opinion was swayed by the anti’s advertisements (and guess what, the pictures they were using were never taken in this state. They even admitted it, but it didn’t make a difference. Washington has the ballot initiative system trapping was put to a vote and we lost. We tried being low key and politically correct IT DOES NOT WORK. Speak out! To fight this you have to control the votes in the areas with the most populations.
So, we can trap, but with live traps only. You have an animal in a trap, what are you going to do with it? You are still going to kill it. What does a live beaver trap cost 275.00-375.00. How many of those traps are you going to leave lying around in the woods? Have you ever hauled a bunch of live traps?
Remember, the animals are still reproducing. So, now we have a nuisance wildlife control (nwco) program where trappers get state certified to take out the problem animals. You can request a special permit to use more lethal means= foot hold or conibear trap, but if an animal is taking by this means you can not keep the animal. You have to waste it, by burying or trashing it.
Yes, we have over population problems and with the rural / urban environments there is never going to be a true carrying capacity scenario...
Note. Prior to loosing trapping we lost hound hunting for bear and cougar and bobcat we also lost baiting for bear. Again through public vote and the higher population area Seattle, Tacoma, people who have nothing to do with hunting and trapping voted against hunting and trapping while the rural areas voted for it.
We got semi organized after the hound thing, but not enough to save trapping. Yes, hunting could get voted out of existence, but probably won’t because of money. There is too much money generated by hunting and fishing that to end it would be pretty much kill off a government agency the state fish and wildlife.
Additionally, some say the anti’s really don’t want hunting totally ended. If hunting was gone they would lose there funding (money) they depend on those checks from the marginally informed coming in. They would not have a livelihood if there was no hunting, fishing or trapping.
CoyoteJohnWilson, I too was taught the snuff method of killing animals. It was fox when I lived in Alaska. Tap them across the nose with a stick (unlike domestic animal they can’t stand it) they keel over and then place you foot on its chest and press down essentially keeping the fox from breathing. In this method you truly take the animal’s life. I do not think I would do this with Lynx, bobcat, or coyote.
Oh, by the way as part of the nwco program they did provide scientific data on almost all the means of killing a trapped animal and the best/quickest was a .22 short to the head. Paul