This letter is a response to Amanda Lanier’s letter in which she made some very melodramatic, uneducated arguments, and blatantly false statements to stir up negative emotions toward trappers in her hopes of abolishing trapping statewide on public lands. As a trapper I feel that she grossly misrepresented me personally and every other hard working trapper out there. Trappers are generally animal lovers, we work very hard at our craft to avoid as far as is possible the unfortunate mishap when a domestic animal or a non-target animal are caught. And the truth of the matter is that when a non-target, or domestic animal, is caught, their feet are not “mangled” as she put it, but are generally completely unharmed due to the modifications to traps that have came about in the last 40 years.
Now that I have defended trappers as much as there is space allowed, I would like to point out some false statements she made. No. 1) She said “Montana has no trap check requirements.” Anyone reading this can go to the Fish, Wildlife and Parks website under the furbearer regulations and read for themselves that trappers are required to check traps every 48 hours. Contrary to what she says, trapped animals suffer very little while waiting in the trap, and are killed humanely with a .22 bullet. I’ve walked up on animals sound asleep in my traps before. She also said that “the muskrat lodges at Smith Lake now appear to be empty”; she is apparently unaware that muskrats build their lodges every fall, and last year’s lodges are generally destroyed by high waters in the spring; so the very fact that there are lodges there at all, indicates that they are probably occupied. As for the study she apparently referenced that stated “one out of four animals caught by a trap will gnaw off their trapped limb” and “for every one target animal killed in a trap, two non-targeted animals are killed.” I don’t know what kind of novice trappers they used as their lab rats in those studies, but that certainly doesn’t apply to my trap line nor any of the trappers I know.
There were many more statements in her letter that where equally false but there is not room enough to completely go over it. So, please don’t let her fool you. This is not a personal attack on her in any way, but her letter was ridiculous. Trappers are not the boogie man. Trapping is a very essential, effective predator management tool as well as good wholesome, challenging fun. If you’re recreating and your dog gets into someone’s set, simply release it. If there is any damage, notify the trapper, chances are they’d be happy to pay your vet bill.
Sure you’re irritated that they caught your dog. Don’t you think they’re irritated that your dog screwed up their set that they put so much time into? But when has a trapper ever tried to outlaw domestic animals in the woods? Why can’t we all accommodate each other in the woods? It’s called being civil. Why is there always someone trying to outlaw what someone else does just because it is an inconvenience to themselves? Can’t we all just live and let live? Happy trails!
Skylar Garrison
Kalispell