Maine Trappers Win Major Court Victory (Columbus, Ohio) – Trappers in Maine won a major victory as the state’s Federal District Court upheld the state’s trapping practices and blocked the establishment of a precedent that could be used by anti-hunting and anti-trapping groups nationwide. In 2008, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Wildlife Alliance of Maine filed a lawsuit … [Read more...]
Maine Trapping Laws Change Again, To Avoid Taking Lynx
After the accidental trapping death of a Canada lynx in northern Maine on November 17th, in the midst of a lawsuit by environmentalists aimed at halting trapping, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has adopted new regulations to avoid another such incident. You can see the photo below, provided to the media by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and … [Read more...]
Minnesota Ordered to Avoid Incidental Trapping of Lynx
After a brief intermission, the Canada lynx issue is back to the forefront of outdoor politics in the state of Minnesota. This past Monday, a federal judged ruled that the Minnesota DNR "promptly take all action necessary to [ensure] no further taking of threatened Canada lynx". Basically, this means that the state must apply for an "incidental take permit" (ITP) from the … [Read more...]
Pennsylvania Considers Fisher, Otter Trapping Seasons
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is considering the possibility opening a season for the limited trapping of fisher, and potentially otter sometime in the future. Both species have very healthy populations in parts of the state, and experts believe that they can withstand limited harvest. Northeast Region biologist Tom Hardisky had this to say: “When it comes to trapping … [Read more...]
Minnesota Woman Holds Beaver Skinning Title
Minnesota woman Kay Bachman has skinned more than 150,000 beavers in her lifetime, and holds the title for fastest beaver skinner in the land! Got your attention yet trappers? Read more here … [Read more...]
New York Extends Emergency Trapping Regulations
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation announced last week that it would extend the emergency trapping regulations put in place at the beginning of the 2007 season. The regulations were adopted to avoid the incidental killing of dogs and other pets with conibear (body gripping) traps set on the ground for raccoon and fisher. Body gripping traps have … [Read more...]
Number of Montana Trappers on the Rise
More people in Montana are trapping than ever before, as evidenced by the ever increasing number of licences sold in the past 17 years. State furbearer biologist Brian Giddings believes that higher pelt prices for species like bobcat and marten are encouraging more outdoorsmen to go trapping. Read the story here If you're a trapper in Montana, you may be running into more … [Read more...]
Settlement Reached in Maine Lynx Trapping Lawsuit
Well, here it is. After a few months of back and forth, the State of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has settled a lawsuit with the California-based Animal Protection Institute, which sued the state under the premise that state-approved trapping activities threaten Canada lynx. State Agrees to Restrict Trapping to Protect Threatened Lynx Sportsmen Settle … [Read more...]