Unity among hunting, fishing and trapping groups is a very important aspect of preserving the outdoor heritage enjoyed by participants in these activities. Being a hunter, fisherman and trapper myself, I find it hard to understand why trappers and hound hunters can’t seem to get along in many areas.
I hate to pick on any one state in particular, but Michigan has recently been the battleground for heated debate between trappers and houndsmen. As far as I can understand, houndsmen don’t like trappers because their dogs occasionally get caught in traps. Trappers counter that hounds are often on private land where their owners don’t have permission to be hunting. Now obviously houndsmen often can’t control precisely where their dogs will end up, and trappers can’t prevent certain types of traps from capturing hounds. Maybe if each group were a bit more understanding of the other, there would be room enough for both to engage in their preferred activities.
Unfortunately, trappers and houndsmen continue to fight. In 2004, the Michigan DNR proposed a bobcat trapping season in the Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, and were taken to court by bear hunters, claiming that negative affects on the bobcat population were not considered. Now do you really think the hunters suing the DNR really thought the bobcat population was in trouble? How such an argument can be made with a straight face is puzzling to me, considering that the same hunters who target bears in the northern Lower also hunt bobcats in January and February.
After a judge ruled in favor of bear hunters and stopped the trapping season in 2006, the ruling was challenged and a higher court overturned the decision. Looks like bobcat trapping will once again be legal in the northern Lower.
While all of this fighting is going on between hound hunters, trappers and the DNR, I bet the animal rights groups are sitting back and smiling, knowing that division among sporting groups makes their goal of ending all forms of hunting and fishing much easier to achieve.
In an ideal situation, trappers would support hunting groups and hunters would support trapping interests. United, both groups could come together as a stronger opposition to those aiming to destroy both.
Leave a Reply