When a federal judge ruled in favor of trappers in the Maine lynx lawsuit last month, there was no doubt that the animal rights groups would be back to contest the case. I just didn't think it would happen so soon. Just last Thursday, the Wildlife Alliance of Maine and the Animal Welfare Institute filed an appeal to the decision in the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. Read more … [Read more...]
I-160: Initiative to Ban Trapping on Public Land in Montana
The anti-hunting, anti-trapping crowd is at it again. This time it's in Montana - a once conservative, property rights oriented state that has seen drastic changes in demographics over the past few decades. Fresh faces, liberal ideas, and city lifestyle have paved the way for animal rights initiatives in a state where such nonsense would once have been unthinkable. But here … [Read more...]
Logging, Lynx and Marten: How Forest Practices Can Influence Furbearer Numbers
In a state almost completely covered with trees, forest harvest practices in Maine can seriously influence populations of many of the furbearers that call the Maine woods home. Two such furbearers, the American marten and Canada lynx, depend on certain forest types for their survival. Lynx need 20-40 year-old successional forest that holds plenty of snowshoe hares (their main … [Read more...]
Fall 2009 Fur Market Update
Many trappers continue to wonder what kind of prices raw fur will command during the 2009-10 trapping season. We're at an uncertain time in the fur market, with recent economic turmoil influencing fur sales internationally. I'm far from being an expert in the fur market, but I'll do my best to provide a short summary of the state of the market and point you to the real … [Read more...]
Trapping Ban Results in Coyote Problems
Coyote populations have been expanding throughout the United States, and in the absence of hunting or trapping, these wily dogs can become pretty fearless of humans and civilization. Marc Folco's recent article in South Coast Today highlights the growing coyote problem in the state of Massachusetts, where a ban on trapping has been in place since 1996. While a bit inaccurate … [Read more...]
Sharing the Trail: How Pet Owners and Trappers Can Avoid Conflicts in the Field
With trapping season underway in many states, it's important that trappers and pet owners both work hard to avoid having dogs caught in traps. Catching dogs is a hot button issue in many places, particularly on public land that supports multiple use. In most cases, dogs are safely and easily released from traps, but some situations can be fatal, and these need to be … [Read more...]
Province Announces Coyote Bounty Program
Just this week, the Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister announced a new program that will offer a $20 bounty on coyotes killed in the province. The Saskatchewan Coyote Control Program aims to reduce coyote predation on livestock in the province's agricultural land. In addition to the $20 bounty on coyotes, the program also provides funding for ranchers to install better fences … [Read more...]
More on the Maine Lynx Lawsuit
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...]