Marten Page Added

Check out the new marten page recently added to Trapping Today. The page gives a brief overview of marten biology and habits, and gives some tips and tricks that may be useful to marten trappers. You can navigate to the page by clicking on the ‘Furbearers’ tab above, then clicking on the marten picture located on the Furbearers page.

Summer 2008 Fur Market Report

 

I’m a little late in reporting, but it’s about time for another fur market update.

The final wild fur sales at the major auction houses took place in May.  Both NAFA and FHA reported excellent results, and it looks like the fur market is right on track for the upcoming trapping season.  NAFA sold 100% of most items, many at stellar prices, and FHA reported that this was its most successful May auction in recorded history!   Great news, since prices are not expected to fall anytime soon.

Raccoon maintained the high levels reached during earlier auctions, averaging over $25 in many areas.  This is a huge improvement from prior years, with strong demand and a small harvest due to winter conditions bringing prices up.

Coyote did not sell 100%, but good prices ($20-30) were paid for top quality items.  Coyote prices may drop a little this coming season since some inventory has been carried over.

Beaver continued to sell well, and at prices similar to years past.  This item seems to be creeping up slowly in price recently, but I wouldn’t expect to see huge price increases for beaver.

Bobcat and Lynx continue to bring exceptional prices and seem to be breaking records at every auction.  A number of western bobcats sold at over $1,000 each this spring, and top quality items averaged over $500.  Lynx averaged over $200.

Marten and fisher also commanded sky-high prices, with marten averaging around $100 overall, and fisher going at $65-75.

Grey fox moved a bit slower than expected, but NAFA remains optimistic about this item.

Muskrat seems to have finally stabilized, and sold well at around $3-4, with expectations of possible increases.  Mink prices did not change much from previous auctions.

Otter and red fox continue to sell at lower prices than in past years.  Other items sold well, at or near the 100% level.

Overall, fur prices continue to look good for trappers in 2008.

See the NAFA May 2008 Wild Fur Sale results here

See the FHA May Sale results here

Wolf Management Stalled

Well, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing any hunting or trapping seasons for wolves any time in the near future.

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago mentioning the possibility of a wolf season in the makings in the state of Michigan. Since then, the Michigan DNR adopted an updated wolf management plan, which didn’t include any hunting or trapping component, despite arguments that a wolf season might garner more public acceptance of wolves in the state.

Meanwhile, gray wolves had been removed from the Endangered Species List in the Rocky Mountains and the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming were preparing wolf management plans in anticipation of taking the reins from the federal government. Discussion about upcoming wolf seasons sparked renewed interest from hunters, suggesting the possibility that the wolf could be more than just a predatory nuisance to many who live in wolf territory.

The renewed hope for scientific wolf management was temporarily killed last week, though, when a federal judge ordered that the gray wolf be placed back on the Endangered Species List. How does a single judge have the power to reverse a decision made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and agreed upon by three states, based on sound scientific facts? The Black Bear Blog asks the same question.

Simply put, I’m not optimistic about hunting or trapping for wolves in the Lower 48 anytime soon.

Trapping Controversy in Nova Scotia

The conflict between trapping and pets is often misunderstood and severely damaging to the future of legal trapping in North America.  Pets are occasionally caught in traps set for furbearing wildlife, and each incident is heartfelt and depressing, usually stirring up controversy over whether trapping should be legal or not.

In a recent news article, Nova Scotia trapper Gary Fisher attempts to explain how today’s trappers operate in the province, and describe efforts taken to avoid catching pets in traps.

“We’re really trying not to catch people’s pets. That’s the message I want to convey,” Mr. Fisher says after demonstrating three types of raccoon sets and an underwater set for trapping beavers.

Fisher is one of many trappers who are pushing for others to be more responsible about where and how they set their traps, while at the same time urging pet owners to obey the law and keep their pets from running free in wildlife habitat.

Unfortunately, not everybody listens.

The Trapping Awareness Project started in 2005 amid concerns over landowners’ rights and pets getting caught in traps. There were nine incidents a couple of seasons ago, Mr. Morse says, but in each case, the trapper or pet owner wasn’t following the rules.

Partially due to concerns about capturing pets, many in the province are trying to pass a law requiring trappers to obtain permission before setting traps on private property, which currently isn’t required unless the property is posted.

They also want to require written permission to set traps within 1 kilometer of a dwelling, which seems to be an unreasonable request because of the high density of dwellings in many areas where furbearer population control (through trapping) is neccessary.

“In essence, if you take a map and you start to draw one-kilometre circles around properties, you discover you would need to have, in some cases, hundreds and even thousands of written permission statements in order to curb nuisance wildlife, and that is just obviously not practical,” Mr. Morse says.

“If you put too many obstacles in place, you’re going to put an end to this practice.”

And ending the practice of trapping is certainly the goal of some.  For others, they simply want to make sure that their pets aren’t caught in traps.

Ultimately, that requires the responsible actions of trappers and pet owners alike.

Be sure to read the story and check out the comments section.  Nova Scotians have as many different opinions about trapping as you could imagine!

Montana FWP Commission Keeps Wolverine Trapping Legal

Kudos to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission for taking a stand and allowing wolverine trapping for another year. During a commission meeting this month, the FWP commission, which sets hunting, fishing and trapping regulations, denied appeals to stop the harvest of wolverines.

The wolverine is perhaps the wildest species in the weasel family, typically residing in forested wilderness areas. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks conservatively estimates that at least 200 wolverines reside in the state, and the commission approved a harvest quota of 9 animals for the 2008 season.

The opportunity to catch a wolverine is something that makes Montana truly unique, and even though I may never get my hands on one, I feel lucky to be one of the few Montana trappers who have that chance.

Read the story here.

At the same meeting, the Commission denied requests to allow trapping of swift fox, a rare fox sparsely distributed in a few areas of the state.  Read more here.

Is A Wolf Trapping Season in Michigan’s Future?

Is it time to start managing the burgeoning wolf population in Michigan? Mike Wendland, columnist with the Detroit Free Press, argues that responsible, limited harvest may be necessary to maintain a wolf population that is acceptable to both wildlife enthusiasts and the general public. You can read the great news story and video clip here. Mike provides some great video footage of wolves and excellent insight on the issue, including interviews with Michigan wolf experts. Some arguments for wolf management are noted below.

… the current wolf population in the UP is now estimated at well over 500 and is increasing by about 15% each year. “The problems are going to increase,” he said. “We have built up the population and now we have a duty to manage it before public opinion turns against them again.”

… surveys now show most Michigan people are delighted that the wolf has made a comeback. But opinion can change. “Think of the giant Canada goose,” he said. “Back 10, 20 years ago, the public loved them. Now there are so many that they litter golf courses and parks, and they’re considered a nuisance. Same with the whitetail deer in many areas. The herd has grown so large that they do lots of crop damage, even landscape damage in the suburbs. And there are so many car-deer car crashes that their sheer numbers in some parts of the state pose a safety problem.”

Hammill says unless Michigan sets up a hunting or trapping management program for the wolf, they could once again become a nuisance also. “It’s our duty,” he said.

A well regulated wolf hunting/trapping season could be the ticket to maintaining a healthy wolf population while ensuring public acceptance of the wolf as an important component of the forest ecosystem, and not a nuisance. Perhaps wolf harvest is in the best interest of both animal rights groups and hunters and trappers. Now if only we all could see it this way.

Be sure to read the great article and watch Wendland’s video clip here.

Mountain Lion Attacks Nevada Sheep

Check this out. After losing a bunch of sheep, a Nevada man set up surveillance and discovered the culprit!

AMVA Sets Guidelines for Humane Trapping

The American Veterinary Medical Association recently issued a revised policy concerning the humaneness of using steel jawed leg-hold traps, which encourages modern, modified traps that are intended to increase animal welfare. Part of their position can be seen below:

While not perfect, modified traps are less likely to cause severe injury and improvements in their application mean they are more likely to catch target species and less likely to catch non-target species. Modern traps, when used in conjunction with trap monitors and tranquilizers, have substantially reduced the negative welfare effects of leghold traps,” explains Dr. Gail Golab, director of the Animal Welfare Division.

The AMVA acknowledges that trapping animals for research, relocation and restoration are neccessary, and that advances in trap design and modifications have made trapping more humane.

However, the following excerpt is quite troubling:

“This policy sets clear expectations for what is appropriate and what is not when trapping.”

Does this mean that the AMVA actually thinks it has the authority to decide what is appropriate and humane when dealing with WILD animals?

Trappers, trap manufacturers and biologists have all played an important role in making advances in the effectiveness and humanity of trapping devices. However, allowing a group to define what is and what isn’t humane when it comes to wild animals is treading on dangerous territory.

Trappers should be responsible and do their best to trap in the most humane way possible, and in the recent past the trapping community has worked hard at achieving such a goal. Trapping BMP (best management practices) research has been ongoing for years, and provides great advice and guidelines for trappers.

There is a silver lining to the AMVA statements, however. The association recognizes that leghold traps are being used very successfully and humanely for research purposes, and the science has proven that these devices can be very humane. What they don’t tell you, however, is that these are often the same traps being used by trappers, the same traps that animal rights activists would like you to believe are the most vicious and terrible devices ever created, and should all be banned. Those who are familiar with the AR groups already know that they are full of baloney, and the AMVA statements provide some further evidence of how outrageous these claims are.

But folks like the AMVA shouldn’t have the authority to mandate whether certain practices dealing with wild animals should be allowed. There are substantial differences between household pets and wild animals, and definitions of humane can range all across the board. Common-sense trappers will do their best to treat captured animals as humanely as possible, while maintaining traditional practices despite the disapproval of special interest groups and animal welfare advocates.

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 federal government, which would protect the state against any further lawsuits resulting from lynx killed as a result of state regulated trapping.

This new ruling comes at the heels of two recent federal lawsuits regarding the taking of lynx: one in Minnesota and one in Maine. Both lawsuits were filed by animal rights groups, and both were settled with the agreement that the respective states file for ITP’s with the feds. Minnesota reached their agreement with very little compromise in trapping regulations, while the Maine settlement resulted in some very significant changes in the way trappers were able to operate.

Now, just months later, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Animal Protection Agency are back in Minnesota and are demanding that additional regulations be placed on trappers to prevent the taking of lynx. A simple look into the history of actions by such groups indicates that they do not back down until they achieve their view of success.

The likely result of the new lawsuit is that Minnesota will have to significantly change their trapping regulations similar to the changes implemented by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Temporary regulations that both sides can agree on will be put in place while the ITP is filed, and ITP regulations will be at least as strict, if not stricter than the temporary regulations. The ITP process is supposed to take about a year, but as we all know, dealing with the federal government almost always takes more time that expected.

This new lawsuit raises a number of questions that we, as concerned trappers, should be asking ourselves. For instance, do lawsuit settlements work, and should trappers compromise their rights? How far are these groups willing to go? Is their goal really to protect lynx, or will they continue to use the Endangered Species Act to further regulate trappers and hunters until these activities are all but eliminated?

A recent quote in the Duluth News Tribune may provide some of the answer to these questions:

“If they (DNR) can’t demonstrate another way to avoid trapping lynx, it could prohibit all trapping in the lynx range. We’d be very much in favor of that,’’ said Nicole Paquette, attorney for California-based Animal Protection Institute which filed the suit against the DNR.

I think it’s safe to say that the API and other groups are determined to eliminate trapping and will use all of the legal and financial resources available until they accomplish this goal. The lynx battle will not stop in Minnesota and Maine, either. Other states that have small lynx populations, like Utah, Montana and Idaho will likely be subject to future lawsuits to influence trapping and other outdoor activities. Maine and Minnesota were likely chosen to set a precedent for future lawsuits because they provide political environments that are less hostile toward animal rights groups and provided such groups with better chances for success.

Despite their relatively small numbers and meager financial resources, trappers and other hunting/fishing/outdoor groups are not backing down from these suits without a fight. Groups like the Minnesota Trappers Association, National Trappers Association, Fur Takers of America, Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Alliance and Safari Club International are all working to fight this battle to the best of their capacity.

There’s little question that the trappers and sportsmen have science on their side. Only a handful of Canada lynx, which are at the southern tip of their geographic range in Maine and Minnesota, have been killed in traps over the past few years, which pales in comparison to the number that die of natural causes, the greatest of which is usually starvation due to lack of food resources. If the number of lynx killed incidentally by trappers were significant, the states would undoubtedly implement their own measures to protect these lynx populations. A plethora of data collected over the years shows that factors influencing lynx numbers are independent of and not influenced by trapping activities. However, the Federal Endangered Species Act can sometimes trump sound science, and groups using the ESA to restrict the activities of others often know or care little about wildlife management and populations dynamics.

If you’re interested in supporting trapping and sporting groups in the fight against lawsuits like these, I would encourage you to join and become active in your local and national trapping associations and other groups that work to preserve this unique heritage while ensuring the long term viability and health of furbearer populations.

See a list of trapping organizations here.

See the news stories below:

Judge orders Minnesota DNR to reduce accidental lynx trappings

Minnesota DNR told to put a stop to trapping Canada lynx

Trapping Law Helps Protect North Carolina Landowners

Here’s some trapping related news I thought I’d pass on for those of you in North Carolina.

Individuals in Alamance County, North Carolina are pushing for the extension of a fox trapping law that has helped protect landowners from property damage since its inception in 2006. The ‘local bill’ applies on the county level and allows for a longer fox trapping season than statewide regulations allow.

The current local bill, which expired Jan. 31, 2008, extended the fox trapping season to include the months of October, November and December. Many locals hope the bill is renewed. Fox are considered a nuisance in many rural areas, and while trapping has not been shown to drastically reduce their numbers, it is often effective at controlling animals causing damage and keeping populations at healthy levels.

Trappers get calls from landowners to trap their property for a variety of reasons.

Some are from farmers with crop damage. Other calls come from livestock producers who want to protect chickens and other fowl, or their populations of game animals like rabbits and squirrels.
“A lot of landowners want to protect their rabbits and quails,” Keck said.
Still others, Keck said, come from folks who spot foxes in their yards and worry about rabies.

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