All catches in Pennsylvania are limited by species-specific seasons. Some species also have catch limits. Here are the seasons for the current 2019-2020 hunting trap licence year: A wildlife control permit is required to take harassment or damage caused by wildlife outside of the regular hunting/trapping season. If the animal is still alive when found in the trap, trappers receive instructions in the form of government-issued trapping manuals to kill an animal by striking a blow to the head (with a club, shovel or metal hose) or choking asking a trapper to stand on the animal`s chest or strangle the animal. Fur hunters generally do not shoot captured animals because bullet holes can damage the skins and reduce the value of the furs. An illegally installed steel cable trap, likely intended for bobcats, caught David Clark`s dog, Roxy, around his neck as they walked on public land near Lake Santa Cruz in New Mexico. Clark said he couldn`t figure out how to free Roxy and watched as his best friend choked in his arms. The country where Roxy fell into a trap was already illegal for trappers, and the man who set the trap faces criminal charges that include more than 30 counts of violating numerous trapping laws. No one is connected to Roxy`s death. In some states, trappers are not even required to inspect their traps within a certain timeframe (and release non-target animals). In Montana and Alaska, for example, there is no mandatory check-up time for most leghold traps, while Wyoming trappers are instructed to check leghold traps only once every 72 hours. Where trap control standards are in place, they are often weak and not enforced. While trap control times have been set for "furbearing animals" and other categories of animals, species classified as "non-game" or "predatory" – such as coyotes – can be excluded, allowing victims to suffer indefinitely.
New Mexico, for example, excludes coyotes from existing trap control standards. In addition, there is generally a shortage of enforcement personnel to ensure compliance with existing fishing rules. Little attention is paid to assessing the impact of these trapping practices on wildlife populations, and the relaxation of permit and registration requirements exacerbates this problem. For example, New York law does not require reporting for carriers of furs other than bobcets, and a number of states, from Nevada to Virginia, do not require trapper training courses to obtain a permit. Captive species are not threatened and do not disappear. Species sought by fishing interests are abundant in the New Hampshire landscape. These include grey fox, red fox, raccoon, fisherman, beaver, otter, eastern coyote, muskrat, mink and weasel. Since the catch is highly regulated, it does not lead to a threatened species or extinction. Trappers understand the importance of these species in New Hampshire`s ecosystems.
Raccoons, grey squirrels and opossums can be caught without permission if they cause damage. Control methods must comply with state laws and only live traps may be used outside of the fishing season. Nutria and muskrat can be caught during the open season with a permit. Each landowner can catch up to 8 beavers per year during the open season, provided they cause damage. Rats and mice are not under any protection. Most small mammals do not need a permit to catch on your property (house mice, rats, moles, voles, chipmunks, ground squirrels, shrews, thirteen-edged ground squirrels). Tree squirrels (red, grey, foxes and southern flies), rabbits, fur carriers (beaver, mink, weasel, opossum, raccoon, skunk, muskrat, badger) and marmots may require a hunting or capture licence, or a wildlife control licence. AFWA Best Management Practices, representatives of the 50 government agencies; federal agencies responsible for natural resource management; and provincial, territorial and national government agencies in Canada promote Best Management Practices, or BMPs, as an alternative to mandatory welfare-based measures. The BMP Trap Testing Program claims to represent a step forward in trap standards research and establishes a trap certification process based on sound science and research. Non-binding guidelines are presented on government agency websites and presented as research-based models for capturing wildlife while minimizing animal suffering.
"Usually we`re on the other end, trying to stop some bad bills," she said, referring to legislation that favors trappers. "This is the first time we`ve had a sponsor who wants to help fight entrapment so we can be proactive." KC York, who founded Trap Free Montana a decade ago, said he is beginning to find momentum to regulate capture in his state. A homeowner must obtain a free fishing license to legally catch pesky wildlife that causes damage to their property outside of the open fishing season. White also explained that capture is scientifically necessary to track different wildlife populations when endangered or extinct species are reintroduced, or when work is underway to limit animal populations that are not native — such as nutria, an animal that harms the country`s wetlands. Trapping is an important tool for resolving conflicts between humans and fur, such as: Beaver flooding and cattle rustling by coyotes and foxes. Capture is also a valuable management tool for wildlife biologists. Foot traps are commonly used to catch animals safe and sound for wildlife research and recovery. In addition, fishing provides significant economic benefits to many of our citizens in the form of the value of fur.