Heck`s Brand Lure - Idaho Trappers Association

Jan/Feb 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1
You’ve Hooked a Big Cat! Now, How Do You Unhook Him?
Photo used by permission. © Kramer Trapping 2012. All rights reserved.
You approach a trap set and a sudden snarl sets your hair on end. As the hissing, screaming
and spitting increases you remember that it’s not legal to retain a trapped cougar in Idaho.
How do you release this big, beautiful, angry beast without either of you getting hurt?
means a stout catch pole, a role of wire, a shield, and a
trapping buddy with nerves of steel, or who runs significantly slower than you.
The Ketch-All, extendable restraint pole in the fourto six-foot length is what many Idaho Fish & Game
employees carry. At four feet long, it’s easy to pack
around. Extended to six feet it’s almost long enough to
keep you away from the really big cats. Almost.
That’s one reason there’s a shield on the list. The
shield is a thick half-sheet of plywood with a four-inch
square notch cut in the center of one edge. Slightly
above center, straight up from the notch, are two heavy
rope handles big enough to lock an arm into. While a
helper is holding the cat with a catch pole, the trapper
tasked with the trap release places the notch over the
cat’s foreleg and steps on the trap springs, keeping the
shield between himself and the cat at all times.
What’s the wire for? The idea is to release the lion
unharmed, and without any accessories. That means a
AntiTIME SENSITIVE MATERIAL—PLEASE DO NOT DELAY
Idaho Trappers Association
P.O. Box 405
Mountain Home, ID 83647
Presort Standard
U.S. Postage Paid
Burley, ID 83318
Permit No. 9
A trapper walks up to a prime trap set and looks to the
base of a large juniper tree where his trap used to be.
Elation hits as he recognizes that the trap is gone and
the terrain is shredded. His eyes are glued to the hole
where the trap was bedded. With a grin spreading across
his face he locates the first link of trap chain attached to
the anchor. He follows that chain link by link with his
eyes, stepping forward in the direction the chain is
stretched taut. With his catch pole in front of him, he
almost steps on the trap chain anchor as the catch pole
loop passes the trunk of the tree.
In a fraction of a blink the end of the catch pole is
suddenly engulfed in the jaws of a 180-pound puma! It
snarls and screams as it mauls the end of the catch pole.
The horrifying sound vibrates up the pole like a tin can
telephone. With synapse in near complete meltdown,
the trapper attempts to let go of the pole and backpedal
at the speed of rational thought, but his rubber limbs
don’t seem to be moving fast enough and he crashes
into the rocks behind him.
Can this happen to you? You bet!
There are two simple rules to follow when trapping
in the land of the big cats. It doesn’t matter which you
put first, don’t break either: 1) Don’t step into the trap
circle; 2) have a plan for when you hook a lion.
Idaho Trappers Association President, Patrick Carney, suggests short trap chains when setting traps capable of holding a mountain lion in cat country. Three to
six feet, maximum, is what he prefers. Trappers have to
remember that a really angry, malicious, wily old tom
has a twelve-foot diameter circle to deliver all kinds of
mayhem in, if he’s attached to a trap on a six-foot trap
chain. And that twelve-foot circle is going to look awfully big when that cat lays its ears back and dodges
each lunge of the catch pole. Eventually, in that scenario, the trapper is going to experience the terror of
being inside the catch circle.
Lions can’t be kept in Idaho if they’ve been caught
in a trap. They have to be released, and Idaho Fish and
Game prefers they be released alive and unharmed.
That’s where a good plan comes into play.
Part One of the plan is really two simple questions: Do you want to release your own lions? And, are
you capable of releasing lions you’ve caught in a trap?
Ironically, these questions should be answered twice:
the first time is at home, while planning your trap line;
the second time is the day you walk up to a trap set and
find you’ve hooked a lion in your trap! You may answer
yes to those questions at home, but it’s acceptable to
change your mind on the scene!
Part Two of the plan is tooling up properly. That
Trapper
ALERT!
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cat leaving the area with a bracelet on its foot, or a restraint pole for a necktie, hasn’t really been properly
released yet. In that case, the trapper is obligated to recover the hardware, regardless of how far the lion goes
with the new jewelry. So the suggestion has been made
to wire the restraint pole off to something stout so the
lion can’t leave with it if somebody flubs the release.
I’m going to carry wire, but I’ll decide whether to use it
based on the situation at hand. I can see the improper
use of the wire adding points to Mayhem’s score.
Use of the restraint pole is an art form. Cats choke
out very quickly. Smaller cats that are more scared than
vindictive can be restrained by running the noose in the
mouth and over the back of the head. The cat is then
pressed to the ground and controlled while the trap is
removed. Aggressive cats will need to be choked down
with the noose around the neck. The cat being choked
down should flop over in 8-10 seconds, but from there
See, Unhooked!, Page Five
One of the biggest anti-trapping stories today is the 2014
voter initiative for a complete ban on trapping in Oregon.
The 2014 election seems like it’s so far away…
If Oregon trappers and hunters see the wisdom of working
together to fight this battle today, they can defeat this
trapping ban initiative before it ever gets on the ballot!
ITA and NTA member forms
Ask Jack About Guns: “Trapping Quietly” with the Aguila SubSonic
WARNING: Traps/Snares in the Area!
More LION pictures! “Unhooked” continued.
Sublette’s Winter Walk, an historical account.
Wolves in Colorado? Update on wolf migration by Tyrell Mares
NTA Western Regional Convention information—Be There!
IDAHO TRAPPERS ASSOCIATON, INC
www.idahotrappersassociation.com
Please JOIN US as we support HJR2 and promote trapping throughout Idaho.
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The Longspring Gazette is published six times per year.
It is the official publication for the
Idaho Trappers Association, Inc.
The Idaho Trappers Association (ITA) is a non-profit
organization dedicated to protecting the right to trap and
utilize furbearers in Idaho.
Patrick B. Carney, President
[email protected]
(208) 599-5009
Andy Smith, Vice President
[email protected]
(208) 303-0727
ITA Directors & Officers
Bruce Bartow
Tim Conant
(208) 521-4235
(208) 544-2766
Rusty Kramer
Paul Jensen
(208) 870-3217
(208) 631-4547
Mark Collinge
(208) 376-2963
NTA Representative
Dan Davis
Treasurer
(208) 458-4303
(vacant)
Election Chairman
Billy Dyer
Hall of Fame Chairman
Hance Clayton
(208) 599-2518
(208) 524-6304
Secretary
Michelle Gutierrez
P.O. Box 405
Mountain Home, ID 83647
(208) 587-5931
[email protected]
Editor
Andy White
[email protected]
208-944-0774
Correspondence for the Longspring Gazette, such as
Letters to the Editor, complaints, corrections or content
queries, should be addressed to:
Longspring Gazette
P.O. Box 235
Kimberly, ID 83341
All other correspondence, including applications for
membership and orders for ITA merchandise, should be
mailed to:
Idaho Trappers Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 405
Mountain Home, ID 83647
From the President:
A
s the saying goes, I hope your stretchers are full
and your chains are tight!
The Idaho Trappers Association will host the first
2013 fur auction on January 19th. We really need more
help with setting up these sales. I would like to form a
Fur Sale Committee to handle these sales, as the same
people have been working their tails off on these sales
for many years. We need some new people with new
ideas to help out. Please call me at 208-599-5009 if you
are interested in helping with the fur sales.
If you sold fur in 2012 you know this already, but
here’s an important reminder for everyone: New banking regulations have been put into effect that prohibit us
from issuing fur sale checks to trappers until the buyers’
checks have settled in our account. Therefore, we will
not issue checks to trappers until Wednesday after the
sale. The ITA board regrets any inconvenience caused
by this unavoidable policy. Questions regarding this
matter can be directed to me at 208-599-5009.
If you are bringing fur to the sale please call Michelle Gutierrez at 208-587-5931 with an estimate of the
fur you plan to sell right away. Confirming your fur
quantities prior to each sale, preferably 14 days in advance, helps us attract additional fur buyers to the sales.
Buyers who do not believe there will be enough fur to
make the trip simply go to other fur sales. Those of you
who do not call in are costing everyone money at the
sale.
The Upper Snake River Trappers of Idaho will host
the National Trappers Association Western Regional
Convention in Blackfoot on June 6-9, 2013. They have
asked the ITA to help them with the set up (June 6th),
and other help as needed. Please contact me if you are
able and willing to help out at all, be it for the whole
time, or just one day. The ITA will have a booth there,
so volunteers will also be needed to man that also. Take
down will be June 9th.
Due to the NTA Western Regional Convention in
Blackfoot in June the ITA will not hold a separate ITA
convention. We do, however, hope to hold a general
membership meeting at the Western Regional, so we do
hope you make plans to attend this great event. I am
looking forward to seeing you all there.
The Upper Snake River Trappers of Idaho were very
instrumental in helping us get HJR2 passed in November. Let's go to the Western Regional, in part, to show
our support and help them. And on that note, I would
like to personally thank all the ITA board members for
seeing the importance of passing HJR2 and their dedication to all outdoorsmen and women in Idaho. I would
also like to thank Andy White for his many hours on the
computer and writing letters to the editor. I don’t believe
the outcome would have been as good without him.
Thank you, Andy. I would also like to thank Senator
Editor’s Drivel
T
he temptation to completely, and publicly, document our recent battle to pass HJR2 is a strong one.
But we will need the tactics we used, and many more,
as trappers all over the country find themselves dealing
with repeated attacks on trapping in the future. It would
not be wise to bare all of our cards when the game is
ongoing. There are a few points to the HJR2 battle that
must be discussed, however.
First of all, we all owe a huge debt of thanks to those
people who actively took the challenge of getting HJR2
passed head on. I have two lists of contributors who
were a huge part of supporting the ITA’s efforts, and I
expect to recognize them in the next issue of this paper.
One person who clearly deserves recognition for his
tireless efforts is ITA President Patrick Carney. I was
repeatedly blown away by the success he had in raising
support for our efforts. I witnessed, and shared in, many
of his frustrations, and I can tell you that we were lucky
to have Pat at the helm all the way up to the election,
and we are very lucky to have him at the helm today.
Lee Heider (R – Twin Falls) for crafting and steering
HJR2 through the House and Senate. And thank you to
everyone else who donated time and money to help us
get HJR2 passed.
Elections are coming up with the president and three
director positions to be voted on. I believe the directors
we have now have done an outstanding job. I believe
that all are going to run again to retain their seats. However, if you are interested in one of these positions
please have your name submitted soon.
The National Trappers Association also provided
invaluable assistance with our HJR2 campaign. We
should all be members of the NTA. Please renew or
become a member of the NTA today. The NTA has answered the call every time we have needed them. They
bring their expertise and connections to whatever issue
is at hand. They are an invaluable ally. Look for the
NTA member form in each issue of the Longspring Gazette to sign up with the NTA.
Once again we find ourselves in a hard battle to retain our gun rights. I’m asking all of you to join the
NRA as well. We must not sit back and let legislation
designed to strip our gun rights away go unanswered.
There aren’t many organizations fighting for your rights.
Please support those that do!
The ITA's NTA director, currently Dan Davis, votes
on trapping issues for the State of Idaho at the national
level. However, the ITA bylaws do not allow that position to cast a vote on internal issues at ITA Board meetings. I believe it is time to change that. This will require
alteration of the bylaws. If there are no objections to this
change I would like to put the issue on the next ballot to
allow the general membership the opportunity to weigh
in on this proposed change.
Also, proposed rule making will be coming with
Idaho Fish and Game. If you have suggestions or concerns, things you would like for us to talk to IDFG
about, please get those thoughts to me, or any of the
directors, as soon as possible.
Finally, one more call for volunteers: We need more
Trappers’ Education instructors. This does not require a
huge commitment. You can do it as your schedule permits. We also need volunteers to form an ITA/FBU banquet committee. The banquet is scheduled for August
17th at the Red Lion Downtowner in Boise. And we
need volunteers to help man the booth at the Sportsman’s Show February 28 – March 3. It will be held at
the Garden City Fairgrounds. Let us know ASAP so we
can get enough free entrance passes for our crew.
Thank you all, be safe, stay well and we will see you
at all of these great upcoming events!
— Patrick B. Carney, President
Idaho Trappers Association
Our biggest source of frustration was the realization
that very few sportsmen, and sporting groups, took an
active role in promoting the amendment. Pat challenged
me once to come up with names for just 5% of ITA
members actively engaged in the battle. I had more fake
online personas in the battle than we had known, active
ITA members engaged in the battle.
At one point Rusty Kramer remarked that only 1%
of the ITA was actively engaged. He may have been
right. Imagine what we can accomplish if we have 5%,
or even 10%, of our membership in the next battle…
Oregon’s trapping rights are on the chopping block
now. Will the ITA rally to Oregon’s aid? We will need
them to help retain our rights in the future.
The HJR2 victory was decisive, this time; imagine
what 5% of outdoorsmen can accomplish in the future!
The HJR2 campaign was an amazing experience,
frustrating at times, but well worth the weeks on end of
grueling battles with, in many cases, liars and idiots. I
want to thank all of the ITA directors, officers, and especially President Carney, for the faith each of you put
on my abilities. That’s what kept me going!
IDAHO TRAPPERS ASSOCIATION
Membership & Subscription Form
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In addition to the Longspring Gazette, for an additional fee, members may also choose to receive either the Trapper’s Post newspaper or, Trapper &
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Please make all checks payable to:
IDAHO TRAPPERS ASSOC.
P.O. Box 405
Mountain Home, ID 83647
Page 3
ASK JACK ABOUT GUNS Q&A with Gun Expert Jack Belk The First Step
I
once had the job of clearing feral cats, skunks, possums and ‘coons from the bowels of a north Florida
court house and animals deemed as 'tree rats' (to get
around a local squirrel protection ordinance) from the
giant old Live Oaks that surrounded it. The Capitol
building next door had their own cops with good hearing, so the work had a covert feel to it.
Such places tend to be right down town, you know?
The only (affordable) sub-sonic ammo available was
the CCI CB-Long which, while quiet, is little more than
a pellet rifle in energy. It’s enough to make some cats
and ‘coons fighting mad as they sort out the dwindling
time of their mortality. Anybody that's been in combat
with a ‘coon knows his last seconds can cost you weeks
in healing up.
Forty years ago deputies worked “at the will of the
Sheriff” and the guy that blew up a patrol car engine
usually got the skunk and rattlesnake calls until somebody else screwed up. I said, “Yes sir. I'll do that on
every day off for a year”, (just please don't fire me!).
With threats of being issued a wheelbarrow with a star
on the side and forced to 'patrol' the county's only shopping mall for a year if I got caught or captured reverberating in my head, ‘tree rats’ started falling dead near
puzzled pigeons on feeders via shots from the law library windows and elevator tower, but doing battle in
the crawl space with forth generation feral cats and a
boar ‘coon the size of a yearling bear called for heavier
ammo. At that time, I had a .38 special, single shot rifle
that shot 148 grain hollow base wadcutters through an
amazingly effective suppressor. The wadcutters were
seated backwards in the case so they made a hollow
point that looked like a coffee cup. They would knock
out nine lives with a noticeable ‘plop’, and the suppressor meant the secretaries in the property vaults next
door never heard a thing.
You just cant beat weight when it comes to bullets.
They're just like hammers in that regard. If we equate a
trap line with driving nails, there're some nails we want
to drive flush with one swing without hurting it too
much.
There is now a 22 'Long Rifle' cartridge that does the
same thing that sub-sonic .38 thumper did back when
shooting cottontails from a patrol car window by spotlight helped feed the jail! The 60-grain Aguila Sniper
SubSonic could be the world's strangest 22 rimfire....and one of the most useful.
If you run traps where noise is a concern, or just hate
to disturb the morning with too much noise, try the
Aguila 60gr. Sniper SubSonic ammo. The heavy,
LONG, and slow bullet is accurate enough for inside 10
feet of trap line duties, but it’s NOT the ammo to take
out for rabbits unless you have a quick-twist barrel
made especially for the long bullet. Normally, 22LR
rifles, revolvers and pistols have a twist rate of one turn
in 16 inches (1-16). A rate of one in nine (1-9) is needed
to make the 60SSS go straight as they should. Try them
on tough varmints without fear of pelt damage, too.
They don't expand as a hollow point does, they tend to
tumble and stop under the hide on the off side. They
impart just slightly less energy than the hottest of the
hollow points and you'll, maybe for the first time, feel
the odd sensation of recoil from your .22.
The shorter than normal case and truly nasty powder
(there’s gotta be lumpy kitty litter in the mix somewhere!) will dirty chambers pretty quickly, and don't
expect your auto to cycle them, but an amazing number
sure will. I've shot them in an old Match Target Woodsman, but they don't feed well.
Be sure of your backstop with these long bullets.
They ricochet like an old B&W Western gunfight
soundtrack. Of course a benefit of the long, heavy bullet
is that they penetrate water to an amazing depth, but
that same penetration means the long whine of a tumbling bullet is often heard long after the thud of it hitting an apricot raiding squirrel dead center the noggin!
These lethal .22 rimfire rounds all have their
place on the trap line. From left to right: 60gr
Aguila Sniper SubSonic (950fps); Peters
40gr .22 long rifle solid (1325fps); CCI 29gr CB
long (750fps); Federal 50gr .22 magnum.
Dispatching Trapped Animals: My View— Andrew P.
The illustration is still perfectly clear to me. In one of
those Outdoor Life “It Happened to Me!” stories a
longline trapper dispatched a nice bobcat with a ‘thunk’
on the noggin. He put the cat on the back seat of his
truck and drove to the next set. A quick glance in the
review mirror revealed an explosive situation. Slamming
on the brakes knocked the cat off the top of the driver’s
seat but, as cats are known to do, it landed on it’s feet
and neither the cat nor the trapper could get out of the
vehicle fast enough!
According to the story both exited the driver’s door,
one on top of the other, and in the melee the cat succumbed to a double-dose of lead-icine from a .357! The
story led us to believe the outcome could have gone either way for awhile.
Now, in today’s market a .357 is no way to dispatch a
high-dollar cat!
Because of that story I don’t mess around with any of
the other options for dispatching trapped animals. When
I have to deal with a live animal I use a .22 pistol to kill
my catch quickly, with the .22 CB Long being my
blammo of choice.
I carry the Aguilas with me, as Jack discusses above,
but I have not used them yet. A well-placed, quiet CB
Long has done the job, so far, on everything from tangled ‘rats, a cantankerous mink, some big ‘coons, and
even coyotes. Even on smaller animals the pellet has not
left an exit wound.
Alberta coyote guru, Marty Senneker, kills many of
his coyotes with a .22 bullet between the eye and ear,
and angled up into the brain for immediate results. A
shot low in the chest cavity also seems to yield quick,
bloodless results as well.
There are many effective ways to accomplish this
task. Trappers are under a microscope, today, so it’s important to choose a method that is quick and as damagefree as possible. I’ve chosen the .22, partly because I
don’t want the surprise of my prize climbing out of my
pack basket, or trying to drive my truck down a dirt road
without me!
by APW
I’m a new trapper. I love trapping, though I’m not real
good at it. You might need heart medicine if you’re going to watch me skin my catch for very long. Well, if
laughter is good for the heart, then maybe you’ll need
oxygen, because you will be gasping for breath. When it
comes to trapping, I may be as green as the belly on that
coyote you forgot about in the fur shed, the one hanging
over near the wood stove to thaw… But, I already know
the very best secret to getting started successfully in the
amazing world of fur trapping.
The secret isn’t a tricked out trap, or a lure, or a set
that is pure magic on $1200 bobcats. In fact, lot’s of new
trappers have learned this trick, so it’s not much of a
secret, really.
I doubt you will find this amazing trapping tip on
TrapperMan, or any trapping forum for that matter,
unless I posted it there. When I post this tip on the forums a lot of people nod their heads in agreement, but for
some reason they don’t repost the tip on their own.
The forum post usually starts off like this: “Hey, I’m
new to trapping and looking to catch my first coyote or
fox. What traps should I buy, and what’s the best allaround set that I should start with?”
The hotly debated answers are endless. Everybody
has a favorite trap, trap set, lure, bait— you name it, that
will work for anyone anytime, especially the newcomer
who hasn’t even experienced the enjoyment of snapping
both thumbs in a little 110 at least once!
Here’s the secret that almost stops the debate cold:
Join your nearest trapping association and put the word
out that you need a mentor. Really. There is nothing you
can buy or do that is more effective at putting fur in the
shed than working with another knowledgeable trapper
who is willing to teach you proper trapping basics.
I have wanted to trap for more than ten years. When I
lived in Alaska I happened upon Hal Sullivan’s video, 60
Minute Snaring. I was hooked. I barely knew people still
trapped, believing that only Alaskans and Canadians still
practiced the art. I watched the video numerous times,
went to the rigging shop and bought some materials,
hammered a few snares together and went out to catch
some wolves…
It’s comical today, to think back on that wolf snaring
“experience”. I don’t even recall seeing wolf tracks, but
man, I sure set some snares that were bound to catch a
wolf!
Last season I really went trapping. I bought some
great snares from Jeff Ashmead, and I tried to put all the
great information he spelled out for me to work. To list
the fur I caught last year would mean a quick end to this
article! I did catch my first coyote, though.
This year has been different already. Patrick Carney,
ITA president, took one of his precious Saturdays, a day
when he should have been out trapping on his own line,
to drive to my trapping grounds to show my friend and
me how to trap. He piled nearly 200 traps into my truck
that morning! It took us nearly two hours to catalog them
all. And it took the rest of the day to set almost 50 traps
out.
After a day like that, I can say that the results of the
first trap check weren’t surprising. Unlike most of the
previous season, there were critters in those traps! And
the next time we checked the traps, there was even more
fur in those traps!
If you compare what we caught, and what we spent,
last year to what we have piled up for this ‘furst’ sale of
the year, we’re sitting on a goldmine! The estimated
value of fur we have today is ten times what we sold last
year!
What is the value of a great mentor? Pretty much
priceless. If we keep asking questions with the will to
learn, and our mentors keep steering us straight, well
then we’ll be at least ten years ahead of the curve, compared to the path we were on, in just two seasons!
YOUR Idaho Fish & Game Commission
Heavy
Western
Bobcats
Coyotes
Foxes
Muskrats
Public hearings are a part of each Fish and Game Commission meeting. Your testimony on agenda items at these meetings is considered by the commission prior to making game management decisions, such as regulation, season or bag limit changes. As Idaho
sportsmen and women, our active participation in these meetings is very important. The world is run by those who show up. Will
you show up at the meetings, or will you give up your space in the room to an anti-hunter or an anti-trapper?
2013 IDFG Commission Meeting Schedule
We’re ONLINE too! www.rmfur.com
(208) 459-6894
[email protected]
January 16, 17 / Annual Meeting
May 15, 16, 17 / Quarterly Meeting
Location: Boise, ID
Public Hearing: January 16
Routine Agenda Items: Upland Game, Furbearers & Turkey
seasons (biennial 2012); JFAC budget; moose, sheep, and goat
seasons (biennial 2013); big game briefing; appointment of
Winter Feeding Advisory Committee members.
Location: Coeur d’ Alene, ID
Public Hearing: May 15
Routine Agenda Items: Salmon season; FY15 budget direction; election of Commission chair, vice-chair; briefing on auction and lottery tags; nonbiological rules briefing for game animals.
March 18, 19 / Special Meeting
July 10, 11, 12 / Quarterly Meeting
Location: Boise, ID
Public Hearing: March 18
Routine Agenda Items: Deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, mountain
lion, wolf seasons; nonbiological rules briefing for game animals; salmon seasons.
Location: Pocatello, ID
Public Hearing: July 10
Routine Agenda Items: Nonbiological rules for all game animals; nonresident deer & elk tag quotas; ccnsider release of
bighorn sheep tags for auction and lottery; Commission direction on the expenditure of Animal Damage Control funds.
Don’t Miss This!
January 19— ITA Fur Sale— Mountain Home, Idaho
January 24— IDFG Chili Feed— Jerome Regional Office, Idaho
February 1&2— USRT Fur Sale—Blackfoot, Idaho
February 28 - March 3— Sportsman's Show— Boise, Idaho
March 9— ITA Fur Sale— Mountain Home, Idaho
June 7-9— NTA Western Regional— Blackfoot, Idaho
August 17— FBU-ITA Banquet— Boise, Idaho
Do you use warning signs on your trapline?
WARNING
TRAPS/SNARES ARE SET HERE
Traps and/or snares have been placed in this area to
control abundant predators. Pets running at large are at
risk of injury or death. Pet owners who have not
learned how to release a pet from a trap or snare
quickly and safely should maintain physical control of
pets if they decide to recreate with a pet in this area.
Cable restraint devices (snares)
with a spring-assisted lock (below)
are designed to dispatch (kill) large
predators in less than 30 seconds.
DO NOT RECREATE WITH YOUR
PET OFF-LEASH where springassisted snares are in use.
B
This MB750 (above) is one of
the strongest foot-hold traps
you might find in Idaho, but
even children can temporarily
release the jaws by pressing
both springs (arrows) down
with their feet. The same
method releases the jaws of a
longspring trap (below).
Compress this
spring with
your foot.
A
C
Releasing a
snared pet:
Push “A”
against the
neck while
pulling “B”
away from
the neck;
OR, cut or
open “C”
with cutters
or pliers.
It is illegal to destroy, disturb or remove
traps belonging to others. No person
shall remove wildlife from a trap or snare
of another except licensed trappers with
written permission from the trap owner.
This sign has been placed as a courtesy to
other land users. Absence of this sign does
not guarantee that traps have been removed
from the area. Pet owners are encouraged to
keep pets under control at all times where
traps may be present.
Contact the Idaho Trappers Association for
more information on trapping and trap safety
at www.idahotrappersassociation.com.
All Rights Reserved © Forever Free Press 2013
The recent story of a pet caught in a trap during an animal damage control
job in Utah has brought this question into the spotlight.
Residents of a small neighborhood park are livid about the death of a
large dog that stuck it’s head into a body-grip trap. Traps were placed in the
creek that runs through the park at the request of city officials in an effort to
curtail beaver damage in the park. City officials have reported that the trapper hired to remove problem beavers didn’t follow instructions when he
placed several traps on the wrong side of the creek, right next to a walking
trail.
According to news reports and subsequent online comments, some made
by the deceased pet’s family, neighbors understood the need to trap the beavers, but they were particularly distraught that proper signs had not been
placed to warn those who frequent the tiny park of the potential danger to
pets.
All trappers are encouraged to be ambassadors for the craft. That means,
in some cases, turning down jobs that have a high potential for really bad
publicity and unwanted attention. We should all assess the risks of interaction with pet owners on our trap lines prior to setting traps or snares. In many
cases some well-placed signs can be the difference between a safe, informed
outdoor enthusiast, or an anti-trapping story splattered across national news
outlets.
The ITA will be producing several versions of this warning sign (below)
for all trappers to use on their trap lines. Trappers are encouraged to cut out
and copy the printed sign below, or email the electronic version, available on
the ITA web sites and Facebook page, directly to a local printer. The ITA
encourages trappers to copy and post this sign, though we do ask that the
sign remain unaltered.
If you wish to have the sign altered to suit a particular need, please contact Forever Free Press ([email protected]).
MJ TAXIDERMY
“Keeping Memories Alive”
(208) 587-5931
[email protected]
Michelle Gutierrez
Certified Taxidermist
3725 NE McCoy Lane
Mountain Home, ID 83647
Page 5
Unhooked!
(continued from Page One)
on it’s a fine line between a quick controlled, safe re- to prevent bloodshed. Carry agency phone numbers
lease, or a dead cat. This procedure needs to be well with you for those times when you’ve decided that
thought out and executed quickly.
you’re not confident about releasing a lion safely. After
Before using any of these methods, take a careful all, a dart expertly placed by a trained, confident profeslook around. Catalog the hazards. Assess the cat’s size sional is far safer for everyone involved, including the
and demeanor before diving into a half-baked plan cat.
where everything goes wrong.
One last thing: Don’t call your friends-neighborsDrugs are always an option (not for you, for the family to come look at the pretty kitty while you wait
cat!). Fish and Game refers to this method as “chemical for help to arrive. If you do that, someone you care
immobilization”. You may have to wait awhile, but this about will suddenly find themselves inside the catch
option is just a phone call away, and it’s the best option circle. If that doesn’t create enough mayhem for you,
all those people standing around in the way become
Estimated at 180lbs, this cat (below) shredded a targets for that enraged cat when it’s freed to go home!
skilled trapper’s hand during an attempted solo
release. It was choked down with a restraint
The notch at the bottom of the
pole, but got one good swipe in with a loose
shield (left) slips over the
paw before it was released unharmed.
wrist of a trapped lion, just
above the trap. It’s not foolproof, but it does put a sturdy
barrier between the trapper
and the lion, so the trapper
can compress the trap
springs with his feet and back
away from the released lion.
ITA
t-shirts
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ITA member, Jared Boley, caught this lion
(above) in a Southern Idaho bobcat set. Two
IDFG Conservation Officers, Jim Stirling and
Doug Meyer, assisted in the release. This photo
was taken moments after the trap was removed,
and right before the release party bailed out.
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Page 6
O
Sublette’s Winter Walk
By Andy White
st
n January 1 two men, William Sublette
and Black Harris, set out for a long winter walk together. They were accompanied by a
provision laden pack dog, a trusted companion
to both Sublette and Harris. The three travelers
left an area known as Cache Valley, located in
southeastern Idaho and northeastern Utah,
wearing snow shoes and heading southeast. On
March 4th Sublette and Harris reached their
destination, minus the dog and three days late.
The destination was St. Louis, Missouri, more
than 1100 miles as the crow flies from their
starting point. The year was 1827.
William Sublette made a name for himself
in the fur trapping industry, first as a trapper
employed by the Missouri Lieutenant Governor, General William Henry Ashley, and later
as a partner in his own trapping venture, the
Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He is credited
for making the rendezvous an annual affair,
though it was Ashley who seems to have initiated the tradition, and for establishing the Oregon Trail, though there is some argument over
who really traversed the overland routes first.
William Sublette was walking to St. Louis
in 1827 to honor a contract. He had agreed to
return to St. Louis from the western mountains
with a grocery list of supplies and materials
needed by the trappers left behind in Cache
Valley on or before March 1st. Fortunately for
Sublette, and for the trappers wintering in
Montana, Idaho, Utah,Wyoming and Washington, the contracted suppliers loosely organized
by Mr. Ashley in St. Louis turned a blind eye
to the tardiness. Sublette outfitted and loaded
wagons, hired new trappers, purchased new
stock animals and turned back west on March
15th.
The supply train arrived mostly intact at the
planned rendezvous location at the southern
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2013 Bryan Richardson
Mountain Man, an original pencil drawing by award-winning artist Bryan Richardson.
end of Bear Lake, located south of the IdahoUtah state line, around the end of June, 1827.
Native Americans and trappers met, fought,
drank, caroused, traded, spent, ate, and drank
and caroused some more until it was time to
break off the celebrations and head back into
the business of trapping.
I contacted the Bear Lake Convention Center and Visitors Bureau and was dismayed to
learn that there is no longer a rendezvous held
at Rendezvous Beach on the southern end of
Bear Lake. The most recent rendezvous was
held at the Bear Lake State Park, on the Utah
side of the lake, four years
ago. There are currently no
plans to revive the event.
Regardless of the absence or presence of the
modern-day rendezvous tradition at Bear Lake I am
moved by the commitment
and sacrifice exhibited in the
late 1700's and early 1800's
by these early adventurers,
trappers and settlers. Their
history is amazing. The epic
struggles to move forward
are uplifting.
There are plenty of times
throughout the year when I
find an excuse not to go outside and enjoy what the
great state of Idaho has to
offer. Maybe it's the wind,
or the heat, or the wet snow,
or the deep dry drifted powder, possibly just my laziness. But I always know that
with just a little help from
my local librarian I can still
'get outside' with a great
book or two. And there is no
time like the depths of winter to scour a good book for
something new to chew on,
something to divert the mind
from the cold wet muck and
Pencil Portraits
the howling winds we enjoy
here in Southern Idaho.
Bryan Richardson
I began reading about the
208-329-4903
Sublettes after inquiring
about open positions with
the Idaho Department of
Transportation. The IDOT was seeking road
construction workers for the 'Sublette Project'.
I had to know where that project was and that
lead me to wondering about the Sublette name.
Then I had a long conversation by way of amateur radio with a man sitting by a campfire
with his grown sons in the Sublett Range overlooking the American Falls Reservoir. (I was
sitting in my easy-chair in my living room in
Kimberly.) To further pound the Sublette name
into my mind a friend invited me to join him
on a deer hunt this past fall over by Sublett, a
little Idaho town just east of I-84. The curiosity
was too much for me to dodge and I was compelled to request materials on the Sublette
name from Helen McCord, the very enterprising librarian for the Kimberly Public Library.
Through the encompassing reach of the inter-library loan services Helen was able to secure several engaging books about the Sublette
family for me. I have drawn on them all in order to provide facts for this article. My resources include: Bill Sublette – Mountain Man,
by John E. Sunder; Trappers of the Far West,
edited by LeRoy R. Hafen; and, Mountain Men
and Fur Traders of the Far West, again edited
by LeRoy R. Hafen.
I am always touched, indebted possibly, to
those figures who came before us and accomplished so much with so little. Stories like the
printed accounts of the Sublettes (William,
Milton, Pinckney) are inspiring to me and tend
to dissolve any lame excuse I can come up
with to keep myself indoors when the weather
gets nasty. The account of William Sublette
and Black Harris walking to St. Louis is just
such a story for me.
Of course there is much more to William
Sublette than just one 1000-mile walk to St.
Louis in the middle of the winter of 1827.
More so even than the second walk from
Cache Valley to St. Louis, by both Sublette
and Harris, in the winter of 1829-30. Yes, they
did it all over again, leaving a bit earlier this
time, right after Christmas of 1829, and arriving in St. Louis on February 11th, 1830.
Look around the area, at the signs, at maps,
street names and building names and you will
meet some very interesting people. I've met
some amazing woodsmen this way. Their stories can certainly divert the mind when the
winter doldrums come knocking. Your local
library can help ferret out the details.
Page 7
Wolves in Colorado?
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (formerly, Colorado Division of Wildlife) considers wolves to be an extirpated
species, an animal that does not exist in the wild inside a
historical home range, but still exists elsewhere. The
wolf situation in Colorado has become complex because
of the expansion of wolves from Wyoming into Colorado, and the debate of proposed wolf release programs
in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), just 2 hours
from the Wyoming state line in Estes Park, Colorado.
RMNP officials have acknowledged a problem with elk
overgrazing areas within the park boundary, forcing the
park to adopt a culling program to lethally remove excess elk with trained sharpshooters. A study was conducted by RMNP considering options for management of
the elk overpopulation and one option proposed was to
release wolves into the park. Officials rejected that, calling the measure "unfeasible".
Claiming that not all options were considered, the
environmental group WildEarth Guardians (WEG) filed
a lawsuit against RMNP in Colorado District Court in
2008. The judge ruled in favor of RMNP in 2009, so
WEG filed an appeal to revive the lawsuit and sued the
park again, this time in Federal District Court in September 2012. Once again, the judge ruled in favor of RMNP,
defending the 2011 policy of using sharpshooters to control elk. WEG appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals after losing in September. In January, 2013 a judge
ruled in favor of RMNP for a third time.
These cases are interesting because the National Park
Service tends to side with environmental, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Wolf releases into
Yellowstone National Park, beginning in 1995, are a
prime example of that. These recent court decisions also
indicate that a regional “district” of a national agency
can operate independently to address the unrealistic and
potentially harmful idea of introducing wolves in Colorado. It is significant to note that the RMNP Service recognized the eminent harm and defeated proposed wolf
introduction programs in Colorado, largely because wolf
introduction programs in the Northern Rockies and
Mogollon Rim have led to severe economic, ecological,
and social damage.
The lawsuits are the first front of the fight; the second
is with wolves that are moving in from adjacent states.
With the Northern Rockies wolf program in full swing,
wolves are expanding their range from Wyoming into
By Tyrell Mares
Colorado. This was documented in 2004 when the Colo- National Wildlife Refuge near Alamosa, Colorado, just an
rado Division of Wildlife (now, Colorado Parks and hour and a half from the New Mexico line. Sportsmen and
Wildlife) confirmed that a female wolf hit on I-70 west of ranchers from across the state, and throughout the West,
Vail, CO was from Yellowstone. Since that incident there reacted with a major response of opposition. Sportsman
has been an increased presence of wolves in the region. In interest groups such as Big Game Forever and Save West2007 the DOW captured footage of a black wolf near ern Wildlife became so involved in the battle that the
Walden, Colorado, near the Wyoming state line. Wolf USFWS quickly reconsidered the proposal, withdrawing
sightings have increased dramatically since then.
the plan completely.
To address expansion of wolves into Colorado, the
The Alamosa battle was a major victory for rural ColoColorado Wolf Management Working Group was ap- rado, as was the recent court ruling in favor of Rocky
pointed by the DOW in 2004. Their purpose was to draft Mountain National Park. The Wolf War isn’t over for
management recommendations for an expanding wolf Colorado, or the West, but with help from many imporpopulation. The working group’s recommendations were tant people in and outside the state, Colorado has deadopted by the Colorado DOW in 2005, but the manage- fended itself from the ‘large predator agenda’, regardless
ment plan is unacceptable to Colorado sportsmen and of the odds, and the rest of the West can do the same.
ranchers. At issue is the Colorado Wolf Management
Plan’s wording, specifically that
“Migrating wolves should be allowed
to live with 'no boundaries' where they
find habitat, and managed accordingly
to the following four principles: Impact-Based Management, Adaptive
Management, Monitoring, Damage
Payments/ Proactive Measures.” Other
recommendations included repealing
wolf bounty laws, considered to be
"antiquated" by the Working Group.
Sportsmen and ranchers also know
that some members of the Working
Group share common ideology with
environmental NGOs promoting wolf
introduction throughout the West. This
conflicts with sportsmen, long considered to be the historical ‘stakeholders’
in Colorado’s wildlife management, Charles Hackett
because the Working Group operates Prints & Originals
in lockstep with the ideals of environAvailable
mentalism (ie, non-consumptive use of
wildlife). To address this, sportsmen
and ranching interests in the state have "Jack Hahn, Up the South Fork of Bear Creek"
become more actively involved on the Award winning artist, Charles Hackett paints, writes and
issue.
Rural Colorado has defended its farms in Stevensville, Montana. View his full color paintings
interests against wolf introduction on Facebook at facebook.com/charles.hackett.7.
before. In early 2012 the USFWS proPrints start at $45 Originals start at $1000.
posed releasing wolves into the Baca
Charles Hackett
406-777-3278
January 19 & March 9
Fur Check-in:
DIRECTIONS:
From I-84 take Ex 95 and go north about 1 mile. Turn right onto Hot Creek Road, go
1 mile, turn right into armory. Look for the ITA signs posted along the route!
Please R$VP A$AP with
Michelle on the amount of
fur you expect to consign at
each $ale. This helps attract
more buyers to your $ale!
Michelle Gutierrez
208-587-5931
YOU MAKE OUR FUR SALES A SUCCESS
JOIN THE FUR SALE COMMITTEE TODAY!
Call Patrick Carney or Michelle Gutierrez
208-599-5009
208-587-5931
Banking regulations prohibit
issuing fur checks on the
day of the sale — checks
will be issued beginning
Wednesday after the sale.
Contact Patrick Carney for
questions about this policy.
Used by permission. All Rights Reserved. © 2013 Robert Millage Photography
This wintery photo was shot by Robert Millage while hunting whitetails and wolves in the Nez Perce National Forest. He was overlooking the South
Fork of the Clearwater drainage. For more great photos check out RobertMillage.com, or peruse more than 15,000 photos on his Facebook page.
June 6-9,2013
Blackfoot, Idaho
Hosted by
Upper Snake River Trappers of Idaho
For booth space
and general event
information please
contact Todd Smith
208-522-6703
“The Upper Snake River Trappers of Idaho were very instrumental
in helping the ITA get HJR2 passed in November. Let’s go to the
Western Regional to show our support and help them out.”
—Patrick Carney, President, Idaho Trappers Association
**The ITA will not hold a separate ITA convention in 2013 due to the
NTA Western Regional Convention in Blackfoot, Idaho in June. There
will be a general ITA membership meeting at the Western Regional.
Please make plans to attend this great event!
Upper Snake River Trappers
Idaho Trappers Association
Fur Sale
February 1 & 2, 2013
Snake River Junior High School
Blackfoot, Idaho
Contact Information: Todd Smith
208-522-6703
events
Fur Sale
January 19 & March 9, 2013
National Guard Armory
Mountain Home, Idaho
Contact Information: Michelle Gutierrez
208-587-5931