Entries Tagged Trapping

Veterans and novices alike can pick up tips and products while meeting like-minded folks at the 59th National Trappers Association convention in Escanaba, Mich.

Trapping is part of a long outdoors tradition that involves learning from your elders and passing it on to the next generation. Don’t let that tradition die.

San Francisco votes to ban fur and the move sparks debate over larger issues concerning animal rights and government overreach.

Whether you're hunting or trapping for the adaptable coyote and other predators, a consistent year-round plan pays off more than a hit-and-miss approach. Hunting coyotes is a ton of fun, no doubt. I love it, although in the last few years haven't been able to do it enough. Chalk that up to the job and not taking advantage of the time I could. That's going to change, though. I have at least three coyotes on some land that I hunt and they have an appointment with some tiny, lead-tipped missles soon. Trapping also is a great form of management and a lot of fun. It takes patience, skill to build effective sets, and trappers have solid woodsmanship skills. If they don't, they either learn them or likely don't find too much fur in their traps. Mark Kayser sometimes may work a coyote for hours before getting a clean shot. Maintaining pressure on predators all year can help impact populations and benefit other wildlife, along with being great fun. One thing about coyotes is they're not going to disappear completely. Hunters and trappers can put the hammer on them and see a big decrease in the population, for sure. But eventually, because some of them roam, they'll be back. We know coyotes are pack animals and roamers. Occasionally, some of those may break away or lose one or more of their pack — possibly from trapping, hunting, natural mortality or the bumper of Uncle Fred's pickup. Some studies show that these solitary or transient coyotes move around in search of a new pack or home area. Males also roam more than females, and forage availability also impacts movements. What this means for hunters and trappers, especially those trying to help deer, turkey and small game populations, is that knocking back coyotes and predators is a year-round task. I've talked with a lot of deer hunters over the years who say they shoot five or six during the season but not in spring or summer. Predator management is, or should be, just as intense as whitetail, turkey, quail or small game management. It's all a piece of the puzzle in the bigger picture. Improving habitat, knocking back predators, setting hunting goals and then making it a year-round plan is the best way to achieve success. VIDEO: Predator Xtreme contributor Mark Kayser discusses patience while predator hunting

Scientists team up with the hunting community to gather game data, specimens and trends to benefit wildlife conservation.

Court dismisses animal-rights groups appeal concerning the incidental trapping of Canada lynx in Maine.

Longtime anti-hunting congresswoman proposes banning all trapping on national wildlife refuge system.

A bill has been tabled that would ban all trapping on New Mexico public lands, making effective wildlife management nearly impossible.

An anti-trapping group was successful in getting an initiative on the November ballots that would ban trapping on public land in Montana.

Environmentalists in New Mexico are suing several parties, including the New Mexico Game Commission, claiming trapping cougars is endangering other animals.

Trapping advocates claim state game commissioners ignored data showing bobcats are the main cause of dropping populations of some endangered species and instead upheld the ban on 'moral' grounds.

Scientists are set to begin trapping grizzly bears in Grand Teton National Park to outfit them with tracking collars and collect samples from the animals.

California's Fish and Game Commission has voted to ban bobcat trapping throughout the state, a move praised by animal activists who argue trapping is cruel.