FOR OUR IDAHO READERS........... be careful with pets - and carry a camera - there will inevitably be deer, elk and other non-targets taken. Private trappers will not be required to use signs or other warnings. Traps can be legally set in close proximity to roads and trails. The traps that we have used to capture and radio-collar wolves have about a 6 1/2 inch diameter jaw spread, which is big enough to catch wolves, but the IDFG are allowing up to 9 inch diameter traps which will be more powerful and capable of catching and holding elk size animals and perhaps horses too. I emphasize that this size of trap will make it difficult for most people to compress the springs to release pets.
Dogs, if caught in a trap, can be dangerous to their owner and inflict damaging injuries to face and hands while people are trying to release a pet, so always put a coat or other barrier between pet and owner. You may need to leave a pet in a trap and return for help. A pair of C-clamps can be purchased in your local hardware stores that would aid in compressing trap springs to release non-target animals.
Snares are also legal in Idaho and are capable of catching, killing or injuring all sizes of animals including moose and domestic livestock. I assume a breakaway snare is required by law but the system doesn't always work. Snares can be deadly, on the one hand when catching an animal around the neck, but often animals are caught around the body or by a leg and can suffer a slow, agonizing death or irreparable constrictive injuries. Snares are non-select and will grasp any animal that activates them. Trailing hounds used for mountain lions, for example, could easily be killed in snares. Snare cable used to catch wolves may be difficult or impossible to cut with a conventional wire cutters, so a cable cutting tool (which can be hard to purchase in local hardware stores) is essential for your backpacks.
Carry a camera to document the capture of pets and non-target animals. Take lots of pictures if you want to dramatize for the public how dangerous wolf traps and snares can be. If any of you want other advice, I am always willing to work with you. Read the trapping regulations so you are familiar with what trappers can legally do. Don't tamper with traps and snares but IF an animal is caught, dead or alive, there should be trap tags on the trap or snare. If visible, take a picture of the name and other identification on the tag. If no tag is evident it could be an illegally set trap or snare and should be reported to law enforcement.
One observation that I have made over the years is that most wolf advocates appear to be more athletic than most hunters and trappers, thus you have more mobility to walk, run, ski and hike around the rough terrain in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Check the trapping regulations and zones where traps and snares will be set. It will be legal to set wolf traps and snares on all of the public lands and state lands in Idaho. Take a walk, a jog, a hike or cross-country ski - often, this winter. Carry your cameras and be prepared for whatever you may see or encounter. Pictures are excellent documentation.
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Idaho wolf trapping season opens Tuesday
By PERRY BACKUS
For the first time in recent memory, trappers will try to capture and kill wolves in the Idaho backcountry starting this week.
And Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials want recreationists to know they might encounter traps in places they've never seen them before.
"We have a lot of folks from the Missoula and Hamilton areas who come over here to hunt or fish for steelhead," said Idaho's regional conservation educator, Mike Demick. "Many of them bring their pets along with them. We want them to be aware that wolf trapping season is open."
Idaho's wolf trapping season officially opens Tuesday and runs through March 31.
The season focuses on the north-central and northern regions of the state, including the Lolo, Selway, Middle Fork, Dworshak-Elk City zones, as well as the Panhandle zone, with a few exemptions.
Before heading into the field, Demick said those wanting to trap wolves are required to take a class that includes a heavy dose on trapping ethics.
"In the class, they get pounded about not setting traps in areas frequented by the public," he said. "We're hoping the focus will be trapping wolves in remote areas like the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.
"People can expect to see more trappers out there and they may see traps in places that normally aren't trapped," Demick said.
In Idaho, licensed trappers can buy three tags per hunting season. Wolf tags cost $11.50 for resident hunters and $31.75 for nonresidents. Trappers can also buy an additional two wolf hunting tags per calendar year.
So far, 111 wolves have been harvested in Idaho this year.
Trapping wolves is not allowed in Montana. Montana hunters are allowed to purchase one wolf tag per year.
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