Why It Matters: As sure as a cool September breezes blow in the northern forests, reminding us of the coming changes, so too will those breezes whisk us into the most treasured time on the calendar for sportsmen and women. As September gives way to October, many will take to the forests, fields and waterways for upland and waterfowl pursuits, while at the same time, there is a niche group of sporting conservationists inventorying, maintaining, prepping, and testing their equipment for the coming seasons, the keystone conservationists: trappers. October kicks off many months of highly regulated, detail oriented, laborious work for the northeast trapper. Racing against time and the coming winter temperatures, the modern trapper will set out to maximize their time on land before the permafrost becomes solid moving trappers into the frozen waterways of Northern New England. The work trappers preform, the data provided to their state agencies and the traditional hunting heritage they keep alive are all a part of sound, science-based wildlife management and should be supported and protected by the sporting community and our Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus members when the anti’s come knocking.
Highlights
- Furbearer trapping in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont kicks off the trapping seasons in October. Presently, Maine bear hunters are allowed to take a second black bear by means of trapping until the end of October.
- The regulations set forth by state wildlife agencies on trapping methods are among the most complex and comprehensive of any laws concerning wildlife harvest today.
- Extensive research on restraining traps has been conducted by wildlife professionals within the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The trap manufacturing industries have voluntarily embraced the recommendations of the Best Management Practice’s (BMPs) and have designed and redesigned new traps that meet the new humane trap standards.
- Modern restraining animal traps, like foot-hold traps, have been critical to conservation efforts by allowing endangered species to be safely trapped and re-located.
So, what’s the truth? The truth is that trapping is the most scrutinized, regulated, and attacked outdoor pursuit the sporting community has. It is also one of the most important pursuits. Trappers are the keystone conservationists. Remove the trappers, you start to remove sound wildlife management tools, you then start to remove hunting in all its forms. While most will never set a 110 conibear on a muskrat run, or a #1.75 coil spring for red fox, or set out a MB750 on a slide line for beaver mitigation for a landowner, make no mistake about it, the trappers in your area are providing a great service to their fellow sportsmen and women, landowners, and state agencies, much of which is on their own dime. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, depend on their trappers to provide an incredible amount of biological data on the species they take to get a better understanding of how healthy the ecosystem truly is.
Aside from the daily rituals of “walking the line” trap checking, setting, resetting, trappers are keeping detailed notes and logs that they are required to provide to the state agencies in the form of a trapper’s report. These reports, include biological samples (teeth and jaws) that are required for specific species of concern, as well as observations worthy of note (as literal boots on the ground), are all provided to the state agencies at the trapper’s expense. Should state agencies across the country go outside of the trapping community to contract for such work, it would cost millions of dollars to the taxpayer, for a job trappers already do. In Episode 29 of, The Sportsmen’s Voice podcast, guest and Governor’s Sportsmen’s Caucus Chair (GSC), New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu addresses this very issue and acknowledges the role trappers play in the conservation of New Hampshire’s wildlife and wild spaces.
The truth: with all the science, research, data collection, and cost savings to the public they provide, your local trapper(s) play an important role in your community. If they are good at their trade (and most are) you’ll never know they’re there. Trappers are nothing like the meme they are portrayed as by the deep pocketed animal extremists. They are not blood thirsty henchmen belonging to some macabre secret club, no, they are passionate sportsmen and women who love the land they walk on, who love healthy flocks and herds, who love watching otter fish, catching a fleeting glimpse of a shy fox, or the slap of a beaver’s tail on the water. They are held to an incredibly high standard of care and practice. Their mastery of their craft is honed as they only wish to take a targeted species and not inconvenience a non-target animal. Should the occasion occur, because of their due diligence and attention to detail, they can simply return an animal back to the forest unharmed. This is the truth of the modern trapper, and what they provide to our community with little to no recognition.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is proud to work alongside our trapping partners throughout the country to advance BMPs, access, and the tradition of trapping. CSF encourages our Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus members to seek out your state Trappers Association and “walk the line” once or twice in the ’24-’25 trapping season. It’s a worth while trip!
