Trapping & Dogs

[FishSticks]

Now that I have a dog that will be coming out bird hunting with me this fall I have started to take different precautions and list out things I will need to bring with in case of emergency. These include (but are not limited to): water bottles, pliers, skunk off, liquid bandage cream and other things he might need while in the field.

I have also been familiarizing myself with different snares and traps, watching some youtube clips of body traps and holy shit that would be terrifying if he got into one of those. Some people reccomend bringing along a tool or rope to work on the springs of a Conibear trap also saying they have about 2 minutes to get out before they die. WTF

Has anyone on here had a dog get itself caught in a trap while out hunting? While hunting with my dad and family dogs we have never encountered any sort of trap, snare etc. They have come across porcupines and skunks and plenty barb wire fences

 

[arrowdem]

i caught a dog that was running around the countryside in a leg hold i had set for a coyote once, looked down the hill saw the dog walked right up to him pet him a minute, the dog was pretty calm and looked like he hadnt been there for more than a few hours got his foot out, petting him a second and off he went, limped for about 100 yards then seemed to run off fine, still see him running around in random areas every once in a while, i pulled my traps there and havent set in that area since. never had any in my snares, but i've heard with dogs its not as bad cause they dont freak out and sinch the snare down on their neck, now if they are running adn dont see it and hit it at full speed, you dont have a lot of time before it chokes out a dog,

 

[JMF]

YouTube is not a very good place to familiarize yourself with trapping regulations, lots of misinformation out there. The G&F website has good information and brochures with information on removing a dog from traps or snares. Read up on the regulations in place for setting the different types of legal traps. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of the possible dangers you or your dog might encounter. Along with your basic vet supplies you should have a short piece of 550 cord for removing bodygrippers and a good cable cutters ($20 online) for cutting free snares. Though most snare can be removed without cutting.

 

[KDM]

Most of those video clips are put there by the anti hunting community and are geared to produce the maximum amount of fear. It appears they are having the desired effect. Dealing with these devices really isn't that difficult. First, familiarize yourself with the rules, regs, and laws concerning trapping. These will explain dates, locations, trap/snares types that can be used, which I hope will lessen your concerns to an extent. That being said, carrying equipment and having the knowledge to deal with a body grip trap and/or a snare is a good idea as the possibilities for an encounter do exist. I carry a cable cutter for snares and I can open a 220 body grip with my hands. I hunt extensively for pheasants and other upland game and I have not encountered a single trap or snare. Most trappers are EXTREMELY cognizant of domestic pets, but there are those that are less than stellar in this area. Most are the govt. trappers that carpet bomb an area in the winter with snares and then forget where they all are. Not even close to kidding on this. I, and several other trappers on here, would be more than happy to talk it over with you and help you understand the realities of this. Please PM me with any questions you have and I'll do my best to help out.

 

[LBrandt]

If I am hunting unfamiliar ground I have a " good" wire cutter in my back pocket, one that will cut cable if need be. Then all the sew-em up stuff in the truck. Super Glue in a real emergency, and vets number on my cell phone. I have 6 different vet numbers depending on where I hunt.

 

[Wildyote]

Now that I have a dog that will be coming out bird hunting with me this fall I have started to take different precautions and list out things I will need to bring with in case of emergency. These include (but are not limited to): water bottles, pliers, skunk off, liquid bandage cream and other things he might need while in the field.

I have also been familiarizing myself with different snares and traps, watching some youtube clips of body traps and holy shit that would be terrifying if he got into one of those. Some people reccomend bringing along a tool or rope to work on the springs of a Conibear trap also saying they have about 2 minutes to get out before they die. WTF

Has anyone on here had a dog get itself caught in a trap while out hunting? While hunting with my dad and family dogs we have never encountered any sort of trap, snare etc. They have come across porcupines and skunks and plenty barb wire fences

If a dog is leash trained which most dogs are they will not be harmed by a kill snare as they wont fight it and will sit or lay down a you will need a to relax the snare if it isn't too tight. I the snare is fairly tight cut it with a side cutters.

As far as conibear traps there are regulations to prevent non-target catches:

Trap set restrictions:
State Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’
s)
Year round:
Body gripping traps greater than six inches inside jaw spread must
–

be in four inches or more of water; or

be recessed at least seven inches in a plastic, wood, or metal cubby with a
maximum fifty square inch opening; or

be recessed at least ten inches in a plastic, wood, or metal cubby with a
maximum eighty square inch opening.
All Other Lands
From September 1, 2016 through October 21, 2016:
Body gripping traps greater than eight inches inside jaw spread and all water sets
must
–

be in four inches or more of water; or

be used in an upland set and recessed at least ten inches in a plastic, wood, or
metal cubby with a maximum eighty square inch opening.
From October 22, 2016 through January 8, 2017:
Body gripping traps greater than eight inches inside jaw spread must
–

be in four inches or more of water; or

be used in an upland set and recessed at least ten inches in a plastic, wood, or
metal cubby with a maximum eighty square inch opening.

 

[wby257]

I had a big Chesapeake get in a snare about 30 yrs ago. He ran throw it and it closed on his neck but he got a front leg it to. It closed a long way as he was big and with him running like he was, it closed up pretty tight.

I would think a dog running into a 330 conibear is as good as dead.

I caught many dogs back in the 70's and 80's trapping and always turned them loose. They were all caught with #2 double coils.

 

[3Roosters]

Good topic...and timely.. Our area actually is fortunate to have a class such as this. I think it is like the 2nd or 3rd yr in a row now. The class is free although I am sure they wouldn't mind getting a new member or 2 from this class. I went to it last year. Good info.

 

[FishSticks]

Most of those video clips are put there by the anti hunting community and are geared to produce the maximum amount of fear. It appears they are having the desired effect. Dealing with these devices really isn't that difficult. First, familiarize yourself with the rules, regs, and laws concerning trapping. These will explain dates, locations, trap/snares types that can be used, which I hope will lessen your concerns to an extent. That being said, carrying equipment and having the knowledge to deal with a body grip trap and/or a snare is a good idea as the possibilities for an encounter do exist. I carry a cable cutter for snares and I can open a 220 body grip with my hands. I hunt extensively for pheasants and other upland game and I have not encountered a single trap or snare. Most trappers are EXTREMELY cognizant of domestic pets, but there are those that are less than stellar in this area. Most are the govt. trappers that carpet bomb an area in the winter with snares and then forget where they all are. Not even close to kidding on this. I, and several other trappers on here, would be more than happy to talk it over with you and help you understand the realities of this. Please PM me with any questions you have and I'll do my best to help out.

I did come across a few of those anti trapping videos but didn't think much of them. I was mostly watching the instructional videos put out by the people that make the body traps to try and learn how to disable them. Is there anything on ND G&F's website that lays out where gov trappers are working?

Since I do love to bird hunt so much, I am very for trapping to help rid the state of coyotes/fox. Just need to learn a little bit more in case of an emergency.

- - - Updated - - -

Good topic...and timely.. Our area actually is fortunate to have a class such as this. I think it is like the 2nd or 3rd yr in a row now. The class is free although I am sure they wouldn't mind getting a new member or 2 from this class. I went to it last year. Good info.

Always can use an excuse to go to Devils Lake...I think I am headed to Williston next week for work though. Will keep an eye out for something in Fargo

 

[Wildyote]

Hi Fishsticks:

I am glad that you support trapping. I have trapped and snared for over 30 years now and try to promote and protect our rights. This is done by practicing doing it right. By avoiding setting on public lands I have been able to prevent many or all problems. There are some out there that don't know what they are doing and can make it bad for the rest of us. I would get a cable cutters for your kit just in case.

 

[wildeyes]

don't forget a needle nose plier it will come in handy for a lot of dog problems in the field.ei sand burrs, quills cutting snares if needed.

 

[FishSticks]

don't forget a needle nose plier it will come in handy for a lot of dog problems in the field.ei sand burrs, quills cutting snares if needed.

Would a needle nose be able to handle a snare wire? Or should I go straight to a wire cutter and leave the needle nose in the truck?

 

[KDM]

A Cable Cutter is the way to go if you're dealing with snares. With most wire cutters, (side cutters, linesmans pliers, multi-tools) I've tried to use on cable, you have to work at it a bit to first get the tool under the cable, which can be fun if the cable is tight to the neck and then second to get it to cut the cable. You don't want to waste time if your dog is in trouble. A cable cutter fits right over the cable from the outside and you cut it. Quick and clean. I've released enough foxes and have tried the other types of tools and I can tell you for sure that a pissed off fox with a tight cable around it's neck is not something I want to daudle with. Grab, Cut, Release!!!! If you're going to carry the extra weight, it might as well be the right tool for the job. JMHO though. For sand burrs and other stuff that's not an emergency, I keep that stuff in the truck.

 

[wildeyes]

kdm my fingers were red getting them sand burrs out of a dogs paws while being at least a mile from the truck it was a emergency dog had trouble walking. Nothing like a dog with quills stuck in the inside of a dogs mouth and at least half mile to truck. thanks for the info on the side cutter on cable good to know I hope to never see my dog in a trap.

 

[Trapper62]

I would also familiarize yourself with the types of locks out there. A lot of locks can be used in ND with the right mods, specifically breakaways. Some use a j-hooks, s-hooks, some a hammered nut, some ferrels, basic locks, some have kill springs installed, etc. It isn't always the cable that you need to worry about, some snares can be disabled quicker by looking at the lock.

 

[Duckslayer100]

My youngest dog, Blitz, hit a snare two winters ago during a late-season pheasant hunt. We were on unposted private property, so it was definitely my bad. Don't blame the landowner one bit.

Remy was getting birdy and I had an eye on him when I suddenly realized I didn't know where Blitz was. We were in typical eastern ND cattails, so it's pretty easy to lose a dog on point. Backtracked a bit and just had a hunch that I needed to take a left down a game trail. Two steps in and there's Blitz. Just sitting there. That's when I realized he had a snare round his neck. Wasn't even tight. He must have felt the tension and just stopped pulling (as has been mentioned is common with leash-trained dogs).

But it gave me a serious case of the willies, so I slipped the snare off his neck and we high-tailed it off the property. It was my last hunt of the year...kind of a sour way to end a season.

 

[riverview]

I had a golden years ago hunting ruff grouse in mn get into a couple of snares and she just sat, had to find her.

 

[svnmag]

What a good baby. That's a terrifying deal.