Traps and snares
Be aware that traps and snares may be set near trails on public lands, which may attract your unsuspecting pet. Graphic courtesy Wyoming Untrapped.
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Be aware of possibility of traps along trails you use with your pet
May 14, 2016
You may not be aware, but there are thousands of traps and snares on public lands. There is a trapping season for furbearing animals including pine marten, bobcats, mink, muskrat, weasel, and beavers, which extends from October 1 to April 30 each year. However, traps and snares can be set out for predators such as coyotes, red foxes, porcupine, raccoons, and jackrabbits year-round on almost any type of land in Wyoming.
An organization called Wyoming Untrapped wants to make the public aware that the trails and public lands on which you recreate may have traps and snares present at all times of the year. Wyoming Untrapped is a non-profit organization based in Jackson, Wyoming that aims to educate about trapping and hopes for changes in trapping regulations. "One of our main goals is to educate people who are recreating on public trails about the dangers that are present to people and pets in the form of traps and snares."
Traps are required to have an identification tag on them with either the trapper’s name and address or trapper’s ID number on it. If you find a trap without proper identification, Wyoming Untrapped asks that it be reported to the local game warden or Wyoming Game and Fish Department office right away. It is illegal to tamper with or remove a trap, so be sure to call the proper authorities if you think a trap is improperly set or illegal. A properly set trap is very difficult to see and many of them are baited, which will draw your dog to it.
Wyoming Untrapped says trappers are not required to report what they trap, how many animals they trap or any non-target animals, such as dogs, that are trapped. They ask the public if you see a pet that is caught by a trap to report it to them. Reports can be made online at http://www.wyominguntrapped.org/database/submit/, by email to info@wyominguntrapped.org, or by calling 307-201-2422.
Click on this link for more information: www.wyominguntrapped.org
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