Ladies & gents

Are foot-snares legal to use on that side of the pond?
Here in Sweden we use them on snow covered ground as they are more humane than the steel traps which were outlawed in 1967. If they are legal, are there any manufacturers there?
I have read an article of a swedish snare that got a Humane-catch-price from a canadian trappers union some time ago, but I do not know if it is widely available for customers.
The reason for my questions is that I have met a manufacturer here that could be interested in exporting traps to USA/Canada but he does not speak that much english to investigate it himself. Any assistance or suggestions of where to turn with the enquiry would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely
Daniel

All States are different but I know they are legal in a lot of places. I question the statement they are more humane that a modern foot hold trap, offset jaws with laminations don't create some of the old problems, I have released dogs and cats with no problems to their feet and I know many others that have done the same. It is a myth put forth by the Humane societies about steel traps.

Elkman2, I do not doubt that the steel traps are good, nor that they are effective or humane. The thing here is that the government made a big investigation in the 1960s that outlawed the steel traps since the government thought that they were inhumane. Since then (to my knowledge) no steel traps have even been tested and will likely not be tested in the future either.
If that humane thing is true or not is a academic debate.
Legally, I am not allowed to use live bait (earthworms, maggots etc) when fishing on government land (rivers) here, since it is mistreatment of animals and to stop "over-fishing". Dead baits are still legal, but will probably not be allowed in a few years. That says quite a lot about what the government regards as humane and what is not humane in their eyes. I am not allowed to have more than 3 hooks on a lure either, and in some parts you are only allowed to use hooks without the little backwards facing hook that prevents it from falling out when it has entered.
So, If such a government claims something to be humane, then I guess it can be that, but there are also lots of other things that can be even more humane, but has not been tested and approved because of prejudice or something else.

The foot snare in question has a coil/spring that allows the animal to freely move without any loss of blood transport to the foot, nor can it escape it. Its kind of like a bungee handcuff with no metal directly to the skin so there is no frost injuries either.
The authorities say that this snare is the most humane that has been made. I am not saying that they are right or wrong, nor am I saying that the metal traps are all bad, heck they can be better than this one, but since they are illegal here, I cannot test them to verify.

I should perhaps have been clearer to say that it is the view of the government and not me that these snares are "more humane" than other ones. I was not trying to say that this or that is the best/most humane thing.

Thanks for the reply it is most appreciated!

So, some of the questions remain. They are legal in some places, that is good.
Are there manufacturers that make them, or are they imported?
Are there any legal/bureocratic issues of importing such items?
Any agency/department that controls the function of traps before approval?

Here there are 2 legally approved varietes of foot snares and I am in contact with one of the producers that might want to export to North america if it is possible legally, bureocratically, economically etc...
Again, I am not saying that this is the best thing nor the most/least humane thing. What it is, is that it does catch animals without harming them physically when used correcly. Other devices might well be better or worse, I dont know and I do not judge them.

To me, the more different traps, snares and devices to catch animals that are allowed the better.

Sincerely
Daniel

Daniel

Foot snares have been available in North America for many years, but to my knowledge they do not sell very well due to the fact that traps are much easier to use, work better, can be used more than once, etc.

Most of the snaring done here is neck snaring using snares made out of aircraft cable set in trails where animals are known to walk, or in runways in water where animals are known to swim.

22wrf
Thanks for the information!
The snare in question can be used many times, and if something is broken it is easy to replace the snare loop for instance. It is somewhat larger than a trap that only catch the foot and requires a bit of knowledge to operate it. I only replace the snare wire if it is damaged. On the other hand, When it is larger it is harder for the animal to tow it away, and thus the drag-anchor can be smaller, or perhaps tied to a solid point if that is allowed (illegal here).

Sincerely
Daniel

Daniel

How are you using that snare. Are you burying it in the ground like you would a trap for a dirt hole set? What is the spring mechanism that makes it shut on the animals leg?

In Missouri the cable restraint is legal it is a body gripping snare set on trails but has a stop on it as to not allow it to close all the way shut.

Requires a special permit and a class by the Mo Dept Of Conservation.

Gents!

The snare is a sealed construction in a plastic tube with a coiled spring inside connected to the snare loop and secured in extended position by a foot plate/trigger. When the animal steps on the trigger plate, it gives way down and the snare is tightened just around the wrist of the animal. Since the wire is PVC coated it does not transmit cold to the trapped leg. Since the coiled spring now is retracted the animal can move in and out as the spring is now like a big rubber band. Pull it out, when you relax you are pulled back in, maintaining constant pressure around the trapped foot without stopping blood flow. Dragging that around is like having a dumb-bell in a rubber rope on your leg...

As the plastic tube is around 2 feet long, you will have to bury it in snow, with leaves, sand or what ever you have around the trapping spot. The tow anchor can be made by anything you find appropriate. I use a small spruce tree that it can drag around. During summer time when it is harder to follow tracks as compared to snow you can probably (not legal here) just make it a solid anchor point. The snare is developed to catch in both summer & winter conditions although it is not legal to use it here on bare ground.

During the development and governmental approval stage several species of animals were trapped & released in summertime (foxes, crows, raven, hares to mention a few. Magpies have too small feet...).
It is a good system and when you need to replace the snare wire after a few catches you just need a wrench & a cable cutting pair of pliers & a standard screwdriver. Easy to maintain too.

I dont think I can explain much more than that unfortunately, there are some things that the producer want to keep secret & I dont know all the details of the content in the tube. Hope it is understandable though.

Sincerely
Daniel

Huglu,

Here is a link to the Missouri Department of Conservation's page on cable restraints - it should provide you with good information on what is being used/considered in many parts of the US as an alternative to some steel leg hold traps, but not an overall replacement:

http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/13811.pdf

Not sure about where you are from, but here in the US trappers tend to be a frugal bunch (the cost of fuel alone and varying fur prices are a couple of reasons). Any product that costs more that what they can make it for themselves must demonstrate a proven advantage.

Trappers here are also very proud of their heritage and can take offense at statements like you made above "they are more humane than steel traps..." You might sell the idea of foot-snares to our anti-trapping local governments, but you aren't going to sell many trapping supplies to trappers with statements like that. I think I can speak for most trappers in stating that they never want to lose the choice to use steel foot-hold traps, but welcome advancements and alternatives.

Erict
Thanks for the reply!

Once again it seems needed for me to mention that it is not I that state that it is more or less humane than other traps. That statement is solely from the governmental agency that tested these traps many years ago and came to that conclusion.

Personally I do not care what persons are using or not using. As long as it is legal it is their business.

The construction of the cable restraints in the Pdf file is much less complex than the snare in question.

If it is like You say, that trappers are unwilling to pay the price of such simple and cheap things, then this trap would be far above what they are willing to pay since it is so much more advanced. (simple = cheap, complex = more expencive : not putting any judgement in what is best or worst here, since cheap things might well be better than expencive, or the other way around.)

Again, this is not intended to be bad in any way, I would myself use the cheapest legal things I could get my hands on to make traps. unfortunately all those things and traps are illegal here since the governmental wildlife agency has screened them as unsuitable. If they are right or wrong is irrellevant, but that agency does make the law that I have to follow.
Other countries have other laws, simple as that.

Again, I do not say that these or other traps are more or less humane, that is the opinion of the persons making the laws here and thereby approve or disapprove the usage of these items.

For information, the cheapest legal trap here has a price of around 50 USD per piece. As a consequence, most trappers do not have more than 20 traps out at the same time. I have 8 in operation for the moment and some spares for use when I catch something in the ones in the field.

As You have to check the traps 2 times each day and it is 75 miles to drive to check those snares each day the petrol costs are a bit high. The fuel cost me 23 USD / Day as one gallon of normal petrol is 7 USD now when the prices are lower than a few months ago. In july some new hunting fees might come, making the daily cost of hunting (with traps or gun) 40 USD just for the hunting license. Multiply that with 365 days to get the annual cost for having traps to catch mink, marten etc.

Thats the actual costs of trapping here.
The income of a red fox might be up to 23 USD for a scraped, softened skin ready to put in the sewing machine. During 40 days of trapping I have managed to get one fox so far. Here, trapping does not make economical sense, but that is not why I trap or hunt. It is my choice of lifestyle and I am willing to take the costs of that to do what I love to do.

I do not complain about the costs of trapping today, and can barely stand the current fees, but I will not be able to keep trapping with the new fees if they are applied from july 2008. For that money I can get a safari in africa instead.
It might well be more expensive to trap in other countries, but that is nothing I can change, but that can affect the willingness to buy traps if they are cheap or expensive in relation to the total cost of trapping.

Sincerely
Daniel

Daniel,

I think many will find your response very interesting for showing us how things are done in other countries. The time, effort and money you put in to trapping shows that you're in it for the enjoyment and tradition. I think that the days of trapping anywhere for profit are long gone with one exception. Here in NY state there trappers who get paid to trap nuisance animals, such as raccoons and squirrels damaging houses or beavers flooding out valuable property. They charge by the job, not the pelt take and some jobs are even covered by the homeowners insurance policy!

I certainly didn't think that you wanted to say one method of trapping was more humane than others, but it's a "hot" topic in the USA. The main reason is that the majority of the public no longer relates to the wild or nature. They are easily swayed by organizations seeking to ban or outlaw the taking of any animals by any methods, be it hunting, trapping or even fishing. One state banned trapping coyotes and later realized that trapping was the only effective method to eliminate "problem" coyotes in populated areas. Unfortunately, the use of traps was banned so other less effective methods had to be employed.

As for those manufactured cable restraints/snares you mention - I wouldn't hesistate to show some US trappers the product. Like anything else, the market will determine it's worth and if they truly work well they may find their niche.

While I'm not a trapper myself, I do respect and appreciate trapping, it's traditions and it's importance. I hunt coyotes, deer, turkey, rabbits, etc., so I do enjoy the outdoors like many. Here's a couple of interesting trapping websites you may find enjoyable. Good luck the rest of the season and I hope you can continue trapping for many years to come.- Eric

http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/postlist/Board/1/page/1
http://www.nytrappers.proboards80.com/index.cgi

US and Canadian officials have been in the works studying best management practices (BMPs) on trapping techniques for the past several years. Can anyone guess the trap that did the least amount of damage to live trapped animals? If you guessed the steel tooth foot hold trap you are correct. It seems that this trap holds the limb in place, allowing no movement in the trap, which prevents the lacerations that can be seen in padded and non padded traps. The only wound is a few small punctures which easily heal. But, due to the public opinion on what is "humane" you will never see the use of these again.

It's hard to beat a properly sized and properly USED foothold.
Wildlife agencies all over the US and Canada use them to trap and transport animals with little or no damage or injury to the animal. I know a fair amount of folks involved in otter relocation and restocking programs, and footholds were the tool of choice.
HOW you prep and set the trap are almost as important as the trap itself.

Have you seen the Lil Grizz style (Dog Proof) style traps?
Fully encloses the foot/paw so no chewing.

yea my wildlife class had a lab the other day with USDA Wildlife Services and we set a couple of little grizz getters. caught one coon, i think it is an excellent design