The Economics of Trapping Make It Self-Limiting

I’m not opposed to legal trapping if traps are properly placed and checked twice a day.

Scientific and wildlife management trapping is essential.

One reason we know so much about wildlife in America, and can manage away conflicts that might otherwise lead to indiscriminate or wholesale poisoning, is because we maintain a trapping option.

While box and culvert traps may work for some species in some locations, it does not work for other species and places.

Rubber-jawed and bypass traps are not terribly cruel. At one time, every wolf in Yellowstone had been leg-hold trapped for collars, distemper, and rabies vaccine.

Otters were similarly trapped for relocation and restocking all over the US.

Nuisance wildlife trapping is an efficient way to get raccoons out of big barns (cuff-type traps are species-specific) and to prune fox and coyotes out of bird breeding areas.

Though I have a very low opinion of the chicken-coop construction abilities of most backyard poultry keepers, I will even aver a place for topping particularly persistent individuals willing to take the hit of electric poultry netting.

I am 100 percent opposed to pole traps — leghold traps placed on top of poles around pigeon lofts and chicken coops. Such traps should, in my opinion, be 100 percent illegal and anyone who places such a trap should be shot, his birds killed, and his house burned to the ground. Not kidding.

As for trapping for profit, it’s a ridiculous idea — there is no money there as fur prices are low, wild fur is often of poor quality, and the work of skinning, preserving, and selling is considerable. Working at McDonald’s is better pay and — even in the era of rampant Covid — is far safer. Anyone trapping fox or raccoon for money is an idiot, or worse — a sociopath.

That said, everyone who has dogs should know how to get a dog out of a trap.

I saw this old rubber-jawed, long-spring leg hold trap in a junk and antique store today and took a picture because... why not?

Seriously though — if you need a trap don’t buy a rusting piece of dangerous barn junk, when a new trap is cheap at Southern State or Tractor Supply or a local hardware store. Read the instructions, label your trap, follow the law, and learn how to do it.

Before you start, however, go over to Youtube and watch what’s involved in dying and waxing traps. Are you sure your marriage can withstand what you’re about to do to your clothes and your kitchen? Think it through — divorce is expensive and eggs are $1 a dozen.

Ok — back to trap release. A long-spring trap can be released by stepping down on the leaf spring to the left of the center pan. Double leaf springs will have springs on both sides -- step on both of them at once. A coil spring trap (not shown) is the same, but the “ears” are much shorter and are to the left and right of the pan.