Is Someone Carrying Your Water??

I am amazed --- and grateful -- that so many non-trappers have come to the aid of, and spoken in behalf of, the trappers of Nevada. I'm also disappointed and slightly embarrassed that more of the trappers in this state don't pick up the phone and call, or write a letter/email to the Trapping Committee, the Wildlife Commission or to their County Advisory Board. Maybe there are more doing so than I know about since I obviously don't get copies of them, but I sense that other sportsmen are carrying our water for us.

Here is a prime example of a letter written by a fellow who has never set a trap in his life, but who is passionate about wildlife in this state and took the time to educate himself, and then write to the Trapping Committee:

"I would like to express my thoughts on the trapping issues and SB213.



When did the Wildlife Commission/NDOW abandon sound science for whimsical emotion when dealing with wildlife issues?   When was an actual problem with trapping as it exits today identified?  Is trap visitation a crime on the rise based on law enforcement reports? Does one or two or even 10 house pets caught in a trap become a “problem” that needs to be solved with changes to the state legislature?  Seems grossly overdone to me.



The same groups that cried out for change with SB 226 are now calling out again for more change with SB 213.  What is the identified problem?  Because a couple pets get caught in an illegal or even a legally set trap does that require sweeping change to the existing laws that govern trapping?  No.  Education to the public should be the first course of action.  Crack down of illegal activities should be stepped up.  What is the number of citations written for trap visitation violations in the past year? The past five years? Is there an increase in the number of trappers in violation?  I have asked NDOW law enforcement these questions with limited accuracy in their replies.  The answer is less than 10 citations being written each year for trap visitation.  Is this a big problem?  No.    Limiting the time frame for trap visitation based on so few incidents of abuse is ridiculous.  Should ALL motorized traffic be eliminated because of an epidemic of red light runners?  No.  The animal rights activists have openly stated that trap visitation is just another step in their long hike to outlaw all trapping and then the hunting and shooting sports as well.  They cry out that pets are being harmed and what will it take a person to get caught, maimed or even killed due to a trap?  It is this type of uneducated response that needs to be addressed, if animal rights activists took the time to learn how a trap works and is set, it would be obvious that even a small child will not get drastically injured IF they happen to get caught in a trap.  Put science back into the forefront of the discussion, not emotion and politics.  



What is truly best for wildlife, pets and humans?  All animals are being managed in some degree by modern man.  These groups seem to be ok with the management of livestock and pets, all of which at some point were wild creatures.  Their focus now is to not manage the predators, let the fox, bobcat, coyote, and mountain lion go unchecked.  How will that affect the other species?  The thought process does not go past the first step of trying to save one animal while many others will end up being lunch to many more predators if left un-managed.  Just this past year since the passage of SB226 there has been an increase in predators in and near the urban areas of Las Vegas.  More and more reports of pets being taken by coyotes, coyotes appearing less afraid of humans, schools locked down due to bobcats or mountain lions in the area.  All these sorts of things can be attributed to limits on trapping.  The impact to other creatures (birds, small mammals and lizards snakes etc) has not been listed.



Again let’s continue to manage wildlife based on sound science and not emotion or politics."

Cameron, We trappers have been in the shadows for too long. If people want to keep trapping, they need to get involved like you are. Thank you for all your hard work and the long hours and miles you have put in.

Ridgeback740

Agreed ridgeback! Lots of people that just want to pay there money to the association and that's good enough... Some don't even do that. And as Tracy always says they are the first to b!tch about the changed laws.

We will "NEVER RING THE BELL"... Thank you Tracy for your unwavering attention to these seemingly endless assaults by Douche Bags..
It should be Every Trappers Goal to be able to Look at themselves in the Mirror and Know for Certainty they have given their All for their Trade and the wildlife of Nevada that have given to them.

Well everyone I carried the water today thru hell for all of you!!! I spent over 8 hrs in the meeting today in Reno. There were sportsmen and trappers there. We did not fill the room nor did the anti's thank goodness!!! I was glad to see that we were united in the fight though.
Here is kinda the low down from the meeting. Forgive me because my brain got a little scrambled with all the bs and maps flying around the room. We did well and help to no changes basically. There was talk and some agreed to change some areas like the no shooting area around lv. When it came to the maps it was a fight. We didn't want to change anything but were willing if they made the maps that talked about close to town. The maps as you know were not close to town!! All in all they decided that they couldn't come to agreement on them and turned it over to cabs. I hope we can count on them to pack our water!!!!!!!
Thanks to all that came and wrote letters. Thanks to the sportsmen that came and had good points to share. One note was a guest of Clay Belding of Dead Dog Walking. He laid it out plain and simple! Don't make changes for me with out some good solid studies and facts. That is the nice version. He really ripped into them and it was good to see!!!
There you go T. :]

Thanks for your effort Bucks. You guys are awesome in your commitment to our sport/way of life. I'm just waiting, because if the anit's can't get a foothold in Nevada, they will look around and pick another state to push their agenda, and I don't want to have to battle them if it isn't necessary. In the end, sound biological data, studies and science needs to be the determining factor in making wildlife decisions.

Thanks Matt for taking the time and spending the day in defense of our privilege to trap in this state!! To everyone who took the time to write, or call or attend the meeting, my hat is off to you and I thank you.

Now, on to the next battle!!!

You Nevada guys are awesome. I only live 40+ miles north of your border, and feel a kin ship with your bunch since we trap somewhat the same type of country. I've set traps (according to my GPS) within a hundred feet of the Silver State soil. Thank you guys for all you do. I hope to be able to get that direction this summer to your ronde and meet up and shake your hands.

Cameron will be signing autographs at the Rendezvous. We are thinking about a dunk tank for him too, lol. Hopefully we can celebrate a victory against the antis! We would love to see you there ridge.  

I know I.ve been sent the dates and a flyer, but if somebody or everybody could give me a heads up as to when it is. I work in North Dakota, and I am working (right now) a 3 weeks on and one week off, and want to try and make sure that I'm home at that time. I had to juggle my schedule to make sure I could attend the NTA Western Regional in John Day, Oregon, this year, and will try to do the same for the Nevada Rendezvous. I would really like to meet all of you and shake your hands for the commitment you guys are showing. Keep up the fight.

This years summer Rondy will be August 1-3 near Ely NV

Thanks to joel to and all the countless hrs he has spent defending all of us !!!!!

Next CAB meeting for Elko County on June 6th. Looks like only trapping item on agenda is to add Public Education. To the NDOW site in regards to trapping. Is the NVTA on board with this item Tracy?

Sage:

Yes, the NVTA suggested the idea. Here is the official position of the NVTA regarding SB 213 (more frequent trap visitation):

In short, we would like to insist that science be the basis for any decisions that you make regarding this issue. After several meetings and much discussion, science has taken a back seat to politics on this matter. We would like to reintroduce science into the conversation and make it a priority going forward.
Since adaptive management has been used in other areas such as black bears and predation management, we think that would be an appropriate course going forward with the implementation of SB213. We advocate first, gathering data, testing hypotheses, and identifying problems. This is how scientists work.
Once the science has been monitored, then we should implement programs based upon that science. These programs can then be monitored and the results can be quantified and analyzed. However, we feel it is critical that a scientific framework be put in place first, before untested regulations are adopted.
Our suggestion is to incorporate three things into a three year study:
1. Trapper education and public education. NDOW has produced a furbearer management publication that quotes every major wildlife management group’s position in support of trapping, and yet this publication is buried in the website, instead of readily available to the public. This information should also include instructions on how to release a pet from a trap as many other states demonstrate on their state agency websites.

2. Enforce the return of trapper questionnaires.

3. Quantify several sets of data to compare before and after results for:
a. Trapping violations.
b. Non target species.
c. Disease records.
d. Attacks on pets, personal property and school lockdowns. In Clark County, school lockdowns went from 1 to 12 in the year following the implementation of SB 226. This correlation could be part of the study.
This study would allow monitoring the cause and effect of trapping related activities.

Awesome. Thank you.

Is there anyone on the Commission who would make a motion like this (basically move to do the entire thing in C2's post above)?

At the Vegas Trapping Committee meeting it didn't seem like Robb would support this.  Certainly, Layne won't. McNinch seems like he wants to give lip service to science, but he makes enough statements that I don't think he likes trapping. The guy on the phone sounded supportive of this type of thing. I don't know if there are any other Commissioners who would support this.

Jeremy Drew would support this, and Mike McBeath was a huge supporter of studies and science when he led the way to revise the predator management plan. But you are right, count Layne, McNinch and Robb as nay votes.

This is a good opportunity for those in the farming and ranching communities to call Pete Mori and Grant Wallace and ask them to support this position, since they both represent Ranching and Farming. If we had Drew, McBeath, Mori and Wallace, I think Bill Young would go our way as well. That's 5 and we'd have the vote.

OK--so should this come up from the CAB's? Or would one of those commisioners propose it?

Actually both would be best.