|
Post by ecgreen on Oct 20, 2011 13:26:12 GMT
Howdy,
Well, season is around the corner and I see there is little time to trap before the orange army descends. How is it dealing with deer hunter's during trapping season in NH? In NY, I pull all of my traps for the million idiots that storm the woods and shoot my fox with huge shotguns!
I plan on trapping though deer season here, hopefully it will be uneventful. I am a little worried as the majority of the land I have permission on is town owned land/logging land.
Sean
|
|
|
Post by mjflores on Oct 24, 2011 18:58:00 GMT
Yeah I was thinking dogs too Coleman. If it's a busy area you may want to be sure there are no bird dogs, coondogs, and beagles being run. Water sets and coni 110's in trees should be problem free (although fisher doesn't open till Dec). Public space a dry land trapping is tough these days with all the people out there.
|
|
|
Post by ecgreen on Oct 24, 2011 20:58:16 GMT
Back home in NY it is easy. I trapped mostly private farms with exclusive permission. No problems.
Bird dog guys kill me. They will yell at you for catching their dogs and then complain because the coyotes eat the birds. I have had my fair share of run ins back home on public land. When my dog is in the field, I am fine with him getting pinched in a legally set trap. as long as he is set loose quick there is no problem. He is a dog, not a human! he can take it. Also, if a dog gets pinched, they become lure/trap shy real quick.
I remember one run in with a guy on public land, he said, "my dog is too old to deal with getting caught in a trap." I said, "then maybe that dog shouldnt be hunting on public land anymore."
As for dog walkers! I think there should be a season for it on public land opposite trapping season, just like ours. Make em buy a permit too, so they can help fund conservation too.
Dont get me started...everyone thinks they own the woods and dont want to share.
Thanks for the experience guys!
|
|
|
Post by mjflores on Oct 25, 2011 0:32:06 GMT
Another thing to think about too is, during deer season if someone finds the trap a lot of people will at least spring it...some may even steal it. A trapper has the right to run a line all season long, but I think I'd wait until at least late deer season...or until it's over. It'll be just less problems for you. It's a shame, but the public areas are just too darn crowded these days.
I cant imagine the damage to trappers if some lady got her poodle stuck in a trap lol. That would wind up on the news for sure. In all seriousness, I doubt many women would know how to release their dog from a trap if they're out jogging a trail system and fido veers off to sniff a scent post. Hopefully you get some good trapping in and don't run into anything weird. I don't know where you're located but if you're looking for places to trap coyote I could hook you up for sure.
|
|
|
Post by Willy-C on Oct 25, 2011 0:50:07 GMT
I guess I've been lucky with my muttleys as far as traps......If they do get caught then oh well, they're tuff and will deal with it....I won't blame the trapper Like you say, we all have to share the woods when going afield... Last weekend I was hunting a piece and there were signs up saying.."Hunters keep off the trails and keep your dogs under control cuz there's a horse club coming on Sat".......I wish they would have posted for their owners to shovel up all their crap instead of letting mine roll in it..... ...... I would rather put up with a few traps than have anymore song-dogs munching on Peter Rabbit.....
|
|
|
Post by mjflores on Oct 25, 2011 2:13:37 GMT
Hey Willy, I saw the same signs when I was hunting a little north on Saturday...said to keep your dog under control because of some horse club ride.
Yeah, knock on wood I've never had one get stuck either. It's probably more traumatic for the owner than hurtful to the dog as long as it's not a big coni. I fear those bucket sets with the 330 in em but they're illegal in NH thankfully. We'd have a lot more of everything If more people would trap the darn coyotes.
|
|
|
Post by MK-M-GOBL on Oct 25, 2011 14:06:41 GMT
In the 12 years deer hunting NH, I've never come across a trappers set or had any issues any trappers. What exactly do they do ec? Blast your critter or mess/steal your trap? If I were to come across them, I really can't see how it would affect my hunting or why I would care to mess with their critter/gear As a deer hunter & turkey hunter, they’re actually doing me a huge favor by trapping. Now I can see how a bird hunter would be upset at trappers if their dog(s) were to happen to get caught in one of their sets. I feel both parties (the trapper & the bird hunter) share a reasonability to be careful & think about each others passion. Like coalman touched on, the trapper as far as where they put their sets in areas hit by others & the bird hunting maybe asking the landowners or CO about trapping activity where they plan to bird hunt. Either way, I sure hope you don’t have any issues here in NH
|
|
|
Post by Willy-C on Oct 25, 2011 22:05:46 GMT
Mike, I was there on Sun (my post said "Sat" on the signs), but the horse riders were there on Sun....http://www.nhqha.com/pdfs/2011Calendar.pdf I got the days mixed up........it was Oct 23 Either way, no bunnies or birdies were harmed by the side-by-each/twice-barrel shoot-gun.....
|
|
|
Post by mjflores on Oct 25, 2011 23:28:41 GMT
Ahh. Yeah, nothing was harmed by me nor my over the other twice barrel scattering either Only got three points...one was a clump of feathers, one must have ran off before I got there, and the third was a grouse that flushed about 30 yards ahead or Roux as I snuck up to her. Beautiful weather though, great day to be out. Hunted both ends...legs are still sore from all that walking. If I'd known you were around there I would have gone and shot nothing over there. Shooting nothing with company is always better ;D
|
|
|
Post by ecgreen on Oct 26, 2011 10:58:13 GMT
In the 12 years deer hunting NH, I've never come across a trappers set or had any issues any trappers. What exactly do they do ec? Blast your critter or mess/steal your trap? If I were to come across them, I really can't see how it would affect my hunting or why I would care to mess with their critter/gear As a deer hunter & turkey hunter, they’re actually doing me a huge favor by trapping. Now I can see how a bird hunter would be upset at trappers if their dog(s) were to happen to get caught in one of their sets. I feel both parties (the trapper & the bird hunter) share a reasonability to be careful & think about each others passion. Like coalman touched on, the trapper as far as where they put their sets in areas hit by others & the bird hunting maybe asking the landowners or CO about trapping activity where they plan to bird hunt. Either way, I sure hope you don’t have any issues here in NH Yeah, in NY I have had problems with people shooting huge holes in my catch..said but true. My post was a bit heavy handed, but I certainly do think about the bird hunters and their dogs and I do take extra measures to ensure I do not catch them (keep in mind that this usually means a smaller catch for me, but I do it anyway). It is certainly the trapper's responsibility to trap with others in mind. I in no way meant that a trapper should simply place a trap wherever he can legally do so whenever he feel like it. If I know people are bird hunting, I take extra care to put my sets out of the way of the activity. I also never set roads or trails that I know people and their dogs use (even though I would catch more coyotes on these roads). There are also a number of sets that are legal, that SHOULD NOT be used in certain instances. Like the bucket set mentioned above, I do not set those unless I am in deep wilderness. That set has the potential to kill a small dog. I think if dog hunters knew about the lengths we go to to share the woods, often to the detriment of our overall catch, perhaps they would be a bit more understanding. LIke you said, MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY. It is as simple as following the golden rule.
|
|