I don’t know why I am surprised

[huntingfool7]

@Jakeland  The guy didn't take the trap.

[JakeLand]

Oh I thought he did ? Or did he toss it in the river ?

[jackelope]

Why is someone trying to flyfish in an area with beavers (or otters or rats)?  That's kind of where you expect trappers to be.

I don’t have a dog in this fight but the Deschutes is world class flyfishing for steelhead and red band rainbows. I’ve fished upstream from Warm Springs to Maupin but putting in at Maupin and floating down is a very popular float also.

[Magnum_Willys]

If I'm a fisherman I want those otters trapped.......

[JimmyHoffa]

Why is someone trying to flyfish in an area with beavers (or otters or rats)?  That's kind of where you expect trappers to be.

I don’t have a dog in this fight but the Deschutes is world class flyfishing for steelhead and red band rainbows. I’ve fished upstream from Warm Springs to Maupin but putting in at Maupin and floating down is a very popular float also.

Oh, I know Jackelope.  I was just being a little of a smart alec based on some of the comments at the link.  You go where the fish/beaver/(fill in the animal you want) are.  Trappers have only been working that river for about 200 years now, so not sure why it was so surprising.  I'll try not to derail anymore.

[huntingfool7]

Updated today-

[jlahoe]

I wonder if Paul feels like an ass now for posting all the gentleman's information and having all the other fisherman talk crap and threaten the guy.  Lesson should be talk to the person instead of blasting them online.

 

[huntingfool7]

@Bullytrout  Thanks for the heads up on this.

The thread over there was deleted.

[bearpaw]

Unfortunately too many people who only see things through their own goggles and think they are the only users who should be in the outdoors! 

[Bullytrout]

I am pleased that the original thread was deleted. Thank you to all of you who had anything to do with making that happen.

[GBoyd]

The guy that got trapped is a friend of a friend. Hearing the description, I was honestly pretty angry with the trapper for his choice of location. That area is a zoo- so busy I don't like to fish there. Maybe he tucked the set out of the way where he thought it would be safe, but a 330 anywhere in that area seems too risky. There's more golden retrievers swimming around out there than beavers.

I took up trapping last year because I wanted to give it a try before they ban it here in Oregon like they have in other states. With the attitudes you hear in Portland, I know we could lose it at any time. I wonder if the trapper's association would consider getting behind a ban or additional restrictions on 330s. Incidents like this create a ton of opponents to trapping, even among other sportsmen. The recent anti-trapping ballot initiative in Montana had a lot of support from bird hunters who had heard of dogs being killed in conibears. The press is so bad that I worry we'll lose all body-gripping traps if we don't self police a little more.

[Humptulips]

I don't think further restrictions are the answer. The problem is how do you teach responsible trapping and getting along with other user groups to new trappers? I think the only way is to drum it into prospective trappers in a class. Drive home the point of the consequences of not thinking things through.
In OR they have a very good home study class to get a license but IMO it is not the same as listening to an experienced trapper talking to you about responsible trapping.
in this case it was a young kid probably just starting. He probably didn't know many places he could set a trap and he comes on what he thought was a good spot. If 330s were illegal would it have helped if he used a large foothold there or even a 220, maybe even a small foothold. Probably not, it was just a place he should have passed by. Sometimes that is tough to do when you find just a great set. Especially so in these days of reduced access. The kid probably learned a valuable lesson and really the guy who complained wasn't hurt so in this case things didn't go too wrong. The lesson is to think beforehand. I don't know that you can legislate that.

[GBoyd]

in this case it was a young kid probably just starting. He probably didn't know many places he could set a trap and he comes on what he thought was a good spot. If 330s were illegal would it have helped if he used a large foothold there or even a 220, maybe even a small foothold. Probably not, it was just a place he should have passed by. Sometimes that is tough to do when you find just a great set. Especially so in these days of reduced access. The kid probably learned a valuable lesson and really the guy who complained wasn't hurt so in this case things didn't go too wrong. The lesson is to think beforehand. I don't know that you can legislate that.

Yes, I think a foothold or snare would be way better. Either of those, the man would have been able to release himself without injury. It would be much less likely that he then goes and writes anti-trapping posts on fishing forums. The same thing is true with dogs. If my pup gets caught in a TS-85, he'll get a good pinch and a lesson. With the bigger conibears, he'd be dead before I got to him.

I definitely agree with you the same thing could be achieved if trappers would just behave more responsibly, but I don't have much hope of that happening without some legal boundaries.

Currently in Oregon, you can use conibears anywhere, except 330's can only be used in water sets and 280s need to be within 50 feet of water on public lands. I'd like to see that tightened up. Maybe on public land, ban 330s entirely and keep all other conibears in water sets. Remember: we could face a referendum banning all body-gripping traps at any time. Some effort from inside the trapping community now could help us beat that when it comes up.

[JakeLand]

I disagree with Gboyd on his stance about trapping. This fly fisherman would have whined and done a social media cry no matter what kinda trap it was . Why should trappers tip toe around  :dunno:was the set location ideal who knows but the fact is he did it LEGALLY!!! Maybe and just maybe he should pay a little attention when wading in a stream or is it just me that pays attention to what I'm stepping on in water ? and this is how sportsman get divided. Should fishermen only fish in areas that we don't use for trapping because I'm pretty sure a lot of the rivers have been being trapped Well before fly fishing was and if it was such a ordeal why wasn't the game dept. called and have them sort it out instead of Facebook?
Jake

[Humptulips]

I can guarantee you if someone's dog was caught in a TS85 they would be screaming bloody murder just the same. Any trap set there would get the publics ire up if someone wants to make a big deal over it.
The guy wasn't hurt either. Yea, it pinched his finger a bit but him talking like it was broke was just over dramatization.
I'll just add I would consider it a real fluke to catch someone's retriever in an unbaited 330.
As for appeasing the non-trapping crowd by banning 330s a little history lesson. back in 1996 I-655 passed in WA banning hound hunting for bear and cats. HSUS backed it and it passed because they convinced the public it was cruel. WSTA met afterward and the handwriting was on the wall we would see an Initiative on trapping in 4 years. Some thought we could forestall that by changes, namely a 24 hour check on land traps so WSTA asked for it and got it in I believe 97. Did it do us any good? We still lost everything but cages and we are still stuck with that 24 hour check.
I'm not against working with other user groups but be careful what you wish for.
As an aside I did a demo at the Oregon Rendezvous one year on dog proof methods of using 280 conibears for cats on dry ground. Caught a bunch of cats that way back in the day. They lost that set in the rules change a few years ago but actually better for dogs then a foothold.