Koro traps

[NRA4LIFE]

OK, you poked the bear.  I have had a run in with the same warden on 2 occasions last summer who insists that he is correct on a certain subject, despite me showing him he is wrong. (He was very unhappy about me doing that BTW)  I carry a paper copy of the regs in my vehicle and on my boat.  It is plain as day, yet he refuses to back down.  If it happens once more, I'm going to take some sort of action.  What would be the "best" way to go about this?  Contact his superior?  This clown knows what days we are at the marina and I think he stakes me out now.

[lewy]

If he is that much of a prick I’m sure his boss has been contacted before, if was you I’d contact him again. I’ve always been the guy to back up our law-enforcement folks but there are definitely plenty of turds with egos out there

[Tbar]

OK, you poked the bear.  I have had a run in with the same warden on 2 occasions last summer who insists that he is correct on a certain subject, despite me showing him he is wrong. (He was very unhappy about me doing that BTW)  I carry a paper copy of the regs in my vehicle and on my boat.  It is plain as day, yet he refuses to back down.  If it happens once more, I'm going to take some sort of action.  What would be the "best" way to go about this?  Contact his superior?  This clown knows what days we are at the marina and I think he stakes me out now.

His concern is koro traps?

[JakeLand]

I will say officer Day who helped clear all this up was super helpful and a cool guy, he stepped up and made things happen quickly

[Cylvertip]

So reading the regs today, I see no mention of "commercially produced rodent traps" that used to be in them.  I will admit it has been a couple of years since I have looked because I have only been doing WCO trapping. 

What the regs state looks pretty cut and dried.  Are Koro's and weasel boxes done?  Reads that ALL body gripping traps are illegal for  trapping (except by permit):


IT IS UNLAWFUL TO TRAP FOR WILD ANIMALS:
▪ With body-gripping traps EXCEPT by permit to abate an
animal problem under WAC 220-417-040. These traps
include, but are not limited to, padded foot-hold traps,
unpadded foot-hold traps, all snares, and conibear-type
traps

 

[Mustelidae]

RCW 77.15.192
Cage and box traps, suitcase-type live beaver traps, and common rat and mouse traps are not considered body-gripping traps.

[Trapper John]

So reading the regs today, I see no mention of "commercially produced rodent traps" that used to be in them.  I will admit it has been a couple of years since I have looked because I have only been doing WCO trapping. 

What the regs state looks pretty cut and dried.  Are Koro's and weasel boxes done?  Reads that ALL body gripping traps are illegal for  trapping (except by permit):


IT IS UNLAWFUL TO TRAP FOR WILD ANIMALS:
▪ With body-gripping traps EXCEPT by permit to abate an
animal problem under WAC 220-417-040. These traps
include, but are not limited to, padded foot-hold traps,
unpadded foot-hold traps, all snares, and conibear-type
traps

 

No you can use Koro rats traps.  Bruce got the Okay from the Department.  A bunch of us are using them.  They are working great on moles, mink, spotted skunks and pine marten.
JC 

[Cylvertip]

RCW 77.15.192
Cage and box traps, suitcase-type live beaver traps, and common rat and mouse traps are not considered body-gripping traps.

Thanks.  Thought we were over a barrel again.

 Funny, they pulled/ left off that reference from the document that is shown on the WDFW website.  That doc does say it is not the complete rules, to go to another set of documents.  Of course there is no link to the rest of the documents provided.  Imagine that

 

 

[Humptulips]

I think they will never explicitly say KORO rat traps are legal so as not to draw unwanted attention from the wrong people.

[Rainier10]

So reading the regs today, I see no mention of "commercially produced rodent traps" that used to be in them.  I will admit it has been a couple of years since I have looked because I have only been doing WCO trapping. 

What the regs state looks pretty cut and dried.  Are Koro's and weasel boxes done?  Reads that ALL body gripping traps are illegal for  trapping (except by permit):


IT IS UNLAWFUL TO TRAP FOR WILD ANIMALS:
▪ With body-gripping traps EXCEPT by permit to abate an
animal problem under WAC 220-417-040. These traps
include, but are not limited to, padded foot-hold traps,
unpadded foot-hold traps, all snares, and conibear-type
traps

 

No you can use Koro rats traps.  Bruce got the Okay from the Department.  A bunch of us are using them.  They are working great on moles, mink, spotted skunks and pine marten.
JC

@Trapper John

Does this mean if you have a trapping license you can trap moles with the body gripping gopher hawk traps? Do you need a special permit to do it or is the trapper license sufficient?

[Ridgeratt]

Does this mean if you have a trapping license you can trap moles with the body gripping gopher hawk traps? Do you need a special permit to do it or is the trapper license sufficient?

I don't believe that they are legal, But if you check in any hardware store in small communities or major hardware stores you will find the victor gopher traps. Along with every Grandma who has them in her garden. Not to mention her box of gopher bait on the shelf in her shed.

[Trapper John]

So reading the regs today, I see no mention of "commercially produced rodent traps" that used to be in them.  I will admit it has been a couple of years since I have looked because I have only been doing WCO trapping. 

What the regs state looks pretty cut and dried.  Are Koro's and weasel boxes done?  Reads that ALL body gripping traps are illegal for  trapping (except by permit):


IT IS UNLAWFUL TO TRAP FOR WILD ANIMALS:
▪ With body-gripping traps EXCEPT by permit to abate an
animal problem under WAC 220-417-040. These traps
include, but are not limited to, padded foot-hold traps,
unpadded foot-hold traps, all snares, and conibear-type
traps

 

No you can use Koro rats traps.  Bruce got the Okay from the Department.  A bunch of us are using them.  They are working great on moles, mink, spotted skunks and pine marten.
JC

@Trapper John

Does this mean if you have a trapping license you can trap moles with the body gripping gopher hawk traps? Do you need a special permit to do it or is the trapper license sufficient?

Does this mean if you have a trapping license you can trap moles with the body gripping gopher hawk traps?
On the gopher hawk traps, I would say that they are not legal but I'm not sure so I would contact the WDFW office or a game agent closest to you and ask them.
I'll contact the WDFW - WCO guy and ask him after the holidays.  I don't know and on this trap and I have been out of he mole trapping business since "2000".
Once we got the permit to use the Koro Rodent Trap, I did several mole jobs with success catching them.
Do you need a special permit to do it or is the trapper license sufficient?
A trapping license is only good for trapping "Furbearing animals" during trapping season.  Is the department still making the WCO purchase a trapping license?
But since we got the Okay to use the Koro trap and it will catch moles use them.
JC - "Trapper John"

[Humptulips]

So reading the regs today, I see no mention of "commercially produced rodent traps" that used to be in them.  I will admit it has been a couple of years since I have looked because I have only been doing WCO trapping. 

What the regs state looks pretty cut and dried.  Are Koro's and weasel boxes done?  Reads that ALL body gripping traps are illegal for  trapping (except by permit):


IT IS UNLAWFUL TO TRAP FOR WILD ANIMALS:
▪ With body-gripping traps EXCEPT by permit to abate an
animal problem under WAC 220-417-040. These traps
include, but are not limited to, padded foot-hold traps,
unpadded foot-hold traps, all snares, and conibear-type
traps

 

No you can use Koro rats traps.  Bruce got the Okay from the Department.  A bunch of us are using them.  They are working great on moles, mink, spotted skunks and pine marten.
JC

@Trapper John

Does this mean if you have a trapping license you can trap moles with the body gripping gopher hawk traps? Do you need a special permit to do it or is the trapper license sufficient?

Because moles are unclassified wildlife there are no season or bag limit and no license or permit is required to trap them.
The problem with trapping them comes from the restrictions on bodygripping traps and the fact that all mole or gopher traps are bodygripping traps and consequently illegal.

RCW 77.15.192
Cage and box traps, suitcase-type live beaver traps, and common rat and mouse traps are not considered body-gripping traps.

As you can see legal traps are specifically delineated.
That being said, they are not writing tickets for mole trapping so you can probably do whatever you want and be safe. If someone were to complain, probably get a warning for the 1st offense.