Show your support for an ID wolf trapper!

[MichaelJ]

The trapper mentioned here in the article is a member over on MM.com and I've talked with him quite a bit and he his a great guy!  He was finally able to trap a wolf a few weeks ago and posted the story and now the pics have been put up as animal cruelty.  Vote in the poll on this page and read his story..

http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/Environmentalists-accuse-Idaho-trapper-of-animal-cruelty-146143175.html

[WAcoyotehunter]

The pictures are totally inappropriate for a public forum.  Even if the guy is a nice guy, the pictures he posted are a black eye for all trappers.  There are a few other threads on here about this subject

[stillhunter]

He may be a great guy but to me the pictures show a lack of judgement and common sense.  Why when this is such a controversial and polarizing issue would you willingly and of your own volition add fuel the the controversy?  While this issue is this volatile, there needs to be some careful thought before anything that may be twisted or interpreted to put hunters/trappers in a bad light is written, publicised or posted on a public forum. 
   Now with that said.  The trapper was within his rights, it should be the punks who were shooting the wolf that should be pissing people off, they were ruining a great pelt!!!!!

[MichaelJ]

I have ZERO problems with the pics... he'd been hard after wolves all season long and finally got one in a leg hold trap in open ground.  Quite the feat I'm told and he was proud of it.  Should we all stop posting pictures of our kills because it may offend some??

Mike

[Cuda]

I have ZERO problems with the pics... he'd been hard after wolves all season long and finally got one in a leg hold trap in open ground.  Quite the feat I'm told and he was proud of it.  Should we all stop posting pictures of our kills because it may offend some??

Mike

The harvest pics are no problem at all. It's the live pics that are creating the issue. If you think it is ethical to take pictures of bull elk hung up in a fence and dying or your neighbors dog that has been hit by a car before you help the animal or disbatch it, then I guess there is no problem here. Animals we harvest legally and ethically make great picture opportunities that should be shared with the hunting community. Any outside of that are inappropriate and should not be shared (or taken). It is up to us to protect the sport we all enjoy and teach our future generation hunting (and trapping) ethics.

[stillhunter]

I personally don't have a problem with the pics either, but all you have to do is look at that pic with the wolf in a trap, and blood on the snow and you know that that is gonna cause a fire storm of reaction from the anti's and paint us as unfeeling and cruel, and will throw influence toward the undecided masses that we as a whole are cruel and unfeeling.  I know that is not the case but come on how is that going to look to someone who has no knowledge of trapping or hunting and is not biased one way or another.  Also as to the hunting kill photos, post em up all over the place they don't show the "beloved" #$mn wolf in a leg hold trap with blood on the snow and a smiling trapper in front. they are usually on the ground with the "lights out".  so lets just think before we escalate the opposition.

[Machias]

Next time you talk to him ask him if he was asleep in the wolf trapping class where they begged us not to be stupid and put wolf trapping photos on the web?  I support his right to trap, but he was a bonehead for putting it on the web, for precisely what is happening.  Idaho trappers did an outstanding job this year even though they were under intense scrutiny, this guy has undone all that good work by posting this photo...and it was mentioned over and over in the class don't be dumb and post these on the web.

[Chase 1]

  I can't support the poor judgement this guy used when he posted the pic. People make mistakes and everyone should learn from this and not make a similar one. In a media war, like with anything, a picture is worth 1000 words. Don't hand the huggers any bullets! Posted means Public!

[wazzu99]

None of us want wolves here but we all have to be smarter about it than this.     This only gives them ammunition to show the bleeding hearts in downtime Seattle that have never seen a wolf.

Wazzu

[Bigshooter]

The pictures are totally inappropriate for a public forum.  Even if the guy is a nice guy, the pictures he posted are a black eye for all trappers.  There are a few other threads on here about this subject

Total horse sh!t.  Since when is something that is compeletly legal inappropriate for a public forum?

[Machias]

The pictures are totally inappropriate for a public forum.  Even if the guy is a nice guy, the pictures he posted are a black eye for all trappers.  There are a few other threads on here about this subject

Total horse sh!t.  Since when is something that is compeletly legal inappropriate for a public forum?

Look the ID Trapper's Association asked it's members NOT to post photos like this for this very reason.  It's the same reason it's perfectly legal to ride around town with your deer gutted and on the hood of your car, but 99% of hunters would want to kick you in your junk if you did.  It's just not a smart thing to do....you have to be able to see that???

[MichaelJ]

If it weren't for the guys who were shooting at the wolf and wounding it, there would of been ZERO problems...  A little bit of blood on the ground and you guys are throwing this guy under the bus.   

That guy has been posting his trapping pics in a thread on a public forum all winter long.  He had multiple pictures of bobcats, coyotes, and even a fischer (which he released) in leg hold traps.  Had probably 10+ pics of live bobcats, 2 or 3 yote pics, and a few other pictures of friends' trapped wolves.  Nobody bitched about anything. You can see from the picture of the paw in the trap that the wolf was not under much pain nor suffering until the guys showed up and started shooting from a distance thus wounding it and causing the blood in the snow and the wolf to start suffering.  Which is technically illegal as they were messing with an animal in another person's trap.  Also the chain got frozen under the snow which didn't allow the animal to reach cover like he'd planned it.  Chit happens...

I stand by my opinion that he did nothing wrong and should get as much support as possible.  The antis can eat a rock as far as I'm concerned...  He checks his traps frequently during the required intervals, and got a phone call from a friend saying that he'd caught a wolf and some guys had taken a few shots at it, he rushed out as soon as possible, got a few pics in then dispatched the wolf.

If pics of wolf killed deer and elk don't bother antis, but this does, then they can go stick their hurt feelings where the sun don't shine.   

It was perfectly legal situation, and if he wanted to post some pictures then he was within his rights.  It wasn't the smartest thing to do I'll admit, and he's probably regretting it now which is why we should give him as much support as possible!

Mike

WARNING:  This post contains an opinion!

[rebal69972]

I can't support the pics. I traped for a lot of years and all pics where takin back at the truck or at least away from my traps. Any animal harvested should be dispatched as quickly as posable. This would raise a fuss even if it where a yote. Shot first pics second

[Curly]

Probably the only thing wrong that he did was to post the pics on the net.

[MuleySniper]

Probably the only thing wrong that he did was to post the pics on the net.

 
To each their own. I personally think the pic is distasteful. Anyone should automatically know you need to have thick skin if you want to post ANY hunting pic on the good ol WWW.