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Post by jeckman on Apr 14, 2015 19:12:26 GMT -5
Couple 3 seasons ago. I put a trail cam on a hay set along a well road and a blind post set just off camera range.. Well this couple that i knew walked this trail regularly in the summer i had stopped and said come season ima trap this road. They got plenty of options to walk..
Well on camera a dog trots past the hay set straight to the post. BAM. Got it. Then the people run past the camera and get the dog out. Bout 20 minutes go by this girl is looking straight in the camera says hello f'r.... Then her husband and the dog pop up. He says wait might be another trap. Then grabs a stick and starts digging at my hay set. Finds a trap and shoves the stick in it then tries to pull the trap out. Gotta love super stakes he couldn't do it. Grabs another stick and finds my other trap then walk on off...
Well i think what should i do? So i made a copy of the video and gave in to the game warden and told him i don't care if he just wants to go have a chat or slap them a ticket. Well he slapped em a ticket that they didn't pay so it goes to a lil hearing.. Now this video is like HD quality couldn't have been better...
We get to the hearing the warden plays this video on a projector. First thing is her saying "hello f'r"... Her eyes got huge.. Hahaha. Anyways the judge says how are you not guilty they said we are...
Since then i see these people now and again they come shake my hand. No hard feelings and taught em a lesson...
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Post by slyfox74 on Apr 14, 2015 19:43:54 GMT -5
I wish I could congratulate you, but it just seems like more hard feelings between trappers and non trappers. There was no better place to trap than a road that people walked their dogs on? As trappers we should always be diplomatic and ambassadors of our craft. We're the most criticized and misunderstood outdoorsman, incidents like this don't help.
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Busted
Apr 14, 2015 20:08:17 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by jeckman on Apr 14, 2015 20:08:17 GMT -5
Lol. Always has to be that guy....
As i stated they had plenty of other roads to walk down right handy. I went out of my way to tell them i'd be trapping in this spot..
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Post by slyfox74 on Apr 15, 2015 15:40:15 GMT -5
"Well this couple that i KNEW WALKED THIS TRAIL regularly in the summer i had stopped and said come season ima trap this road." Yes I read that. In fact you said "ima" trap this road. As oppossed to, "When trapping season starts I'd like to trap along this road" Which would of course, be the best way to convey that message. Additionally, you state that they "got" plenty of options to walk... Is it possible that you had (or got, if you prefer) plenty of options to trap in a different, maybe less travelled spot while still targeting the same animals? My point was and still is, you had a chance to be an ambassador of our misunderstood craft, you CHOSE instead to set a trap where you KNEW people walked the trail regularly with their pet. It goes back to the old saying "Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD". Common sense is often a requirement in life and this was one of those times. The non trapping public thinks of us as anti social, heartless, uneducated, toothless, cousin humpers. Instead of taking the opportunity to disspell that image, you perpetuated it. That's unfortunate and it makes me sad. If trapping were to come to a vote in your state, do you think that couple would rush to the poles to cast their vote and preserve our right to practice our craft? I rather doubt it. How about their friends and family? Do you think they sided with the law upon hearing that story? How many hearts and minds did you win over by setting those traps on that "regularly travelled" road? I hope it was worth it and you caught a pile of fur there.
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 18:11:53 GMT -5
Post by mikespring on Apr 16, 2015 18:11:53 GMT -5
I agree common sense needs to used but........Where I trap people walk dogs and hunt geese and ducks with dogs. When I ask permission I tell the owner of the property that if there are dogs out there I`m gonna catch a few and if that's a problem with HIM I wont trap but most of the time they let me have at the canines.
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 19:18:41 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by k9goodtimes on Apr 16, 2015 19:18:41 GMT -5
I trap some state land that I know is frequently used by people walking their dogs. If they happen to get caught, oh well. Its public land. I know the dog is fine. I regularly set off traps on my bare hand to show people it's not cruel. Its part of the game. I warn people if I see them. Its not like I didn't tell them.
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Post by stoneam2006 on Apr 16, 2015 19:33:22 GMT -5
In another defence....isn't it illegal to have dog unleashed on public property? Correct me if i am wrong
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Post by mikespring on Apr 16, 2015 19:57:03 GMT -5
I think it depends on the township...Also if your hunting or not. You wouldn't believe the stories I have regarding dogs and their owners not to mention DEC and other officers of the court....They all need to be educated on our rights as trappers and night hunters.
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 20:06:42 GMT -5
Post by slyfox74 on Apr 16, 2015 20:06:42 GMT -5
It wasn't the catching of the dog that I disagreed with. We've all caught domestics from time to time. I caught my own dog twice this past season. The point is, at all costs all of us usually do what we can to avoid making an ugly scene between us and the non trapping public. Additionally, the grammatical train wreck that was his sentence structure and the use of the (phrase?) (word?) "ima" as in, "Come season ima trap this road". Just tipped me off that a lack of common courtesy, and proper communication wasn't excersized. Again, we all trap state land from time to time, it's public use, there are dogs and kids roaming for sure, that's not the issue. It seems that all measures were not taken to not snap the couples dog. In fact "BAM, got it" was another phrase used as if it was a prized catch. When we communicate our thoughts and stories especially on a public forum, and come off as morons, it perpetuates the image that those not inside our circle have of us. We should do all we can tyo "make nice" with the non trapping public lest we be judged as an uneducated, antisocial fringe of society. Additionally, I'd be curious to know just how much fur those sets yielded? Truthfully. They shake his hand when they see him, and act as if all is well, but I'd be willing to bet my last dollar that they don't like him, and judge all trappers to be like him. So again, was it worth trapping that road? I'd probably just let the dog walkers walk the path and trap somewhere else Maybe use some of the time saved not trapping there to squeeze in an adult English education class.
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 20:15:22 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by jeckman on Apr 16, 2015 20:15:22 GMT -5
Yes there is a leash law..
This story was roughly a mile off the road in the middle of a clear cut i maintain the road... These 2 people were the only ones that walk this and not so much in the winter.. And yes they have options which would even be better in the winter. In an opposite direction where i don't trap via a state line..
They still walk the road. We still talk..
And i haven't lost any permission from locals that i trap on. Infact i get more and more people wanting me to trap there land..
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 20:23:30 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by jeckman on Apr 16, 2015 20:23:30 GMT -5
Sorry sly if my words dont fit well with you.. I was always wanting to be out fishing hunting and trapping rather than sitting in a classroom..
Have a nice evening sir...
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 20:37:40 GMT -5
via mobile
jeckman likes this
Post by hoho on Apr 16, 2015 20:37:40 GMT -5
You just gotta know jenglish to understand him lol! I've lernt sum of it and that helps a lot, ima learn some more soon!
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 20:39:02 GMT -5
Post by mikespring on Apr 16, 2015 20:39:02 GMT -5
I envy the guys that can write with impeccable grammar and style...Zag, Austin, walleyed to name a few...
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 20:46:51 GMT -5
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Post by hoho on Apr 16, 2015 20:46:51 GMT -5
Ya ain't gotta envy me none lol!
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Busted
Apr 16, 2015 20:58:35 GMT -5
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Post by jeckman on Apr 16, 2015 20:58:35 GMT -5
Blows me mind too. Not enough to go take classes...
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Busted
May 10, 2015 16:31:01 GMT -5
Post by ron finewood on May 10, 2015 16:31:01 GMT -5
I had some signs made up by a sign guy. Kinda like the ones on white, plastic cardboard, like the politicians use at election time. They come with a heavy wire base that I stick down into the ground. They say, " CAUTION- ANIMAL TRAPS IN AREA". I use these in areas near houses, trails, etc., that I think may be used by dog walkers. They work and I have been thanked for using them. A problem that doesn't happen --- is a problem that doesn't have to be dealt with!
Ron
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Busted
May 10, 2015 20:55:10 GMT -5
Post by slyfox74 on May 10, 2015 20:55:10 GMT -5
That's an outstanding idea. The coyotes and foxes in my region are so smart though that I'm certain they would read it and just stay away.
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