Just make sure your season doesn't happen during the deer bow season.

I don’t see why that should make any difference? If that were the case, non of us would be out. Bow hunting lasts for nearly 4 months.

More options for harvesting the better.Dont see why any trapper would be against it unless they wear two hats.
Hunters have been known to work against trappers before.

My thought too Boco. Well said. Thanks.

Sportsmen need to work together. The anti's provide enough resistance in this world. Too often we sportsmen lose rights. I am helping propose a great option to expand rights, and apparently some aren't on board. Shaking my head.

I've been working on this for well over a year and today is the 1st I've heard anyone show even a glimour of resistance. That said, I knew it wouldn't be easy to push through.

Nay sayers probably don't know what it's like in zone C (the southern 2/3 of the state)....either that or maybe they have a different agenda. I know 1 issue is that some well intentioned folks simply don't understand foot snares.

Hopefully groups like WTA and NTA, etc jump on board. There's a number of other groups that I know want my time & talent.

I'm very passionate about this and am not backing down now. I do know there's a lot of outdoorsmen that have no qualms about this idea. In fact I'm not the sole inventor of Wi's bear foot snaring push by any means.

I'm pumped about this opportunity

AJE- Good Luck... keep us posted.

good to see someone willing to put the work into it...GREAT JOB

For anything to go anywhere in Wisconsin, you have to get it past the deer Nazi's.

X2.

You’re gonna have to start up another trapper ed class if you get it passed. Just like the bs we needed to be able to trap wolves.

I have many hats. And thick skin.

Yes, such a class is written into the plan I presented (I left it open for the state to decide whether it should be optional or required). Fyi though: it wasn't required during our wolf season, but I took it anyway to assist in my wolf trapping adventure. Towards the tail end of wolf seasons, I remember talk of making that class necessary for wolf.

Speaking of the wolf season, I liked how hunters and trappers worked together on that season. As far as I knew, trappers, hunters, and other houndsmen got along well. That was a point I made in my proposal...that we can all work together (and that certain zones can have different rules [you'll recall how dog hunters had a chance to participate in at least 1 wolf zone]).

As for another update...
A couple weeks ago was when I sent a draft to our NTA rep (we had discussed it in person before, in Marshfield).
I got the sense he likes the idea.


By the way, my intention is not to take the "go this alone" approach. I know of numerous folks interestered. What I did was basically grab the bull by the horns to try to help get this through. No one was putting everything into 1 formal plan which I decided is what the committee needed to see.

Maybe contact the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association and see if they have some input that may help. Maybe you already have?

Can you imGine weeding through the comments? Wow

I hope you get it done.

I have not specifically. I think they have a rep on the states committee. I'm glad you brought up Wi Bear Hunters Association. They're a good group. I'm not a member, but I hope people realize these pro-trapper folks aren't anti bear hunters in any way/shape/form. I'm optomistic there's opportunity in this state for everyone to work together and/or operate harmoniously.

I wonder if the Wi Wildlife Federation might have any input.

Do you really think the WI Bear Hunters are going to be In favor of us trapping bears ? I think It would be something like the WI Bow hunters and the cross bow thing.

You just need to write up your resolution and get It submitted In a few counties and see where It goes. Then you can start looking for support once It gets on the questionnaire.

I hope you don’t think I meant that post in a bad way? Some of the guys that I bear hunt with are also trappers. And I’ve never heard any of them talk bad about trapping. The Wisconsin Bear Hunters is a strong group. Probably more so than the WTA?

I will keep quiet about the NTA

So I have done some bear trapping.

Aje what is the wdnr bear management goal? For example: are they trying to reduce or keep bear populations from growing. If so, trapping is better than hunting for this.

AJE, It would really helps on those smaller properties that deal with bear problems, but lack the ability to hold a bear during daylight hours which make it tough to hunt. Those bear end up as nuisance bear instead of a resource. I like that you are working to try and move some to the valuable column. Would be a good tool for zone C or one of the smaller zones that it gets broken down into. Good work and good luck.

That said, there was a fellow at the WTA that did a lot of work on getting the foot snare legalized. He might be a good resource to check in with as well because I think he was going the same direction as you.

Well Beav, I don't expect Wi Bear Hunters to throw their support behind it, if that's what you're getting at. That said, I would be very upset if they came out fighting it. Not much aggrevates me more than when 2 conservation groups view each other in competition with each other. I should have just as much right to foot snare a bear as my neighbor who chooses to hunt one with a bow, for example.

I don't dog hunt, for example, but I sure had no issues with the hound hunters participating in the wolf hunt.

Everyone can participate harnoniously. We do with bobcats (well, I think so anyway).

This is the time to push the foot snaring concept, to coincide with the states current efforts to revise the long term bear management plan.

AJE, did you fight the WTA taking a stance against the hunting of fisher? Guessing that will come up when bear comes up.

I know what you're talking about. Fisher is different. My understanding is it was trappers that were responsible for the return of fisher to Wi.