What's the new on ROW trapping in WI ?

None of your business Minnesotan!

We are still polling the local sheriffs and DNR wardens to get a consensus! LOL

Chris

Is anything ever gained back in hunting, fishing or trapping?

It seems there is no real consensus by DOT on a county by county basis. In my county I contacted the county DOT head and he stated they are not allowing ROW on county and state hi ways. I have seen traps in those ROWs the last few years but I am not setting any in those ROWs. In other counties there may be differences. With coons being so low there is much less pressure. I am sure if coons were high again there would be more trapping and concerns. Some trappers have told me they have talked with county people and wardens and they were not checking on this or enforcing, but I am not going to risk losing a license for what the catches would be worth.

Bryce

Oh the good ol days in Wisconsin remember it well sure pounded alot of steel on the ROW especially flat tails

There are so many conflicting opinions on this and so, as stated in the regs, I ask the landowner. On any situation like this I ask myself if I can defend it in court.

Was it ever legal or just the way it was done as it has been in Mi. Hunting on a private land ROW has been illegal here for decades Trapping included the past few years for those who confused the two what pizzzez me off is when i ask and get refused someone plunks a trap in and get blamed

Haha, I just figured after that last thread about MN non resident trapping that I'd stir the pot a little, lol

I believed that there was a time when it was overlooked until one guy...wanted clarification, lol. Dont recall his name.

I think if WI didnt require reciprocity from Minnesotans, then I could come over and rape the beaver/muskrat/ coon populations with reckless abandon.

I think I'll pray for Wisconsin. lol

Let us Pray...

Les aren't you an old school Catholic?

It's venite orate

Not old school here, Williams is a satelite church
or is it Mission church ?

I can't remember that guys name either les....but I was screaming at the computer for him to SHUT UP...he pretty much single handedly screwed every trapper in wisconsin right there

and somebody please delete this thread now

You between Plymouth and Kiel? I have a buddy down that way that traps almost exclusively along ROW.

The Beav knows his name, lol

No I live 8 miles east of Kiel and about 20 miles north or Plymouth.

Bryce

Yep his name Is Shawn Moss. He stuck his nose In our business down here and lost us our ROW trapping.

What a shame that was.

I can tell you about our experience here in Nebraska and then you can have another opinion. Approx. 15 years ago we had a dog killed in a BG on a county rd right-of-way close to Lincoln. The state senator of that area at that time was a friend of the person who lost the dog. Up until that time trapping was being done on the rt-of-way with state restrictions on distances from houses and BG sizes. These rules came from the late 70's when two dogs were killed with BG's on the rt-of ways and the Game and Parks responded under the guise that this was public land. Well we had a lengthy hearing and I gave testimony. Lots more supporters for the trapping issue than against it. When it looked like we were going to win the senator presented his last argument which was (and I will paraphrase) "State law requires landowner permission to trap private property in the State of Nebraska. The fee title holder of that land has the sole right to grant that permission". It's stated in the laws that way. This was the opinion of the assistant Attorney General. So since my property deed survey is to the center of the road I have the explicit right to allow or not someone to trap there. The road and right of way is covered by an assignment (easement of sorts) that allows the county or whoever takes care of the roads to build and maintain transportation services along that rt-of-way only. The next season's rules and regs printed by our Game and Parks included that opinion that "landowner permission must be granted if trapping along a rt-of-way no matter who he/she is". It has remained in those rules since. Basically it ended trapping w/o permission on all our roads in the State. This is an opinion that has not been supported by case law to my knowledge so if a ticket has been issued, no one has pled not guilty and had a trial to support this opinion. We have brought up the questions of haying/grazing, scavenging aluminum cans, removing automobile killed deer, picking wild flowers for seed even placement of mailboxes etc., but in all that time no one has challenged the right of what is and isn't legal to do in these areas. Everybody involved shrinks away from that can of worms as there are lots of uses not covered in these opinions. Each state is different but if you really really want to know or get an answer I would suggest you contact the Attorney General's office in your state and get his/her opinion (use a trapper friendly senator to make the request). As for me when I get permission on a farm I check the culverts/and bridges there and others in the neighborhood, if the owner(s) has not given permission to others "I turn them (trappers) in period!" Been at this long enough know that you may not agree with the rules but you swallow hard and live by them if you wish to continue with the activity........................... the mike