I've heard from friends and people who teach the state trapping class that, "Trappers are protected."

Now where is this legal documentation? Does anyone have it?

My concern: There is a road running next to some of my property. I like to trap on the edges of that property. Hopefully no one's pet ever got caught in my traps as they were walking it. But if that did happen, what legality can trappers use to say: 1.) It's trapping season 2.) It's my property 3.) You're trespassing.

Now I do not have no-trespassing signs up because I find them antithetical to how humans should behave but I don't think that negates any legality with regard to trapping.

Thanks.

Thanks. I don't think the legality changes (someone correct me if I'm wrong) if I put up a sign. I have my traps marked with orange tape.

I was just wondering if there were some type of law

Why would you plan on trapping where you might catch somebody's pet? You should put some warning signs or posted signs up.

I'm not. It's road, people take walks. Legitimate concern.

Again I don't think NYS law changes if you use the signs or you don't.

I'm under no obligation to protect anyone's dog. That responsibility is the dog owners. Which to me means you have the right to place traps anywhere you choose on your property without fear of government action against you.

Same way.I feel about masks.

That sounds like a good way to say it. That you "are under no obligation to protect someone's dog." Which is true. Thanks.

In Kentucky we have a leash law. If the dog is off leash and gets caught in your trap it’s the owners problem.

THIS POST WILL YEALD NO Answers that the OP will agree on.

Just saying

I don't understand what you wrote.

You should look up the legal statutes for your state. I know that here People are legally allowed to be on private property unless you have signs up or painted fence posts in certain places on a fence, or locked gates, or have warned a person to keep off the property.

You need to research liability laws for private property and signage laws pertaining to trespassing for your particular state and that will give you a definitive answer, or at least a basis on which to defend yourself should a situation arise.

I have no idea what this means. I asked a simple question which to date no one has answered. I even thanked multiple people for their answer where it applied.

From NY DEC website -



Similar to most hunter harrassment laws.

I read that earlier, thanks. I still stand behind my question. Maybe I'll ask the lawyer for the NYS Trappers Assoc. I think they have one.

I'm looking for that "protection" people have told me about. Is it written down somewhere? This is not a crazy question. I just wanted to know if it existed.

Your 'protection' is your right to trap , legally.

The NY state conservation officers will help you protect that right. Nothing more. If you are following all good BMP' s and following the law to the letter in good faith, your local C.O. will have your back mostly.

If someone's dog violates a leash law and ends up in one of your traps , I bet they can still sue even if the owner is in the wrong.
If the owner of the dog destroys the trap and finds other ones and does the same , they may have a issue with your local C.O. and face legal actions by the state against them but can probably still sue you. However when you go to court the C.O. may get called in to testify in your behalf as to the fact you have violated no laws or BMP's.
This makes the lawsuit against you much harder to prove malice on your behalf.

Just like a burglar can sue you after breaking into your house. Burglar completely in the wrong , but some have actually gotten a settlement for this.

I don’t know that there is any law or regulation that specifically protects a trapper. I do believe there are laws that protect anybody engaged in legal activity from being sued by folks who sustained injury while engaged in illegal activity. Then again, I guess anybody can sue anybody else for anything.

I trap in an area where people seem to think they can walk their dogs down any old Farm Lane they want without even knowing who the owner of the property is. This has led to several non-target catches. Two of them in the last two years where the owners threatened to sue me.

In one case the owner of the non-target knew the traps were there and walked the dog into them anyhow. He stole my traps and left me a nasty letter saying I was going to pay the vet bills and he was calling the state police and the Pennsylvania game commission. I left him a note and suggested that he use the trapper identification number on the tags attached to the traps he stole when he reported this to the PGC.

The idiot did it and I ended up successfully prosecuting him for trap tampering and theft. His threat about me paying the veterinary bills was an empty threat. He never went to a vet, the dog was not injured.

In the second case a husband and wife were trespassing on a farm and the dog got caught. She could not release him and got bit trying so she went and got her hubby. He could not release him and also got bit trying. They pulled the stake and took the whole thing to a vet who pushed down on the levers, released the dog and charged them a hefty after hours fee.

They called the PGC and threatened to sue me. The officers went to their house, recovered my trap and then went to see the landowner. He told them the dog walkers had no business on his property and I did. The landowner told the officers I had permission to trap there and had been doing so for 15 years.

The officers went back to the dog walkers house and told them that they were not going to press charges this time but that they should keep off the property. Then they came to my house and returned my traps and told me the whole story.

So, from my perspective, if you are doing nothing illegal, you have nothing to worry about.

Edit: I am aware of the no non-target catch rule. But it was necessary to make my point. If the boss or the mods think it is inappropriate, please remove.

Thanks! Great help.

Yes I still want to see something in writing. I think it should be there and I'm going to see it out I think at some point.

Everything I'm doing is legal. I just like to have legal ammunition in case I need it. I do this with everything in life and I think it's a good way to operate.

I trap in NY and there is a law about being 100 feet from Road some where in the law book. I do not have a book now to look at.......jk

Jk Nevada has a similar law, but it’s 200 feet and doesn’t apply to privately owned land.