Nice job by Steve Meyer. Odd how it slipped through the ADN editing system!

Pete

https://www.adn.com/outdoors-advent...a-refresher-course-on-the-dos-and-donts/

That is good to see!

Probably the best unbiased article from ADN about trapping in several years, maybe many years. The number of licenses sold would indicate that almost 1 in 10 adult residents at least buy a license to trap, pretty surprising. More articles about how to release pets would no doubt serve to educate some folks and alleviate part of this issue. There's more dog tracks than anything else on the Knik snow and ice.

"Blejwas said it’s difficult to determine the number of trappers in Alaska. Between 600 and 700 trapping licenses are issued, and another 15,000 low income licenses are issued each year which includes hunting, fishing, and trapping. Some Alaskans buy the three combo license (hunting, fishing, and trapping) to support the department, and hunt and fish but don’t trap. People under 16 are not required to purchase a license."

Might even Include the number of lifetime licenses issued each year?

Great article. Steve Meyer has been very consistent on this topic. He has written several articles over the years, here is a link to another:

https://redoubtreporter.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/old-duck-hunter-beware-the-trap-of-inattention/

That is great. You'd never see anything that pro trapping make it into the Fairbanks Daily News Miner

Refreshing is right.

Last season, I had little time and was in poor health. I tried to do a very very short line on some public land outside of Homer. Ran into some people with dogs - whose dogs I tried very hard NOT to catch. Interesting that their immediate and only reaction was to hunt me down, call the authorities, pester me every day, threaten me, and not let up. It was all about them, and what they've always been able to do (memories of walking dogs here for 30 years!). I had as much right to be there as they did, and after all, there are a bazillion places to walk your dog between Homer and Anchor Point. I know. I've got 5 dogs. Nevertheless, they HAD to let their dog run willy nilly all over my snow machine trail. One even went so far as to say that her dog needed to find food to eat. She admitted she couldn't afford to feed him. Kind of like a barn cat, only a dog - apparently living off mice, squirrels and hares. Anyways, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I will go through great lengths not to catch someones pet. Most have no idea what I am talking about when it comes to "great lengths."

I think the key word is respect. Wish they had the same respect for me/us as I had for them.

Anyways, kudos to the author, and thanks for sharing.