Heads up guys , better read this

Bears were mysteriously missing toes. These scientists cracked the case

https://www.yahoo.com/news/bears-were-mysteriously-missing-toes-201504757.html

Sounds highly exaggerated to me. I've trapped in BC and Yukon for the past 40 years and never had a grizzly in a marten trap. Despite what the biologists say our grizzly population is higher than Ive ever seen it. BCs is even worse now that they have banned hunting them. I do know one thing, you better be ready to deal with them if you spend much time out there.... I had to kill one this year to save a hunter. Closest call Ive ever had with a grizzly. He snuck up on us while we were glassing. I killed him a measured 6 feet from the hunter. Unfortunately this kind of thing is becoming more and more common. I know of three other incidents that happened just this year.

Wouldn't the bear have to have the trap on his foot for a extended point of time to decrease the blood flow enough to cause him to lose part of his foot. I'm not sure what traps they are using for Martin but I don't see them holding a grizzly for more than a few seconds.

First we removed the mountain lion, wolf and grizzly to protect humans and livestock now they will remove the humans and livestock to protect the predators.......

Sounds like BS to me

Are they trapping martens with 330's?
Plety of people have been caught is all sizes on conibear traps and I never recall any of them losing a finger, heard of broken arm in a 330 but that was just hearsay too, not firsthand info

Leave the coni on your finger/hand for two weeks and see if there's a difference. Not saying the theory is true, but a strong spring like belisles easily ripped from anchor by a bear may kill a few toes if he can't get it off for a length of time.

Don't think a bear could get it off fairly quickly even without it anchored

Exactly what I meant Yes Sir, anchored well and he has something to pull against. If trap is ripped from anchor it may be attached until toes die and fall off.

Yep,a 600lb grizzer with a bite force measured in tons cant get a little piece of wire off his foot-LOLOLOL

I have pulled marten traps off my fingers several times without compressing the springs.

Pulled my hand out of a 330 belisle once also(had leather gloves on)

I've never even seen a grizzly, but I feel pretty safe in in thinking it could pretty easily crush any martin type trap with its teeth in short order.

Boco posted while I was typing. Good to see I'm not far off track.

Well, what do I know? I've never seen a martin or a grizz. Just making conversation. Maybe toe caught in a wolf trap? What other theories would explain it, birth defects?

There's the possibility the article or study isn't 100% true

Aggressive nail-biting?

Likely a study funded to attack trapping is my guess.

Nah, anti trappers wouldn't lie would they?

4 bears over a 5 year study. Sounds legit

Modify traps ,for appeasement. Will they EVER stop with their foolishness

I never thought about a grizzly wearing a conibear for days. Figured they could manage to get the thing off fairly quick with the other paw and their jaws?

But I concur that if you were to keep one on your finger for a week it might fall off

Over protection to gain population numbers that the land no longer can support due to human occupation is more the cause than anything.

Osky

I have no doubt that the modern marten traps could damage a bears toes or even take them off over time. I just dont think it happens often. A grizzly would likely rip the trap off right away though so it still sounds iffy.


Ive seen wolverine get their front foot in the newer marten traps and take off with it. The next time they come around they are usually missing a front foot.