Minnesota trappers, it's time to get involved if you want to save meaningful trapping in Minnesota. There's two concerning bills, one is especially bad for us. SF1316/HF1299 is the really damaging one. Authors: senators Hoffman, Abeler, Dibble. House of Reps: Fischer

In a nutshell SF1316/HF1299:
1) Would require all bodygrip traps larger than a 110 to be completely submerged unless 5 feet off the ground or in a vertical box with the top up and at least 4 feet off the ground, and trap recessed at least 12" inside the box. (so no 1/2 submerged 330's). For fisher, marten, coon, and bobcat, it would make the boxes with the overhangs illegal.

2) Dog proofs:
a) pull triggers only
b) no meat or fish
c) must have a plug at least 1 1/2" inside the trap

3) Must contact a conservation officer within 24 hours if you catch a dog or collared animal. If the dog is dead, you will lose your trapping license for 5 years. Doesn't matter if it's on your own land or anywhere else.

4) Snares:
a) No kill locks. Must use a relaxing reverse bend washer style lock.
b) 7' max cable length
c) no entanglement bigger than 1/2" within reach of the snare. So basically no snaring in trees or brush

The second bad bill is HF945/SF855. Authors House of Reps (HF945) Fischer, Becker-Finn, Curran. Senate (SF855); Lucero
Would require permission (either written or verbal) to set or stake traps on any privately owned property. The reason this is concerning is you would need permission to stake a muskrat or beaver trap if the bottom is privately owned even if you entered the body of water from a public access. Would affect most waters in southern Minnesota. It would also likely require permission from the large privately owned properties like Potlatch, to set traps. Might be difficult. SF855 isn't an attack specifically on trapping, its a property rights bill but certainly would affect trapping.

We all need to contact our legislators and the authors of these bills. These bills are very serious for trappers. If passed, is a stepping stone for more laws next year and to eventually abolish recreational trapping. I encourage you to go to either "The Minnesota Trappers" or The Minnesota Trappers Association Facebook pages to get ideas on what to say in your emails and how to go about it.. Please be polite! Emails with rude or derogatory remarks are worse for us than no email at all. Our firewalls in the legislature have been severely depleted through retirement, death, or voted out. There's 60 new legislators this year, we know very little about any of them. And with the metro democrats basically controlling the entire state, every trapper, more than ever, needs to get involved. Email them at least once a week. Get your wife, kids, friends, whoever to email. Even if you just tell them to oppose the bills without elaborating, it helps. Always tell your own legislators you are a constituent and put your address under your name on the bottom. Put the bill number in the subject line.

Also, there's going to be a Trappers Day at the Capital on Monday, March 6. Please come down if you can make it. Details are on the Facebook pages and MTA website. If you're going to go, please P.M. me. You need to make appointments with your Senator and House member for that day. I or someone else with experience can go with you to the meetings if you want. No need to be intimidated, they want to hear from you..

Thank you Goldy for the info and heads up! Also, keep in mind that some of us old curmudgeons don't Facebook.

Thank you for the update goldy

Dave's appearance at the Capitol in a Speedo will no doubt draw some attention!

What's a plug in a dog proof?

Its so a dog cant put its tongue down the tube and spring the trap. Somebody caught a dog by the tongue ONE time in Minnesota and we have to battle to keep them now.

Sounds like an apparatus to make it nearly inoperable.

Not only that, it practically seals the scent of the bait from getting out.

I REALLY want to say a few things but the Boss would probably give me a vacation. That, and they are probably best left unsaid.

Under item 3, though, there are liable to be some really strange looking Coyotes caught.

We give and we give and we give. At what point do the dog owners need to give just a LITTLE too?

We've caught 1.5 million beaver in Minnesota since1995. We've killed ONE dog in a 330 in a freak accident and they want to make us fully submerge 330's.

They wittle away at it and one day we wake up to find we can no longer trap/hunt/fish/farm because we let it happen. We all sit back and think someone else will step on to prevent this from happening. Well it's time for all of us to get off our butts and speek up!!

In a State where a free roaming dog has more rights than an unborn baby! These Bills are Ridiculous and we need to Stop them.

Can somebody post links to these fools so the emails will start flowing Thanks

If anyone is interested here is a link to find out who represents you. Simply type in your address and it will produce a list of who is your legislators and their email addresses.

https://www.gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts/

Here is a link to the house committee members and their email addresses who will decide if the bills get a floor vote

https://www.house.mn.gov/Committees/members/93008

Here is one for the Senate.

https://www.senate.mn/committees/committee_bio.html?cmte_id=3130&ls=93

IMHO, it will take a miracle for these bills NOT to make it out of committee and get a floor vote. If they don't make it out of committee is a real likelihood they will be amended and passed with another bill.

If anyone needs additional help finding out how to contact your legislators message Goldy or myself and we will gladly assist you.

You can also call and voice your opinions. If you don't want to talk to a live person you can call on Sunday and leave a message. You don't have to leave a lengthy message, just the basics but be clear and tell them what bills you are referring to. Whether you call or send an email you need to do this weekly!

Guy might think with that line of thinking they would be banning those new fangled killing machines called Otto-mobeels.

Osky

Not a popular opinion but dry land 220s in ROW and public land should of been given up years ago to stave off bad press and dog incidences, now we have to deal with nonsensical snare, conibear and dog proof restriction attempts.


I'll send emails today or tomorrow to committee members and my rep in opposition but I still dislike 220s in ROW particularly after I was training small English Cocker Spaniel on my farm and someone thought it was a great idea to put 220s in the ROW for Coon... If we could have adopted a slightly stricter conibear restrictions we could of pointed at that and said "no dog incidences have happened since the new regulation was adopted in 2018" for example. Even if this is defeated we need to revisit 220 regulations imo.

My nephew lost an expensive bird dog a few years ago to a 220. He let the dog out in the morning before going to work like he did every morning and one day the dog didn't come back when called. Found it over a half mile away on private land in a 220. Who's to blame? Personally I feel the dog owner is responsible but yet he is against any kind of trapping now. We don't need sportsman against sportsman as this works in favor of the opposition and need to work together. I understand and respect your opinion Donner but we have to stop giving in and stand our grounds or well will lose it all very soon.

Would he want to ban cars if his dog got hit on the road?