I am PO'ed over Trappers Post "Ohio Snares article#8628725Yesterday at 01:37 PM
eric space OfflineOP
trapper
E
Joined: Mar 2009
wantage n.j.
The writer of this article makes it sound like he was the sole reason there is snaring in states east of the Mississippi. The last sentence says it all: " But the impetus for this really started in Ohio, shortly before the turn of the century." ( my note: he is talking about 2000.)
New Jersey always had snaring. In 1984 we lost the use of the foothold trap and introduced regulations as to loop size, locks (no locks with springs, any other lock was considered non-fatal), deer stops and breakaways (all regulations the article's author takes credit for creating). The NJTA promoted snaring to other states. We had a committee that would attend other states conventions or DNR meetings to promote snaring. Art Monto, Emil Kwasnik, Jimmy D., Marty Scanlon, Jim P., and myself were some of the committee members.
I started selling snares commercially in 1990. By 1995 I was attending many of the state and national conventions in the east including the Ohio State Convention. In states where snaring was not legal sales were few but all the trappers I talked to were very interested about the prospects of using snares. In many states I did demos even if they could not snare. Newt Sterling was doing the same as me. Our demos were always standing room only as trappers were eager for snaring knowledge. I believe Ohio's first year of legal snaring was 1999. That's good for Ohio but hardly the bellwether for eastern snaring.
Like my daddy always said. " Get over it or die mad. The world won't care either way."