Jan/Feb 2013 Vol. 2 No. 1

You’ve Hooked a Big Cat! Now, How Do You Unhook Him?

Photo used by permission. © Kramer Trapping 2012. All rights reserved.

You approach a trap set and a sudden snarl sets your hair on end. As the hissing, screaming and spitting increases you remember that it’s not legal to retain a trapped cougar in Idaho. How do you release this big, beautiful, angry beast without either of you getting hurt? means a stout catch pole, a role of wire, a shield, and a trapping buddy with nerves of steel, or who runs significantly slower than you. The Ketch-All, extendable restraint pole in the fourto six-foot length is what many Idaho Fish & Game employees carry. At four feet long, it’s easy to pack around. Extended to six feet it’s almost long enough to keep you away from the really big cats. Almost. That’s one reason there’s a shield on the list. The shield is a thick half-sheet of plywood with a four-inch square notch cut in the center of one edge. Slightly above center, straight up from the notch, are two heavy rope handles big enough to lock an arm into. While a helper is holding the cat with a catch pole, the trapper tasked with the trap release places the notch over the cat’s foreleg and steps on the trap springs, keeping the shield between himself and the cat at all times. What’s the wire for? The idea is to release the lion unharmed, and without any accessories. That means a

AntiTIME SENSITIVE MATERIAL—PLEASE DO NOT DELAY

Idaho Trappers Association P.O. Box 405 Mountain Home, ID 83647

Presort Standard U.S. Postage Paid Burley, ID 83318 Permit No. 9

A trapper walks up to a prime trap set and looks to the base of a large juniper tree where his trap used to be. Elation hits as he recognizes that the trap is gone and the terrain is shredded. His eyes are glued to the hole where the trap was bedded. With a grin spreading across his face he locates the first link of trap chain attached to the anchor. He follows that chain link by link with his eyes, stepping forward in the direction the chain is stretched taut. With his catch pole in front of him, he almost steps on the trap chain anchor as the catch pole loop passes the trunk of the tree. In a fraction of a blink the end of the catch pole is suddenly engulfed in the jaws of a 180-pound puma! It snarls and screams as it mauls the end of the catch pole. The horrifying sound vibrates up the pole like a tin can telephone. With synapse in near complete meltdown, the trapper attempts to let go of the pole and backpedal at the speed of rational thought, but his rubber limbs don’t seem to be moving fast enough and he crashes into the rocks behind him. Can this happen to you? You bet! There are two simple rules to follow when trapping in the land of the big cats. It doesn’t matter which you put first, don’t break either: 1) Don’t step into the trap circle; 2) have a plan for when you hook a lion. Idaho Trappers Association President, Patrick Carney, suggests short trap chains when setting traps capable of holding a mountain lion in cat country. Three to six feet, maximum, is what he prefers. Trappers have to remember that a really angry, malicious, wily old tom has a twelve-foot diameter circle to deliver all kinds of mayhem in, if he’s attached to a trap on a six-foot trap chain. And that twelve-foot circle is going to look awfully big when that cat lays its ears back and dodges each lunge of the catch pole. Eventually, in that scenario, the trapper is going to experience the terror of being inside the catch circle. Lions can’t be kept in Idaho if they’ve been caught in a trap. They have to be released, and Idaho Fish and Game prefers they be released alive and unharmed. That’s where a good plan comes into play. Part One of the plan is really two simple questions: Do you want to release your own lions? And, are you capable of releasing lions you’ve caught in a trap? Ironically, these questions should be answered twice: the first time is at home, while planning your trap line; the second time is the day you walk up to a trap set and find you’ve hooked a lion in your trap! You may answer yes to those questions at home, but it’s acceptable to change your mind on the scene! Part Two of the plan is tooling up properly. That

Trapper ALERT!

I N S I D E

cat leaving the area with a bracelet on its foot, or a restraint pole for a necktie, hasn’t really been properly released yet. In that case, the trapper is obligated to recover the hardware, regardless of how far the lion goes with the new jewelry. So the suggestion has been made to wire the restraint pole off to something stout so the lion can’t leave with it if somebody flubs the release. I’m going to carry wire, but I’ll decide whether to use it based on the situation at hand. I can see the improper use of the wire adding points to Mayhem’s score. Use of the restraint pole is an art form. Cats choke out very quickly. Smaller cats that are more scared than vindictive can be restrained by running the noose in the mouth and over the back of the head. The cat is then pressed to the ground and controlled while the trap is removed. Aggressive cats will need to be choked down with the noose around the neck. The cat being choked down should flop over in 8-10 seconds, but from there

See, Unhooked!, Page Five

One of the biggest anti-trapping stories today is the 2014 voter initiative for a complete ban on trapping in Oregon. The 2014 election seems like it’s so far away… If Oregon trappers and hunters see the wisdom of working together to fight this battle today, they can defeat this trapping ban initiative before it ever gets on the ballot!

ITA and NTA member forms Ask Jack About Guns: “Trapping Quietly” with the Aguila SubSonic WARNING: Traps/Snares in the Area! More LION pictures! “Unhooked” continued. Sublette’s Winter Walk, an historical account. Wolves in Colorado? Update on wolf migration by Tyrell Mares NTA Western Regional Convention information—Be There!

IDAHO TRAPPERS ASSOCIATON, INC

www.idahotrappersassociation.com Please JOIN US as we support HJR2 and promote trapping throughout Idaho.

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I N S I D E

The Longspring Gazette is published six times per year. It is the official publication for the

Idaho Trappers Association, Inc. The Idaho Trappers Association (ITA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the right to trap and utilize furbearers in Idaho.

Patrick B. Carney, President [email protected] (208) 599-5009

Andy Smith, Vice President [email protected] (208) 303-0727

ITA Directors & Officers Bruce Bartow

Tim Conant

(208) 521-4235

(208) 544-2766

Rusty Kramer

Paul Jensen

(208) 870-3217

(208) 631-4547

Mark Collinge (208) 376-2963

NTA Representative Dan Davis

Treasurer

(208) 458-4303

(vacant)

Election Chairman Billy Dyer

Hall of Fame Chairman Hance Clayton

(208) 599-2518

(208) 524-6304

Secretary Michelle Gutierrez P.O. Box 405 Mountain Home, ID 83647 (208) 587-5931 [email protected]

Editor Andy White [email protected] 208-944-0774 Correspondence for the Longspring Gazette, such as Letters to the Editor, complaints, corrections or content queries, should be addressed to:

Longspring Gazette P.O. Box 235 Kimberly, ID 83341 All other correspondence, including applications for membership and orders for ITA merchandise, should be mailed to:

Idaho Trappers Association, Inc. P.O. Box 405 Mountain Home, ID 83647

From the President:

A

s the saying goes, I hope your stretchers are full and your chains are tight! The Idaho Trappers Association will host the first 2013 fur auction on January 19th. We really need more help with setting up these sales. I would like to form a Fur Sale Committee to handle these sales, as the same people have been working their tails off on these sales for many years. We need some new people with new ideas to help out. Please call me at 208-599-5009 if you are interested in helping with the fur sales. If you sold fur in 2012 you know this already, but here’s an important reminder for everyone: New banking regulations have been put into effect that prohibit us from issuing fur sale checks to trappers until the buyers’ checks have settled in our account. Therefore, we will not issue checks to trappers until Wednesday after the sale. The ITA board regrets any inconvenience caused by this unavoidable policy. Questions regarding this matter can be directed to me at 208-599-5009. If you are bringing fur to the sale please call Michelle Gutierrez at 208-587-5931 with an estimate of the fur you plan to sell right away. Confirming your fur quantities prior to each sale, preferably 14 days in advance, helps us attract additional fur buyers to the sales. Buyers who do not believe there will be enough fur to make the trip simply go to other fur sales. Those of you who do not call in are costing everyone money at the sale. The Upper Snake River Trappers of Idaho will host the National Trappers Association Western Regional Convention in Blackfoot on June 6-9, 2013. They have asked the ITA to help them with the set up (June 6th), and other help as needed. Please contact me if you are able and willing to help out at all, be it for the whole time, or just one day. The ITA will have a booth there, so volunteers will also be needed to man that also. Take down will be June 9th. Due to the NTA Western Regional Convention in Blackfoot in June the ITA will not hold a separate ITA convention. We do, however, hope to hold a general membership meeting at the Western Regional, so we do hope you make plans to attend this great event. I am looking forward to seeing you all there. The Upper Snake River Trappers of Idaho were very instrumental in helping us get HJR2 passed in November. Let's go to the Western Regional, in part, to show our support and help them. And on that note, I would like to personally thank all the ITA board members for seeing the importance of passing HJR2 and their dedication to all outdoorsmen and women in Idaho. I would also like to thank Andy White for his many hours on the computer and writing letters to the editor. I don’t believe the outcome would have been as good without him. Thank you, Andy. I would also like to thank Senator

Editor’s Drivel

T

he temptation to completely, and publicly, document our recent battle to pass HJR2 is a strong one. But we will need the tactics we used, and many more, as trappers all over the country find themselves dealing with repeated attacks on trapping in the future. It would not be wise to bare all of our cards when the game is ongoing. There are a few points to the HJR2 battle that must be discussed, however. First of all, we all owe a huge debt of thanks to those people who actively took the challenge of getting HJR2 passed head on. I have two lists of contributors who were a huge part of supporting the ITA’s efforts, and I expect to recognize them in the next issue of this paper. One person who clearly deserves recognition for his tireless efforts is ITA President Patrick Carney. I was repeatedly blown away by the success he had in raising support for our efforts. I witnessed, and shared in, many of his frustrations, and I can tell you that we were lucky to have Pat at the helm all the way up to the election, and we are very lucky to have him at the helm today.

Lee Heider (R – Twin Falls) for crafting and steering HJR2 through the House and Senate. And thank you to everyone else who donated time and money to help us get HJR2 passed. Elections are coming up with the president and three director positions to be voted on. I believe the directors we have now have done an outstanding job. I believe that all are going to run again to retain their seats. However, if you are interested in one of these positions please have your name submitted soon. The National Trappers Association also provided invaluable assistance with our HJR2 campaign. We should all be members of the NTA. Please renew or become a member of the NTA today. The NTA has answered the call every time we have needed them. They bring their expertise and connections to whatever issue is at hand. They are an invaluable ally. Look for the NTA member form in each issue of the Longspring Gazette to sign up with the NTA. Once again we find ourselves in a hard battle to retain our gun rights. I’m asking all of you to join the NRA as well. We must not sit back and let legislation designed to strip our gun rights away go unanswered. There aren’t many organizations fighting for your rights. Please support those that do! The ITA's NTA director, currently Dan Davis, votes on trapping issues for the State of Idaho at the national level. However, the ITA bylaws do not allow that position to cast a vote on internal issues at ITA Board meetings. I believe it is time to change that. This will require alteration of the bylaws. If there are no objections to this change I would like to put the issue on the next ballot to allow the general membership the opportunity to weigh in on this proposed change. Also, proposed rule making will be coming with Idaho Fish and Game. If you have suggestions or concerns, things you would like for us to talk to IDFG about, please get those thoughts to me, or any of the directors, as soon as possible. Finally, one more call for volunteers: We need more Trappers’ Education instructors. This does not require a huge commitment. You can do it as your schedule permits. We also need volunteers to form an ITA/FBU banquet committee. The banquet is scheduled for August 17th at the Red Lion Downtowner in Boise. And we need volunteers to help man the booth at the Sportsman’s Show February 28 – March 3. It will be held at the Garden City Fairgrounds. Let us know ASAP so we can get enough free entrance passes for our crew. Thank you all, be safe, stay well and we will see you at all of these great upcoming events! — Patrick B. Carney, President Idaho Trappers Association Our biggest source of frustration was the realization that very few sportsmen, and sporting groups, took an active role in promoting the amendment. Pat challenged me once to come up with names for just 5% of ITA members actively engaged in the battle. I had more fake online personas in the battle than we had known, active ITA members engaged in the battle. At one point Rusty Kramer remarked that only 1% of the ITA was actively engaged. He may have been right. Imagine what we can accomplish if we have 5%, or even 10%, of our membership in the next battle… Oregon’s trapping rights are on the chopping block now. Will the ITA rally to Oregon’s aid? We will need them to help retain our rights in the future. The HJR2 victory was decisive, this time; imagine what 5% of outdoorsmen can accomplish in the future! The HJR2 campaign was an amazing experience, frustrating at times, but well worth the weeks on end of grueling battles with, in many cases, liars and idiots. I want to thank all of the ITA directors, officers, and especially President Carney, for the faith each of you put on my abilities. That’s what kept me going!

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Page 3

ASK JACK ABOUT GUNS Q&A with Gun Expert Jack Belk The First Step

I

once had the job of clearing feral cats, skunks, possums and ‘coons from the bowels of a north Florida court house and animals deemed as 'tree rats' (to get around a local squirrel protection ordinance) from the giant old Live Oaks that surrounded it. The Capitol building next door had their own cops with good hearing, so the work had a covert feel to it. Such places tend to be right down town, you know? The only (affordable) sub-sonic ammo available was the CCI CB-Long which, while quiet, is little more than a pellet rifle in energy. It’s enough to make some cats and ‘coons fighting mad as they sort out the dwindling time of their mortality. Anybody that's been in combat with a ‘coon knows his last seconds can cost you weeks in healing up. Forty years ago deputies worked “at the will of the Sheriff” and the guy that blew up a patrol car engine usually got the skunk and rattlesnake calls until somebody else screwed up. I said, “Yes sir. I'll do that on every day off for a year”, (just please don't fire me!). With threats of being issued a wheelbarrow with a star on the side and forced to 'patrol' the county's only shopping mall for a year if I got caught or captured reverberating in my head, ‘tree rats’ started falling dead near puzzled pigeons on feeders via shots from the law library windows and elevator tower, but doing battle in the crawl space with forth generation feral cats and a boar ‘coon the size of a yearling bear called for heavier ammo. At that time, I had a .38 special, single shot rifle that shot 148 grain hollow base wadcutters through an amazingly effective suppressor. The wadcutters were seated backwards in the case so they made a hollow point that looked like a coffee cup. They would knock out nine lives with a noticeable ‘plop’, and the suppressor meant the secretaries in the property vaults next door never heard a thing. You just cant beat weight when it comes to bullets. They're just like hammers in that regard. If we equate a trap line with driving nails, there're some nails we want to drive flush with one swing without hurting it too much. There is now a 22 'Long Rifle' cartridge that does the same thing that sub-sonic .38 thumper did back when shooting cottontails from a patrol car window by spotlight helped feed the jail! The 60-grain Aguila Sniper SubSonic could be the world's strangest 22 rimfire....and one of the most useful. If you run traps where noise is a concern, or just hate to disturb the morning with too much noise, try the Aguila 60gr. Sniper SubSonic ammo. The heavy, LONG, and slow bullet is accurate enough for inside 10

feet of trap line duties, but it’s NOT the ammo to take out for rabbits unless you have a quick-twist barrel made especially for the long bullet. Normally, 22LR rifles, revolvers and pistols have a twist rate of one turn in 16 inches (1-16). A rate of one in nine (1-9) is needed to make the 60SSS go straight as they should. Try them on tough varmints without fear of pelt damage, too. They don't expand as a hollow point does, they tend to tumble and stop under the hide on the off side. They impart just slightly less energy than the hottest of the hollow points and you'll, maybe for the first time, feel the odd sensation of recoil from your .22. The shorter than normal case and truly nasty powder (there’s gotta be lumpy kitty litter in the mix somewhere!) will dirty chambers pretty quickly, and don't expect your auto to cycle them, but an amazing number sure will. I've shot them in an old Match Target Woodsman, but they don't feed well. Be sure of your backstop with these long bullets. They ricochet like an old B&W Western gunfight soundtrack. Of course a benefit of the long, heavy bullet is that they penetrate water to an amazing depth, but that same penetration means the long whine of a tumbling bullet is often heard long after the thud of it hitting an apricot raiding squirrel dead center the noggin!

These lethal .22 rimfire rounds all have their place on the trap line. From left to right: 60gr Aguila Sniper SubSonic (950fps); Peters 40gr .22 long rifle solid (1325fps); CCI 29gr CB long (750fps); Federal 50gr .22 magnum.

Dispatching Trapped Animals: My View— Andrew P. The illustration is still perfectly clear to me. In one of those Outdoor Life “It Happened to Me!” stories a longline trapper dispatched a nice bobcat with a ‘thunk’ on the noggin. He put the cat on the back seat of his truck and drove to the next set. A quick glance in the review mirror revealed an explosive situation. Slamming on the brakes knocked the cat off the top of the driver’s seat but, as cats are known to do, it landed on it’s feet and neither the cat nor the trapper could get out of the vehicle fast enough! According to the story both exited the driver’s door, one on top of the other, and in the melee the cat succumbed to a double-dose of lead-icine from a .357! The story led us to believe the outcome could have gone either way for awhile. Now, in today’s market a .357 is no way to dispatch a high-dollar cat! Because of that story I don’t mess around with any of the other options for dispatching trapped animals. When I have to deal with a live animal I use a .22 pistol to kill

my catch quickly, with the .22 CB Long being my blammo of choice. I carry the Aguilas with me, as Jack discusses above, but I have not used them yet. A well-placed, quiet CB Long has done the job, so far, on everything from tangled ‘rats, a cantankerous mink, some big ‘coons, and even coyotes. Even on smaller animals the pellet has not left an exit wound. Alberta coyote guru, Marty Senneker, kills many of his coyotes with a .22 bullet between the eye and ear, and angled up into the brain for immediate results. A shot low in the chest cavity also seems to yield quick, bloodless results as well. There are many effective ways to accomplish this task. Trappers are under a microscope, today, so it’s important to choose a method that is quick and as damagefree as possible. I’ve chosen the .22, partly because I don’t want the surprise of my prize climbing out of my pack basket, or trying to drive my truck down a dirt road without me!

by APW

I’m a new trapper. I love trapping, though I’m not real good at it. You might need heart medicine if you’re going to watch me skin my catch for very long. Well, if laughter is good for the heart, then maybe you’ll need oxygen, because you will be gasping for breath. When it comes to trapping, I may be as green as the belly on that coyote you forgot about in the fur shed, the one hanging over near the wood stove to thaw… But, I already know the very best secret to getting started successfully in the amazing world of fur trapping. The secret isn’t a tricked out trap, or a lure, or a set that is pure magic on $1200 bobcats. In fact, lot’s of new trappers have learned this trick, so it’s not much of a secret, really. I doubt you will find this amazing trapping tip on TrapperMan, or any trapping forum for that matter, unless I posted it there. When I post this tip on the forums a lot of people nod their heads in agreement, but for some reason they don’t repost the tip on their own. The forum post usually starts off like this: “Hey, I’m new to trapping and looking to catch my first coyote or fox. What traps should I buy, and what’s the best allaround set that I should start with?” The hotly debated answers are endless. Everybody has a favorite trap, trap set, lure, bait— you name it, that will work for anyone anytime, especially the newcomer who hasn’t even experienced the enjoyment of snapping both thumbs in a little 110 at least once! Here’s the secret that almost stops the debate cold: Join your nearest trapping association and put the word out that you need a mentor. Really. There is nothing you can buy or do that is more effective at putting fur in the shed than working with another knowledgeable trapper who is willing to teach you proper trapping basics. I have wanted to trap for more than ten years. When I lived in Alaska I happened upon Hal Sullivan’s video, 60 Minute Snaring. I was hooked. I barely knew people still trapped, believing that only Alaskans and Canadians still practiced the art. I watched the video numerous times, went to the rigging shop and bought some materials, hammered a few snares together and went out to catch some wolves… It’s comical today, to think back on that wolf snaring “experience”. I don’t even recall seeing wolf tracks, but man, I sure set some snares that were bound to catch a wolf! Last season I really went trapping. I bought some great snares from Jeff Ashmead, and I tried to put all the great information he spelled out for me to work. To list the fur I caught last year would mean a quick end to this article! I did catch my first coyote, though. This year has been different already. Patrick Carney, ITA president, took one of his precious Saturdays, a day when he should have been out trapping on his own line, to drive to my trapping grounds to show my friend and me how to trap. He piled nearly 200 traps into my truck that morning! It took us nearly two hours to catalog them all. And it took the rest of the day to set almost 50 traps out. After a day like that, I can say that the results of the first trap check weren’t surprising. Unlike most of the previous season, there were critters in those traps! And the next time we checked the traps, there was even more fur in those traps! If you compare what we caught, and what we spent, last year to what we have piled up for this ‘furst’ sale of the year, we’re sitting on a goldmine! The estimated value of fur we have today is ten times what we sold last year! What is the value of a great mentor? Pretty much priceless. If we keep asking questions with the will to learn, and our mentors keep steering us straight, well then we’ll be at least ten years ahead of the curve, compared to the path we were on, in just two seasons!

YOUR Idaho Fish & Game Commission

Heavy Western Bobcats Coyotes Foxes Muskrats

Public hearings are a part of each Fish and Game Commission meeting. Your testimony on agenda items at these meetings is considered by the commission prior to making game management decisions, such as regulation, season or bag limit changes. As Idaho sportsmen and women, our active participation in these meetings is very important. The world is run by those who show up. Will you show up at the meetings, or will you give up your space in the room to an anti-hunter or an anti-trapper?

2013 IDFG Commission Meeting Schedule

We’re ONLINE too! www.rmfur.com

(208) 459-6894

[email protected]

January 16, 17 / Annual Meeting

May 15, 16, 17 / Quarterly Meeting

Location: Boise, ID Public Hearing: January 16 Routine Agenda Items: Upland Game, Furbearers & Turkey seasons (biennial 2012); JFAC budget; moose, sheep, and goat seasons (biennial 2013); big game briefing; appointment of Winter Feeding Advisory Committee members.

Location: Coeur d’ Alene, ID Public Hearing: May 15 Routine Agenda Items: Salmon season; FY15 budget direction; election of Commission chair, vice-chair; briefing on auction and lottery tags; nonbiological rules briefing for game animals.

March 18, 19 / Special Meeting

July 10, 11, 12 / Quarterly Meeting

Location: Boise, ID Public Hearing: March 18 Routine Agenda Items: Deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, mountain lion, wolf seasons; nonbiological rules briefing for game animals; salmon seasons.

Location: Pocatello, ID Public Hearing: July 10 Routine Agenda Items: Nonbiological rules for all game animals; nonresident deer & elk tag quotas; ccnsider release of bighorn sheep tags for auction and lottery; Commission direction on the expenditure of Animal Damage Control funds.

Don’t Miss This! January 19— ITA Fur Sale— Mountain Home, Idaho January 24— IDFG Chili Feed— Jerome Regional Office, Idaho February 1&2— USRT Fur Sale—Blackfoot, Idaho February 28 - March 3— Sportsman's Show— Boise, Idaho March 9— ITA Fur Sale— Mountain Home, Idaho June 7-9— NTA Western Regional— Blackfoot, Idaho August 17— FBU-ITA Banquet— Boise, Idaho Do you use warning signs on your trapline?

WARNING

TRAPS/SNARES ARE SET HERE

Traps and/or snares have been placed in this area to control abundant predators. Pets running at large are at risk of injury or death. Pet owners who have not learned how to release a pet from a trap or snare quickly and safely should maintain physical control of pets if they decide to recreate with a pet in this area. Cable restraint devices (snares) with a spring-assisted lock (below) are designed to dispatch (kill) large predators in less than 30 seconds. DO NOT RECREATE WITH YOUR PET OFF-LEASH where springassisted snares are in use. B

This MB750 (above) is one of the strongest foot-hold traps you might find in Idaho, but even children can temporarily release the jaws by pressing both springs (arrows) down with their feet. The same method releases the jaws of a longspring trap (below). Compress this spring with your foot.

A C

Releasing a snared pet: Push “A” against the neck while pulling “B” away from the neck; OR, cut or open “C” with cutters or pliers.

It is illegal to destroy, disturb or remove traps belonging to others. No person shall remove wildlife from a trap or snare of another except licensed trappers with written permission from the trap owner.

This sign has been placed as a courtesy to other land users. Absence of this sign does not guarantee that traps have been removed from the area. Pet owners are encouraged to keep pets under control at all times where traps may be present. Contact the Idaho Trappers Association for more information on trapping and trap safety at www.idahotrappersassociation.com. All Rights Reserved © Forever Free Press 2013

The recent story of a pet caught in a trap during an animal damage control job in Utah has brought this question into the spotlight. Residents of a small neighborhood park are livid about the death of a large dog that stuck it’s head into a body-grip trap. Traps were placed in the creek that runs through the park at the request of city officials in an effort to curtail beaver damage in the park. City officials have reported that the trapper hired to remove problem beavers didn’t follow instructions when he placed several traps on the wrong side of the creek, right next to a walking trail. According to news reports and subsequent online comments, some made by the deceased pet’s family, neighbors understood the need to trap the beavers, but they were particularly distraught that proper signs had not been placed to warn those who frequent the tiny park of the potential danger to pets. All trappers are encouraged to be ambassadors for the craft. That means, in some cases, turning down jobs that have a high potential for really bad publicity and unwanted attention. We should all assess the risks of interaction with pet owners on our trap lines prior to setting traps or snares. In many cases some well-placed signs can be the difference between a safe, informed outdoor enthusiast, or an anti-trapping story splattered across national news outlets. The ITA will be producing several versions of this warning sign (below) for all trappers to use on their trap lines. Trappers are encouraged to cut out and copy the printed sign below, or email the electronic version, available on the ITA web sites and Facebook page, directly to a local printer. The ITA encourages trappers to copy and post this sign, though we do ask that the sign remain unaltered. If you wish to have the sign altered to suit a particular need, please contact Forever Free Press ([email protected]).

MJ TAXIDERMY

“Keeping Memories Alive” (208) 587-5931 [email protected] Michelle Gutierrez Certified Taxidermist

3725 NE McCoy Lane Mountain Home, ID 83647

Page 5

Unhooked!

(continued from Page One) on it’s a fine line between a quick controlled, safe re- to prevent bloodshed. Carry agency phone numbers lease, or a dead cat. This procedure needs to be well with you for those times when you’ve decided that thought out and executed quickly. you’re not confident about releasing a lion safely. After Before using any of these methods, take a careful all, a dart expertly placed by a trained, confident profeslook around. Catalog the hazards. Assess the cat’s size sional is far safer for everyone involved, including the and demeanor before diving into a half-baked plan cat. where everything goes wrong. One last thing: Don’t call your friends-neighborsDrugs are always an option (not for you, for the family to come look at the pretty kitty while you wait cat!). Fish and Game refers to this method as “chemical for help to arrive. If you do that, someone you care immobilization”. You may have to wait awhile, but this about will suddenly find themselves inside the catch option is just a phone call away, and it’s the best option circle. If that doesn’t create enough mayhem for you, all those people standing around in the way become Estimated at 180lbs, this cat (below) shredded a targets for that enraged cat when it’s freed to go home! skilled trapper’s hand during an attempted solo release. It was choked down with a restraint The notch at the bottom of the pole, but got one good swipe in with a loose shield (left) slips over the paw before it was released unharmed. wrist of a trapped lion, just above the trap. It’s not foolproof, but it does put a sturdy barrier between the trapper and the lion, so the trapper can compress the trap springs with his feet and back away from the released lion.

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$15.00 ITA member, Jared Boley, caught this lion (above) in a Southern Idaho bobcat set. Two IDFG Conservation Officers, Jim Stirling and Doug Meyer, assisted in the release. This photo was taken moments after the trap was removed, and right before the release party bailed out.

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O

Sublette’s Winter Walk

By Andy White

st

n January 1 two men, William Sublette and Black Harris, set out for a long winter walk together. They were accompanied by a provision laden pack dog, a trusted companion to both Sublette and Harris. The three travelers left an area known as Cache Valley, located in southeastern Idaho and northeastern Utah, wearing snow shoes and heading southeast. On March 4th Sublette and Harris reached their destination, minus the dog and three days late. The destination was St. Louis, Missouri, more than 1100 miles as the crow flies from their starting point. The year was 1827. William Sublette made a name for himself in the fur trapping industry, first as a trapper employed by the Missouri Lieutenant Governor, General William Henry Ashley, and later as a partner in his own trapping venture, the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He is credited for making the rendezvous an annual affair, though it was Ashley who seems to have initiated the tradition, and for establishing the Oregon Trail, though there is some argument over who really traversed the overland routes first. William Sublette was walking to St. Louis in 1827 to honor a contract. He had agreed to return to St. Louis from the western mountains with a grocery list of supplies and materials needed by the trappers left behind in Cache Valley on or before March 1st. Fortunately for Sublette, and for the trappers wintering in Montana, Idaho, Utah,Wyoming and Washington, the contracted suppliers loosely organized by Mr. Ashley in St. Louis turned a blind eye to the tardiness. Sublette outfitted and loaded wagons, hired new trappers, purchased new stock animals and turned back west on March 15th. The supply train arrived mostly intact at the planned rendezvous location at the southern

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2013 Bryan Richardson

Mountain Man, an original pencil drawing by award-winning artist Bryan Richardson.

end of Bear Lake, located south of the IdahoUtah state line, around the end of June, 1827. Native Americans and trappers met, fought, drank, caroused, traded, spent, ate, and drank and caroused some more until it was time to break off the celebrations and head back into the business of trapping. I contacted the Bear Lake Convention Center and Visitors Bureau and was dismayed to learn that there is no longer a rendezvous held at Rendezvous Beach on the southern end of Bear Lake. The most recent rendezvous was held at the Bear Lake State Park, on the Utah side of the lake, four years ago. There are currently no plans to revive the event. Regardless of the absence or presence of the modern-day rendezvous tradition at Bear Lake I am moved by the commitment and sacrifice exhibited in the late 1700's and early 1800's by these early adventurers, trappers and settlers. Their history is amazing. The epic struggles to move forward are uplifting. There are plenty of times throughout the year when I find an excuse not to go outside and enjoy what the great state of Idaho has to offer. Maybe it's the wind, or the heat, or the wet snow, or the deep dry drifted powder, possibly just my laziness. But I always know that with just a little help from my local librarian I can still 'get outside' with a great book or two. And there is no time like the depths of winter to scour a good book for something new to chew on, something to divert the mind from the cold wet muck and Pencil Portraits the howling winds we enjoy here in Southern Idaho. Bryan Richardson I began reading about the 208-329-4903 Sublettes after inquiring about open positions with the Idaho Department of

Transportation. The IDOT was seeking road construction workers for the 'Sublette Project'. I had to know where that project was and that lead me to wondering about the Sublette name. Then I had a long conversation by way of amateur radio with a man sitting by a campfire with his grown sons in the Sublett Range overlooking the American Falls Reservoir. (I was sitting in my easy-chair in my living room in Kimberly.) To further pound the Sublette name into my mind a friend invited me to join him on a deer hunt this past fall over by Sublett, a little Idaho town just east of I-84. The curiosity was too much for me to dodge and I was compelled to request materials on the Sublette name from Helen McCord, the very enterprising librarian for the Kimberly Public Library. Through the encompassing reach of the inter-library loan services Helen was able to secure several engaging books about the Sublette family for me. I have drawn on them all in order to provide facts for this article. My resources include: Bill Sublette – Mountain Man, by John E. Sunder; Trappers of the Far West, edited by LeRoy R. Hafen; and, Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West, again edited by LeRoy R. Hafen. I am always touched, indebted possibly, to those figures who came before us and accomplished so much with so little. Stories like the printed accounts of the Sublettes (William, Milton, Pinckney) are inspiring to me and tend to dissolve any lame excuse I can come up with to keep myself indoors when the weather gets nasty. The account of William Sublette and Black Harris walking to St. Louis is just such a story for me. Of course there is much more to William Sublette than just one 1000-mile walk to St. Louis in the middle of the winter of 1827. More so even than the second walk from Cache Valley to St. Louis, by both Sublette and Harris, in the winter of 1829-30. Yes, they did it all over again, leaving a bit earlier this time, right after Christmas of 1829, and arriving in St. Louis on February 11th, 1830. Look around the area, at the signs, at maps, street names and building names and you will meet some very interesting people. I've met some amazing woodsmen this way. Their stories can certainly divert the mind when the winter doldrums come knocking. Your local library can help ferret out the details.

Page 7

Wolves in Colorado? Colorado Parks and Wildlife (formerly, Colorado Division of Wildlife) considers wolves to be an extirpated species, an animal that does not exist in the wild inside a historical home range, but still exists elsewhere. The wolf situation in Colorado has become complex because of the expansion of wolves from Wyoming into Colorado, and the debate of proposed wolf release programs in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), just 2 hours from the Wyoming state line in Estes Park, Colorado. RMNP officials have acknowledged a problem with elk overgrazing areas within the park boundary, forcing the park to adopt a culling program to lethally remove excess elk with trained sharpshooters. A study was conducted by RMNP considering options for management of the elk overpopulation and one option proposed was to release wolves into the park. Officials rejected that, calling the measure "unfeasible". Claiming that not all options were considered, the environmental group WildEarth Guardians (WEG) filed a lawsuit against RMNP in Colorado District Court in 2008. The judge ruled in favor of RMNP in 2009, so WEG filed an appeal to revive the lawsuit and sued the park again, this time in Federal District Court in September 2012. Once again, the judge ruled in favor of RMNP, defending the 2011 policy of using sharpshooters to control elk. WEG appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals after losing in September. In January, 2013 a judge ruled in favor of RMNP for a third time. These cases are interesting because the National Park Service tends to side with environmental, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Wolf releases into Yellowstone National Park, beginning in 1995, are a prime example of that. These recent court decisions also indicate that a regional “district” of a national agency can operate independently to address the unrealistic and potentially harmful idea of introducing wolves in Colorado. It is significant to note that the RMNP Service recognized the eminent harm and defeated proposed wolf introduction programs in Colorado, largely because wolf introduction programs in the Northern Rockies and Mogollon Rim have led to severe economic, ecological, and social damage. The lawsuits are the first front of the fight; the second is with wolves that are moving in from adjacent states. With the Northern Rockies wolf program in full swing, wolves are expanding their range from Wyoming into

By Tyrell Mares Colorado. This was documented in 2004 when the Colo- National Wildlife Refuge near Alamosa, Colorado, just an rado Division of Wildlife (now, Colorado Parks and hour and a half from the New Mexico line. Sportsmen and Wildlife) confirmed that a female wolf hit on I-70 west of ranchers from across the state, and throughout the West, Vail, CO was from Yellowstone. Since that incident there reacted with a major response of opposition. Sportsman has been an increased presence of wolves in the region. In interest groups such as Big Game Forever and Save West2007 the DOW captured footage of a black wolf near ern Wildlife became so involved in the battle that the Walden, Colorado, near the Wyoming state line. Wolf USFWS quickly reconsidered the proposal, withdrawing sightings have increased dramatically since then. the plan completely. To address expansion of wolves into Colorado, the The Alamosa battle was a major victory for rural ColoColorado Wolf Management Working Group was ap- rado, as was the recent court ruling in favor of Rocky pointed by the DOW in 2004. Their purpose was to draft Mountain National Park. The Wolf War isn’t over for management recommendations for an expanding wolf Colorado, or the West, but with help from many imporpopulation. The working group’s recommendations were tant people in and outside the state, Colorado has deadopted by the Colorado DOW in 2005, but the manage- fended itself from the ‘large predator agenda’, regardless ment plan is unacceptable to Colorado sportsmen and of the odds, and the rest of the West can do the same. ranchers. At issue is the Colorado Wolf Management Plan’s wording, specifically that “Migrating wolves should be allowed to live with 'no boundaries' where they find habitat, and managed accordingly to the following four principles: Impact-Based Management, Adaptive Management, Monitoring, Damage Payments/ Proactive Measures.” Other recommendations included repealing wolf bounty laws, considered to be "antiquated" by the Working Group. Sportsmen and ranchers also know that some members of the Working Group share common ideology with environmental NGOs promoting wolf introduction throughout the West. This conflicts with sportsmen, long considered to be the historical ‘stakeholders’ in Colorado’s wildlife management, Charles Hackett because the Working Group operates Prints & Originals in lockstep with the ideals of environAvailable mentalism (ie, non-consumptive use of wildlife). To address this, sportsmen and ranching interests in the state have "Jack Hahn, Up the South Fork of Bear Creek" become more actively involved on the Award winning artist, Charles Hackett paints, writes and issue. Rural Colorado has defended its farms in Stevensville, Montana. View his full color paintings interests against wolf introduction on Facebook at facebook.com/charles.hackett.7. before. In early 2012 the USFWS proPrints start at $45 Originals start at $1000. posed releasing wolves into the Baca

Charles Hackett

406-777-3278

January 19 & March 9 Fur Check-in:

DIRECTIONS: From I-84 take Ex 95 and go north about 1 mile. Turn right onto Hot Creek Road, go 1 mile, turn right into armory. Look for the ITA signs posted along the route!

Please R$VP A$AP with Michelle on the amount of fur you expect to consign at each $ale. This helps attract more buyers to your $ale! Michelle Gutierrez 208-587-5931

YOU MAKE OUR FUR SALES A SUCCESS

JOIN THE FUR SALE COMMITTEE TODAY! Call Patrick Carney or Michelle Gutierrez 208-599-5009 208-587-5931

Banking regulations prohibit issuing fur checks on the day of the sale — checks will be issued beginning Wednesday after the sale. Contact Patrick Carney for questions about this policy.

Used by permission. All Rights Reserved. © 2013 Robert Millage Photography

This wintery photo was shot by Robert Millage while hunting whitetails and wolves in the Nez Perce National Forest. He was overlooking the South Fork of the Clearwater drainage. For more great photos check out RobertMillage.com, or peruse more than 15,000 photos on his Facebook page.

June 6-9,2013

Blackfoot, Idaho Hosted by

Upper Snake River Trappers of Idaho

For booth space and general event information please contact Todd Smith 208-522-6703 “The Upper Snake River Trappers of Idaho were very instrumental in helping the ITA get HJR2 passed in November. Let’s go to the Western Regional to show our support and help them out.” —Patrick Carney, President, Idaho Trappers Association **The ITA will not hold a separate ITA convention in 2013 due to the NTA Western Regional Convention in Blackfoot, Idaho in June. There will be a general ITA membership meeting at the Western Regional.

Please make plans to attend this great event!

Upper Snake River Trappers

Idaho Trappers Association

Fur Sale February 1 & 2, 2013

Snake River Junior High School Blackfoot, Idaho Contact Information: Todd Smith 208-522-6703

events

Fur Sale January 19 & March 9, 2013

National Guard Armory Mountain Home, Idaho Contact Information: Michelle Gutierrez 208-587-5931