Any trappers out there?

old-9

Well-known Member
Here is the deal , my house and shop are about 70- 80 feet from road. Is in a country area , nearest house about 1/4 mi. There is a 12 inch culvert under the road. Several mornings before daylight a loud pickup stops in road a few seconds goes on. I look yesterday and he has a conibare trap set in the tile, water is only 2or 3 inches deep and the trap is the size used for beaver. I say it is too dangerous and would kill a dog or cat. I do not own across the road.
What would you do ? I also do not know if he has permission to trap there , will ask the owner this weekend. thanks joe
 
If culvert runs under the road it is city,county or State ownership and contact them to see what the situation is!
I am not a lawyer but that would be where I would start.
Ypop
 
If you have any pets that go outside , go get that trap immediately. Then wait for the pickup and give him the trap and tell him about your pet. No trapper wants to kill a pet.
 
Depends on the state. In Michigan, the landowner owns basically to the center of the road. Here, the guy, unless he has permission, would be trespassing. Either way, that size trap is not appropriate. Check you game digest or DNR to see if there are trap size restrictions or possibly a distance from a dwelling requirement. That might be your legal justification to have it removed.

Larry
 

Look up trapping regulations in your state. You normally have to have each trap labeled with owners contact info. Also if I remember correctly it is illegal to mess with someones legally set traps so be careful.
Call your DEC office to make sure.
 
Lots of folks trap the culverts around here. Pretty well accepted. BUT, in Missouri it is illegal to set the larger conibear traps on land. I think the #220's are the largest allowed on land.

Call your local Conservation Agent, (Game Warden around here)

Gene
 
Messing with a trap is illegal in my state, but there are regulations about legal sets too. Call your local Conservation Officer.

Letting dogs and cats run loose may be a violation on your part too.
 
he is prolly trapping coon or fox with a 330 conibear. you're right about checking with the landowner first. i finally got a good trapper to come in and get a handle on the beaver and muskrats in my creeks. they cause a ton of damage.
 
Years ago, a business owner across the state road, was having issues because the beaver were raising the water level in the 20 acre marsh on our land. He had a trapper go in there without permission. They both ended up before the judge, who was a dairy farmer, he had this little area on the back of his house for arraigning people off hours, he was not pleased. The water level was actually compromising the cause way, the state spent a few million to place rubble, sheet piling and a new culvert that they could control.

Regardless, I'd first protect any pets or livestock, then find out what the deal is, legally and so on. In our case they were in the wrong.
 
If my yard went to the road, I'd take that trap and give it a toss and never say a word about it.

Good luck,
Bill
 
Just checked with my states (NY) regulation regarding your issue and read the following. Obviously the trapper must be fully licensed and follow all trapping rules.

[list:9a13ecb0eb][b:9a13ecb0eb]Rights of Trappers[/b:9a13ecb0eb]
No one may disturb a trap lawfully set by another person.
No one may remove a lawfully trapped animal from another person's trap.
No one may harass a trapper while he or she is trapping.[/list:u:9a13ecb0eb]

[list:9a13ecb0eb]Public highway: The traveled portion of a public highway. Culverts, drainage ditches, and the area under bridges are not considered the traveled portion of a public highway.

You may not set a trap on a public road. Body-gripping traps set on land shall not be within 100 feet of a public trail except on Wildlife Management Areas. You are allowed to set a trap in a culvert or ditch unless the property is posted or the landowner does not allow trapping.[/list:u:9a13ecb0eb]
 
What state are you in?

In Iowa-

Road right of ways can be trapped as long as the snare or trap does not come in contact with a fence.

No trap may be placed within 200 yards of a house without permission.

No conibear trap larger than an eight inch spread can be placed out of water.

Check your state laws.

Gary
 
You can't hunt or trap on someone's land without the landowner's permission. Land ownership goes out to the centerline of public roads in Indiana.
 
yup skunk will go tru a conibear trap, kind of stinky to get em out of the trap tho. conibear work good for groundhogs too, just set them over the hole, when the critter peeks out.......lights off. be sureto stake the trap down or the coyotes will wander off with the hog and the trap.
 
old-9 you don.t tell us what state you are from, and the trap that is set should have a tag on it with the guys name and ph number. If I was you I would go check and see if his name is on a tag on the chain, if it is call him and explain your concerns. if he smarts off then get ahold of your local police and find out what you can do. Another thing if you are real worried set out there early in the morn and talk to him. I know a lot of trappers and they don't want to create any waves with non trapping people.

Bob
 
been a long time, but in my state, like said, you can't disturb a set.
The name tag is for the game warden's checking, not yours.
Tromping in and picking up the chain to read the tag is 'disturbing' the set.
Also, like said, if there is a leash law where you live,
if your dog gets caught in it, you will get a town leash ticket and might get one from the DEC too.
With respect, calling the town or local law is usually no good.
Most don't really know game laws.
If you must, talk to a game warden..they know their stuff.
Me?, I'd just talk to the guy. Most trappers are solitary souls that don't like hassles. He'll probably just move the set down the road some.
 
Whatever you do, leave the man's trap(s) alone! Regardless of what you think, feel or suspect, if he he is legally trapping, it's none of your business. If you just can't stand the fact that somebody is engaging in an activity you disapprove of, call the fish cops and have them investigate. Then, if the person is breaking the law you can have a case of the warm fuzzies for being the one who ratted him out. The flip side of the coin is, if you molest the trap trying to find out who it belongs to or 'take that trap and give it a sling' as one brilliant poster suggested, the same fish cop may come looking for you and hand you a citation.

Call the law, let them do the snooping for you and allow them to determine what is the correct thing to do.

Yes, I trapped for 30+ years and had more legal traps (private property) stolen or destroyed than I can ever recall. Before taking the high road of righteousness, KNOW the LAW and if you don't, you are subject to be on the wrong side of it when the law comes calling.
 
First Thank all who replied. I talked to one of the owners and this guy was given permission to trap, however he is 1 or 2 feet into the other's land. I am not going to push it. The part I didn't like was a killing trap set above the water, when I trapped as a kid ALL conibear traps were underwater so as not to get dogs or cats. In their wisdome the state of Indiana allows conibear traps of a certain size to be placed out of the water. I also talked to an ex game warden today and found out about the legal or not set. So case closed. I still don't like it that the trapper would set a trap less than 100 feet of a person's home and not at least talk to him/her. Almost as bad as sitting at my dinning room table and watch a deer hunter in a tree stand while I read the morning paper and drink my coffee.

Thanks for the replys joe
 
Mark- "Yes, I trapped for 30+ years and had more legal traps (private property) stolen or destroyed than I can ever recall."

Yup, seems I spend more effort hiding my traps from 'Johnny Sneakum' than I do for the critters I'm trying to catch.
 
(quoted from post at 19:23:17 12/17/14) Whatever you do, leave the man's trap(s) alone! Regardless of what you think, feel or suspect, if he he is legally trapping, it's none of your business. If you just can't stand the fact that somebody is engaging in an activity you disapprove of, call the fish cops and have them investigate. Then, if the person is breaking the law you can have a case of the warm fuzzies for being the one who ratted him out. The flip side of the coin is, if you molest the trap trying to find out who it belongs to or 'take that trap and give it a sling' as one brilliant poster suggested, the same fish cop may come looking for you and hand you a citation.

Call the law, let them do the snooping for you and allow them to determine what is the correct thing to do.

Yes, I trapped for 30+ years and had more legal traps (private property) stolen or destroyed than I can ever recall. Before taking the high road of righteousness, KNOW the LAW and if you don't, you are subject to be on the wrong side of it when the law comes calling.

Is that you Jump?
 
hey Bret! Yeah, I mostly play incognito here unless a topic sears my flesh....like this one does!
 
Mark, Where did I say that I was going to take his trap? All I was asking was some input about the situation. I take notice of cars and trucks stopping at my mail box before daylite. Don't you look out the window when you hear a truck at 5:00 AM ? Taking Mail out of my mail box could cause me a hassel if a check or idenity was stolen.
Sorry I seared your flesh. joe
 

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