Footloose Montana

2. Footloose Montana Who we are: We come from all walks of life… Footloose Activities: • Trapped Pet Release Workshops (10 workshops so far in Missoula, Bozeman, Hamilton and Kalispell) • Website (www.footloosemontana.org) with map on known trap locations articles and other information on trapping Some of the known cases where dogs have died in traps in recent years: • 1999: Buddy – black lab - Conibear • 2003: Annie – German Shepherd - Conibear • 2004: Tio – Great Pyrenees – leghold trap & shot by trapper (priv.) • 2007: Cupcake – young Border C. - Conibear • 2008: Logan – Yellow Lab – snare (priv.) • 2009: Hound – chasing a mountain lion -- died in snare

3. List of recently reported incidents (to Footloose)… November 26, 2009/Missoula • Dog was caught in foothold trap set along the Bitterroot River just across the river from Kelly Island, next to the Big Flat Irrigation Ditch. December 4, 2009/Wolf Creek • Dog was caught in a foothold trap along North Lyons Creek Rd., 50 feet from the road and 700 feet from two residences. December 20, 2009, Paradise Valley • Two dogs were caught in a foothold/snare… 12-year old (snared) dog died a week later… December 21, 2009/Helena • Dog caught in a foothold trap near Trout Creek Canyon trail head and Vigilante Campground. December 27, 2009/Lolo Pass area • Dog caught in a foothold trap near "G-Point" (a highly-used area by backcountry skiers) January 3, 2010/Bitterroot Valley • A beagle mix was snared around the neck while hiking with his owner and another dog along a gulch up Skalkaho. A few leg hold traps were also spotted in the area. During 2009-10 trapping season • 17 incidents of dogs getting trapped so far, reported by trappers … and the list continues… • 30 reports from the Bitterroot, spanning the last 10 years. • Footloose receives an average of 20 reports per trapping season!

4. The Furbearer Trapping Program:administered by FWP;requires license ($20 & $8) Beaver Sep 1 – May 31 Otter Muskrat Mink Marten Fisher Wolverine Bobcat Lynx Swift Fox Nov 1 – Apr 15 Dec 1 – Feb 15 Dec 1 – Feb 15 Dec 1 – Mar 1 Closed

5. Predators & Nongameunregulated; no license; year-round Raccoon Red Fox Badger Coyote Weasel Striped Skunk Spotted Skunk

7. Regulations: • Should be checked every 48 hours • Mustnot be checked so infrequently as to “waste” a furbearer • Non-target animals must be reported only if “protected.” • There is no requirement for trappers to report or turn in injured pets. Update: Trapper must report accidental dog captures w/in 48 hrs (six incidents so far this season) • Trap ID: Metal tags must bear trapper’s name and address • Landowner permission required • No permission required on public land • Trappers not required to post signs on public lands

8. Regulations: Trap Set-backs: • 30 feet away from center of public roads • 50 feet from hiking trails • 300 feet from trailheads (leghold & non-lethal snares) • 1,000 feet from trailhead (Conibear & lethal snares) • Body-gripping (Conibear) traps must be enclosed if larger than 7”x7” • It is illegal to destroy, disturb or remove any trap, snare or trapped wildlife…

9. Trapping Hardware

10. Targeted and Non-targeted Victims

14. . Animals suffering in traps: • Animals may linger in traps for days and nights while exposed to pain, extreme temperatures, hypothermia, and other predators • Injuries range from lacerations, dislocated joints and broken bones. Some animals have found to chew off their limb that is caught in a trap (“wring off”). • Death in traps: Animals strangulate or drown, freeze and/or starve to death (whatever comes first) before trapper returns to either club them to death, stand on their chest to crush inner organs or shoot them in the head (saves pelts)… Coyote (Canis latrans)

15. Recreational and commercial trapping: Public Safety Threat: • Traps can be set as close as 50 feet to public trails, while no set backs are required for certain species that can be trapped all year round. • Imposes on our right to use public lands without having to fear for the safety of our pets and children: Montana public lands should be safe for all citizens and pets. Not a wildlife management method: • Fur –market driven activity The higher fur prices, the more trappers • Trap locations are known only by trappers and not to professional wildlife managers. • Traps cannot be properly monitored and so no reliable data exists of the number of animals killed in these traps. “FWP regulates furbearer trapping seasons for recreational harvest opportunities.  Montana's harvest seasons are not based on reducing or controlling diseases” (Brian Giddings, FWP Furbearer Coordinator) Traps and snares are indiscriminate • Endangered species, threatened and sensitive species, i.e., Canada Lynx, American Bald Eagle • Marten and Otter are severely depleted, while • Wolverine and Fisher are at risk of extinction. • Trapping is a leading cause in the steep decline in these species. Traps are Cruel: • Trapped animal suffer from fear, anxiety and physical pain for prolong periods of time. • Traps cause dehydration, starvation, severe swelling, lacerations, dislocated joints and bones, and even amputation. • Animals still alive upon the trapper’s return are strangled, clubbed or stomped to death, or shot. • The most commonly used trap, the steel-jawed leg hold trap, is condemned as inhumane by The American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, The World Veterinary Association, and the Animal Control Association.

16. www.footloosemontana.org