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Trapping - Getting to the bottom of the sensationalism
The
U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance represents sportsmen's outdoor interests.
Occasionally, we receive inquiries about why we fight for trapping. Doug
Jeanneret, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance director of communications, has
been a trapper for over 30 years and has taken the time to respond to
this question. No
other outdoor issue has been as sensationalized as trapping, nor has any
other issue had as much misinformation surround it. With trapper numbers
dwindling, it is a prime target for the antis' attack. Some
hunters even bad-mouth trapping. Before making a decision about the
sport, here are some facts to keep in mind:
Unfortunately,
the animal rights movement continues to spread an abundance of
misinformation about trapping in an effort to end what, in its opinion,
is an inhumane tradition. How
hated is the sport? Read the rhetoric produced by some animal rights
groups: The
Humane Society of the United States says, "Trapping is well known
for the suffering it causes. Strides have been made to eliminate the use
of traps in the United States, with eight states (WA, CA, MA, CO, AZ,
NJ, FL, and RI) now banning their use." The
Fund for Animals attacks trapping by calling it "cruel and
painful." It would like to see an "outright prohibition on all
body-gripping traps due to the inherent cruelty of the devices." The
Animal Protection Institute encourages people to prohibit trapping on
their land, boycott businesses that sell fur, support trapping bans and
encourage non-lethal wildlife controls. Just
as disturbing, some sportsmen have developed the attitude that trapping
is a disposable part of our outdoor heritage. They think that a ban on
trapping would not affect them; the anti's will get what they want and
let other sportsmen alone. I
have witnessed in states such as Massachusetts, that once the anti's
stop trapping, they continue to work even harder to destroy other parts
of our heritage. In
New Jersey, less than two years after a trapping ban was approved, the
anti's had a bill introduced to ban bowhunting. Fortunately, with a full
court press put on by bowhunters and the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, the
bill did not pass. Believe
me, if all trapping were banned, anti's would focus on other aspects of
our outdoor heritage. Hunting with hounds or bowhunting would be the
next traditions to fall. If the anti's were not concentrated on
trapping, they would be more focused on one of our other outdoor
activities. Sportsmen must understand that if any one of our traditions is sacrificed, other parts of our hunting heritage may fall, as well. We should and must solidify our defenses and support each other regardless of whether we trap, fish, or hunt. CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
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