Bird Dog PSA Releasing your dog from snares, traps

[AlaskaHunter]

 

[Wild Bill]

Good reminder for everyone. I also carry a cable cutter in my vest as well.
Cable Cutter

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Good reminder for everyone. I also carry a cable cutter in my vest as well.
Cable Cutter

Yes a cable cutter will cut through a snare like butter.
A multi-tool will not.

 

[tim629]

i don't mind leg traps, had our first run in with illegally set traps this fall but i feel as though if there is a risk of a dog being caught in a snare or conibear trap that they shouldn't be used.

thanks for posting the videos, i've never seen the conibear in person so it will be useful if one of the dogs gets caught in the future

 

[NoWiser]

Compared to losing a dog, conibear traps are pretty cheap. Buying a 220 to keep on hand to practice with a few times before each season would be money well spent, in my opinion. Then keep a cable cutter and rope with you at all times and you should be in pretty good shape.

 

[Sask hunter]

Compared to losing a dog, conibear traps are pretty cheap. Buying a 220 to keep on hand to practice with a few times before each season would be money well spent, in my opinion. Then keep a cable cutter and rope with you at all times and you should be in pretty good shape.

If coni’s are such a risk where you hunt might be worth carrying trap setters in your vest. Trap setters have that coni open in two seconds where a rope would be much longer

 

[BrentD]

If coni’s are such a risk where you hunt might be worth carrying trap setters in your vest. Trap setters have that coni open in two seconds where a rope would be much longer

Can you show a picture of a trap setter or a link to where one could be bought? I carry heavy cable ties but speed and effectiveness with a struggling dog makes me doubtful.

I purchased some cheap cable cutters made for hunters. wish I could remember where. They go through snares like nothing. Multitools might - I have heard of them working, one time, with adrenaline flowing.

 

[Nameless Range]

Can you show a picture of a trap setter or a link to where one could be bought? I carry heavy cable ties but speed and effectiveness with a struggling dog makes me doubtful.

I purchased some cheap cable cutters made for hunters. wish I could remember where. They go through snares like nothing. Multitools might - I have heard of them working, one time, with adrenaline flowing.

These are some cheap ones I have been using:

Minnesota Trapline Bridger Trap Setter

This is the Top Gun of the aluminum setters. Constructed of 3/8” thick, bright aluminum stock with milled notches to allow easy setting of SCHEELS

www.scheels.com

I took trapper education over the summer. Fantastic and in depth class with a real emphasis on ethics and trapping in such a way to avoid giving trapping bad PR.

There were 7 instructors, and essentially every one was down on snares. A bit too indescrimanate and a bit too fatal. Though they are legal, they really kind of dissuaded their use in most instances.

In Montana, conibear (body gripping) land sets have regulations associated with them (size limitations, trigger setbacks, enclosure requirements) to reduce the likelihood of bad situations.

 

[NoWiser]

If coni’s are such a risk where you hunt might be worth carrying trap setters in your vest. Trap setters have that coni open in two seconds where a rope would be much longer

True, but after a long day of walking someone is a lot more likely to ditch a heavy clumsy set of trap setters than a light section of rope with a loop tied on one end. With practice it should take under a minute to disable a 220 conibear with a rope. You only have to latch one spring. The other you can just compress. But I do agree, a setters would be quicker.

For snares just look for a Felco cable cutter on EBay.

 

[Sask hunter]

These are some cheap ones I have been using:

Minnesota Trapline Bridger Trap Setter

This is the Top Gun of the aluminum setters. Constructed of 3/8” thick, bright aluminum stock with milled notches to allow easy setting of SCHEELS

www.scheels.com

I took trapper education over the summer. Fantastic and in depth class with a real emphasis on ethics and trapping in such a way to avoid giving trapping bad PR.

There were 7 instructors, and essentially every one was down on snares. A bit too indescrimanate and a bit too fatal. Though they are legal, they really kind of dissuaded their use in most instances.

In Montana, conibear (body gripping) land sets have regulations associated with them (size limitations, trigger setbacks, enclosure requirements) to reduce the likelihood of bad situations.

I would take snares over connis. A dog trained on leash won’t freak out and choke themselves out like a coyote.

 

[crock239]

Good info. Thanks for posting. I'll add cable cutter to my Christmas list.

@BrentD I did a quick search for a vid on opening conibear w zip ties and didn't find anything...would be interesting to see if/how it works.

I hope to never have to work any of these solutions with a struggling dog instead of a stuffed animal.

 

[BrentD]

Good info. Thanks for posting. I'll add cable cutter to my Christmas list.

@BrentD I did a quick search for a vid on opening conibear w zip ties and didn't find anything...would be interesting to see if/how it works.

I hope to never have to work any of these solutions with a struggling dog instead of a stuffed animal.

I hope to never find out how it works. I hate those damn things.

The kit I bought included a very simple cable cutter as well as the wire ties and instructions. I don't see the cable cutters anymore.

Checkout mntrappers.org. They do a good job of trying to educate people more about trapping, and I appreciate that.

 

[BrentD]

Good reminder for everyone. I also carry a cable cutter in my vest as well.
Cable Cutter

Hey @Big Fin, any chance you could pin this thread to the top of any topic which involves dogs? Everyone with a bird dog, bear dog, or fuzzy buddy, could use this info.

 

[SilentBirdHunter]

True, but after a long day of walking someone is a lot more likely to ditch a heavy clumsy set of trap setters than a light section of rope with a loop tied on one end. With practice it should take under a minute to disable a 220 conibear with a rope. You only have to latch one spring. The other you can just compress. But I do agree, a setters would be quicker.

For snares just look for a Felco cable cutter on EBay.

A belt can be handy to open a conibear if no rope is available.
A belt can also be used to muzzle a dog that has porcupine quills.

In Alaska, one problem with snares is that they are inexpensive relative to conibears or legholds,
and some trappers are irresponsible. I remember long after trapping season had ended,
a calf moose was killed in a snare one summer.