Trappers and pet owners urged to be careful

With standard furbearer seasons underway and wolf trapping set beginning Dec. 15, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reminds pet owners to be mindful that there could be trapping activity in the woods.

“Trappers are similarly reminded to follow Montana’s regulations aimed at avoiding accidental pet captures and to use every precaution to avoid capturing a dog,” said Brian Giddings, FWP’s furbearer coordinator.

While such incidents are uncommon, Montana law nevertheless requires traps on public lands to be set at least 50 feet back from a road or trail, or 150 feet for wolf traps; 300 to 1,000 feet from a trailhead; and 1,000 feet from a public campground.

FWP officials say that after a process to improve regulations took place a decade ago, Montana now has some of the best regulations in the nation to avoid non-target animals. They advise all trappers to study regulations for details. Currently, Montana has about 4,000 licensed trappers, including those for wildlife research.

Pet owners are advised to keep their dog on a leash or otherwise always under control and not to let their dog wander off, especially out of sight.

“On the rare occasion when a dog does get caught, it would likely be in foothold device that can be opened to remove the dog’s paw,” Giddings said.

For more information, visit online at www.fwp.mt.gov and click on “Trapping in Montana.”