I'm beginning to change my mind.

cant say kid's are around

Instead of a new law why not just put pressure on it to be covered in the already mandatory hunter safety course. I see no harm in a part of that class covering rules and regulations as well as a short how to on releasing a hunting dog or pet safely.

I have read the rule book cover to cover, and yes i obey them the best i can but like i said noone is perfect haha. Thanks for all the helps fellas and ladies.

;D

x2

Dale-What clinics?

Krank,this was brought up for discussion,mainly to take care of the "grey areas" so many talk about in the Mo. regs.Now for myself,I don't see the areas some of the guys complain about.I mean,we explained to regs on conibears umpteen times,yet someone would then ask a question that had just been explained.Questions like,"can I set conibears 6 feet off the ground in a tree".Nowhere in the regs is there anything to lead one to think they can,but yet the question gets asked dozens of times.Same way with the jaw spread issue.People ask about the 220s in bucket sets on dryland because the read about it in FF&G or on the trapperman site.Some people simply don't take the time to read the regs.
Your right about the poachers being poachers,but lots of newbies getting into trapping and don't have a clue.It would be a shame to lose trapping tools such as conibears,snares,or CRs because someone didn't read the regs and killed a hunters dog or someones pet.With fur prices on the increase,more folks chasing fur means more problems unless properly mentored or trained.I didn't much care for setting thru a CR class,but if it meant being able to use them,then it was worth it.

The C.O.s don't always understand the regulations! I've asked them questions about trapping and fur marketing before, and they don't have a clue of what to tell me. They had to research it and try to find the answer. Oftentimes, the "answer" is nebulous and open to interpretation. For example, I asked an instructor at the cable restraint training class I took a few years back if it was ok to fasten the swivel end of the cable to an overhead limb of a nearby tree instead of anchoring it in the ground, if it was not possible for the captured animal to get entangled in nearby vegetation. He didn't know. Another time, I asked about using cables for capturing animals after the regular trapping season, because that is the way the code book at the time could have been interpreted. The agent had to research it and discovered that the booklet I was referring to did indeed say just that, but was outdated and had been superceded by a more recent publication in that very same year. Be aware that those code books are periodically updated without the public being aware of the changes. What may be legal in March could very well be illegal in July, without you being aware of the changes. You could be following the regs of an obsolete booklet, only to discover the hard way that the book's information is out of date and you are in violation of the most recent interpretation of a law! I said all that to summarize and say that you need to make sure you have the MOST up to date code book and check with YOUR agent before you set traps. Different agents can interpret the code in different ways and one could say you're in violation while another will say you are perfectly legal. When you end up in court for a code violation, the judge won't care what an out of date booklet says, he will go by what the MOST RECENT code book reads.

SO WAT....First time I set a trap--it was for coon I thought I knew Wat i was doing In fact I defiantly knew Wat I was doing Trying to trap a coon... no license no trap tags. At 10 yrs of age wasn't hertin much. LET KIDS BE KIDS. Enough this cganging your mind business It don't work !!! Enough said about this band wagon,

Willie,the people nowdays are a lot different than when you were 10 years old.Back then almost every country boy ran a few traps.Nowdays,lots of people don't even know trapping is allowed or know anyone that traps.Lots more people living in the country and most have a different attitude than those of us that grew up around hunting and trapping for fur.Like it or not,these same people have a bearing on how trapping is preceived.Heck,even some people that hunt deer and such have no idea of our trapping pursuits.Lots of times when these hunters come across traps ,while hunting,they think they've discovered someones attemp to poach by using traps.
A mandatory class would also give trapping more exposure to the general public and maybe more exceptence with some.Clinics like those given by Dale and other districts of the MTA have shown that there is an interest with newbies to want to learn.Also by having to take a class before getting a license would show that a person that commits a violation such as making a unlawfull set,is a poacher and not a sportsman,thus justifing the lose of trapping priviledges.That in itself will help enforcing the rules.