MISSOULA — After getting no traction in the 2023 Legislature, pet owners are hoping a bill to require trappers to post signs where they are trapping will become law this time.
On Tuesday, Rep. Bob Carter, D-Missoula, told the House Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) committee that his bill, House Bill 436, was in the best interest of both trappers and hikers because it would help reduce social conflict. The bill would require trappers to post signs near trailheads and trails on FWP land to warn other users that trapping was occurring. The requirement would not apply to federal land.
Thirteen proponents backed the bill, including representatives of Footloose Montana, Trap Free Montana, Bold Visions, Montana Wildlife Federation and the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Several cited data from FWP that showed 153 pets had been caught in traps statewide between 2018 and 2022. Several also pointed out that trappers are already required to post signs when trapping on school trust land managed by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
“We see it as common sense and sort of a courtesy, as well as increasing public safety and reducing social conflict between trappers and users of public trails,” said Frank Szollosi, Montana Wildlife Federation executive director. “When the state or the federal government does wildlife control trapping, they put signs at trailheads. You drive up, you see the sign, you can make the decision whether or not you want your dogs to run up that trail.”
Some people talked about taking their dogs into the backcountry but feeling nervous about the possibility their dogs might get caught in a trap. Art Compton of Footloose Montana said it takes either two people or a special tool to free dogs from leghold traps. If not alerted by a sign that danger is up ahead, some people, especially tourists or those new to Montana, wouldn’t know what to do.
However, since it applies to only FWP land, the bill wouldn’t cover much of the backcountry people were referring to. In addition, FWP Chief Warden Ron Howell said all dogs on FWP land are supposed to be on a leash unless they’re hunting dogs, so they shouldn’t be wandering far enough from the trail to encounter a trap.
Even though the bill has very limited application, the two opponents - representatives of the Montana Trappers Association and Idaho-based Foundation for Wildlife Management - wanted none of it. Both said being required to post signs would just lead to people stealing their traps.
Justin Webb of the Foundation for Wildlife Management said having to post signs creates a financial burden on trappers.
“I take my labs everywhere I go, including my wolf trap line where I have caught my own dogs multiple times in the largest trap on the landscape with zero injury,” Webb said. “Traps are designed to hold, not harm.”
Chris Morgan of the Montana Trappers Association said he wouldn’t trap on DNRC land anymore because his traps have been stolen or vandalized thanks to the signs. He also claimed that 90% of the dogs that are caught in traps are considered at-large and are running with no person in control of them. Morgan said proponents aren’t doing anything to reduce conflict while trappers have agreed to mandatory trapper education and they partner with an organization that gives workshops on how to release traps.
“This (bill) is just going to lead to more conflict. Not with pet owners - it’ll increase conflict with those who are against trapping,” Morgan said.
The first bill to make trapper education mandatory in Montana was introduced in 2007. But it took 14 years before Senate Bill 60 finally passed the Legislature in 2021.
Carter said he made a large compromise in crafting HB 436 this year. Two years ago, Carter introduced a similar bill, House Bill 854, that also required trappers to replace within 24 hours any signs that went missing. But HB 854 would have fined trappers if signs weren’t replaced. Trappers’ organizations complained that they’d have to pay too many fines because anti-trapping groups would remove the signs. The House FWP committee tabled the bill.
So this year, Carter removed any fees or penalties from HB 436, prompting Howell to utter the Abraham Lincoln quote: “Laws without enforcement are just good advice.” While there may be no penalties for trappers, Carter pointed out that anyone found defacing or stealing a sign can be prosecuted for criminal mischief.
Montana has about 3,200 registered trappers. Howell said FWP has issued six warnings for disturbing traps over the past 10 years, although this year, two citations were issued.
“This bill strikes a great compromise from what we heard the last session about trappers - the biggest thing is they didn’t want the fees and they didn’t want the penalties. Okay, I’ve compromised. I’ve removed the fees and I’ve removed the penalties. Where is the compromise from the other side? All we’re hearing is, ‘No we don’t want to do it just in case we lose things,’” Carter said. “Well, the fact that we’re still killing our pets through traps is a reason to support this bill.”
Rep. Tracy Sharp, R-Polson, asked Howell if FWP could just post a sign year-round at all FWP trailheads warning visitors that trapping could always be occurring. Howell said FWP was already considering such a sign.
Carter said a permanent sign probably wasn’t as effective as letting people know that traps were currently being used in the area. If signs are always posted, people start to ignore them, Carter said.
“We want an effective way to know when we can safely have our pets in the area,” Carter said. “For more than a quarter century, the trapping advisory committee has been saying, ‘Many of our best recommendations are to avoid the conflict.” We keep talking about avoiding conflict but we’re not doing anything about it. The No. 1 thing from the 1999 trapping advisory committee was to put up signs to alert folks when traps were in the area. That was voted on 10-nothing by the committee and we still haven’t done it.”
The House FWP committee took no action on the bill.
Contact reporter Laura Lundquist at lundquist@missoulacurrent.com.
