Humane Trapping and Avoiding Non-Target Catches

Why this matters

How we trap is the strongest argument for trapping. Every catch handled properly, every non-target avoided and every dog released unhurt helps keep trapping legal and respected. Every bad story does the opposite.

Certified traps

In Canada, traps used for many furbearer species must meet the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS). The Fur Institute of Canada keeps the list of certified traps and which species each is certified for. In the US, many states follow Best Management Practices (BMPs) for trapping, developed by state wildlife agencies to recommend traps that are humane, selective and efficient.

Before you buy a trap, check that it's certified or recommended for the species you're after, in your province or state.

Setting to avoid non-targets

Most non-target catches can be avoided by how and where you set.

• Location: keep land sets away from homes, trails, dog-walking areas and places where cats roam. Ask landowners where their pets go.
• Pan tension: set pan tension so light animals like birds, squirrels and rabbits don't fire the trap.
• Body-grip placement: on land, body-grips should be recessed in a cubby, elevated, or set where your regulations require, so dogs and cats can't reach them. Water sets are far safer.
• Bait and lure: avoid baits that attract dogs and cats when you can. Meat bait in an open land set attracts everything.
• Species-specific traps: dog-proof traps for raccoon only fire when an animal pulls up on the trigger, and are designed so dogs and cats rarely get caught.
• Check on time: a non-target released quickly is almost always released unhurt.

If you catch a dog

Stay calm. Most dogs caught in a foothold are frightened, not hurt.

1. 1Speak calmly and approach slowly.
2. 2Cover the dog's head with a jacket or blanket. A covered dog usually calms right down.
3. 3Press the springs to open the jaws and slide the foot out. Know how to open every trap you set before you set it.
4. 4Check the foot and let the dog go, or contact the owner if you can.
5. 5Report it if your regulations require, and tell the landowner.

If a dog is caught in a body-grip, open it using the safety catch and a release tool or rope through the springs. Practise this at home with an unset trap. Carry a release tool for every body-grip size you run.

Other non-targets

Carry a catch pole and know how to release a non-target safely, especially animals like skunks, porcupines and birds of prey. If an animal can't be released alive, follow your regulations on reporting and what to do with it.

Dispatch

Dispatch target animals quickly and humanely, following what you learned in trapper education and any rules in your area. If you're unsure, ask an experienced trapper or your provincial or state association to show you.

Keep notes

Log every non-target catch in Sprung Trapline with the set it came from. If one set keeps catching the wrong thing, move it. Patterns are easy to miss in your head and hard to miss on a list.