The Natual Resources Board agreed recently to move forward the potential legalization of colony traps in Wisconsin. Now, the Department of Natural Resources Furbearer Committee will decide if the issue should be placed on the ballot at next year's DNR and Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearings.
John Olson, Furbearer Committee chair, said his group has been laying the groundwork for consideration of the change which would allow trappers to use the divice when trapping muskrats.
The committee tabled the measure at its 2008 meeting to allow time to formulate a legal definition of the trap.
"Once that happens, it will be time to run it up the ladder," he said.
The proposal will be presented in the form of a question that would ask if the public is in favor of using colony traps with an explanation of what constitutes a legal colony trap and how it could be used.
The colony trap, sometimes called a submarine trap, is meant to be submerged in a muskrat's runway or den entrance. The trap is similar in appearance to a live trap that someone might use to remove a nuisance animal from their premises.
If the trap is located in deeper water such that the top of the trap is below the water's surface, it is extremely lethal. Muskrats swim through the passive door, which then closes behind them. Designed for multiple capture, the device has a passive door on each end of the trap.
Why the colony trap?
"You don't have to worry about predators," says Marcus Bresee of Fennimore. Otters are the biggest problem, according to Bresee, a trapper for 32 years and a trapper education instructor for 18.
It is also safer and makes it easier for the trapper, he contends, who must submerge his hands in water that is often near freezing.
The predator cannot reach the muskrat caught in a colony trap. Otters in particular are extremely aggressive hunters and muskrats make up a large part of their diet.
"Otters will go right into the lodge after the muskrats," Bresee said.
Eagles are also more of a problem these days, he noted.
"They're coming farther inland all the time," he said.
Others disagree regarding the use of the colony. Ben Stamm of Argyle argues that the trap may be too effective. Well known to area sportsmen as "Trapper Ben", he and his brother Greg spent several winters harvesting muskrats at the Horicon Marsh while under contract to the federal government.
"We have to be careful," says Stamm. "Otters have to eat too, and we're robbing their food."
"We can't be so greedy that we steal everything from the otters and the eagles," he said.
"These traps are so effective, they can wipe out every rat in the den. In some of these small streams where there are only 12 or 15 muskrats in the entire area, they could all be trapped."
One version of the colony trap, offered by Wildlife Damage Control, a West Virgina firm, is constructed of one-inch by one-inch galvanized wire mesh and measures 28 inches long, is five-inches wide and stands five-inches high. The trap sells for $12.95, plus shipping and handling.
However, some trappers will make their own designs, according to Wisconsin Trappers Association Public Affairs Chair Ken Kasper. "Trappers are a cost-conscious bunch," he says. "They'll try to save some money wherever they can."
Trapping in Wisconsin is both an opportunity for outdoor recreation and a source of income for several thousand state residents. The DNR carefully regulates trapping to protect any species from overharvest while using it as a control measure to reduce populations of a given species if necessary.
Muskrat, beaver and raccoon are the most likely furbearers to cause property damage and spread disease. Beavers are commonly known to transmit giardia, a serious intestinal disease, and raccoons often reduce crop yields and invade outbuildings on farms.
Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
John Olson, Furbearer Committee chair, said his group has been laying the groundwork for consideration of the change which would allow trappers to use the divice when trapping muskrats.
The committee tabled the measure at its 2008 meeting to allow time to formulate a legal definition of the trap.
"Once that happens, it will be time to run it up the ladder," he said.
The proposal will be presented in the form of a question that would ask if the public is in favor of using colony traps with an explanation of what constitutes a legal colony trap and how it could be used.
The colony trap, sometimes called a submarine trap, is meant to be submerged in a muskrat's runway or den entrance. The trap is similar in appearance to a live trap that someone might use to remove a nuisance animal from their premises.
If the trap is located in deeper water such that the top of the trap is below the water's surface, it is extremely lethal. Muskrats swim through the passive door, which then closes behind them. Designed for multiple capture, the device has a passive door on each end of the trap.
Why the colony trap?
"You don't have to worry about predators," says Marcus Bresee of Fennimore. Otters are the biggest problem, according to Bresee, a trapper for 32 years and a trapper education instructor for 18.
It is also safer and makes it easier for the trapper, he contends, who must submerge his hands in water that is often near freezing.
The predator cannot reach the muskrat caught in a colony trap. Otters in particular are extremely aggressive hunters and muskrats make up a large part of their diet.
"Otters will go right into the lodge after the muskrats," Bresee said.
Eagles are also more of a problem these days, he noted.
"They're coming farther inland all the time," he said.
Others disagree regarding the use of the colony. Ben Stamm of Argyle argues that the trap may be too effective. Well known to area sportsmen as "Trapper Ben", he and his brother Greg spent several winters harvesting muskrats at the Horicon Marsh while under contract to the federal government.
"We have to be careful," says Stamm. "Otters have to eat too, and we're robbing their food."
"We can't be so greedy that we steal everything from the otters and the eagles," he said.
"These traps are so effective, they can wipe out every rat in the den. In some of these small streams where there are only 12 or 15 muskrats in the entire area, they could all be trapped."
One version of the colony trap, offered by Wildlife Damage Control, a West Virgina firm, is constructed of one-inch by one-inch galvanized wire mesh and measures 28 inches long, is five-inches wide and stands five-inches high. The trap sells for $12.95, plus shipping and handling.
However, some trappers will make their own designs, according to Wisconsin Trappers Association Public Affairs Chair Ken Kasper. "Trappers are a cost-conscious bunch," he says. "They'll try to save some money wherever they can."
Trapping in Wisconsin is both an opportunity for outdoor recreation and a source of income for several thousand state residents. The DNR carefully regulates trapping to protect any species from overharvest while using it as a control measure to reduce populations of a given species if necessary.
Muskrat, beaver and raccoon are the most likely furbearers to cause property damage and spread disease. Beavers are commonly known to transmit giardia, a serious intestinal disease, and raccoons often reduce crop yields and invade outbuildings on farms.
Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
