Snare Season

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Good luck getting further than a half mile from any yard site around here, even a quarter mile would be tough.

[Blaithin]

I mentioned in burnt’s thread how I prefer to deal with coyotes and have found success doing so.

I’ve shot them right out the front door when they were bad. The snares seem to have taken the rest of the problem ones.

Now I’m back to simply being able to have dogs, go out and make noise myself, have the radio on... preventative maintenance sort of stuff.

Pretty sure I said on that thread that killing to prevent predation was one tool and one that I consider to be more of a last resort. The guy snaring here is not doing it to prevent or lower predation. He’s a city guy that comes out of Calgary to earn some extra dough on pelts.

For the most part I can trace all my predator issues down to years and times of the year. Hawks are issues when they have chicks in the nest, owls are an issue in winters when the snow is so deep they have trouble hunting, coyotes were issues when the crop was at peak and was good cover for them to sneak up to the acreage. Learn the predators and it helps you predict when they will make appearances and how you can try and avoid them.

Except magpies. Those are just right bastards. Get rid of one and it’s like five magically appear out of its feathers.

[Horse]

I dont know when the law changed but about 30 yr ago when I trapped only registered trappers were allowed to use snares,and only in the green area (aka crown land). Resident trappers ,those in settled areas (aka the white areas) were not allowed to use them,other than beaver and then the entire loop had to be submersed. Thats in Alta

[Blaithin]

I dont know when the law changed but about 30 yr ago when I trapped only registered trappers were allowed to use snares,and only in the green area (aka crown land). Resident trappers ,those in settled areas (aka the white areas) were not allowed to use them,other than beaver and then the entire loop had to be submersed. Thats in Alta

You’re supposed to have a license, take the course, to my understanding anyway. Can’t just go out and snare. Not sure how much it’s enforced though. I called Fish and Game when this originally happened because it’s county lease land and the guy on the lease had just passed away and his wife had no idea about any trapping. In no way was F&G even interested in coming out and chatting with the guy. He just told me the 70yr old widow was lying to me and he wasn’t going to drive out from Olds to see otherwise. For all I know the trapper has no license. Although he probably needs one to sell properly?

Either way it gave me absolutely no faith in F&G. Surprise surprise.

[Horse]

Yup $400 3 day course to be able to get licence now probably like boating licence so you know about ocean going vessels and bouys,real important on the prairies.

[Oliver88]

Good luck getting further than a half mile from any yard site around here, even a quarter mile would be tough.

Sounds like Saskatchewan in the 1920’s. Now there are a lot of abandoned farmyards that are farmed around until they get cleared off.

[Sheepwheat]

Sounds like Saskatchewan in the 1920’s. Now there are a lot of abandoned farmyards that are farmed around until they get cleared off.

Yeah if I didn’t have paradise as my backyard, it would be difficult to find snare sites more than a mile from a yard.

[Dr Tone]

When wolves come to your yard and kill your dog as well as a couple other neighbors dogs, if someone’s dogs is running around near snares they are in much bigger danger in our area.

[woodland]

We have a licensed fellow snaring on a couple of our quarters and there hasn’t been an issue yet. Not power snares so a tame dog should be fine anyway. I try to let neighbours know that any dogs chasing cows on our property will be dealt with in a permanent way. We’ve had packs of dogs chase calves through a fence, down the road, and chew holes through their hide at 5 am in a neighbour’s yard on Canada day. I ended up putting the one calf down a day later.

There is no shortage of stray dogs, coyote, beaver, deer, elk, squirrels, and other assorted destructive wildlife in the neighbourhood. We had over 20 different guys hunting this fall and the last few years and the numbers are still increasing. Ma Nature is a little too resilient at times.

**end of rant**

[Horse]

We have a licensed fellow snaring on a couple of our quarters and there hasn’t been an issue yet. Not power snares so a tame dog should be fine anyway. I try to let neighbours know that any dogs chasing cows on our property will be dealt with in a permanent way. We’ve had packs of dogs chase calves through a fence, down the road, and chew holes through their hide at 5 am in a neighbour’s yard on Canada day. I ended up putting the one calf down a day later.

There is no shortage of stray dogs, coyote, beaver, deer, elk, squirrels, and other assorted destructive wildlife in the neighbourhood. We had over 20 different guys hunting this fall and the last few years and the numbers are still increasing. Ma Nature is a little too resilient at times.

**end of rant**

To be legal snares have to be locking,or power so there is a fast kill. Read the regulations.

[woodland]

To be legal snares have to be locking,or power so there is a fast kill. Read the regulations.

He uses the locking ones. I know he’s caught a couple dogs over the years and they generally don’t pull so it doesn’t cinch up. He has to check them very regular or else the eagles start chewing up everything. He gets all his paperwork done and keeps it all legit. Great service for everyone including the couple of sheep guys around.

[blackpowder]

Not a job i want.
Yotes stink too much for me and i hate fleas. I swear they're rotting while alive. Colony boys charge $20.
Hired man even made a machine to make snares. A trick to doing it right.
He gets all permissions and informs. Checks them often and makes sure to take them all down. Has caught and released one dog.
Young Hutts all snare. Which is a different story.