This post brings up a question I have. And before I ask, please don't take my post as anti-trapping because I am not. I am just very naive about trapping. The problem I always had with trapping (vs hunting) is the possibility of non-target catches. So I have been trying to learn more about trapping and I have learned a lot about how trappers minimize the risk of non-target catches. I even went to a evening seminar on trapping coyotes so I could learn more about it. One of big reasons for learning about trapping techniques is to know about how they work so that if I am out with my hounds and a dog gets caught up in something, I know what to do. I've already had one of my beagles put his head through a 220 conibear trap (he survived) so as a dog owner traps scare me. They just do. At the coyote seminar I went to, the guy that taught it said they you don't want to set snares where the coyote could get caught up and hung. He said if a domestic dog got in a snare that they won't fight if they are leashed trained and would be OK unless there was something for them to get tangled around and hang themselves. So please educate me about such things.
Once again, I am not anti-trapping and I think it is a very cool thing that your all are doing. I come here almost every day to see what everyone has been catching. Keep up the good work. I am just here to learn. Thanks. (and sorry for the thread hijack, just seemed as good a place as any to ask about this).[/QUOTE I have caught two dogs in snares in the past one of them twice and all three times released them.They were just laying there waiting for some one to let them out.I did find their owner and let them know and ask them to keep them off of the property.I would make sure to check with the property owner where you run dogs to see if anyone is trapping or snaring there so you are aware.As for me the places I trap or snare no one else has permission to be running their dogs on so I will always try if possible to set my snares for a quicker kill but a coyote will always fight the snare just have not had any dogs do that.