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Why Trapping?

Why Trapping?

Sometimes people wonder why people trap. Aside from the opportunity to get out into the woods and harvest nature’s abundance, trapping offers advantages not available in other types of harvest.

A set cage trap with spring-loaded door. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
A set cage trap with spring-loaded door. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

Let’s start with a definition. Trapping involves the use of a device (i.e. a trap) to capture an animal when triggered by the actions of said animal. Traps come in a variety of types and include snares, cable-restraints, nets, restraining devices, cage traps, box traps, and others. The advantage of trapping lies in its ability to multiply human effort. Not only can a person set multiple traps capable of catching multiple animals, but also the person is freed to do other activities as the traps will be working 24 hours a day. Hunting, in contrast, requires the human to be present. Hunters can only increase their catch by increasing the number of hours in the field.

Despite the advantages of trapping, it does have some disadvantages. First, it is equipment intensive. Where a hunter has her weapon and perhaps some calls and some camouflage clothing, the trapper has to have clothing, traps, anchoring devices, a weapon to dispatch the catch, and baskets to carry the equipment. Second, trappers have to commit several days of time to trapping. Once the traps are set, the traps must be checked, catches removed, and sets remade. Hunters in contrast can hunt for an afternoon and go home. At minimum, trapping is a two-day event. One day to set traps and the other to pick them up.

I hope this helps explain why people trap.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest books are the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition and The Practical Guide to the Control of Feral Cats. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.

If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Deerland by Al Cambronne: A Review

Cambronne, Al. Deerland: America’s Hunt for Ecological Balance and the Essence of Wildness. Gilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2013.

I have never been an avid hunter, let alone a deer hunter. But my work with one of the

Deerland. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Deerland. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

country’s premiere deer biologists, Dr. Scott E. Hygnstrom, has engaged me with this deer hunting community. As I work with deer biologists, researchers, most of whom are also experienced deer hunters, I have been repeatedly surprised at how eyes brighten and grins broaden whenever the subject turns to deer hunting. My bewilderment also extends to the protests of animal activists who decry deer hunters as “Bambi killers”.

What is it about deer that make some people wish to eat it and others wish to simply protect from all and any harm? If you have similar questions or just an interest in the social and human aspects of wildlife management, then Deerland is for you.

Cambronne surveys the complex relationship between humans and deer in a manner that is both factual and interesting. He divided his book into two parts. Part 1 “Love and Obsession” explores the positive side of this charismatic megafauna known as deer. Cambronne explains the life history of deer and details how deer are big business in the U.S. In fact, the business of deer is so big it’s called the Deer Industrial Complex. Cambonne also investigates the emotional side of the human-deer relationship such as the popularity of feeding deer and the allure of big racks of antlers otherwise known as horn porn.

Part 2, “Consequences” analyzes the negative aspects of abundant deer populations. In separate chapters, Cambronne discusses the effect that deer have on environmental balance, deer collisions, disease transmission, and the options available for managing deer. Throughout, Cambronne maintains a decidedly neutral position. He doesn’t say we should shoot more deer or to increase deer populations. His goal is for Americans to think more deeply and profoundly about deer and their role in the environment. Ultimately, we have to decide what kind of nature we want.

Animal rights activists will object that the book insufficiently explained or defended their point of view. True, Cambronne does not spend a great deal of time on the subject of animal rights. But I don’t think this objection is any more worthy of consideration than a medical journal not evaluating the medical theories of the religion known as Christian Science.

Deer are here and our management of them is not optional. But the choice of what kind of management we will adopt is and Deerland helps inform us about the consequences of whatever decision we ultimately make.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest books are the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition and The Practical Guide to the Control of Feral Cats. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.

If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.