Vote no on I-177

I’m a hunter, not a trapper, but ballot initiative I-177 affects me nonetheless.

If passed by voters Nov. 8, trapping will no longer be allowed on public land in Montana. That would give me one less worry when I’m afield with my dogs. However, it would create a far greater concern for the future. Because I-177 is fueled by emotion, not biology, I wonder how long it would be before an initiative banning hunting on public land would appear on the ballot.

I-177 lays the groundwork.

Almost every time the issue of trapping on public land arises, it’s accompanied by a sad dog story -- the tale of a Border collie who died in a Conibear trap, a golden retriever caught in a snare, a corgi with its foot in a leg-hold trap.

As a dog guy those stories tug at my heartstrings. But as a hunter who runs a particularly wide-ranging spaniel in open country, I have to wonder where the owners were when their dogs got trapped.

I’m constantly checking on where my dogs are. If one of them isn’t in sight (and one often isn’t), I’m on the whistle. I’m looking. I’m expecting them to get in trouble.

A few years ago Jem disappeared while I was hunting a creekbottom south of town. I called and whistled, but still no Jem.

I found him a few minutes later where he had fallen through the ice and was paddling in circles, unable to pull himself out.

I’ve had dogs all my life. I grew up at a time when most folks let their dogs run loose, both in town and in the country. And while that’s seldom the case anymore, too many folks still unleash their dogs when they’re hiking or recreating on public land, be it prairie or forest. I’ve never heard of a dog on a leash getting caught in a trap.

Trappers have plied their trade on public land far longer than I’ve been hunting on that same land. There’s certainly room for both, although some folks would have us believe there’s room for neither. They’re anti-trapping and anti-hunting. A ban on trapping on public land is a foot in the door to ending hunting there.

Dogs aside, the argument against is the same, both are outdated, cruel practices that have no place in modern society.

It’s a lame argument. Decisions concerning wildlife should be made by professional wildlife managers, not by a hand-wringing populace.

Vote no on I-177.

Parker Heinlein is at

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