I-177 Consequences

Editor,

I-177, if passed, would ban all trapping on public lands — one third of the state — in the state of Montana.  A similar measure was defeated four years ago, as I recall.

Public lands include schools, post offices, court houses, city halls, federal buildings and offices, military facilities, state offices, roads, BLM and Forest Service lands and offices. Some of the traps outlawed are listed as  body grip trap.  Translation — It would be illegal to set a mouse trap in any of these facilities including food service areas. These folks claim to be promoting health and safety.  It appears that this is not the case.

This measure would also prohibit our ag producers from setting traps for ground squirrels and  pocket gophers on school sections, BLM or Forest Service lands that they lease. If a rancher saw a coyote attacking a calf he would be required to call FWP and they would be required to try nonlethal methods to solve the problem before giving the rancher permission to shoot the coyote — tough odds for the calf.

I am a former biology teacher and have been trapping for over 40 years.  The ideas promoted by these folks are pretty amazing, ie., that animals will self regulate their reproduction.  Many people won’t even do that.  They also claim that trapped animals suffer terribly. Many times I have approached an animal in a trap quietly from down wind and found the animal asleep with a foot in a trap. The animal foot is not constructed like the human hand or foot. We cannot run around in snow and subzero temperatures bare foot.  Obviously the circulation and nerve structure of the animal foot is designed to deal with a totally different environment than the human hand or foot.  They do not have the pain receptors in their feet that we do.

In the past 40 years, I have observed that when fur prices are low coyote and skunk populations explode resulting in outbreaks of mange, plague and rabies.  This poses a high level of danger to livestock, pets and children. 

I-177 would cost Montana taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. 

These are just a few of the problems with I-177.  It is time to say no to wealthy out-of-staters who want to tell us how to live in Montana.

Leo Beardsley

Havre