Essex on Lake Champlain
\"Essex
  • About
    • Essex, New York (Town)
      • Essex Maps
      • Essex, New York Weather
      • Town of Essex Government
      • Close
    • Essex on Lake Champlain (Blog)
      • Contributors
      • Sponsors
      • Testimonials
      • Get Involved
      • Close
    • Close
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Calendar
    • Add an Event
    • Upcoming Events
    • Close
  • Essex on Lake Champlain
  • Connect
    • Social Media
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Google +
      • Pinterest
      • YouTube
      • Flickr
    • Newsletters
    • GET INVOLVED
    • CONTACT
        • Your Name (required)

          Your Email (required)

          Subject (required)

          Your Message

      • Close
    • Shop
    • Search
        • Search
          • Close
        • Categories
            • Agriculture (518)
            • Architecture (76)
            • Arts (352)
            • Business (122)
            • Daily Doodle (62)
            • Dining (151)
            • Doodle Quotes (5)
            • Doodlebomb (3)
            • Education (295)
            • Entertainment (369)
            • Environment (28)
            • Essex Doodles (62)
            • Events (1702)
            • Exercise (54)
            • Government (247)
            • Health & Wellness (134)
            • Heritage (397)
            • History (183)
            • Hyperlocal (29)
            • Landscape (35)
            • Lifestyle (197)
            • Lodging (16)
            • Music (275)
            • Nature (256)
            • News (1213)
            • Nightlife (18)
            • Obituary (9)
            • Opinion (45)
            • Outdoors (177)
            • People (115)
            • Philanthropy (85)
            • Real Estate (3)
            • Recreation (213)
            • Resources (7)
            • Services (7)
            • Shopping (95)
            • Sports (22)
            • Transportation (71)
            • Worship (17)
          • Close
        • Archives
            • June 2018 (21)
            • May 2018 (30)
            • April 2018 (28)
            • March 2018 (30)
            • February 2018 (31)
            • January 2018 (26)
            • December 2017 (23)
            • November 2017 (25)
            • October 2017 (22)
            • September 2017 (32)
            • August 2017 (35)
            • July 2017 (30)
            • June 2017 (30)
            • May 2017 (35)
            • April 2017 (31)
            • March 2017 (33)
            • February 2017 (30)
            • January 2017 (35)
            • December 2016 (30)
            • November 2016 (37)
            • October 2016 (43)
            • September 2016 (53)
            • August 2016 (49)
            • July 2016 (59)
            • June 2016 (70)
            • May 2016 (57)
            • April 2016 (64)
            • March 2016 (69)
            • February 2016 (56)
            • January 2016 (46)
            • December 2015 (39)
            • November 2015 (43)
            • October 2015 (61)
            • September 2015 (57)
            • August 2015 (61)
            • July 2015 (54)
            • June 2015 (41)
            • May 2015 (67)
            • April 2015 (66)
            • March 2015 (72)
          • Load More
          • Close
        • Contact us
          • CONTACT US

              Your Name (required)

              Your Email (required)

              Subject (required)

              Your Message

            • Close
        • Close
      • Log In
        • Log Into Calendar
        • Log Into Blog
        • Close
      • Skip to primary navigation
      • Skip to main content
      • Skip to primary sidebar
      • Skip to footer

      Essex on Lake Champlain

      Essex, New York Community Blog Since 2011

      • Lifestyle
        • Agriculture
          • CSAs in Essex, NY
            • Essex Farm
            • Full and By Farm
          • Farmstead Catering
          • The Hub on the Hill
          • Reber Rock Farm
        • Outdoors
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Entertainment
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
        • Arts
          • Adirondack Art Association
          • Essex Community Concerts
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Essex Poetry Open Mic
        • Music
          • Essex Community Concerts
        • Shopping
        • Recreation
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Health & Wellness
          • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
          • NEW Health
        • Nature
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Education
          • CFES Brilliant Pathways
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Nightlife
        • Worship
      • Events
        • Christmas in Essex
        • Downtown Essex Day
        • Fourth of July in Essex, NY
      • Dining
        • Chez Lin & Rays
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Old Dock Restaurant
        • The Pink Pig Cafe
      • Lodging
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
      • Transportation
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
      • Heritage
        • Architecture
          • Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler’s Field Guide
        • Historic Essex
        • History
        • People
        • Government
          • Essex Post Office
          • Town of Essex Government
        • Vintage Essex Trivia
        • Vintage Essex Artifacts
      • Directory
        • Adirondack Art Association
        • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • CFES Brilliant Pathways
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
        • Essex Farm
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Initiatives
        • Essex Post Office
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Full and By Farm
        • Historic Essex
        • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
        • NEW Health
        • Pedal Power
        • Reber Rock Farm
        • The Hub on the Hill
        • Town of Essex Government
        • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
      • Show Search
      Hide Search
      You are here: Home / Outdoors / Trapping Cautions for Pet Owners

      Trapping Cautions for Pet Owners

      December 12, 2012 By Katie Shepard Leave a Comment

      trap
      Can you spot the trap here? (Photo credit: Travis S.)

      Although hunting season is coming to an end, trapping season begins in December. Unfortunately, dogs and free-roaming cats are the most common ‘non-target’ animals that are caught in traps.

      Where are traps likely to be set? What should you do if your dog gets caught while out hiking? Learn how to keep your animals safe from traps this season.

      Adirondack Trapping Season

      Adirondack trapping is in full swing in December, with coyote, red and gray fox, skunk and weasel legal prey through February. Beaver, mink, muskrat and otter season extends to April. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) sells 5,000 to 12,000 trapping licenses each year. (Adirondack Life)

      That’s a lot of hunters setting up traps! These licenses purchased support the work of forest rangers, trail crews, game protectors and biologist, but some worry about beloved pets mistakenly wandering into a trap (Adirondack Life).

      Trappers are required to take a daylong safety course before they can purchase a license, which will lessen the amount of trapping accidents because knowing safety precautions is one of the most important steps in safe hunting (Adirondack Life). Every trap set must have a label listing the hunter’s name and address and/or DEC identification number. Here are the New York State trapping regulations.

      English: Cage trap with shade cloth to protect...
      Cage trap with shade cloth to protect animal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Three kinds of traps are legal here in the Adirondacks (Adirondack Life):

      1) Cages or boxes (often homemade wooden ones)

      2) Leg-encapsulation or foot-hold Newhouse style (curved flat steel jaws with springs extending on one or two ends)

      3) The body-gripping or Conibear style, which is designed to kill the animal swiftly.

      Where are traps set?

      conibear
      Conibear trap (Photo credit: crystalluxmore.com)

      Trap location parameters must be followed to legally set up traps. This means that traps should not be set in public locations where people frequently visit. However there are some traps that can get very close to locations and trails where people and their pets may wander.

      Boxes and leg-hold traps may be set on the ground or in the water, in very close proximity to trails. DEC regulations say body-gripping traps may not be set within 100 feet of a public trail (except in wildlife management areas), but they may be placed near culverts and bridges and along the water’s edge. (Adirondack Life)

      Be very cautious if you take your dog for a walk in the woods of a non-posted property during hunting/trapping season. Keep your dog on a leash if you fear the possibility of traps.

      What if your pet gets caught?

      What do you do if your dog gets caught in a trap while you’re on a winter hike? There are diagrams available and a video shown below that can show you how to release a leaf-spring or leg-hold trap.

      Opening a Conibear is far more complicated, involving two pieces of rope, speedy reaction and a good memory for how these simple-looking wire rectangles work, but unfortunately if your pet is caught in this type of trap its chance of survival is minimal (Adirondack Life).

      Related articles
      • Trapping ban doesn’t go far enough, dog owner says
      • Feral Pigs in Champlain Valley
      • Essex County Hunting Regulations
      • Essex County Hunting Seasons

      Share this:

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Pinterest
      • Email
      • More
      • Print
      • LinkedIn
      • Pocket
      • Reddit
      • Tumblr

      Filed Under: Outdoors Tagged With: Animal trapping, dogs, Hiking, hunting, pets

      About Katie Shepard

      Passionate about reading and writing stories, Katie Shepard enjoys discovering more about her home while writing and editing for Essex on Lake Champlain. Katie graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011 where she studied English literature, philosophy, and Asian studies. Her first book Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide was published in 2015. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, or at Linked.in. Or email her at katie [@] essexeditions [dot] com.

      Reader Interactions

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      A Natural History of the Tribes of Mutant Thoughts: Poems and Doggerel 

      Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide

      View all Essex Editions books...

      Follow Essex, NY on FacebookFollow Essex, NY on TwitterFollow Essex, NY on PinterestFollow Essex, NY on YouTubeFollow Essex, NY on FlickrFollow Essex, NY on RSS

      Search

      Top 10 Contributors

      • Katie Shepard (595)
      • Geo Davis (394)
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall (259)
      • Avatar photoChamplain Area Trails (CATS) (208)
      • Avatar photoEssex Farm (205)
      • Olive Alexander (190)
      • Sara Kurak (165)
      • Avatar photoTom Mangano (142)
      • Avatar photoFort Ticonderoga (142)
      • Avatar photoLakeside School (116)

      Footer

      Resources & Policies

      • About Essex on Lake Champlain
      • About Essex, New York
      • Essex, NY Weather
      • Disclosure Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Submit a Story
      • Contact Us

      Popular Essex, NY Searches

      • Essex, NY
      • Essex, New York
      • Essex on Lake Champlain
      • Essex Charlotte ferry
      • Essex ferry schedule
      • Essex Charlotte ferry schedule
      • Full and By Farm
      • Essex Farm
      • timber rattlesnake
      • Essex NY fireworks
      • Christmas in Essex, NY
      • Champlain Area Trails

      Local Links

      • Adirondack Art Association
      • Belden Noble Memorial Library
      • Champlain Area Trails
      • Champlain Valley Film Series
      • Essex Community Concerts
      • Essex Theatre Company
      • Historic Essex
      • Rosslyn Redux
      • The Crater Club
      • Town of Essex Information
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall

      Copyright © 2023 Essex Editions