Initiative would ban trappers on public land in Montana

A group seeking to ban trapping on public land in Montana is circulating petitions to put the issue on the November ballot as a citizens' initiative. Footloose Montana was formed in 2007 to oppose trapping on public land after a dog named Cupcake was killed in a trap while she and her owner were walking along Rock Creek east of Missoula. The group has since spawned Montanans For Trap Free Public Lands, which has the sole purpose of promoting the initiative. The initiative — I-160 — is one of a pair that has drawn significant attention from Montana outdoorsmen and women: the other is I-161, a move to eliminate the set-aside for outfitter-sponsored hunting licenses for nonresidents...read more