Idaho game commission prefers trapper training rather than restricting conibear traps

Rather than making new rules to restrict trapping in Idaho, state Fish and Game commissioners say they prefer to have trappers take safety classes to reduce the chance that dogs will be caught in deadly body-gripping traps. At a Thursday meeting in Post Falls, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission declined to move forward with proposals to restrict the use of “conibear” traps, which killed two dogs in North Idaho last winter. “I think this whole issue is emotional right now, and I hate to see rules and laws come out of emotion,” Commissioner Mark Doerr, of Kimberly, Idaho, said. After the two dogs were killed, state wildlife officials received complaints from bird and waterfowl hunters and other recreationists about safety in areas where their activities overlap with trapping...more