cable cutters for freeing dogs from snares

Well, the laws and regulations disagree. Saying nobody should do it on the internet accomplishes pretty much nothing. Since it is the reality of the situation, we have to work within that framework.

So how can we avoid problems? As has been suggested a leash works great.

Hounds and bird-dogs get caught in legally-set traps quite often, especially more frequently in recent years as winters become shorter and grouse-season often extends into November and December; and there is no real limitation on rabbiting season.

In some areas, squirrel and raccoon seasons for dogs also overlap with trapping season.

But the conflict occur more often when conibears and kill-snares are allowed on land. Many states resolved this issue by making conibears only allowable for tree-sets and water-sets.

I know hunters are really irritated at western trappers for not following the same conduct as eastern trappers.

The Ruffed Grouse Society is one of those organizations which is pushing for legislation changes in Minnesota to follow more closely with other states' trapping regulations such as the Appalachian states where hunting and dog-ownership are inseparable.

Regardless, I still carry a wire-cutter from the first day of snow to about a month and half after the last melt. I came across enough traps set in areas where trapping is prohibited to be cynical about poachers. Of course, those ones get reported to the game-wardens.

I have no problem with people trapping legally. It's easy to request a map of all the active trap-lines from government office for a fee and avoid those areas. It's when people don't register with the government on public land or inside city limit which scares me. I don't really go on private property though.

A friend of mine lost a valuable hunting dog to an illegally-set killing snare trap two winters ago in Anchorage inside city limit. The dog was on a leash, but by the time he got it loose, it already suffocated.

Took him a long time to find a suitable bloodline to replace it, and the sad thing is that he was planning to breed her the following spring.

I can see my hound getting caught while hunting quite easily. She follows her nose everywhere! The conibears are the only traps that I see around that are especially risky. I suppose some kill snares if your dog is off alone. But legal leg traps are simple to open and release.

Idaho rules

"They also pointed out that the state leash laws and the minimum setback are in conflict. Current leash laws provide that dogs should be on a leash no greater than ten feet, while traps may be set within five feet of the centerline of a trail. – See more at: http://www.idahoconservation.org/blog/2014-blog-archive/doggone-it#sthash.OVf1OhIG.dpuf"

Six foot leash?

David,

My dogs are on shorter leashes than that. I don't have a problem with advocating for traps distance to trail be greater…but so far I have yet to see one example of a dog on a leash getting caught in a trap. While there very could well be cases where this has happened, nobody has provided one yet. Considering all the cases you listed were off leash, I feel pretty good about saying keeping your dog on a leash would have prevented these unfortunate accidents.

I cut a lot of cable from 1/16 up to 1/4". Up to 3/32 diagonal cutters and linesman pliers work ok, at 1/8" things get tougher and the quality of the tool matters I've seen well made linesman pliers cut 5/32" but it's hard on the tool The tool for the job is the Felco C7 mentioned above they cut up to 1/4" and weigh 10.2 oz on my scale cost around $50. Visegrips 10wr 18.1 oz will get the job done as will the 7wr 11.6 oz. So I'd say the best tool for weight cost and multiuse would be the visegrip 7 wr… This really did start as an April's fool joke… didn't it?

"…but so far I have yet to see one example of a dog on a leash getting caught in a trap…."

David P., a couple posts above yours, provided a second hand story of his friend losing a hunting dog on leash to a trap.

I'd go with pair of combination or sidecut pliers if this was something I actually expected to do. Sidecut would be better if you have to cut right up against them, but the combination are more versatile for general use. You do NOT want vise grips or anything you have to twist, since you're talking about something that's potentially wrapped around part of your dog. Cable cutters are generally made for cleanly cutting multiple strands of soft cable, not small hard ones that will damage them.

http://www.righttoolusa.com/p/Facom-187-18cpe-Engineers-Combination-Pliers-185mm-59255920.html?gclid=COH6l6zR2sQCFdcegQodxmUAtA
Didn't realize they were getting so hard to find in the US, but I'm sure there are plenty of similar products out there. Mine got used multiple times daily for years on stuff I'd broken 2 Leatherman tools trying to cut. Much more convenient than the heavier Klein linesman tool that I was trying to get away from carrying all the time, and have worked on heavy baling wire, barbed wire, even chain link fence when I put a little grip to them. 6.5oz.

What kind of traps are they using that are killing dogs? The ones they use here won't even break the skin.

These will cut hard cable even stainless steel cable
The visegrips they are talking about have a wire cutter built in the back of the jaws and can cut cable

> These will cut hard cable even stainless steel cable
By and large, high tensile steel is much harder than stainless steel. The latter is 'soft' in comparison.

Cheers

It's very rare for a dog on a leash to be caught in a trap. If they do happen, it's usually because it's a poacher. Vancouver had a bad spell of dogs with some on leash and some off-leash being caught in traps in Grouse Mountain a year or two ago; but the authorities think it's a dog-hater at play since traps are not usually set up in those parts.

The problem is, one can't really do anything about poachers. I haven't heard much about a dog being caught in legally-set traps on the trail. Every instance I have heard of regarding legal traps involved person going off the path with their dog on a leash.

http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/off-island-gazette/dog-injured-by-conibear-trap-just-off-trail-on-mont-rigaud

Even in this story, when I Googled, the person went off-trail onto private property.

So at the moment, the real clash is not between hikers and trappers, but rather hunters and trappers.

Btw Roger I got on several sites that sell cable cutters and for some reason they rate the tools to cut thicker high tensil than stainless steel like the felco c9 tool cuts 7mm high tensil but 6mm stainless they do list a type of steelcable that is harder yet to cut but I have no experience with that

> the felco c9 tool cuts 7mm high tensil but 6mm stainless
That's weird!
I machine both SS and HT steel. I know which is softer in my workshop. Oh well.

Cheers