A fellow trapper advising to shut down trapping. Am I wrong, but I think it is legal to trap them north of the border. I really thought that all trappers would stand united and fight this as one. Not try to under cut other trappers. So lets just see what happens when trapping is stopped in the north and then soon the entire state. The flooded roads because of the beaver, the deer slaughtered because no trappers are targeting the coyotes. Then our tax dollars will go towards hiring someone to do it, instead up us paying to do it ourself. This is not good for trappers to turn on trappers the anti's are getting what they have wanted. Trappers fighting against each other. The incidental take permit should of been filed in 2007 not the spring of 2009. I just want to say thank you to Judge Woodcock for understanding the need of the incidental take permit and understanding how important trapping is to some Maine Sportsmen and ladies.

I agree with lovetofish. The Animal Welfare Institute and The Wildlife Alliance of Maine are violating trappers constitutional rights with arrogant interference. Someone should drop a lawsuit on them. Too bad they use their money to halt an activity done by Americans instead of putting their funds where they belong like illegal immigration and terrorism. I couldn't imagine messing with someone else's life let alone over an animal. The endangered species act is a joke. It ties up progress and waste millions of dollars tax payers don't have. Species come and species go, just like the dinosaurs.

I think trapping north of the border is a great idea! Good luck with that.

Why doesn't the story conclude the Lynx's norman habitat. Like, why is it called the Canadian Lynx. Because the north country is the Lynx's habitat. The northern fringe of Maine is the very edge of their habitat so they are really not endangered at all. It's only an excused to use against trapping.

Why is the canadain lynx a pest on one sideof a river, and an endangered species on the other side?Send both that turncoat ex-trapper and his cats back to Canada.

Since when does the Constitution address a "Right to trap" ???

Those of you who don't like trapping - I hope the Lynx live in your backyard and then you will find out why they trap them. Hopefully the beavers will live in your yard also and your cellar will flood.

Since it says you have a right to work at McDonalds... or be a game warden... work for a conservation group.... or any other job you choose.

Sportsman? Cute, funny even.. everlasting irony certainly. Blasting the head off of an unaware creature of the forest from a GPS navigated Korean built ATV, dressed in military designed thermal camophage, with a high-tech rapid fire semi-automatic rifle with electronicly adjusted telescopic sights at 400 yards is not a sport. Let's just call it a sick activity by some very disturbed people. Bear baiting, with or without tracking dogs, is not a sport either. It's a cruel business that brings cash into Maine coffers from out-of-state girly-men seeking bragging rights but afraid to join the Army. Moose hunting is like "shooting cows in a barn". More of an personal embarrassment than sport. Lynx trapping? Well if your too stupid to graduate 8th grade, acquire a skill set, hold a real job .. I guess this may pass as a good reason to leave the house and avoid your probation officer.

The endangered species act is a joke. It ties up progress and waste millions of dollars tax payers don't have. Species come and species go, just like the dinosaurs. outdoorman wrote ///// Most curious comment -- as in? Trapping comes and trapping goes?

I'd say Hotfission is having a meltdown, the radioactive gas is spewing big time this morning. Is everything okay in Castine this morning?

To Coolfusion - this isn't a RAMBO movie this is real life and you are using what communist countries use to gain support of your own opinions.............

PROPAGANDA.........anyone who has ever hunted, fished or trapped can tell you that any wild creature is not a 'domesticated cow in a barn' so it doesn't act like one....not every fisherman catches a fish when they fish, not every hunter shoots a moose when they have a permit and not every trapper catches a lynx when they trap. Contrary to your ignorant opininion (ignorant meaning lack of intelligence) animals, mammals and YES even insects are

very smart creatures and are very adept at avoiding confrontations with man. Trappers and other sportsmen and women are a huge part of wildlife conservation (YES! they do care!!). What do you think happens to these animals when YOU and YOUR other non-sporting friends build houses, and cities right in their backyard and obliterate their habitat? They visit your so-called neighborhood and look for ----- YES!!! FOOD!!! and when they find it and eat your pet cocker spaniel or special kitty --- you call who??!?!?! Yes a warden and even MAYBE a TRAPPER because you all of the sudden don't like these critters. So the next time you squish a bug or kill a mouse with the broom, remember that opinions are only formed based when someone is not presented with ALL of the facts. REMEMBER also that boys/girls that hunt, fish or trap are not out mugging little old ladies either because they have been raised to respect even the smallest creature. I am a sportswoman and I educate in the sport and I am proud to say this and I certainly will not let

NEGATIVE PROPAGANDA be spread without presenting ALL THE FACTS.

Coolfusion=flatlander. My Maine is going, going go.. . . . . Time to move to Alaska and help erect a fence to keep the bunny huggers out.

Coolfusion, very well stated. Thank you for your cogent response. And yes, shooting a moose is just like shooting a cow!

Trapping is completely inhumane and disgusting. People who practice this should be tied up and have their finger and toe nails removed with a pair of rusty pliers.

Coolfusion

Too bad you weren't a game animal.

My ought six would be a great deterrent.

WESTIE

You ever shoot a moose? (and I don't mean your wife)

In 1986 Ma. banned most forms of trapping. since that time the Wile E Coyote population has flourished. Solving the domestic and ferrel cat problem at my bird feeders. Makes me chuckle to my self when we I see the missing fluffy posters on telephone poles in my neighborhood. At home I feed the yotes and at camp I am the person that chooses thier fate at long range. GOD BLESS THE NAVY SEALS ! ! ! what would you treehugging / prolifers done ,Bought them a yaught give them millions of dollars and send them on vacation. I say feed the fish.

Coolfusion, I agree with you. It's not a "sport", it's a bloodlust. And using a body gripper on an unsuspecting lynx is a horrible way to kill the animal, causing great pain and suffering. Instead of being proud that Maine holds the only self-sustaining population of lynx in the U.S., what do these dim-witted "sportsmen" want to do but to kill the population for their trophies.

No animal should be trapped.... how would people like it!!! Leave the animals alone they are better than most people!

Trapping is primative and shouldn't be happening at all. There's just no valid reason for it.

TO ALL OF YOU ANTI TRAPPERS AND HUNTERS HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HOW A COYOTE TAKES DOWN A DEER THEY RUN THEM ON THE ICE AND THEN THEY EAT THEM FROM THE ASS END WHILE THE DEER IS STILL ALIVE SO WHY DONT YOU GO BACK TO HUGGING YOUR TREES AND LEAVE US HUNTERS AND TRAPPERS ALONE

Yes, trapping is so in-humane. It's so much more humane to shoot a bolt through a cow's head before it is mechanically gutted, skinned, cut up and ground into hamburger and wrapped in plastic for the masses. Next thing you know, we'll have some looney-bird tell us that the carrot suffers terribly as it is pulled from its natural home in the soil. Carrots are better than most people, you know???

Hey Coolfusion, ya got me grinnin' from ear to ear. Well said. I see this same kind of "sportsmanship" down here in TX all the time. Hunting is huge business, with hunts selling for tens of thousands of dollars. There is also an alarming amount of indiscriminate snaring going on, trying to reduce the population of coyotes and bobcats on those ranches. I will hold my opinions here until such time that said ranchers are overrun with jackrabbits and woodrats. I may then take the opportunity to remind them that the Creator don't make junk. Everything has it's purpose.

As to the trappers in Maine, you have no valid reason to continue this barbaric practice. Just because your grandpa did it doesn't mean that you have the "right" to continue. My great great great Grandaddy owned slaves, but I have never argued that I should be allowed the same. Times change, understanding changes, our world changes. What was necessary or common in generations past may no longer be sustainable or tolerable. If you must hunt, hunt with honor.

BTW, I have coyotes and bobcats in my yard quite often, despite having a fence. I have gators in my fishin hole and I wouldn't change a thing. I try to keep my pets safe but over the years have had a couple of kitties fall prey to their wild brothers. I mourn them, knowing that the wild plays by different rules.

I knew there wouldn't be a story about hunting or trapping without Bangorian chiming in with the usual idiotic response that has nothing to do with the story. The valid reasons for trapping have been stated here by Lovetofish, lovemaine, ludacris, and EdwardSmith. I have witnessed deer being killed by coyotes and I can assure you that trapping is much more humane than this fate. The vast majority of those who are educated and familiar with biology and wildlife preservation in Maine (ex: wardens, biologists, and most northern Maine residents) are strongly in favor of trapping and hunting. How many of you in southern Maine (or further) who are try to regulate the activities of people in northern Maine have ever been there, witnessed a deer being killed by coyotes or least seen a carcass, conducted research to investigate the benefits of trapping, or participated in hunting or trapping in some form? It is obvious that your impression of hunting and trapping is grossly misguided. I can't imagine having such a strong opinion about something I know so little about.

What does humans trapping lynx for "trophy" have to do with coyotes eating a deer alive from the fundament to the fundamental? Where do such comparisons come from? The first is egocentric and the second survival in nature. If you really WANT to trap something, trap rats. At least you would be doing a service.

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Trapping sounds like fun.

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So long as a species is not hunted or trapped to extinction, I see no problem with hunting or trapping animals.

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Eugene, I can assure you the last thing any Maine trapper wants is to trap a lynx. Canadian trappers, however, trap them not for trophy, but because they are considered a nuissance just like the rat example that you have provided. The same argument goes for coyotes, since they are a nuissance to the deer population. The problem is that it has been proposed to prohibit all trapping in lynx territory, which will allow the coyotes and rats to roam free. There is no money or pleasure involved in trapping coyotes, other than the enjoyment of being outdoors and the satisfaction of doing a service to the deer population. Coyotes are the "rats" in northern Maine. If people are hunting or trapping for trophy, I agree that they're doing it for the wrong reasons.

Being a hunter and at one time trapper I am so sick of these people shooting their mouths off about sportsmen. when 9 out of ten of them will head to the store to buy pork chops, roast beef or some type of meat. Where the hell do they think that meat comes from a garden? I will bet that hunters get their meat more humanely than most of the meat bought at the stores. SO unless you are a complete vegatarian you shouldn't have any thing to say about hunters or trappers. Oh and watch out where you step you might kill an innocnt ant or spider

They have border patrol for people. Why don't they have border game wardens to warn lynxes away from Maine? I understand the need to trap to keep down population of animals that flood property or kill cattle. I understand the need to hunt to feed one's family..for survival. But indiscriminate trapping or hunting for sport?

Sickntired: the constitution addresses the right to bear arms (in war)....not the same as trapping :)

Coolfusion: your post is eloquently put, but the issue at hand is not about people using unfair advantage. It's about traps for beaver and coyote that inadvertently snare lynxes.

Ludacris: ignorance is not stupidity (lack of intelligence). It is expressing thoughts or opinions without having all of the information. I believe that lynxes are ignorant. They hunt for their snowshoe hare in areas where humans hide traps. How can they know not to step in a trap if they cannot see it? If you think they can smell it, then why do beavers, etc get caught? Lynxes only kill other animals when they feel threatened, not because they want to eat a dog or cat!

Bangorean: You could put a fence up here...and a "No Trespassing" sign lol

Sdm: a coyote does things according to his nature. He is killing off the weak ones! Some cats do that with mice, while others chomp down on the spine to put the prey out of their misery first. Either way, we humans know better...so why act like we don't?

Windfuture: actually SOME cows suffer horribly BEFORE being butchered....go to a PETA site sometime!

Jaguarsky: well said....just remember we have different creatures up here than in Texas :)

JoeSixPack: Having strong opinions about what we know little about falls under the category "Freedom of speech". Although I do think that people should refrain from throwing insults at each other or each others' wives in the spirit of expressing these opinions, uninformed or not.

TO ALL OF YOU ANTI TRAPPERS AND HUNTERS HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HOW A COYOTE TAKES DOWN A DEER THEY RUN THEM ON THE ICE AND THEN THEY EAT THEM FROM THE ASS END WHILE THE DEER IS STILL ALIVE SO WHY DONT YOU GO BACK TO HUGGING YOUR TREES AND LEAVE US HUNTERS AND TRAPPERS ALONE

sdm1969 - You know what that is a fact of life the food chain. I come from Maine - now in Maryland - I agree with hunting and trapping but only if you use the meat for food - not just for trophy. That is the sad part about the whole thing!

astrol, I never said that people shouldn't express their opinions, but I think comments as strong as those from Bangorian, for example, are not helpful and should include more information to add credibility if they're going to be made. I think many people have extreme opinions about the topic at hand without any real knowledge of the subject or willingness to learn (by participating in a civil conversation with someone holding a different opinion, for example). It becomes harder to gain any useful knowledge in this comments section as the number of useless comments increases. Respectfully, Joe.

Joe: respectfully acknowledged :)

Winchester, Your not a sportsman ... suck it up and live with it. Sports has to do with intense competition, by adversary teams or mano a mano. Wrestlers, boxers, runners, weightlifters, swimmers, competition shooters, motorcross / nascar drivers, downhill skiers , and spectator athletes, are examples of real sportsman who use rules of fair play on equalized platforms. You have a perverted activity playing high-tech warror against defenseless animals, sick at best and viciously cruel at worst.

How many nascar drivers, etc. are hunters can you tell me that.

To Coolfusion or is it Confusion? Apparently you have never hunted or trapped and I would quess not lived in Maine your whole life. Taking most wild game with a firearm is far more difficult than your fantasy depicts. I have been fortunate enough to have taken several deer, two bull moose and a hand full of coyotes in more than 37 years of hunting in northern Maine. Did I mention that I do not own an ATV, I wear almost entirely wool hunting clothes because it is quiter than most camo, and I hunt with a scoped bolt action rifle which is not as you suggest electronicly adjusted. The longest shot I have ever taken a deer with was approximately 150 yards, the nearest was an eight point buck at around 12 feet and I was on the ground at the time, not in a treestand and yes it was intense.

As for your comments regarding "Lynx trapping?", I do also trap. Contrary to your childish depiction of a Maine trapper, I managed to get past the eight grade in fact I even graduated from highschool as well as accumulate approximately 100 credits from three different technical colleges here in Maine along with an Associates Degree in Applied Science. I have held a Maine professional license for nearly twenty years which allows me to make a living which is above average for the state. And believe it or not I have never been in jail.

To jaguarsky and coolfusion - you're both absolutely right (I'd vote for your guys for Governor). If trapping were quicker, more humane, that would be ok. I've hunted, and a quick kill is ok. Yes, coyotes are cruel, but we're "suppose to be" the superior species. I also agree with those that think slaughtering animals should be more humane. Baiting bear is not cruel - it is shot while feasting on doughnuts or other treats (I think I'd like to go that way). But when a bear or any animal is chased by dogs over long stretches of woods - that's cruel. Killing animals for food is not wrong. Killing animals in a way that causes undue pain and stress - that's wrong.

Good comment Coolfusion! Against hunting eh? Bet you would be the first one to throw a live lobster in a pot of boiling water. How cruel is that?

Incidental take permits simply allow business to continue as usual. This means that the trappers will admit to a standard few and throw the rest in the bushes. They know this to be true and they have pracrticed it as a creed for a long time. As for Coyotes, their populations have remained stable for almost twenty years. Habitat, being food, water, and cover, manages wildlife, not trapping. Judge Woodcock needs to apply the law and the Feds need to stand up for wildlife and finally give it a victory instead of the meatheads who masquerade as "conservationists". Maine is an embarrassment.

Joe: The "rats" are the good old Downeast Poaching clubs that run rampant. The coyotes have remained stable for twenty years and Lee kantar says it's loss of habitat and the severity of winters that causes the fluctuations in deer populations NOT THE COYOTE. The coyote is always the trappers boogie man.

Cecil, I hear you regarding poaching and acknowledge the conclusions of Lee Kantar. I agree that loss of habitat and winter severity is certainly more significant than the coyote in the big picture, but I disagree if you're saying that trapping/hunting coyote doesn't help, at least in the area where it is being conducted. It could be suggested by your argument that incidental trapping of lynx will have no effect on the population since the coyote population has remained stable for 20 years despite intentional trapping. Is this lawsuit really about the lynx?

The notion that the coyote population has remained "stable" is laughable. It has increased steadily the last 20 years. The "habitat loss" mantra is getting old. You would think these "enlightend" people would research the situation on their own, instead of beliving everything they are told.

The loss of the large traditional deer yards has resulted in the deer wintering in smaller groups. These smaller groups can not maintain the needed trail system in the deep snows to effectivly avoid predation. The fact is, in Maine, predation is THE major cause of winter loss in our whtetail population. This has been proven by studies done HERE, in MAINE.

I'm amused at the anti-trapping elitist that are responding here. They act as if they have no impact on wildlife populations, and therefore have no responsability to humanely manage the populations. Don't they know that the produce they buy at the stores, the materials used in their houses, that every aspect of their lives has created an impact on animal populations. What do they think happens when a summer food source that ensures large reproduction and survival of furbearers suddenly dissapears at harvest time? Or the woods operation that creates temp conditions causeing a boom in prey species disapears within a year? Death by disease and starvation, hardly can be considered "Humane" The fact that they cannot take responsability for themselves is bad enough, that they would force those that do to act in a responsible manner to follow their unrealistic veiw of nature is disgracefull. This group causes more suffering and pain to our wildlife than any hunter/trapper ever has or will.

Ah Roadkill, I mean Kurt, you're always good for a laugh. Every biologist in our state as well as the USF&W biologists all know the issue is habitat. It's only people that hate coyotes and can't face facts that can't see the truth. They blame everyone and everything different from them for their own shortcomings and the ills of the world. The ESA is bad, coyotes are bad, lynx are a nuisance, people who care about the world are weak girlie men or elitist. What jewels of wisdom you offer us, Kurt! As I said, your comments are always good for a laugh!

I am glad your amused Daryl. However, that still doesn't change facts. Perhaps you will tell us what the major cause of winter loss is. Our state site on winter feeding says it's predation. Guess theres a few biologists you've overlooked.

As for the rest of your pitifull post, you must be a bit confused from your time on stand. I can't seem to find any of the subjects you bring up in my posting. Your attempt at capitalizing on the current political enviroment is funny. I'm sure no one knows you'll do/say anything to further your agenda.LOL

A few asides. Has your star witness learned to tell the difference between wolf and bear tracks yet? Seems he was discredited over a case in Canada concerning a young mans death. I'm always amazed at people who are more concerned with animals than they are with humans.

And the project coyote joke. A 501c3 status must be carfull when they claim to influence legislation, the IRS might get wind of it and deem it inappropriate. At least I hope so.

Get well rested Daryl, you'll need your strength for whats coming next.