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Post by ozarkmountainman on Aug 8, 2014 7:13:02 GMT -6
Okay, I'll try this again- The topic at hand- are we happy with our fur season lengths? Most notably (from previous discussion) are - A. The otter/muskrat/mink/beaver mixed-termination of seasons and the resulting incidental catches VS. "prime fur", politics, etc. etc. B. Bobcat season ending too early, before pelts are prime, VS. POLITICS (of course). C. What can we do about getting changes accomplished? D. Anything else you can thing of that is pertinent to the subject matter.
Keep it civil and factual. Please do not stray from this topic. If you wish to see some previous disCUSSion on the topic, or muse on your love for the otter, your catch numbers, etc. then go here- trapboard.com/thread/18001/mo-furbearer-season-lengthsSeason length discussion only. Thank you. Dale |
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Post by krank on Aug 8, 2014 10:24:51 GMT -6
Wow....deja vu....at the risk of being repetitious....Jan 31 is too early. I vote for Feb 15th. Also allow incidental muskrat during beaver season.
Trivia-While doing research for another topic, I found that in 1939 the season in MO ended Jan 31st and all fur had to be sold by Feb 10th....
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Post by pops on Aug 8, 2014 11:13:17 GMT -6
General season, run to the end of Feb, rats, otter and nutria (for those that got em) run with the beaver season so none is wasted if you happen to catch one.
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Post by trkyslyr on Aug 8, 2014 11:30:10 GMT -6
General season, run to the end of Feb, rats, otter and nutria (for those that got em) run with the beaver season so none is wasted if you happen to catch one. I believe this would be the best way to go IMO... I believe we would need to get MTA on board to help the cause. |
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Post by trapshooter25 on Aug 8, 2014 11:38:03 GMT -6
General season, run to the end of Feb, rats, otter and nutria (for those that got em) run with the beaver season so none is wasted if you happen to catch one. I believe this would be the best way to go IMO... I believe we would need to get MTA in on this to help the cause. Ditto |
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Post by tjm on Aug 8, 2014 11:52:35 GMT -6
Open sooner and close later! Deer hunters caught in my traps have never been a problem, what a silly thing to relate trapping season to the never ending deer season! It might be better to have the main portion of deer season in September or October; but the important thing to remember is opportunity to trap, no one has to trap on opening day or the day after. Give me the chance to trap earlier or later and let me decide if it is worth while or not. Not many are going to expend the time, money, or energy to take pelts that have no value. No zones unless it is county by county and local election, 'nother silly idea! The entire idea of trapping season indicates that we are considered children incapable of thinking for ourselves and need to be told when and how to take care of bussiness. I could go with Nov. 10-Feb. 28. |
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Post by tjm on Aug 8, 2014 11:54:57 GMT -6
Multiple start dates and multiple end dates seem a bit off to me, what to do with the mink caught in a muskrat set or otter caught in a beaver set? I asked the CO about the otter/beaver issue and his answer was "I can't tag them"; asked if they were to be reported or collected for study or or and each time the answer was "I can't tag them". I'd not ask for any of the seasons to be shortened at either end, if science indicates otter need protection during the beaver season, I can accept that. How ever, with the talk of bounties on otter and the number of nusience otter complaints they don't appear to be endangered; it seems wasteful not to keep them. Bobcat season to run longer? Great idea, I think, bobcat fur is reported to be better later in the season. Yet another single species season would create another issue of waste when other predators wander into a bobcat set. So I would like to see the general furbearer season run a bit longer in the spring, perhaps to the end of Feb. On the front end, an ealier start date by a week or three might allow some of the Frost zone folks a chance to do a little water trapping before ice up. I'm about as far south as I could be in Mo. and each year I eat a couple of coons for Thanksgiving dinner, have done for decades, and yet in all those early coon I have only seen one that was blue leathered and a few slate. Do coon need protection? Not that I am aware of. Old coon hunters tell me it's rare to take coon after Christmas round here. Maybe different where you are, thus some degree of descretion on the part of the trapper is warranted. IMO, any one who advocates any shortening of seasons without scientific evidence to support his/her position is nothing more or less than an Anti-trapper. Again trappers, like fishermen are not required to start on opening day, it is a do not start before date not a start on date. Fishing season has been open for awhile yet yesterday was the first day I have been to the creek. |
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Post by vikesbull on Aug 8, 2014 12:26:14 GMT -6
Cat fur not even prime until about 2nd week January in north Missouri. Season should run until end February.
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Post by ozarkmountainman on Aug 8, 2014 13:26:51 GMT -6
Good, solid input guys. Keep it coming, and thanks. Quoting off the "junk" thread is a fine idea also.
Dale
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Post by krank on Aug 8, 2014 18:14:20 GMT -6
No hurry starting season. The woods are too busy during gun season. Never had a problem with Nov 20......
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Post by tjm on Aug 8, 2014 18:45:51 GMT -6
No hurry starting season. The woods are too busy during gun season. Never had a problem with Nov 20...... I don't care about deer or deer hunters or deer farmers this is about trapping and as I said I've never had a problem with trapping deer hunters!!! |
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Post by krank on Aug 8, 2014 19:58:53 GMT -6
Oh I do....Most of my trapping permission is "Ok but stay out during deer season". Rest of the year the landowner doesnt care. My experience is traps disappear during deer season or some idiot shoots your catch with a 30-06. Both scenarios are illegal but what does that matter? Gone is gone.
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Post by pops on Aug 8, 2014 20:15:33 GMT -6
Yup most of my spots I have to wait till after the regular portion of firearm season, so the 20th works for me too Krank.
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Post by krank on Aug 8, 2014 20:19:05 GMT -6
As far as coon, them rascals are barely prime on Nov 20. I have opened up Nov 1 st road kill just to see and they were Blue.
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Post by Walleye Joe on Aug 8, 2014 20:51:42 GMT -6
No hurry starting season. The woods are too busy during gun season. Never had a problem with Nov 20...... November 20 start works for me too! End, February 28 for land critters. March 31st for the swimmers! |
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Post by tjm on Aug 8, 2014 22:42:12 GMT -6
Deer season starts in Oct. and ends in mid Jan., so my guess is we should simply cancel the trapping season to accomodate all those various deer killing dates.
golly, you northern folks get silly! Once again it is not a must start on date, it is a do not start before date. Possums are close to prime on Oct 20. And fishing season is year round, so don't trap on any streams; you might interfere with the fishermen!
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Post by krank on Aug 9, 2014 9:33:26 GMT -6
Now now TJM......It is just a fact of science that Mo firearms season brings out all the idiots. Now, it aint like it used to be 20 years ago. With the alternative season and the doe season, alot of the preasure is off. Still during gun season, I got tresspassers on my land that need run off and alot of people that usually watch tv are out in the woods.
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Post by tjm on Aug 9, 2014 14:12:26 GMT -6
No reason to take away my opportunity, you and Joe keep talking about shortening the season.
A lot of my trapping is public land and my biggest problem is horsebackers; they don't stay on the trails and they seem to all have six dogs, but starting trapping after Christmas and stopping on New Years will not make them go away; I have to adjust. I encounter about three times more bow hunters than gun hunters and they are out there for months.
Thought the intent of this and the first thread was to discuss a longer season, not a shorter one. The last time trappers asked for a shorter season we got it. Ask a couple more times and we won't need to talk about it.
I don't trap muskrats or late season beaver, but I have no objection if you do. I do think some method of dealing with accidental mink and otter is needed, longer season or allow the use of the pelt with special permission. Something.
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Post by vikesbull on Aug 9, 2014 14:39:21 GMT -6
IMO Never push for reducing existing trapping privileges. You do not have to trap on 11/15 if you do not want to, but don't push for a restriction just because you do not trap until later. And I do not for the record, last place I want to be is in Missouri trapping during firearms deer season. I do not trap cats until late Dec but I will never push to have the season start later. With most cats being caught in coon sets it makes no sense to waste a resource - just like it does not on otter/rats during beaver season (IMO they should be allowed to be kept or season open and targeted).
Just like it was stupid for trappers to push the season date back to 1/31 from 2/15 or whatever it was. Cats should be open until 2/28 IMO so I can target the quality fur.
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Post by pops on Aug 9, 2014 14:52:21 GMT -6
Lets see, loose 5 days at the beginning of the season by starting on the 20th, GAIN 28 days at the end of the season.
Hmmm where I went to school that equals 23 more days to trap than we got now, so how is that shortening the season?
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Goodbye 2020