“Too Many Illegal Trappers, Not Enough Bobcats” by Larry Rose, Darby, Montana, Chief of Police, a trapper, licensed taxidermist, licensed fur buyer since 1966, from Trapping Region 2.
“Here is what is going on, when Region No. 1 fills their quota, many of the trappers just keep on trapping, they can say they are trapping fox or coyotes, when a bobcat is trapped in these so-called sets, they turn them in as trapped in Region 2 or 3; quickly filling the quotas in those areas.”
”A warden made the comment that there are about five cats a day turned in to Region 2, until Region 1’s quota is filled; then Region 2 jumps to nine or 10 per day.”
Regions 1, 2, 3 together KILLED 187 Bobcats OVER QUOTA in the last 5 years! These bobcats can be kept by the trapper as long as it was within the opened season.
Prices from $225 to over $1,000 per Bobcat pelt are reinforcers.
According to Montana FWP reports a minimum of 8338 bobcat were killed, overwhelmingly by trapping, in Montana in the last 5 years with 6 of the 7 regions going over quota.
Please SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT Opposing Region 2 increasing Bobcat quotas from 180 to 200 that can be killed:
http://fwp.mt.gov/…/publicCommen…/2016/furbearerSeasons.html
Learn more:
http://www.trapfreemt.org/…/action-alert-montana-trapping-p…
Ravalli Republic opinion “Too many Illegal Trappers, Not enough Bobcats”
http://bit.ly/25CDwt5