Clark Fork woman calls for trapping law changes

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

Trapping regulations are back in the public eye after a Clark Fork woman’s dog was injured by a wolf snare.

A wolf caught in a snare. Image by www.trapperspost.com.

The Associated Press reports that Mary Franzel was cross-country skiing just off the side of Lightning Creek Road earlier this month when her dog, Morgan, had her foot caught in a baited wolf trap. According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the trap was legally set and maintained. Idaho requires traps to be set at a minimum five-foot remove from a maintained public trail.

Morgan wasn’t seriously hurt in the incident. However, Franzel is urging Idaho Fish and Game to reexamine its trapping oversight, which lately has emphasized education over stricter regulation.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have thought that in the ditch of the road, I would have to worry about a trap,” Franzel told the Associated Press. “I understand if I’m blasting through the woods hiking and my dog is running. But if I’m on a marked, maintained trail and my dog is within five feet of me, he could step in a trap. And I don’t think that’s reasonable for all public land users.”