Outdoorsman defends trapping

Editor:
This article is in response to “There is no excuse to trap” by Cheryl Cranston and the previous letters on trapping. I am 15 years old and I am a trapper and avid outdoorsman.

This year is my third year trapping and I have acquired a passion for it. I love the outdoors and I can’t understand why people think that every person who hunts, traps or fishes is cruel to the animals they pursue.

The young people like me, who can’t wait to “go kill the animals that we were just joyously petting a few years ago” don’t just hunt and trap for the sole reason to kill (note: I never pet fox, coyotes, raccoon, skunks and other such animals, when I was young). We hunt and trap because we have a passion for it.

There was one thing I found correct in your piece, even if it was sarcasm. Hunters and trappers are doing these animals a favor. Keeping the population down is needed, for these species to prosper.

Look back in history. How many civilizations died off, because of disease and the lack of food, because there was too big of a population?

Every deer that is harvested is one less deer that is going to suffer from things like a car collision or winter starvation. I bet, if a deer got hit by a car and is suffering with a broken leg, it would wish it would be put to rest. Or not. Maybe you’re right. We should let it lay there and suffer, until it gets preyed upon by the exploding population of coyotes, which you say we shouldn’t trap.

In order to hunt, fish or trap, you need to take a course to obtain your license. My cousin, Jake Smith (previous respondent to these letters on trapping), and I went on a three-day trapping course at Camp Rushford and it was a great experience. We learned several things, like how to catch, dispatch and take care of the pelt from the animals we caught, there. There are many skills that you need to learn to become a great trapper. There are always more techniques to be taught and tips to be applied. Trappers spend lifetimes perfecting these skills.

Trapping is definitely not pursued for the money. In my opinion, even the most avid trappers can’t make a living at it. Trappers trap, so they can get in touch with nature.

When I wake up in the morning, I can’t wait to go see what animal I have the privilege to get close to, out in Mother Nature’s presence.

In the lives of many outdoorsmen like me, trapping and hunting is a way of life and has been passed down, through many generations. My elders have fueled my passion for the outdoors. To all my fellow outdoorsmen: good luck, this season.

Jared Ras
East Otto