A group of us were hiking near the old White Horse Ranch about 2003 by Olinghouse, west of Wadsworth. There were 10-12 of us. One woman’s dog, a sturdy German Shepherd cross, got her paw stuck in a trap. It took two of us to get the trap off. The dog was hysterical with pain and fear, but was still able to walk. We went on and further up the trail found eight or nine clamp traps. There were feathers hung near them, a signal the trapper was after bobcat. They were attached to rocks to hold them in place.
A hiker’s aluminum hiking pole got stuck in one and it was
almost impossible to get it out. We also saw snare traps on this trail.
We saw more traps, clamped to the ground with rebar, on the west side of the slope.
Snare Trap. Takes experience or a sturdy bolt cutters to deal with these.
[told in person] My grandmother found a dog wandering near Pyramid Lake with a missing right front paw. Nobody claimed the dog, so grandmother adopted her. Eventually the paw healed, but it looked ragged as though it was chewed off.
[told in person] We were checking out an old mine near Winnemucca in the King’s River area. We heard a dog screaming and found it caught in a trap. We managed to get the trap off. [ means an animal can be immobilized in agony for as long as 4 days. Several efforts to have this visit time shortened via legislation have failed.]
Nevada law allows trappers 96 hours before they have to visit their traps. This means an animal can endure heinous agony for as long as four days – that is, if the trapper shows up and then kills the animal. TrailSafe efforts to shorten this visitation time were not successful. The national standard is 24 hours – that is, if we have to have trapping at all!
A snare is a trap. Here a snared animal has been suffering for who knows how long
2009 told in person: My friend’s dog was trapped in Pleasant Valley in 2009. The dog was traumatized, but recovered. This was especially outrageous because there were four traps, all set near a school.
Traps aren’t needed to protect humans – Letter to Editor Reno Gazette Journal March 4, 2007
We live in a remote area. We have come across rattlesnakes, mountain lions, coyotes and bears. Give them their space and they have not harmed us. We do this without weapons. Do not run or turn your back on them.
Young Bobcat
If you don’t know how to get your dog out of a steel trap, you will soon learn. We’ve had to do this twice in the Red Rock area.
The main thing I would like to say is these traps are inhumane and are not necessary to keep people safe from wild animals. Wild animals are afraid of humans and want to stay away. They need their space, too, like we need ours, and they shouldn’t be killed in traps. This is not a good form of recreation.
