by Amy Greer, Corvallis
The Legislature wants to amend trapping into the Montana Constitution by sneaking it in under hunting and fishing which are already protected as “the opportunity to harvest wild fish and wild game.” Trapping is not fair chase—it is a cruel death and indiscriminate in its victims. Another important point about this bill is that naming personal rights, ‘hunting, trapping, and fishing’ in the Constitution sets a precedent for many special interests to demand constitutional rights. This clutters the Constitution with amendments that will end up contradicting each other, causing endless lawsuits and making the Constitution worthless. If you want to help call the Capitol switchboard at 406-444-4800 and reach out to your representatives.
helen sabin says
Yes trapping is one of the most heinous ways of making animals suffer. The same is true of hunters who do NOT shoot well enough to put a bullet into an animal at a point on their bodies to make them die quickly. OR those who shoot animals “for the fun of it.”
Amy, your comments are more emotional than factual. Clutter the Montana Constitution? HOW? It seems this “clarifies” the Constitution. What special interests would get special attention?
We need details and facts to make a judgment on this topic. Why not contact the BS and ask them to do articles on how animals suffer from trapping?
ALL of the valley legislators voted for this bill. So what are you really asking them to do? BAN trapping? I agree with that. I have seen humans/domestic animals caught in hunting traps and it isn’t pretty. Show this video to them to change their minds – I bet this was NOT mentioned when discussion and debate on the topic was raised: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oD2NKr-BRw
Hunting? NOPE – hunters and fishermen help cull the herds and fish population and keep all healthy. Plus the fees from them help manage the herds. and there is nothing like a tasty elk steak!
Here are the one who voted for this bill to date: INTRODUCED BY P. FIELDER, M. CUFFE, D. SALOMON, J. READ, S. FITZPATRICK, J. ESP, T. MCGILLVRAY, K. REGIER, L. JONES, E. BUTCHER, B. KEENAN, B. MOLNAR, C. GLIMM, G. HERTZ, M. LANG, D. ZOLNIKOV, D. LENZ, B. BROWN, J. HINKLE, F. MANDEVILLE, T. MANZELLA, W. MCKAMEY, M. NOLAND, S. HINEBAUCH, S. GUNDERSON, M. REGIER, D. LOGE, R. FITZGERALD, F. ANDERSON, L. SHELDON-GALLOWAY, J. TREBAS, D. BARTEL, C. KNUDSEN, B. USHER, S. VINTON, T. WELCH, B. BEARD, J. SMALL, M. HOPKINS, J. ELLSWORTH, N. DURAM, J. FULLER, R. KNUDSEN, J. DOOLING, K. BOGNER, B. GILLESPIE, J. KASSMIER, T. MOORE, D. BEDEY, B. LER, B. PHALEN, F. NAVE, J. CARLSON, L. BREWSTER, K. ZOLNIKOV, B. MITCHELL, A. REGIER, L. REKSTEN, S. KERNS, S. GALLOWAY, S. GIST, J. SCHILLINGER, K. SEEKINS-CROWE, M. MALONE, J. GILLETTE, C. HINKLE, M. BERTOGLIO, G. FRAZER, M. BINKLEY, R. MARSHALL, C. FRIEDEL, S. ESSMANN, M. YAKAWICH, T. BROCKMAN, T. SMITH, R. MINER, G. PARRY, G. OBLANDER, N. NICOL, L. DEMING, D. EMRICH, S. VANCE, T. VERMEIRE, C. SPRUNGER, T. FALK, G. NIKOLAKAKOS, J. BERGSTROM, G. KMETZ, P. GREEN, J. ETCHART, B. BARKER, W. RUSK, L. HELLEGAARD, J. FITZPATRICK, Z. WIRTH, N. HASTINGS. Ask them specifically to ban trapping – that is a lazy way of getting your animals.