Trapping not a protected right

by Amy Greer, Corvallis

I am compelled to respond to candidate Brad Davis’ lie about HB 372 and remind people that the opportunity to hunt and fish is guaranteed in the Montana Constitution. There is a reason trapping is not protected—it is indiscriminate, like the set guns that were outlawed in the 1950s for the same reason. Trapping is not fair chase. Hunting is fair chase and a full freezer in the fall is honorable. It is not honorable to cause misery and torture animals in traps and snares. Trappers are not accountable for the misery they inflict on wildlife, hunting dogs, and livestock. It is a deep double standard. Hunters pay the price if they kill a Grizzly.  It is a free pass for trappers.