Washington state mole trapping

I haven't heard much from trappers of moles from Washington state. How has the body gripping trap law effected your mole trapping and what are you using now. If you are using live traps has it effected your numbers and the cost to the homeowners. In the Bend area are some who are trying to get a similar law in Oregon

coast trapper.

When I lived and worked in OR and we had a govt. state fair booth with a mole/gopher collection and traps displayed for educational purposes,
you won't believe how many folks argued with me that they were fine using the traps in WA state!

I would ask them in conversation, so where you from, and they'd say "olympia" for example, and I'd say "you know that those traps were outlawed with
the others."

To which they would respond "no not those traps just the ones for other wildlife."

Which just shows you something that OR used to defend it's ability to keep those and other traps, a large portion of the argument was focused on educating folks that mole and gopher traps would be banned too! The groups going against trapping tried to actually drop those two traps from
the list if I remember right, so that they knew they could get the ban through, but the groups for trapping fought to keep them on the list and educate joe homeowner that his moles and gophers were going to be illegal to trap with those devices!

We have a ban here in one city for "any spring loaded device" which covers those and other traps. Based again on the ignorance of those voting, so again, most people don't realize they are banned for commercial purposes in this case.

Justin

Set 'em !

All gopher and mole traps are illegal to use in Washington, if they grip or puncture the animal. The problem is they still sell them in hardware stores.