Beaver Traps on Big Piney Creek

[Waterman]

Floated Piney on Sunday(3-20) on a short float so I took my dog (Fly) as I often do. Fly is a Brittany Spaniel and will never stay in the canoe. When out of the boat, she will alternate swimming the pools and running the banks. This Sunday, shortly after the first rapid on the float, Fly tried to re-enter the creek from a steep bank at a worn trail into the creek. I heard a crashing sound, and it appeared she had fallen from the bank and broken her fall into the water by crashing through a willow limb. However, it quickly became apparent she was injured, as she began to struggle and sink into the water. I could see she was hung from a wire with a beaver trap around her neck. She quickly submerged and quit moving as my brother and I tried to reach her position in a thicket where the river was 5-6 feet deep next to a steep, muddy bank.

We quickly pulled her from the water, but we could not remove the trap. I have seen a number of trap contraptions, but my brother and I could not figure out how to open this one. It had two steel squares that were roughly 1 foot by 1 foot, and the top piece was right behind Fly’s head and the bottom piece was lodged against the middle of her throat. If she could breath, it was not apparent but we were focused on trying to open the trap. We finally removed the trap, and Fly has survived with no apparent long term harm. What concerned me is she has gotten separated from me before, but as a hound, she will always find my truck and be waiting for me there upon my return. If I had become separated this day, she clearly would have been dead.

Also, when I went to the bank to cut the wire holding the trap, I almost stepped into a second but much smaller trap. I imagine there could be more traps in that area. Both of these traps were on private land and were in remote areas where hounds but few others would choose to roam, so it is unlikely any boaters would choose to walk in this area. However, for reference, we were floating about 7 miles south of Fort Douglas (AR 123 Bridge) and north of Heltons where we rarely see any boaters.

John Fletcher

[Jim Krueger]

John,

I'm very sorry to hear of this situation, I'm so glad your dog survived, thanks to you!
I don't hunt anymore, and have never trapped but I do know that beaver trappers use two main types of traps, leg-hold traps, and Conabear traps. The Conabear (sp) trap is what your dog got into, they are two heavy wire squares, spring-loaded and are designed to break the beavers neck...
You might visit with the Ark. Game & Fish dept. and ask, number one, if it is currently trapping season, and secondly to give them a heads-up on the situation and location.

Jim

[Roger]

Beaver trapping season ends March 31. Started in November.

http://www.agfc.com/newsDocs/2010-11SeasonSummary.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Glad the pooch survived.

[painterbob]

by law that trap needed to have a name and address or the licence number of the fur taker