Foot-hold Trapping (Leg-hold Trapping)
Each year, millions of animals including muskrats, badgers, beavers, raccoons, mink, red foxes, swift foxes, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, gray wolves, are trapped and killed for their fur, for sport, and for the sake of 'tradition' and 'pest control'. Foot-hold traps (or leg-hold traps) are most commonly used. The trap is triggered when an animal steps on it, and slams shut their foot. Animals caught in foot-hold traps frantically attempt to escape, resulting in deep lacerations, broken bones, dislocated joints, etc. Animals may even gnaw off their foot in an attempt to escape, which trappers refer to as a 'wring-off'. Trappers are not required to check traps for up to 24-72 hours depending on the state and its laws. However, by that time it's likely that the animal would have succumbed to exposure, shock, dehydration, predation, injury or blood loss. If the animal is still alive the trapper returns, he usually 'dispatches' them by strangulation, suffocation, stomping on them, drowning, bludgeoning, or having their chest crushed usually by a knee or foot. Shooting is a tactic that is rarely used for fur-bearing animals as a bullet would damage the fur and skin; thus, making it less profitable. Trapping for fur and sport is also opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
FOOTHOLD TRAPPING
Snares are a cruel form of restraint primarily used for wolves, foxes, and coyotes. Snares do not kill the animal quickly--and rather a slow, painful death by strangulation. Restrained animals often pull and tug in distress, tightening the steel cable of the snare around their neck which oftentimes results in deep lacerations and tissue damage. When animals are left to languish for extended periods, thick blood swells and puts pressure on the brain, causing it to eventually explode. A horrible, agonizing death that trappers refer to as "jelly head". Aside from the animal's neck, their legs and muzzles are also caught in snares, resulting in the blood circulation being cut-off and permanent scarring.
Snaring
Hound hunting in the U.S. is used by trophy hunters and trappers. Aggressively trained dogs are tasked with pursuing and killing wild canids such as wolves, coyotes, and foxes. Animals are often outnumbered, terrorized, chased to exhaustion, and brutally mauled the hounds. Coyotes and wolves will frequently fight back in self-defense, further injuring themselves, and the dogs; which could be considered legalized dog-fighting. The pursuit can last for miles, and the coyote or wolf dies as a result of its injuries. There have been reports of hounds chasing injured animals onto private property where they are unwelcome.
Coyote and wolf "whacking" is pursuing animals (mainly coyotes) on motor vehicles and running them over repeatedly until crippled or dead. Wildlife that fall victim to whacking often suffer internal injuries such as organ damage, rib and bone fractures, and hemorrhages. If killing the animal via modernized vehicle is unsuccessful, they will be repeatedly bludgeoned until finally killed. Wildlife whacking is perfectly legal in states such as Wyoming and Montana--with a recent case of a 9-month-old wolf who was tortured and killed by Sublette County resident Cody Roberts. Coyotes are especially targeted through whacking, often referred to as "yote whacking". Wildlife whacking is not hunting. It is blatant animal cruelty and completely unethical.
On-site killing is currently legal in Northwestern states such as Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and in countries like Canada. It involves killing a wolf (s) with a shotgun for "management" purposes. Wolf hunting seasons usually take place from September 15 to March 15 (181 days) in Montana, September 15 to December 31 (107 days) in Wyoming, and are open year-round in Idaho (365 days). During the season, wolves can be legally killed via any means listed on this page. Wolf hunting is highly unethical and redundant for livestock protection as wolves have minimal impact on cattle. While on-site shooting is the most humane method of wolf hunting, the wolf doesn't always die swiftly. Some wolves are shot in their abdominal region, which causes the animal to bleed out slowly, causing prolonged, painful death, which is is referred to by hunters as "gut shooting".
On-Site Shooting
Coyote and Wolf Whacking
Hound Hunting
