Legalities of trapping a weasel

[Howard E]

Best guess on the problems between two trappers.....mostly likely there is a gentleman's agreement that one will not encroach on the turf of another.....stealing one's business? What were you paying these guys? If nothing, and their motivation was the pelt of the trapped weasel, then one of them lost his chances to catch the thing by half, and his motivation as well. Understandable to me.

A bigger issue is why you have a weasel in the first place. Conservation folks will tell you that well over 95% of the diet of a weasel is rodents.....rats, mice, gophers, etc. NOT chickens or poultry. So if you have one attracted to your birds, most likely it is because you have an infestation of rodents........so weasels are attracted to those.....but being opportunistic killers, easily make the transition to the birds and killing everything in sight is hardwired into them. As far as nature's rodent predators go, I'm beginning to believe a weasel (and the cousins) may be A#1.....the best of the best. And that includes snakes, skunks, coyotes, foxes, cats (all kinds) owls and hawks.

So in addition to trapping your problem weasel.......a short term solution to a long term problem...........if you have a rodent problem too, best place to start with the weasel problem is with the rodents. Get rid of them and you get a twofer.

BTW, weasel box of your own making, trap your problem child ......and life goes on.

 

[rlw525]

Thanks for the input, Howard. There is most definitely no infestation of rodents here. We have 6 farm cats that do an outstanding job of keeping the rodent population very much under control. What we do have that could very possibly attract weasels is a large pond full of frogs, which I understand they love to eat, not to mention several smaller ponds and creeks, woods, and ground cover. From what I have read about weasel habitat, this place has everything that a weasel would want — except rodents.

 

[barn206]

Hi rlw
First of all Your not a trapper or a poacher! You have a flock of chickens that are being attacked. It could be rats. RAT TRAPS ARE LEGAL FOR CATCHING RATS.
Sounds to me that you have a rat problem. If the weasel is eating your frogs then something else must be killing your chickens, probably rats. Set your trap for rats.
You may be surprised.

 

[Fairview01]

Ya know my stand on stuff like this is, 'If it is illegal, it is so only if you get caught.' Doesn't matter if it is a weasel, my neighbors dog or cat or whatever. If it comes onto my piece of dirt and kills my chickens it is automatically open season. Eliminate the problem, bury the evidence and keep quite about it and move on. Losing as many turkeys as you say you have lost isn't anything to sneeze at.

 

[TexasSam]

Hi. Last year a weasel killed about 20 young turkeys, a full grown adult turkey, and some ducks on our farm. We hired a professional trapper (We'll call him Dick) to try to catch the weasel. Dick used leg-hold traps. A relative (John) – who has a trapping permit – also set a couple of traps. When Dick found out that someone else had set traps, he went ballistic and threatened to contact wildlife officials and have John's trapping permit revoked. Dick took his traps and left (adios, @ssholə!) The weasel was never caught. Recently, a weasel slaughtered eight chickens and all of our quail so we hired a different professional trapper. It has been about 3 weeks and the weasel still hasn't been caught. We want to put out humane traps but are concerned about legalities. Is there any legal reason we can't put out our own traps? Was there any validity to what Dick said or was he just being a....(well, you know)?

In every state I know of A predator that is killing livestock know matter the type is forfeiting there safety. That means you can take whatever action necessary to protect your livestock. Call your local fish and wildlife service I'm sure they will say the same. Or you could just say what weasel.

 

[aart]

'If it is illegal, it is so only if you get caught.'

Well, it's still illegal, but no fine if you don't get caught.

In every state I know of A predator that is killing livestock know matter the type is forfeiting there safety. That means you can take whatever action necessary to protect your livestock.

Maybe, except for birds of prey......or you go the 'it doesn't count if you don't get caught' route.

 

[Fairview01]

Well, it's still illegal, but no fine if you don't get caught.

Maybe, except for birds of prey......or you go the 'it doesn't count if you don't get caught' route.

Well awrt, at one time I also was a Yankee but dang if I hadn't lived here so long that the great state of Texas sent me adoption papers. Lol.

Down here nothing counts unless you get caught and sometimes catch and release is practiced. Unless the species is protected I'm fairly certain TexasSam is right. You can get a permit to kill anything so long as the damage being done is causing economic loss to whomever is filing the permit so someone with a half dozen chickens that doesn't derive income from them isn't likely gonna pop something. Also reasonable precautions need to be exercised by the complaintant which in this case would be a hot wire.

 

[aart]

Well awrt, at one time I also was a Yankee but dang if I hadn't lived here so long that the great state of Texas sent me adoption papers. Lol.

There are plenty up here with your attitude.

Unless the species is protected I'm fairly certain TexasSam is right.

Yep, birds of prey are protected under national law. Relocation(catch and release) is ridiculous no matter what state you live in.

 

[TexasSam]

Well, it's still illegal, but no fine if you don't get caught.

Maybe, except for birds of prey......or you go the 'it doesn't count if you don't get caught' route.

True birds of prey are off limits. In Texas you are allowed to defend your livestock any means except for endangered species then you need A permit. Trapping humanly is always the best option. Not always possible.

 

[aart]

Trapping humanly is always the best option. Not always possible.

Yes, trapping humanely is preferred if it can't be shot outright,
but any trapped animal should killed, not relocated.