i'm so sorry to hear about hope that breaks my heart too, prayers for all of you and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
i'm betting there is more than one and i'd be looking for them. IF u find any traps, snares or cable restraints on ur property do not remove, release an animal or unset them it is illegal to tamper with someone elses plus it is evidance to nail them. take pictures of them and call dept of conservations to report it and they will come take pics, unset and remove and go after them and then i'd sue on top of that and press other charges as well.
u can look at the tag to see who it belongs to and write the info down for when u call them but that is it. the tag should have name, addy, phone# on it or all #'s. our tags have our state id # registered with the game commision it is a perminant id # but i don't know what other states have that system. we can use either way here in pa but i use the #'s both will identify who the trapper is if it has a tag on it.
here is the laws for your state for trapping-
http://mdc.mo.gov/hunt/trap/
the regs the way they r listed depending on where those snares r set and how they were made and used, ect if u can find who set them may entitle them to several charges pressed against them. trappers hate to loose their traps, restraints and such so i promise that person will return to look for them.
find them before that person does so u know where to watch for them. if they show up call the police for tresspassing and call the game commision so they impose more penalty.
i believe it was an illegal snare from the sounds of the damage to poor hope, since both snare and restraint r required to have what we call deer stops on them which both in ur state must have on them. there is noway a properly made or used one should have caused her that damage or enabled her to get caught in it. something somewhere was illegally done but without seeing pics of the set and knowing location of it i can't tell u what possibly that maybe. it's people like that which gives us trappers a bad name. i hate people who r ignorant, don't know their laws and r slob trapping and/or pouching. i hope u can find who it is and nail them for everything u can.
please keep us posted how hope does and recovers.
hugs,
silkie
