Oregon

Oregon: Vote set on trapping rules to protect pets

The owner of a dog killed by a trap set next to a popular hiking trail in central Oregon has no complaint with trapping otters, raccoons and bobcats for their pelts.  

But Jack Williamson of West Linn is incensed that proposed revisions to state regulations requiring trappers to stay away from places popular with hikers and campers includes a way for the state to grant exemptions.  

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will vote Thursday on proposed revisions to state trapping regulations.  

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff is backing the idea of the state’s first no-trapping zones along trails and around campgrounds.  

But game program manager Tom Thornton said the department wants to keep open the option of trapping problem animals such as bears, which are generally taken with a live trap....