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    WSAW-TV
    1114 Grand Ave.
    Wausau, WI 54403

    Phone: (715) 845-4211
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    Small Animal Trap Hurts Grown Western Marathon County Man Save Email Print
    Posted: 4:38 PM Oct 28, 2008
    Last Updated: 7:58 AM Oct 29, 2008
    Reporter: Liz Hayes
    Email Address: lhayes@wsaw.com


    A | A | A

    A trap intended to kill small animals, ended up hurting a grown man this weekend.

    Dave Bieneck of western Marathon County was walking through his land, near Blueberry Rd. in the Town of Frankfort, when he stepped into the trap, crushing his foot.

    The DNR is investigating whether the roadside land, considered 30 feet out from the middle of the road, was actually his. He's always assumed it was.

    Most right-of-ways are owned by the state or a local municipality, but in some cases the land is privately owned.

    "The gray area lies in your land descriptions. As fara s if you own into the middle of the road or if your municipality owns the right-of-way," he said.

    Trappers must have permission from the owner before setting any traps.

    Bieneck was never asked permission.

    "I was able to get this off my foot. Say a child or whatever that may have walked in there, they wouldn't get this off their foot," he said.

    He says he wants people to be aware of trapping regulations, and realize there may be traps on the property they've always considered their own.

    "They should look out for these things. You could be walking your dog and if your dog runs into the woods where there's one of these traps.....you know what will happen," he said.

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    Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.
    Posted by: Scott Location: Colby on Dec 8, 2008 at 09:46 PM
    Raymond, Yes our state does have laws that ALLOW a trapper to place traps in the road right of way so that anyone can walk into them. The only stipulation is that the trap be at least 100 feet from a dwelling. If you would like to verify please go to our State of Wisconsin DNR website and look up the trapping regulations. You will find that no warden or law officer can stop this practice. And if you also look up what a conibear trap is you will fine that it can and will crush a hand or foot it will also kill any small animal that puts it's head/body into the trap in a very short period of time. You might want to also ask for the records from our DNR's trapping violation files under the Freedom of Information Act and you will fine many violations and domestic animal deaths due this roadside trapping. It is also a federal offense for a landowner to molest or remove these traps if that trap is set in the roadside. Yes, these trappers are the scum of trappers but they can legally do this.

    Posted by: Marty D Location: New Richmond on Dec 5, 2008 at 11:55 AM
    yep

    Posted by: Raymond Location: Lisle, New York on Nov 24, 2008 at 01:03 PM
    Crushed foot on a grown man? Identify the trap; let's see the doctor's report or the police report or the medical bill. I'm pretty sure that your state has regulations prohibiting traps large enough to crush a foot. The person who set the trap without permission is an outlaw just like any other outlaw. Don't blame the activity, enforce the law.

    Posted by: KimD Location: Pittsville on Oct 30, 2008 at 12:04 PM
    My dog lost a leg due to a trap that was illegally set on my property. Since ditches are public, and ANYONE could be walking them...including the highway clean-up crew sponsers...no traps should be allowed in these areas.

    Posted by: Julie Location: Marshfield on Oct 30, 2008 at 11:45 AM
    Jon, I am glad that you would not care if a family member or pet would get caught in a trap like this. I can tell you that I will no longer allow my children to participate in the Adopt a Highway program, these children are walking in the ditch lines all the time. So Jon don't blame Channel 7 or the family that did lose their pet or the man who was injured for providing information to the public about these issues. I am involved in all of the activities that you mention and I would NEVER place a trap anywhere without the landowners permission. It is people like that, that give a bad name to all sportsmen.

    Posted by: Mandy Location: Tomahawk on Oct 30, 2008 at 11:17 AM
    Ummm... Jon from Wausau... how about your 9 month old baby that was out with daddy for a nice fall walk met up with that trap, or grandbaby... or how about our children in 4-H that help our communities by doing roadside clean up? What about the good smaratins that "Adopt a Highway". There's got to be a level to reason here... landowner permission or perhaps flagging required within 2 feet of every trap! I doubt this is a target on negativity toward outdoorsman... More of a caution to those of us completely oblivious to trapping, such as myself... a mother of young children.

    Posted by: Pierre Location: Germantown, MD on Oct 30, 2008 at 11:03 AM
    Thanks for the coverage of this. How many people know that conibears and legholds are often set along roads? Outside of the trapping community, not many.

    Posted by: Joe on Oct 30, 2008 at 08:26 AM
    Jon, It's nice to know that YOU are aware of what you own and don't own. But do you think that everyone does? I'd like to see how you feel when you, your family, your children, or pets end up killed or severely injured by one of these traps. Sounds fun, doesn't it? This doesn't have anything to do with a prejudice or hatred against outdoors men, people could be seriously hurt in situations like these, it's an issue of PUBLIC SAFETY. Trappers who do this without at least having the courtesy to ask the person who owns the adjacent land are sleazy and low, and give other trappers and outdoors men a bad name. So blame your fellow inconsiderate outdoors men for this well deserved bad publicity, not News Channel 7, OR the person who ended up with his foot in the trap.

    Posted by: Tera Location: Merrill on Oct 29, 2008 at 05:00 PM
    Our family experienced a similar thing with traps that were set without our families permission. Our faithful dog was killed by a trap while running on our property 6 years ago. It was devestating to my children. If only we had been asked permission we would have known that the traps were there. The person that placed the trap not only trapped our dog but then removed his body and dragged it to the other side of the road and tried to hide it so we wouldn't find it.

    Posted by: Jon Location: Wausau on Oct 29, 2008 at 08:43 AM
    I will be waiting for the follow up story, where the man is informed he doesnt own the ditch where the trap was placed. Sick and tired of this channel reporting only negative news about outdoor activites, where it be hunting, snowmobiling or trapping, News Channel 7 seems to be the biggest enemy outdoorsmen have in this area.

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