A Brief History

Trapping furbearers is one of our nation’s oldest methods for getting food, clothing, shelter, and trade items.

• Native Americans and early European settlers depended on the use of traps for their existence and livelihood. As such, trapping is valued as part of the cultural heritage of North America. Today, people enjoy furbearers through wildlife watching, and/or they participate in trapping for wildlife management.
• One way to trap furbearers is with snares.
  • The use of snares, originally made of fiber, vines, bark, or other flexible natural material, dates back thousands of years as evidenced by their depiction in prehistoric cave drawings.
  • Cable devices are an evolution of these early capture techniques and use modern materials to facilitate the humane capture and disposition of target animals. When constructed, placed, and checked correctly, cable devices are one of the most effective and humane options for trappers who are targeting particular species of furbearers, such as coyotes, foxes, beavers, river otters, and others.