Protect animals during winter trapping season

VERMONT - Trapping season starts on the fourth Saturday of October each year and runs through March 31. Each trapping season, dogs, cats, and other non-targeted animals, including protected species, are injured or killed in traps. Some of the other non-targeted captures that were voluntarily reported last year include a barred owl, a great blue heron, and a Canada goose. Vermont Fish & Wildlife does not require trappers to report when they trap a non-targeted wild animal.
Protect Our Wildlife Vermont offers a video tutorial with instructions on how to release a companion animal from a leghold and kill trap. It is at https://www.protectourwildlifevt.org.
The organization also offers the following tips. First, know when trapping season is, but remember that traps set out of season, as allowed per Vermont’s “wild animals doing damage” statute, or traps left behind after the season ends still present a threat. Kill traps can be set in shallow water, in rivers, and streams so always check the area before allowing dogs to swim. Also, keep cats indoors or create a cat-proof, fenced-in yard.