HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1973-11-01, Page 15Crossroads
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Crooroaditi----Noveniber I, 1973—
. .There are trappers—and there Who still traps 'regularly every that will steal Sornebody. .else's
are trappers.* Some set their fall. "I am willing to give trap- , catch if he Can. The other type
' traps the odd weekend because ping and hunting lessons to ) has to go out year after year,
they like to hunt, and trapping is . .anyone who wants thern." whether IV's good hunting or not,
cheaper than shooting. There are Mr. Batkin is currently, em- because , . ;. I don't know why, but
'others who set traps mainly bey. , ployed, along with about at) other i he just ties to. That's me."
as
the great ;outdoors has . local trappers, by the Ministry of
beckoned. ,' -, , Natural Resources Fish and , SHOT VAST WOEF:
. ,
Then there are the seasoned Wildlife Research Branch to Par- Amonohis other achievements,
trappers; men who have grown take in the bait testing project , mr. Batkin 011 Armistice'DaY,
• up with . an instinct to set their . conducted to study means of 1936, shot the first wolf sighted in
- traps right In the spot where they getting rabies vaccine, still to 1.e , ,so years in Huron COUrity. He
are most , likely to catch. the. ` perfected, to animals, especially , says, "Before that there was an
game. Such a' man is Mervyne foxes and skunks, co -year lapse before any wolves
' , Batkin of .Clinton. When did ,he s This is his second Year working , were sighted in this county." ..,
start ' trapping? Be ponders ' a for thQe ram§ rY. but he doesn't More recently, ,, Mr- Batkin,
' moment, "You could say I've ,agree.with some of the ministry's along with Jim llogg of SeafOrtb
•
been trapping all MY life." acne/1g, He says, "1 don't agrft , and Ashley Gilbert of Qederjeht,‘: ,.
.
Mr, Datkin made his first trap that the wolf bounty shoal have built a skeet range in- Clintim's
Over, -50 years ago when he was a been taken off. I. can see the sportsfield. The -range` is ;called -
small boy. "I trapped a skunk handwriting, on the Wall. Farm- '.. the Vanastra Gun . Club and
il and some relative of mine bought ' ,ers will be shouting for help With : hunters can practise shooting
it off me for almost two dollarS, the wolf problem In a few years."'
. either skeet or trap at..,,,thi
At that time, that was a lot of He says. wolves are definitely •pract;ce centre,
money, especially to a young on. the increase this. year and ' . VIEW OF fIVMANE.GROUPS:
boy.,,: , , . adds, "And to, hear the ministry Mr. Batkin says the' Many .'
In 1956, with his partner, the you'd think thy were One Of these humane societies are overstress,
late Joe Becker, Mr. •Batkin endangered species . or seine- ing the use of traps in catching
Caught 135% fOXeS all within a I.n • e e a ' ° - huntersanimals. He says, "These 'socie.7
. ,
' radius of nine miles of Clinton. and trappers but I don't think the ties seem to Pia on trapping
The next fail, after Mr. Becker number is still. inereasing,,, -in more than shooting, and why,'
died, the trapper caught- 210' foxes Huron County, anyway." . don't know. I've :,' seen animals
‘4'.11"11Iitsiii°nwknitrapi.b.'eti ‘er alone," he
6 $ _ 1:31cTITintN;I;BirearPonXe:d .trapperhas,.., They don't feel as, much pain as
• ' curled - up asleep 40 the traps.
says, but I -like a partner for
Company and safety. If anything
. fox, but ' it
himself, been bitten while out on . those people who don't know what
his lines. "I was bitten last fag by ' they're talking about‘ Say. ,l'ye
. happened to meront there, nobody *
was „,in own fault, . seen animals 'suffer badly from
would know' where to find. me.." "
After ,1,7 .y.ears M. Batkill sou but
Lie_ally. A fox won't .attack you, ' being shot. but nobody seems to
t any animal; even .4 'Mtise,,,,, go after hunters as much as they
drives a mail route in the Clinton pu'..
.area and three years ago he gave will bite if he's concerned." ', , :, do trappers,
up his store from which he sold ' Mr. -liatkin'alSohas contacted "Farley Mowatt wrote .a Wilt
rabies. "thad- to take rabies shots . about wolves but'.1le'didit in the
trappers ' equipment for 25 years. abOut three orfour years ago. i
, I %., summer, when the feed s 'ple4ti-
l'AuOnT tfitm '444 , used4oSkin.animals and this one i' ful for them. I'dliI.5eto see,hiro, go --, -
Mr. Batitip, says, "I've taught time some hunters ,brought mel ue.therein the wintertime when
143iiik.MieWs*Wiife,--ti-e„.4wp. *,-443/0#4,410,4cAtito,,:k,,,.,1,t,tio_.,,vnilt packs kill, der ' 00/ fpr
ing in 4404 ifid-th0 Oil- ' few OaYa Wer 1 found out Mo 1,00*Ort'of',#),* "#4010')e00'the:
bother to give me any credit for ' .'had rabies. Thad to get46 needle( rest- ':!-• ' ,, ''' ' - ' , -- , ' - •
It. To hear them talk you. would altogether, and so ,did'.44)01 the ' Re continued, "Mowatt like
think they learned it all by them- . hunters involved." , ' , - these societies, says •that wolves
selves, but that isn't the way it After going through 'hardships only kill for food, but I. say ,these
was." • ' ' ' such as being bitten and being in people don't know what they are
' It would appear fishermen contact with a rabid animal, what .talking about because I've seen
aren't the only, sportsmen with makes him still go out to set trap wolves kill cats, not for food, biir
tall tales to tell. Mr. Batkin says, lines each fall? "It's., the .:lure of just for fun."
Some of these boys who trap • the outdoors. It's a challenge that The: trapper. of more than so
exaggerate a bit, if you knOw d10.a,se:
could,alinost be categorized as a years was telling the, Fish and
what I mean, about what they '
. .
I „forget most of thy Wildlife Research 'Branch crew'
'
trap and how many, ,they ,get. problems Or whatever you want about one of his many captures,
Let's just say when they get going to Call them when I'm out there and 'excitement of the 'conquest
they aren't speaking the gospel hunting and trapping." was still as great as it must have •
truth.;'- , The trapper says there are two been on that blustery, damp
Anybodyiinterested in learning types who trap. "One goes out November day many. years. ago
to ,trap can, contact. Mr. Batkin, only for money -and he's the kind When he was out setting his lines.
4
TRAPPING ,L,ESSONS--Ken ' Clark of Washago gives
trapping lessons to a group of conservation officers and
workers in ,Luther Marsh. Mr. Clark is a predator control
instructor and says trapping is basically easy lo learn as far
asthe techniques go but, "you have to have what it takes to
be`a trapper." (Staff Photo)
, • -
PLACES BAITo-Dave Johnston of the fish and wildlife research branch places a bait con-
tatnmg tetracycline, near Clinton, Mr. Johntton is part of a team testing a baiting system
with the hopes it will prove to be a feasible method of getting animals to vaccinatethen-
selves against rabies. The bait is sprayed with a meat and cheese solution to attract stich
an i ma Is as foxes, wolves and skunks: (Staff Photo)
Alt -t
)
BAITING systeivi TEAM—Working to test a baiting
system that may be used to vaccinate animals against
rabies are Dave Johngton, Paul Coppin, Mery ilatkin, tan
Watt and Or. 130h lkamsden. The team works for the fish
and wildlife research besanch, Maple, Ontario. Mr, catkin is
a Clinton trapper hired by the branch, espectaily for the
prdiect, which was conducted in the wingharn area.
' (Staff Photo)
No vaccine
inbait set in
.Wingham dist.
44tories appearing in virtually,
all. newspapers, with the excep-
tion of this one, have miscon-
strued the facts concerning the
activities of - the Ministry of
Natural Resources, Fish and
Wildlife Research Branch, in the
VI/Ingham and Clinton areas, says
Dave Johnston of the branch.
A research team comprised of
Dr. Bob Ramsden, Ian Watt, Paul
Coppin, District Manager Dan
Mansell, Herb Clark, Blake
Smith, Blake Evans, Ken Henry,
Bob Pegg, ,Roy Ballinger and Mr.
Johnston has been conducting
tests leading to the combating of
rabies in the area for about a
month.
Some newspapers have report-
ed that the bait, set out by the
group, contains a rabies vaccine.
"This is not the case," says Mr.
Johnston. "The truth of the
matter is there is no vaccine in
the bait being laid out at this
time. Right now we are just
testing the bait itself for its ac-
ceptability to wildlife. If the re-
sults are good and they take the
bait. then perhaps in the future
we will use the bait as a medium
to pass on the vaccine."
The bait actually consists of a
pellet containing a sugar -gelatin
mixture plus a marking agent
called tetracycline. Mr. Johnston
says, "Tetracycline is a common
anti -biotic used in the treatment
of diseases and is not harmful to
man."
The pellets are enclosed in a
plastic bag and when the bait is
eaten by the animals the
tetracycline marks the teeth.
Proof of whether or not the
animal has eaten the bait is gath-
ered after the local trappers, em-
ployed by the ministry for the
PrOject, have trapped the ani-
malhose teeth will be
Please turn to Page 4
•
- -
411 .4r
STAY AWAY—Ken Clark of Washago
has finished setting the trap. Actually
dermist, Bill Myers. Mr. Clark is
arns a cunning fox to stay back, at least until he
fox is stuffed and is the work of a waterloo taxi—
predator control Instructor at Luther Marsh.
(Staff Photo)