<font color=blue>I guess the reason I felt it wasn't humane is allot of people who trap have no concern or regard for (I am not saying members here at TBN are like this) for other animals that may be getting caught or that an animal will try and free itself from a trap. I was just thinking about other animals as well. That is what I was trying to convey. </font color=blue>
MDNY - no offence taken. Im glad you realize that all trappers arent evil monsters waiting in the bushes to catch fluffy the family pet.
The golden rules of trapping are to know your target species (what sets work for them and their habits) and to check your traps often.
In the case of trapping furbearers most of the good sets wont be anywhere near homes that could result in undesired animals being caught. Occasionally missing the species doesn't hurt the environment there (eg getting a raccoon when trapping for mink) as it helps manage our out-of-control predator population - which is beneficial for all manner of wildfowl etc. An important point to remember is that if your trapping for fur then you dont want a damaged pelt either from the animal chewing on itself or from leaving it too long when dead. Traps are therefore checked often.
In the case of trapping nuisance animals they are usually much closer to habitation and therefore there is a risk of catching pets. What you have to do here is use your knowledge of the animal to minimize risk to anyone else (even if it just be the risk of distressed children). For the muskrat an underwater set in one of their runs would prevent dogs or cats from being at risk. The good nuisance trappers that I know check their work a minimum of twice a day - and more than that if they know the trap is in a highly trafficked or visible area. Homeowners and business owners dont like dealing with trapped animals so again this is generally a good incentive to check traps often - the best business comes from word of mouth.
I think I can safely say that a trap in the hands of a good trapper is cleaner and safer than the use of poison or a firearm by an inexperienced person. Its the anti-trapping lobby that tries to create a tear jerking Walt Disney epic out of what is a necessary and beneficial practice.
Sorry this is so long but I get very upset when I see what has happened in places like Washington and Massachusetts where trapping bans were voted into place. Massachusetts ended up overturning the trapping ban because beaver populations skyrocketed resulting in massive flooding and water pollution problems. All of this resulted in millions of dollars of property damage. All those new beaver dams flood peoples land, their septics and public roads. All of a sudden people are waking up and trying to get someone to control the animals and guess what - the most effective method has been eliminated.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/2001/1029/1270711.html>ESPN Article on Trapping Ban in Washington State</A>
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.s-t.com/daily/01-00/01-31-00/b04op060.htm>Article in local Massachusetts paper on trapping ban</A>