That revenue allows producers to reinvest in their businesses and helps make Utah livestock and wildlife interests powerful economic forces in the state. The program also helps protect dairy farms and other agricultural interests from nuisance animals such as raccoons, skunks and certain blackbirds. The transmitter and receiver work together to tell trappers whether a snare or trap has been set off. A wire is attached to the snare or trap. When the snare is sprung, the wire activates the transmitter, which then sends out a distinct signal.
Trappers use the receiver to listen for that signal.
Receivers can detect a signal from a distance of 30 miles. Utah law requires that ADC traps or snares be checked every 48 to 96 hours. The electronic monitors help make trapping in Utah more humane. The electronics behind the program were developed by the ADC's Wildlife Research Center in Denver, Colorado. The ADC program in Utah is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is a cooperative program with the Utah Department of Agriculture.