PS I come to this from the point of view of a hunter whose goal it is to humanely take game, minimizing the suffering of the game animal to whatever extent practical.
...so do most trappers! That's why the industry here has nearly all converted to quick kill traps wherever practical - beaver, muskrat, fisher, otter etc. are all taken with conibears or similar quick kill body grip traps. Where they are still used in Canada, leghold traps must be padded jaw or offset jaw type, and must be checked regularly. Unfortunately there is only one alternative for fox and coyote - power snare. But power snares can be hard on other wildlife and dogs, so in some ways padded foot hold traps are safer and more humane.
In the end, the only justification for trapping is whether or not you feel it is ethical to harvest wildlife at all. For me' I'd rather wear fur than all the petrochemical synthetics ever made. Furs are environmentally perfect garments. Natural, organic, renewable, beautiful, and Warm.
One other point. The harvest of wild furs makes the environment where they are taken valuable in our modern economy. Valueless wild landscapes are much more vulnerable to "conversion" - and there are NO fur animals in a grain field or housing development.
