Association News
Next Deadline: May 1, 2020
Email reports to Chris.Berens@Media360LLC.com
Arizona Trappers Association
arizonatrappersassociation.com
President — Wayne Boring, traparizona@gmail.com 928-243-0973
Vice President Rick Van Horn, Kingman, 928-757-3860
Secretary Grace Van Horn, Kingman, 928-757-3860
Treasurer Mike Huffer, Scottsdale, 480-970-5904
Membership Carrie Crouther, Flagstaff, 928-699-4305
Directors:
Apache County Scott Trowbridge, Chinle, 928-349-0405
Cochise County Bob Lackner, Willcox, 520-384-3279
Coconino County Lance Crowther, Flagstaff, 928-607-9380
Gila County Vacant
Graham County Park Romney, Thatcher, 928-428-6952
Greenlee County Vacant
Lapaz County Vacant
Maricopa County Vacant
Mohave County Rick Van Horn, Kingman, 928-757-3860
Navajo County Jim Manard, Heber, 928-535-9029
Pima County Atom Hatley, Arivaca, 520-444-7116
Pinal County Jeff Serdy, Apache Jct., 602-820-4429
Santa Cruz County Vacant
Yavapai County Vacant
Yuma County Ryan Trousdale, Tacna, 909-499-8226
Membership application available at arizonatrappersassociation.com
Membership Options:
• Adult membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $30
• Junior (under 16) with subscription — $20
• Family membership with subscription — $35
• Oldtimer membership with subscription — $75
• Lifetime membership with subscription — $275
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Good morning to all of the trapping community from Arizona:
Well here we are at the end of Jan. and by the time you read this report it will be time to get ready to market your furs, if you have not already done so.
We want to thank Jim Manard for helping us put our sale together and the boys from Navajo county who will be helping us staff the sale. We also want to thank Mercer for getting the buyers and putting together some demos and instruction to help use the off-time. So we’ll be having our sale on the 14th of March, it will be held in Williams just a little west of Flagstaff. We had announced that it would be in Flag but we were unable to secure a place that met our needs, and we found a place that would work in Williams. So thanks to those who made this possible. It has been decided that our sale will be a face-to-face sale like it was last year. We will start receiving fur by 8:00 a.m., hopefully be done by 10 a.m. and start the sale by 11:00 a.m. There will be a sales charge for selling your fur. All members will be assessed a 5% charge and nonmembers 10%. We would hope that all of you that are nonmembers at this time will join us at the time of the sale. We will have our membership secretary on hand to make sure you can join. Also AZ Game and Fish said they would be on hand to issue any CITE tags for your bobcats, so make sure you have the lower jaw with your cat fur. I would also assume that this would be a good time to turn in your report. We will also be offering an AZ Trapper Education class, if that is something you need. be sure to get registered with the Game and Fish for that. So we look forward to seeing all of you at the sale.
Want to give a big thanks to Ryan Trousdale for all the time and work he has put in on getting us up to speed on our website. By the time this goes to print that site should be up and running. The address will be arizonatrappersassociation.com. Log in and take a look, hopefully we can use this site to keep everyone up to date as to what is happening in the Association.
If you are reading this report and are not a member of our association, we would welcome your membership. If you are already a member, then we need all the help we can get to make our association a strong club. If we want to keep our right to harvest the renewable resources of fur with the use of traps, it is necessary to make our voices heard. As we look around we see that California has basically lost their trapping rights through foolish regulations and bureaucratic manipulation, and we are on that same radar. Now the ATA is the only thing that stands between them and us.
We have many vacant positions and holes in our organization and are in need of volunteers that are willing to be involved. If you would like to help we have lots of room for anyone wanting to help. The more help we can get the better our program can be and the easier it will be for all — as the old saying goes that lots of hands make for light work. As most of you may know the Southwest Fur Harvesters had to dissolve their club. The reason they had to close up shop was because they were unable to get the leadership they needed to go on, and if we don’t do something, we are faced with the same dilemma. WE NEED MEMBERS WHO will step forward to help. If we don’t get them, we are going to stumble and fall also.
We are the only voice in Arizona that speaks for the trapper and if we fail then we will lose all of the few rights we have left. We can see what happened in California and we are just next door. The writing on the wall tells us we will be next. We need to remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease and if we don’t make ourselves heard, we will dry up and that will be the end of trapping in AZ. So, right now the future of trapping in Arizona lies in our hands.
A few things to remember:
1. A trap in the ground is worth more than 100 traps in the truck.
2. If the animal is not there you won’t catch it.
3. If you should catch the animal and dispatch it, it will not there anymore. Nor is any of its increase.
4. If you catch all the animals out of an area then there won’t be any for next year.
Happy trapping and may the force be with you, and may the trapping god smile upon you.
Your President: Wayne Boring
Arkansas Trappers Association
President — Wayne Watson, 1482 Leesburg Ave., Springdale, AR 72764; 479-283-7004, president@arkansastrappers.org
Vice President — Danny Ross, 401 Japonica Lane, Hot Springs, AR 71901; 501-844-5091, drossscoutmaster@aol.com
Secretary/Treasurer — Karen Fuller, 7611 White Oak Road, Mulberry, AR 72947; 479-221-4416, secretary@arkansastrappers.org
NTA Director — Mike Fischer, 13823 Masoner Road, Lonsdale, AR 72087; 501-939-2325
Editor — Eric Kindsfater, 265 Sunny Gap Road, Conway, AR 72032, 501-730-8208, ekindsfater@gmail.com
Membership Options:
• Individual membership — $13
• Family membership — $18
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
ATA, Secretary/Treasurer
Karen Fuller, 7611 White Oak Road
Mulberry, AR 72947; 479-221-4416
EDITOR’S REPORT
The Arkansas Trappers Association is sad to report the passing of our Association President, Wayne Watson, during the overnight hours of 10-4-19 into 10-5-19. Wayne was passionate about the ATA and trapping in general, and his presence will be sorely missed. Please keep his wife and family in your prayers.
The 2019 ATA Workshop was held Oct. 25–27 at Camp Clear Fork, and as always, Aaron Hitchcock did a great job coordinating the event. Many thanks to the cooks, the instructors, and all the ‘behind-the-scenes’ workers. Weekends like this take a lot of planning and preparation to be successful, and the ATA is thankful for everyone who pitched in to make it a success. We also wish to thank the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Southwest Arkansas Fur Takers, and North American Fur Auctions for helping sponsor the event. Students received instructional DVDs andlures, courtesy of PCS Outdoors and Ouachita River Trading Post. Thank you, John Chagnon and Billy Dorris, for giving the students these resources! The Arkansas Trappers Association will have a booth at the Arkansas Big Buck Classic January 24–26, and we hope to see you there!
Until next time, Eric Kindsfater
California Trappers Association
President — John Clark, 907 Holmes Flat Rd., Redcrest, CA 95569; 707-722-4259
Vice President — James C. Schmerker Jr., 3345 Bixler Road #1806, Discovery Bay, CA 94505; 925-684-3855; animaldamagecontrol@netzero.com
— Rita Clark, 907 Holmes Flat Rd.
