Association News
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
MARCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Good morning to all of the trapping community from AZ:
Feb. has slipped by and now the season for AZ has once again come to a close, and as we look back on our 2019-2020, there are for most of us things we wish that maybe we would have done different. Things like, I sure wish I would have spent a little more time in the field doing a little more preseason scouting, or maybe gave a little more TLC to that old trapping truck, or wished I would have gotten a few more stretchers, and a thousand and one other things I could have done to make this season go a little smoother. Well now is your chance, no more trying to beat the sun and spending the day digging in the dirt or the mud, whichever you are doing. However, you may still have some in the freezer that you didn’t have time to put up during the season and you may still have some cats that need to be tagged to get ready for market. Don’t know if you caught it or not, but the state (Arizona) has given us till the end of March to tag our cats. Thank you AZ. By the time this is published most of the state associations will have had their fur sales. We here in AZ will have our sale on the 14th, so it will be over by the time this goes to print. Our 2020 sale will have be held in Williams, AZ, at the skate park at 310 Railroad Ave. I will post the results in the next issue.
There are a couple of matters I would like to call to your attention. As I am sure most of you are aware of the things that are going on in the states around us, trapping is dead in California. Utah has a six-cat bag limit. I have been told that Nevada wants no out-of-state trappers. I understand New Mexico is also having some issues. All of these problems are adding a heavy nonresident trapper population to our state. Anyone can buy a nonresident trapping license and catch all the cats they can catch. I can’t help but wonder how long this can go on till it starts impacting our fur population to the point that it will be necessary to put a limit on our fur harvest. There has been a rumor going around that our G&F in the near future will be putting a limit on our bobcats. I was able to get in contact with April (our fur biologist for the G&F), and she assured me that at this time there is no such plan, and they are doing even more studies to monitor our cat population. It is very important that we lock arms with the G&F and do what we can to help conserve the fur population, and our right to harvest it. What do you think? It is good to be a good neighbor — but that works both ways.
Happy trapping and may the force be with you and, may the Trapping God smile upon you.
Your President: Wayne Boring
MAY PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Good Morning to all of the trapping community From Az.:
Here we are now, March has marched on by and we’re now in the month of May, and it feels like summer has arrived. I sit here this morning thinking over the past year, and I ask myself what can we do to make next year a better year, and as I do that I can’t help but let my mind focus on the past and consider the changes that have overtaken our world in the past 50 or so years. If you just look at our industry (Trapping), it wasn’t too many years ago that those who considered themselves as trappers were pure, Free Spirit people. You weren’t even required to have a license and you were free to do and go as you pleased in the great outdoors. This usually attracted a person who didn’t really need to have a crowd around and was more of a private type, their attitude was more of a private nature (you don’t bother me and I won’t bother you), and weren’t really the type of people who would meddle in other folks’ business, or got involved in politics or were very big on joining clubs and associations.
That was yesterday, and those days are gone. Today, our environment has changed and has been taken over by the bureaucrats. That means if we are to maintain any of the few rights we have left, we must protect and maintain them. We can’t do that all by ourselves because our world has gotten so large and complex that one man’s opinion doesn’t carry much weight. So that makes it necessary for us to move out of our comfort zone and unite our voices with others that have the same value as we have, and if we all stick together then we may have a chance to keep what few rights we have left. We live in times that are ever changing and are moving so fast that it is impossible to keep up with everything that’s going on (technology, legality, environmentalists, bureaucracy and at least 100 other different groups or clubs that wish we would go away). If we don’t stand together they will have their way and those that come after us will read about the way we choose to live in the history books.
It is time to start thinking about our convention. We had a directors meeting at our fur sale, and it was decided to have our convention/fur sale all at the same time next spring because of the uncertainty of present conditions. It was decided not to have our convention this summer. So I guess we will plan to meet next spring in March.
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. You can now visit that site at arizonatrappersassociation.com. Check it out, there are a lot of good things going on at that place. It has already boosted our membership, and it has become a source of communicating with our members like never before. I think you will like it, feel free to comment.
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 bureaucracy manipulation, and we are on that same radar. And now the ATA is the only thing that stands between them and us. We know and 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, just like the old saying 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 is 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 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, that will be the end to 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 him, he is not there anymore. Nor are any of its increase.
4. If you catch all the animals out of an area then there won’t be any for next year.
5. If you don’t speak up you will not be heard.
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 and lures, 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
Membership Secretary — Rita Clark, 907 Holmes Flat Rd. Redcrest, CA 95569; 707-722-4259
Secretary — Leona Hencratt; 530-547-3240
Treasurer — John Clark, 907 Holmes Flat Rd. Redcrest, CA 95569
MARCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Hello Trappers,
It has been awhile trying to get this letter out and I have put it out I don’t know how many times and it comes back that I did something wrong. Misspelled words or wrong email address. I get up in mean thinking and give up then try again. Well, things out here in this state are getting bad, as there are some people in the southern part that don’t have a good idea what they are talking about or what they are doing. They passed a bill that says we can not sell fur or make anything out of fur after 2023. It was written by Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego. She had Gov. Gavin Newsom sign the bill and I have been told there was no public hearing on it.
Talk about rabies going up in wildlife. A lot of people are bitten every year and it will
