Arkansas Trappers Association August 2010 Report

President — Gary Helms, 1092 Vanderbilt Rd., Texarkana, AR 71854; phone: 870-772-3834; e-mail: Arkansastrappers@aol.com

Vice President — Aaron Hitchcock, 9331 Sister Ln., Mulberry, AR 72947; phone: 479-997-8401

Secretary/Treasurer — Karen Davis, 1350 Hwy 70 E, DeQueen, AR 71832; phone: 870-642-3674

NTA Director — Mike Fischer, 13823 Masoner Rd., Lonsdale, AR 72087; phone: 501-939-2325

Editor — Bill Fields, 543 Riverbend Rd., Mammoth Spring, AR 72554; phone: 870-625-7457; e-mail: bcfields@ortrackm.missouri.org

Membership Options:

• Individual membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• Family membership with subscription — $25

Complete membership application on first page of
association section and send dues to:

ATA, Secretary/Treasurer
Karen Davis
1350 Hwy 70 E, DeQueen, AR 71832

www.arkansastrappers.org

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

It’s convention time again!!! Hopefully, as you read this, the temperatures are beginning to cool off some. It’s July 30th, as I write this report, and it’s HOT! This is an open invitation to anyone reading this, to attend our 35th annual convention at Petit Jean State Park, September 10th and 11th, 2010. This is a family oriented event, so pack up the whole bunch and join us up on the mountain!

We’ll kick things off with a fish fry on Friday evening around 6 p.m. at the big building on the lake, right behind the visitor’s center. There’ll be a demo or two that evening, and the Board-Of-Directors meeting will start at 7:30. We’ll open the building at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Be sure and go by the secretary’s table to sign in and register for door prizes. There will be several demos throughout the day with the first one beginning at 9 a.m. There will also be activities for the kids and ladies. There will be several trap supply dealers on hand and plenty of room outside for tailgaters to set up. Bring along a list of the supplies you need, and save on shipping costs. The Association will provide hams for lunch. We ask everyone to please bring your favorite side dishes and deserts to go along with the meal. I believe our group has some of the best cooks in the State, and they always come through with some amazing side dishes and deserts.

Our General Membership meeting follows lunch, then we have our fundraising auction right afterwards. If you can, please bring along an item to donate for our auction. It doesn’t have to be trapping related, and anything you can donate will be appreciated. We had some great people that hung around last year to help with the clean up at the end of the convention. I’m counting on some more volunteers this year. The more that pitch in and help, the easier it is on all of us. I’ve heard that Mather Lodge is booked and so are the cabins. If you don’t want to camp, then check the hotels in nearby Morrilton. For further information, check out our website at www.arkansastrappers.org or call Gary Gray at 870-246-3229 or Charlie Bass at 870-612-5347. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there this year! Please drive safely, and we’ll see ya at Petit Jean!

— Gary Helms

EDITOR’S REPORT

We are winding down the month of July and that means that the 2010 trapping season will be getting fired up in just a bit over three months. By that time, the mid-term elections will be over and it is my hope that a few of the crooks in Washington will be sent home. You may think that your vote won’t count, but you are wrong. Help me out. Get out there and vote. It is more important now than any time in our lifetime. Please vote in November. At this time, we are heading toward destruction for our country and we desperately need to turn things around before it’s too late.

From all that I have read, I firmly believe that the fur prices will continue to advance, perhaps not a lot but somewhat none the less. Do not pass up the chance to catch a muskrat. At the last sale, I had 129 on the auction block and received over $1,000 for them. That is one heck of a price for those few ’rats. The water levels in our streams and lakes have remained stable so far this summer and that in itself should keep the populations of water-oriented animals in good shape. I just returned from a trip to Waldron for a family reunion. I saw several ’coons and a couple of foxes that had been ran over. Most of the ’coons were young of the year so there seems to be a good population out there. During the hot days of summer, I find myself daydreaming a lot, planning and looking forward to the season coming up. I am going to try to take a few extra ’cats this next season. I usually don’t cover enough ground to be very successful at catching them in numbers. I saw quite a bit of sign in turkey season in an area that I just might try. I may have to camp out a few nights in order to work the area.

Please keep in mind that our Convention will be held Sept.10-11 at Petit Jean State Park. Try to be there if you can. There are always enough vendors and tailgaters there to pick up all the supplies that you will need for the upcoming season plus renew old friendships and swap a few trapping stories.

Don Wilcox needs nominations for Trapper Of The Year and also Mr. and Mrs. Trapper Of The Year. Contact him at 479-997-8559.

Our Annual Trapper’s Education Workshop will be on Oct. 29-31 at Camp Clearfork. Deadline for registration is Oct.15 The Presidents report will have more info on these upcoming events. All for now.

— Bill Fields

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