ASSOCIATION CONTACT — Arkansas Fur Trappers Association, P.O. Box 1681, Greenwood, AR 72936; 479-651-3597; arkansasfurtrappers@gmail.com
President — Brad McDaniel; 479-651-3597
Vice President — Greg Griffith; 479-774-1434
Secretary/Treasurer — Mark Alexander; 479-310-0692; arkansasfurtrappers@gmail.com
General Organizer — Donald Wilcox; 479-997-8559
Membership Options:
• Individual membership without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $10
• Individual membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $22
• Family membership without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $13
• Family membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $25
• Lifetime membership with plaque (without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller) — $100
• Commercial membership/sponsorship — Please contact an AFTA officer for pricing and information.
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
Arkansas Fur Trappers Association
P.O. Box 1681
Greenwood, AR 72936
SECRETARY/TREASURER’S REPORT
Are your nice clean traps mud-caked, stinky and in need of a car wash? Truck bed and fur shed look like a bomb went off in it yet? It’s a fine line between organized chaos and complete confusion, but if your stuff’s still clean and orderly, work on it a little OK, you’re making the rest of us look like slobs. OK, so maybe I’m a slob in the middle of season, keeps non-trapping friends and neighbors out of my stuff. Knock the big chunks off the traps at the car wash a couple times a season, but all that other stuff can wait til spring. Heck we only got 111 days and times a wastin’.
Great time of year to be running traps too with deer season going on, armed to the teeth with centerfire rifle for deer, rimfire pistol for furbearer and a pocket full of bullets. Sometimes it’s a little tricky trapping around deer hunters not familiar with trapping. “Look at this antique trap I found, someone just left it in the woods”. Use your own judgement, but usually if you’re hiding traps from people, you’re hiding them from the critters too. If you catch someone that honestly don’t know better, maybe they can be shown the error in their ways. If you catch a low-down trap thief, report it to the game warden, sheriff or anyone who’ll listen.
Some trappers prefer to wait until the deer hunters put their rifles away for the year and the forests and creeks calm down for winter. Bobcats aren’t fully primed until late December anyway and beaver trapping goes until the end of March so plenty of time to wear a guy out. To each his own, just do what you love as that’s really all that matters.
There’s not a lot of association business going on this time of year as everyone’s busy with trapping and hunting. Regular chapter meetings give everyone a chance to talk about their season, show off their catches, stock up on supplies and get in on the holiday potluck dinners.
We do want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Just can’t beat a little hunting, a little trapping and a big dinner with family and friends. I’m thinking November may just be the best month of them all.
Call, write or email if you have a question or comment. A membership form is in the news section and on our website, life members get a fantastic looking plaque with a live working trap and personalized nameplate, and we’ve got camo hats for sale with the AFTA logo if you drop your lucky hat in the creek this season.
I’ll be filthy and smell bad, but will see ya next month. — Mark Alexander
