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
Convention time is here! That means trapping season’s not far behind and I, for one, am ready for it! Our 34th annual convention will be held Sept. 11 and 12, 2009 at Petit Jean State Park near Morrillton, Arkansas. We’re at the big building next to the lake behind the Visitor Information/Gift Shop building.
We’ll open the building Friday afternoon for Vendor setup. Tailgaters can set up outside on Saturday morning. We’ll have a fish fry on Friday evening at 6 p.m. for those that are able to make it up on the mountain to join us. Our Board-Of-Directors meeting will be in the main building at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
We’ll open the building at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Be sure and sign in and get your door prize tickets. If you need to renew your membership or want to join our association, that’s a good time to do that as well. The first trapping demo should kick off around 9 a.m. and they’ll continue throughout the day. The ATA will furnish the meat for lunch. Please bring along your favorite side dishes, casseroles and/or deserts. Maybe some of the ladies will try out the recipes from our ATA cookbook!
After lunch, we have our General Membership meeting followed by our fundraising auction. If you have anything you can donate, please bring it along. It doesn’t have to be trapping related and all donations are appreciated. The money raised here allows us to continue having future conventions. The convention is a great time to stock up on trapping supplies for the upcoming season. There’ll be vendors with loads of traps, and snares, and lures, and supplies, and no shipping fees! Bring a list of what ya need, and they’ll fix ya up! There’ll be activities for the ladies and kids as well, so bring the whole family!
Don Wilcox will be in charge of the awards. Please get your nominations to him soon for Trapper of the Year, and Mr. and Mrs. Trapper. You can call him at 479-997-8759 with your nominations, or write to him at 9906 Booth Road, Mulberry, AR 72947.
Please get your nominations to him as early as possible! For lodging reservations, call Mather Lodge at 800-264-2462. For camping information/reservations, call 501-727-5441. For more info on Petit Jean State Park, check out their Web site @ http://www.petitjeanstatepark.com. For convention or workshop info, check out our Web site @ http://www.arkansastrappers.org. I hope to see everyone there!
The Workshop information is listed below. Please send in your reservations as early as you can. Space is limited, and we try to get as many new students as possible. If you’ve been before and would like to attend again, I suggest you bring some new people along with you. If you have any questions, give Wallace a call at the number listed below.
2009 Trapper Education Workshop
Check In: Starts at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
Check Out: 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009
Location: Camp Clearfork, US Forest Service Facility
(20 miles west of Hot Springs, Arkansas on US Hwy 270 W)
Land Trapping, Fur Marketing, Ethics and Safety, Water Trapping, Fur Handling, Snaring and much, much more
Lodging in Rustic Cabins and Meals are included in the cost
Camping facilities and motels are available nearby
Groups (Scouts, 4-H, etc) are welcome
Cost: Up to age 18 – $10, age 19 and over $20
Reservations must be received by Monday, Oct. 5.
For more information, call Wallace Funderburk at (870)867-2642
Make Reservations Early, Space is Limited!
Name: ________________________________
Age: ________
Address: ______________________________
City: _____________________State: ________
Zip: ____________
Phone: _________________________
Arrival: Fri PM ____ Sat AM _____
Have you previously attended an Arkansas Trappers Workshop? Yes / No
Will you be staying in cabins? Yes / No
Please list all names, ages and addresses in your group on a separate page
Mail reservations & a check or money order to:
Arkansas Trappers Workshop
c/o Wallace Funderburk
6409 Hwy 270 E
Mount Ida, Arkansas 71957
As I write this, Glenda’s packing the truck for our trip to the NTA’s 50th anniversary convention in Lima, Ohio. This ought to be a great one, and if I survive it, I’ll see y’all at Petit Jean in September!
— Gary Helms
EDITOR’S REPORT
We have experienced some moderation with the temperature for the last two weeks of July and it certainly feels good. Now if we can just make it through August, we will have the warmest behind us. After I have gotten older, the hot weather really works on me. I did construction work for about half my life, but the old body sure couldn’t handle very much of that now.
We have our fall convention fast approaching with the dates of 11-12 Sept. at Petit Jean State Park and let’s all try to make it. We always have a great time with great food, demos, and fellowship. The auction is a great fundraiser for the association and the more there the better. There are always plenty of vendors and tailgaters where one can pick up supplies and find bargains on used traps or make trades. The shaking hands and visiting with old friends, ranks high on my list at the convention.
There is another fall activity coming up, that being the Trapper’s Workshop. This is held at Camp Clearfork, a National Forrest facility located between Hot Springs and Mt Ida. Oct. 30-Nov. 1 is the dates for this. You may contact Wallace Funderburk for details. Ph 870-867-2642.
In case you would happen to be in our area in North-Central Arkansas on the fifth of September, the White River Toe Pinchers will be having their fall picnic at the City Park in Calico Rock. You are welcome to come and join us. The lunch is potluck with an auction following the meal. Not very much to write about this month so I will close for now.
— Bill Fields
