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
EDITOR’S REPORT
The end of the season is near, with general land trapping season closing on February 28th here in Arkansas. Beaver, muskrat, nutria and coyote continue through the end of March. Besides just catch totals, lots of things go into the making of a great season. Catching a unique or oddball critter, spending time with family and friends, spending time alone with nature, becoming more efficient, all of these things and more can make a great and memorable season. For health and other reasons, there were a few ATA members that had to sit on the sidelines this year. Rest assured, we were thinking about ya and we caught a few extra for ya.
While reflecting on the past season, take a little time to reflect on the past history of ATA. Last months River Valley chapter meeting was spent cleaning out boxes of old ATA records. Nothing of any real significance, just receipts for things like telephone calls and t-shirt purchases, blank copies of fur sale slips, communications with pro-trapping organizations and miscellaneous paperwork that a past secretary or member had saved. What is of significance is the time and effort that good men and women put in many years ago to create an association that you can be a part of today. If you’re not an ATA member now, consider joining for the fellowship and to support the conservation of Arkansas furbearers now and into the future.
The annual ATA Fur Sale was held in Russellville on February 19th. A summary report will be in next month’s issue with the full report available on the ATA website sometime around the first week of March. A portion of the member-only fur sales go to support the ATA and fur sale expenses. If you weren’t able to make the sale or have more fur, North American Fur Auctions contributes a percentage of Arkansas fur sales back to the ATA. Sterlen Kirschman is the NAFA rep for Arkansas. The last receiving date for NAFA’s late spring auction is April 11, 2011. More info can be found on the NAFA website in the Wild Fur section or you can contact Sterlen at 501-760-7635.
Several chapters are organizing spring picnics and potlucks. The White River Toe Pinchers chapter is planning a spring potluck on May 7th at the river park in Batesville, starting about noon. The Toe Pinchers general meetings are from October to April on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Ozarka Community College in Melbourne. For more info about spring picnics and potlucks, contact your chapter representative or look for more details next month as dates and locations are finalized.
More studies have been done on the mass bird and fish deaths that occurred in Arkansas around the first of this year. Thousands of black birds found in Beebe died as a result of blunt force trauma which is believed to be caused by the birds flying into stationary objects like houses, trees, bridges, etc. What caused the birds to fly into objects is not known, some believe they may have been startled from the noise of New Years fireworks. It is not known what caused 83,000 dead drum fish in the Arkansas River near Ozark. Tests for parasites, bacteria and viral infection came back negative as the cause. Water samples were tested and came back as normal for the Arkansas River and live fish out of the river are safe to eat. The exact cause of these deaths and the exact amount of fish oil that could be made from 83,000 drum may never be known.
Has anyone seen a coon on a drag? I’ve been tracking that thing for weeks now. If you see my coon or have news or information about chapter events that you would like to see in next month’s report, hang up a drag at info@arkansastrappers.org or 479-310-0692.
— Mark Alexander
