President — Paul Kelley, P.O. Box 75, Hudson, IL 61748; phone: 309-726-1443; e-mail: pkelleyp@aol.com
Vice President — Mike Gragert, 511 South 5th St., New Douglas, IL 62074; phone: 618-637-9061; e-mail: gfur@madisontelco.com
Secretary — Dean Corgiat, 620 Clarksville Rd., Pittsfield, IL. 62363; phone: 217-285-4984; e-mail: dcorgiat@verizon.net
Treasurer — Timothy M. Kelley, 17458 Tice Rd., Petersburg, IL 62675; phone: 217-632-3521; e-mail: tmkelley69@warpnet.net
Membership Options:
• Individual membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
Complete membership application on first page of
association section and send dues to:
ITA, Treasurer
Tim Kelley, 17458 Tice Rd.
Petersburg, IL 62675
http://ilta.we.bs
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Folks,
It seems like time flies, only because of my failing to get something into last month’s issue, and here it is again. Much of the past month has been involved with the upcoming state convention. Monte Russell needs a BIG Thank You from all of us for all the extra effort he has expended with answering calls and securing the things needed for the convention site. I’m praying for a successful convention, and for the weather to cooperate. I myself have received more calls the past few days regarding the convention than in the past month. By the time you read this, everything will be history, but let’s hope for the best in recent years.
Our Illinois DNR is breathing life back into “Conservation Congress” that was abandoned by the past governor. The new Conservation Congress will be more of an online activity for most wishing to be involved. http://dnr.state.il.us/nrab/cc.htm is the link to the IDNR Conservation Congress. Check it out, register and make your comments. Two meeting of the Access committee have been conducted with the last one to be Oct. 14 in Bartlett. More as things transpire.
With the harvest being delayed to later planting, what will this do to your strategy with planning your line? Here in the central part of the state, many fields will still have crops in them, so canine and dry-land trapping will be impacted to a large degree. There is more water in our smaller streams than we’ve had in recent years, so most animals will be scattered about rather than congregated at larger water sources. Line management actually should have started the day last season ended.
Again, who knows where prices will fall to, and when they might recover, but to the die-hard trapper, we’ll be there for the enjoyment if not for profit.
Remember these dates: Jan. 9, 2010, Odell Community Bldg (Northern Fur Sale); Jan. 23, 2010 (Southern Fur Sale) Fairfield, IL. Save some of your fur and bring it to one of our ITA auctions.
This is a timely notification of next year’s convention location. Mark the first full weekend of October 2010 on your calendar, and the location of Carlinville, Ill. as the location for next year.
Time to go, best of luck with your line, and stay safe till next time.
— Paul Kelley
REGION 5 REPORT
As I write this, I have I just returned from our annual young trappers camp this last weekend. I think it was a learning experience for all.
We taught a trapper ed class and then we set some traps and showed some fur handling. The young people taught me some things too, but not about trapping. It seemed that most of them have never trapped or been on a trapline, but they liked outdoors and heard about the camp. One thing that really stuck out in my mind was one requirement was to bring a pair of rubber boots.
One young man only had his school shoes, but when it came to going in mud he had boots, so I asked him were he got them and he said another boy loaned them to him so I asked the other boy and he said he was taught to share and this other boy could not afford to buy any boots and he had none so I helped him he said. And then on Saturday night, they all decided to go on a snipe hunt.
First timers had a bag and a stick and the rest took them to the woods and told them beat the bushes and catch the snipe then all left. A few moments later, all came back to camp and the four or five first timers weren’t lost long because they stuck together as a team and came out. Sitting around the campfire, it was fun to hear them tell about it.
One boy said the “beep beep beeps” left us for dead, another one said, “They left too soon. We did not get to even see a snipe.” And then one said, “We almost caught one.” At no time were they in any danger as one of our younger instructors was with them. We set traps and ran them Sunday morning. We showed them sets and sign and one ’coon was caught and we released it unharmed. I talked with all the boys and girls and most said they were going to try to trap this season but if not they now know the facts about trapping.
As I said, I think we all learned something.
— Carroll Williams
