President — Robert Wilson, 21562 Pike 227, Eolia, MO 63344; phone: 573-485-7478
Vice President — Doren Miller, 26500 Pike 244, Clarksville, MO 63336; phone: 573-242-3319
Secretary — Troy Crooks,P.O. Box 92, Newburg , MO 65550; phone: 573-578-6532; e-mail: isaiah52_7@hotmail.com
Treasurer — Herb Binsbacher, 29535 Hwy. J, Gravois Mills, MO 65037; phone: 573-372-6711
Conservation Director — Arlon Held, 10075 Janes Creek Rd., Caledonia, MO 63631; phone: 573-766-1382
Delegate to NTA — Ron Pantry, Rt. 1 Box 87, Lancaster, MO 63548; phone: 660-457-2192
Delegate to FTA — Robert Wilson, 21562 Pike 227, Eolia, MO 63344; phone: 573-485-7478
Membership Options:
• Individual membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $25
• Lifetime membership with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $365
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
MTA Secretary
Troy Crooks
P.O. Box 92,Newburg , MO 65550;
phone: 573-578-6532; e-mail: isaiah52_7@hotmail.com
http://www.motrappers.org
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Greetings again from Pike County,
Well when you read this, the spring meeting will be history. Trapping season will be over. It’s time to scout for turkeys, get fishing gear ready and think about mushroom hunting, do some scouting for next trapping season. See what furbearers are left from past season. Maybe see some set placements and that you might have overlooked and even thought the animals were not there.
Districts will start having spring meetings. Fur takers and national Trappers conventions are coming up, time to plan for them. Gas is down somewhat, maybe we can afford to go to different convention. Check out our gear and make a list of supplies you need.
Take a kid hunting, fishing and trapping this year.
— Robert Wilson
FUR AUCTION REPORT
Well, another trapping season has come and gone and the final MTA fur auction is now only a memory. The prices pretty much stayed consistent throughout all three auctions and I felt that the prices were better than expected. No, the prices were not anywhere near what they were last season, but a lot has happened in the economy since last season. The economy is not only bad here in the United States, but the whole world especially in Europe and China, our main consumers of raw fur. But, I think that I can safely say that most of us are not in it for the money, but for the chance to get outdoors and enjoy matching wits with our important renewable natural resources.
I felt that all three auctions went very smoothly and we had a lot of buyers who attended. These auctions would not have been a success if it wasn’t for all the help of those who carried fur, clerked and those who took my place when I needed a break. I would like to thank Scott Breshears, Dan Hopke, Charles Smith, Jim Love, Ken Drenon, Jim Weberry, James Bruckerhoff, Clay Creech and Rick Friedrich for their help packing fur to the buyers. I would also like to thank Karl Rice and Charlie Brown for their help volunteering to clerk. Thank you to Charlie Gross and Al Bushman for their services auctioneering. A big thanks goes out to Paul and Elaine Webb for being there and stepping in to take Herbs place with our treasury duties. Also, thanks to George Harris at the Boone County Fairgrounds for being so good to us over the years.
After the Feb. 7 auction was over, the work wasn’t over. I would like to thank Rick Friedrich, Clay Creech, Sammie Stidham, Paul Webb, Karl Rice, Dale Pickett, Albert Hempel, Ron Pantry, Ed Twellman and Joe Twellman for their help of taking down the conveyor machine and loading it into the trailer. You guys saved many hours of getting out of there.
As I said last month, these auctions would no way have been possible if it wasn’t for the help of Rick Friedrich and his wife Sandy. They did all of the foot work into putting these auctions together. With the demands I have at the shop these days, what they have done wouldn’t have been done. Thanks a million.
The fur auction dates for 2010 have already been scheduled. We will be having two auctions next year. The first auction will be held on Jan. 23, 2010 and the second auction will be held on Feb. 6, 2010. We decided that two auctions will be sufficient since the first auction has had a small turnout over the years.
Here are the results of the Feb. 7 auction (listed by species, # of pelts, average, low and high):
BEAVER – DRY — 62, $15.78, $4.50, $26
BEAVER – WET — 102, $10.74, $4, $16
BOBCAT — 24, $23.83, $1, $41
COYOTE — 98, $7.99, $0.50, $19
GRAY FOX — 31, $17.10, $10.50, $23
MINK – FEMALE — 4, $8, $5, $10
MINK – MALE — 19, $7.28, $3, $10
MUSKRAT — 468, $3.53, $0.50, $4.75
OPOSSUM — 519, $2.04, $0.25, $4
OTTER – DRY — 4, $27, $27, $27
OTTER – WET — 14, $23.71, $14, $30
RACCOON – DRY — 1,887, $11.60, $0.50, $21.50
RACCOON – WET — 617, $ 6.50, $0.50, $14.50
RED FOX — 43, $11.28, $1, $17
SKUNK — 17, $4.07, $0.50, $5.75
— Robbie Page
MISSOURI MOUNTAIN MEN REPORT
I hope you had a great trapping season. My trapline was real short. I took a neighbor along one day. We didn’t catch anything that day, but we did get chased by a skunk!
Our members would love to hear stories of your trapline, and the kids you helped along. We love pictures too. Of course we need reports from officers, directors and committee chairmen. Please have your stories and reports to me (Rt. 1, Box 52, Eldridge, MO 65463, Ph. & FAX: 573-363-5213, e-mail: momtumen@sbcglobal.net) by April 25 for the Summer Missouri Mountain Men.
— Albert Hempel
DISTRICT 6 REPORT
Hey everyone. Well it’s the last day of February and it is snowing, calling for 3 inches to 5 inches of snow. By the time this report comes out, trapping season will be all but over. Time to clean and fix traps and put them away.
It’s time to start thinking about turkey season, crappie fishing, snagging and mushroom hunting. How are we going to get all this done? It is sure going to be rough, but Elain and I are going to do as much of it as we can.
My buddy Dale Verts and I had been talking about having a trapping clinic, here at the lakes for sometime. Dale took the incentive and got the ball rolling. We held it at Laurie Marine & Sporting Goods on Feb. 14. We had 59 people sign up. Dale’s wife, Candy, cooked a real good meal for all of us. It was a good clinic and everyone had a good time.
District 6 will have their spring meeting at the same place, Laurie Marine & Sporting Goods at Laurie, MO. We will start around 9:30 a.m. till ? More info to come.
God Bless.
— Paul Webb
