New York State Trappers Association June-July 2009

President — David Leibig, 1375 Warren Rd., Delhi, NY 13753; phone: 607-829-6813; e-mail: beavertrapper64@yahoo.com

Vice President — William Ballou, 4 Noth Street, Camden, NY 13316; phone: 315-245-0960

Secretary/Treasurer — Dale Gamba, 12320 Pople Rd., Cato, NY 13033; phone: 315-626-3710; e-mail: minkman@frontiernet.net

Recording Secretary — Ed Hogan, 1900 SR 48, Fulton, NY 13069; phone: 315-593-2196

NYSTA Newsletter Editor — Angie Berchielli, 3861 SR 85, Westerlo, NY 12193; phone: 518-797-3747

NTA Director — Jim Carmody, 237 Fonda Rd., Waterford, NY 12188; phone: 518-237-3071

FTA Delegate — Ray Van Hoesen, Rt. 3. Box 259, Red Hook, NY 12571; phone: 845-758-2453

Executive Director — David Miller 11311 Gay Rd., Prattsburg, NY 14873; phone: 607-522-4707; e-mail: guarddn@empireaccess.net

Membership Options:
• Individual membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• 3-year individual with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $50
• Family membership with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $22
• 3-year family with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $56
• Senior life member (65 or older) — $100

Complete membership application on first page of
association section and send dues to:
NYSTA, Secretary/Treasurer
Dale Gamba
12320 Pople Rd., Cato, NY 13033
http://www.nystrappers.org

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Greetings NYSTA Members,

I first want to thank all of you for your support and the trust that you have bestowed in not only myself, but in all of the officers and directors of the New York State Trappers Association. It is a great honor and privilege to be entrusted to serve as a leader of this organization that has so diligently represented and defended trapping in this state for so many, many years. With this honor and privilege comes a tremendous responsibility not to be taken lightly. We are dedicated to the protection and preservation of the privilege to trap in NY for not only now, but for future generations as well. Sometimes, as in the very recent past, we are forced to make decisions that are not always popular but are absolutely necessary to our survival as trappers. Without NYSTA and the support we get from the NYSDEC Furbearer Management Team, I truly believe we would not be trapping in NY today.

Our first Annual Spring Membership Conference held at the Gander Mountain Lodge in Henrietta, NY was a huge success. I extend my sincere gratitude to our executive director, Dave Miller, for doing such a fine job of organizing this event. Thank you to all who attended and especially to the guest speakers for their valued and interesting presentations. There were lots of questions, comments and dialog throughout the presentations as well as during the membership meeting itself. That is proof enough for me that this was a successful and informative event for all who attended. Next year’s conference will be held in a different region of the state as NYSTA is striving to bring opportunity for involvement in your organization to its members. A different region will host this conference every year. I believe we will see this event continue to grow. I hope all of our members will take the opportunity to attend as many of these as possible.

NYSTA’s JTI Committee has been working closely with NYSDEC’s Furbearer Management Team for about two years on some regulation changes that will benefit trapping and trappers. These are positive and helpful changes. Although we had high hopes of seeing the entire package of changes implemented for the upcoming 2009-2010 season, that just wasn’t possible. We have been assured that some of the changes will be implemented this season with the balance to follow for 2010-2011. As I said, this has been a joint, cooperative effort. I applaud both the JTI Committee and the FMT for all of the hours of hard work that went into making these changes. I recently spoke with Andy MacDuff, co-chair of the FMT. We are both very pleased that NYSTA and DEC have been able to work together to bring about these changes. I assured Andy that we will continue to work closely with them on items of interest and concern to trappers. Several of the FMT members are trappers themselves, Andy included. It sure is reassuring and appreciated to be able to discuss trapping related issues with those within DEC who themselves trap and even those who do not trap yet are so supportive of trappers and trapping in NY.

The New York State Trappers Association is YOUR organization. It belongs to NY’s trapping membership. Your new vice president, Wayne Jones, and I are determined to work with the officers and members of NYSTA to achieve what we believe are some very important goals. Such things as increased membership, better representation within the organization, more effective communication, joint cooperation and support between NYSTA and other sportsman’s groups, effective fundraising campaigns, proactive efforts to educate others about what we do and why trapping is necessary to properly manage furbearer populations and the continued efforts of working jointly with the NYSDEC to improve trapping laws, regulations and opportunities are just a few of those goals.

In order to realize any of these goals, we first need to fill the many county representative position vacancies so that trappers across all of NY are properly represented. At last count, I believe there were nearly 30 vacant county rep positions! We are currently looking for volunteers to fill these positions. We need people who are able to commit the time, energy and resources necessary to promote both NYSTA’s growth in their counties and two way communication between local trappers and the NYSTA Board of Directors.

This is the only way to achieve full representation at the state level. I will also be asking that ALL regional directors please try to attend ALL quarterly NYSTA BOD meetings unless an emergency arises as provided for in the new bylaws. The new bylaws also ask that any director notify the president at least 24 hours in advance of any board meeting you are unable to attend the meeting, as well as providing for our ability to replace a regional director if he/she is unable to fulfill their commitment and responsibility to attend those meetings as required. This is necessary not only to ensure that trappers of all regions are properly represented but also so that NYSTA can legally and properly conduct the business of the Association at each of the quarterly BOD meetings.

Although not required of them, I would like to see more county reps attending the BOD meetings as well. Wayne is presently working on a NYSTA Calendar of Events. We will setting the BOD meeting dates for two to three years in advance. We hope that this will help everyone better plan so as to avoid conflicts and hopefully much of the absenteeism we have seen at some of the past BOD meetings. For many, it is a long drive to Frankfort to attend these meetings. At times it is disappointing, discouraging and unproductive for those who do attend when we find out that we do not have a quorum and therefore cannot conduct any business that requires voting. I only ask that all directors please do their best to abide by the rules set forth in the bylaws and please attend all quarterly BOD meetings.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome A.J. Pachucinski of Collins, NY as NYSTA’s new Erie County representative. I have complete trust in AJ’s ambition and ability to work very hard for the trappers of Erie County and all of NY. Please feel free to contact AJ at 716-532-5233 or by e-mail at apachucins@aol.com. If anyone else is willing to step up to the plate and become involved in NYSTA as a county rep for our county, please contact me. If there is a vacancy in your county and you meet the eligibility requirements we need you!

As I write this, I have just found out that our “Trap Tag Bill,” which would allow trappers to use their permanently assigned NYS Trapping License number on their trap tags in lieu of their name and address, is on this weeks agenda of the NYS Senate EnCon Committee. Let’s hope this bill passes this time around.

Wayne and I have issued a challenge to all members of NYSTA to sign up at least one new member. This is a very simple way to double our membership and our strength quickly. It has never ceased to amaze me that less than 20 percent of the licensed trappers in NY are members of the only organization in this state solely dedicated to the preservation of trapping. I sincerely wish I knew why the other 80 percent refuse to help support our efforts.

Out of respect for our predecessors and true wildlife conservation, we have a commitment to pave the way and secure the future of the generations of trappers yet to follow passionately in our footsteps enjoying the pursuit of our wild furbearers. Your NYSTA is a very strong, committed and respected organization dedicated to the preservation of our trapping opportunities. With your help we can make it even stronger, more dedicated and respected at all levels. I respectfully invite all trappers to join with us in that endeavor.

Thank You!

— John Rockwood

REGION 5S REPORT

Hi, my name is Brandon Hemmerich and I’m the new NYSTA Region 5S director. I’m 27 years old and have trapped in five different states. I truly enjoy all aspects of trapping, but really get a kick out of chasing fishers and ‘cats. I’m a four-term president of the Fulton-Montgomery Fur Harvesters. I’d like to thank Frank Farrar for doing a great job as a director for the past several years; as well as those who have preceded him in this position. Enjoy your retirement, Frank!

Thanks to Dave Leibig for appointing me as interim director; and I look forward to working with new President John Rockwood, new Vice President Wayne Jones, and the rest of the NYSTA. In accordance with the new bylaws, the Region 5S Director’s position will be up for election next year in 2010. We’ll be putting together an election committee at the appropriate time and will be looking for nominations. One of my goals in the meantime is to try to get together an e-mail and phone number list of all trappers in Region 5S. In a region that is so large, it will allow me to easily keep in touch with everyone. Below is my contact information, please get in touch with me if you’d like to be added to the list. We are also in need of a Hamilton County Representative.

If any trapper is interested in this position, please contact me as well. I’m a trapper to the core and look forward to keeping it alive and well here in the Empire State for decades to come. Feel free to call/e-mail me anytime with your input, ideas, etc.

Thanks

Brandon Hemmerich
10 W State Street
Dolgeville, NY 13329
atgs4you@hotmail.com
518-774-7242

The First Annual NYSTA Spring Membership meeting was held on April 11 at the Gander Mountain in Rochester, NY. For the inaugural edition of this event, I think it went very well.

Guest speakers included Heather Van Den Berg (with Cornell University), Lou and Angie Berchelli and Gordon Batcheller (head furbearer biologist NYSDEC). Heather is currently working on a joint study between DEC and Cornell regarding conflicts between dog owners and trappers/waterfowl hunters. After hearing her speak at this meeting (as well as the NYSTA BOD meeting in March) and reading all the information, I’m confident that this study can have a positive affect on trappers.

Lou and Angie gave a photo-filled presentation on the effective use of #160 bodygrippers on the ground when trapping fishers and raccoons. It was good to see trappers adapt to new restrictions and be successful. Gordon gave a candid talk regarding the state of furbearer management here in New York, as well as some excellent insight into the BMP process that has been ongoing for the past 10 years. For those of you not familiar with the Best Management Practices, visit http://www.fishwildlife.org/furbearer_resources.html. There is a wealth of information here regarding the traps tested and protocol used to develop these documents showing that furbearers can be efficiently and humanely held using the traps we have available today.

We also had a legislative update from our executive director, Dave Miller. Currently, there are bills introduced in both the State Senate and Assembly that are PRO TRAPPING. Bills A05956/S02622 would allow trappers to use an ID number in place of their name and address on trap tags. Bills A06089/S03542 would allow cable restraints to be used as legal trapping methods. Both of these items would be extremely beneficial to all trappers of NY. PLEASE contact your assemblyman and senator to let them know that you are in favor of both of these bills. We need to be more proactive in letting our representatives know how the trappers of NY feel. If anyone needs the contact information for the Senate/Assembly, it can be found on the Internet at http://www.senate.state.ny.us and http://assembly.state.ny.us/ OR you can contact me. for it.

We also had the installation of the new president and vice president at the Spring Meeting. President Rockwood and Vice-President Jones took the oath of office and addressed the audience.

One of their main points was that we as an organization need more members. I couldn’t agree more. With over 10,000 trappers here in NY, it is a crying shame that our association only has about 1,700 members. Hopefully, we can increase these membership numbers in the future. I have great confidence that John and Wayne will do an excellent job in their new positions.
I just returned home from the 2009 NYSTA convention Committee meeting. The convention will run from Thursday, Sept. 3 to Saturday, Sept. 5 this year. This should be a good show, as always.
Respectfully Submitted.

— Brandon Hemmerich

CATTARAUGUS COUNTY REPORT

APRIL

The regular meeting of the Cattaraugus Co. Trappers Association was held on April 16 at the Catt. Co. Cooperative Extension building. After the minutes and treasurers report were given, Andy passed out the envelopes with the information and forms for getting business ads for our Sportsman Show. We discussed more ideas for demos for our show and also finalized the prizes for the raffle. David Allen gave his report on the spring meeting of the New York State Trappers Association held in Rochester at the Gander Mt. store. Information on different topics was presented and available. Of special interest was information on the BMPs and what traps were deemed best for the animals. We may be trappers, but I think most are concerned with animal welfare and trapping humanely. The meeting was well attended and informative. Next year’s spring meeting will be held somewhere else so others can more easily attend. Derwood Say gave the CANY news report.

Next meeting is May 21 at the Catt. Co. Coop. Ext. building in Ellicottville. Anyone wishing to join can call John at 716-557-2523.

— David Allen

MARCH

The regular meeting of the Catt. Co. Trappers Association was held at the Catt. Co. extension building as usual. The minutes were corrected and approved. The fur auction report showed the fur take to be way down due to bad weather conditions this season. This, plus the fact that is was 20 below zero on the day of our auction, contributed to a much smaller amount of fur than usual.

The club made no money at the auction, but this is not a fundraiser but a service for the trappers by providing them with a place to sell their fur. Fur prices were down some as expected, but only one lot was withdrawn from the table. High fur prices were as follows: Beaver — $33, Muskrat — $4.70, Red fox — $21, Gray fox — $24, Raccoon – $20, Mink — $13.50, Coyote — $21.
One trapper from another state brought in a bobcat to be tagged. This was of much interest as our ’cat population is increasing but as yet there is no season for them.

We donated $100 to the Westfall Region 9 archery camp to help teach archery to kids. We also donated $100 to the Envirathon as we do every year. We paid $100 to the Catt. Catt. Co. Fair for an ad in their book for our Sportsman show. We also received a Certificate of Appreciation for the DEC for helping to send kids to the DEC camp every year.

The DEC has decided to extend the beaver season in Northwestern New York this spring. It seems odd that they didn’t include all of western New York as the weather was bad here also. The DEC is planning to increase the price of all licenses this year. Trapping licenses would go from $16 to $21. There was some talk that many people will not think it is worth it and give up hunting and trapping and therefore reduce the money available to the DEC. We shall see.

Andy gave his report on the state trappers meeting and said that things look good so far with the state.

Discussion of our sportsman show brought up some possibilities for new demos like goose hunting and dog handling. Also a possibility for a mountain man rendezvous at the show. Discussed getting prizes for our raffle. Will try to get a gun from Trapper Dan again.
Anyone wishing to join should call John at 557-2523. Meetings are the third Thursday every month but December.

— David L. Allen

CORTLAND COUNTY REPORT

MARCH

President Bill Howe called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m., March 15, 2009.
There were 13 members present.

Les Wedge won the 50/50 and Dale Beckwith won the shirt donated by John Hahn.
President’s list:

Bill has honey sticks and honey bears for us to sell at the Maple Festival. Harvey Gardinier has donated the honey bears for our use. Thank you Harvey.

I haven’t quite figured this out, but Rich Palmer donated $25 to the Club for the coyote that Butch Jenks donated. Seems the coyote went bad before its time. So I guess Butch and Rich donated to the Club. Thanks to both (I think).

Bill read letter from Wayne Jones looking for donations for the upcoming “Rondy.” Club will take full-page ad in Rondy brochure. We will advertise the Rendezvous and our Club info on the page. Motion to give 10 of our raffle tickets to NYSTA for their use at the Rondy. Carried. Bill also has tickets for the Madison County FNRA raffle. Seems like the air is full of raffles. Al Lafrance has put together a booklet with the history of the IFH. Bill has a copy for the club library. Nice job, Al.

Bill reported on fur auction in Pompey. Prices down. Bill had 11 coyotes, but refused to sell them. Motion by John Slocum, 2nd by Butch Jenks that the club purchase five coyote furs from Mr. Howe for the Maple Festival. Motion carried.

Shirley and Bill checked the Trapper Shack. Pretty good shape. Still have hay bales from last year. We will order more gun raffle tickets from Price Chopper. Joan will handle it. (500)
Treasurer’s report was accepted as read.

Minutes were accepted as corrected. Correction was that Richard Beckwith volunteered to serve on the Scholarship Committee not Richard Palmer. Art asked about Cornell survey received in the mail about trapping and dogs. Discussion indicated that maybe the survey isn’t what it seems. Art also discussed the proposed license fee increase and the new DEC wetlands take over.
Round Table:

Shirley Howe reported that Lee Stockton would miss the Maple Festival. He is still on the mend.
Bud Woodfield reported on his opposition to the license fee increase. During his time on the CFAB, they had proposed a 1/10 of 1% tax on sporting related purchases that would have kept the Conservation Fund solvent for years. Never could convince the powers that be.

Les Wedge reported that he has been getting new addresses of members that over the years had drifted away and the club had lost contact with.

Hugh McDonald will bring the food next month. He also asked about the Pheasant Farm closing. Discussion followed.

Butch Jenks noted that he would get the furs back by the end of the month.

Richard Beckwith noted that we should be proud of the amount of cooperation and help that the members of this Club give when needed.

Motion to adjourn carried at 7:15 p.m.

APRIL

The meeting was called to order by President Bill Howe at 5:10 p.m., April 19, 2009.
Fourteen members and one guest were present.

The President turned the meeting over to our guest, Heather A. Van Den Berg, a Graduate Research Assistant from Cornell University. Les Wedge invited her to answer any and all questions we have about the survey “Sharing Public Lands: Dogs and Wildlife Trapping.”

Much discussion ensued and Heather was complimented on her knowledge of the subject and her willingness to answer all of our questions. Whether you liked the answers or not depended on your point of view. It is still your option to return the survey or not.

Rich Beckwith questioned the validity of the survey since everyone did not get a copy. Heather will get a copy to Rich.

Les Wedge won the 50/50. Lee Stockton won the door prize donated by Marie Shea.
We just might get a demo from Greg Schmidt in May if he can make the meeting.

The Trapper Training course held in Nedrow drew 16 students, one all the way from Long Island.
Bill thanked all who helped out at the Maple Festival. It turned out to be a successful
Event again. Club had to purchase more raffle tickets. We ran out before our P&C order came in.
We will purchase a full page add in the States Fur Rondy, coming up in July.

Rich Beckwith will send a gift subscription to “Fur Fish and Game” magazine to the new member signed up at the Festival. Nice incentive. Thank you Rich.

Bill Howe explained PVC monofilament trash catcher that the New York Bowhunters are making to install at various fishing spots. Motion made by R Beckwith, 2nd by Art that we send $50 to Jeff Stewart to build one in our name. It should be installed at Casterline Pond in time for the upcoming kid’s fishing derby.

The President and Shirley have been stocking fish and explained where and how many. More are on the way.

More discussion on the Maple Festival. The covers worked out very well as opposed to the tarp. The President thought we should pay for them, but Richard and Dale Beckwith donated them to the Club in the name of their father, Wendell, a long-time member of this association. Thank you both.

Bill Howe brought two cubbies built for use with the new #220 regulations. Bill has one that can catch a double header.

Treasurer’s report was accepted as given.

Minutes were accepted as written. Art thanked Club for get well card and noted that he is on the mend.

Round table”:

Les Wedge noted that he has not received any applications for our scholarship award yet.
Discussion resulted in the agreement that we would expand the number of schools we send applications to.

Bud Woodfield discussed the stocking program and how the methods have changed.
Lee Stockton also noted he is on the mend and thanked Club for their thoughts and well wishes. Looks like we are all beat up here, Shirley, Lee, Bud and Art just to mention a few of our walking wounded.

Rich Beckwith once again noted how this Club gets the turn out it needs when attending an event. Members should be proud of themselves and give each other a pat on the back.

John Slocum discussed Festival turn out. He thanked all, especially Bill and Shirley.

John S or Hugh M will bring food for May.

Discussion on tanning prices for furs and the furs we have on hand.

Motion to adjourn carried.

Respectfully submitted:

— Art Manz

EERIE COUNTY REPORT

At the Federation Awards Banquet, our club was honored with “Club of the Year” Award. We received a plaque that we can display at future booth set ups. Thanks to Rich and Patti for writing the submission letter. We will have copies of the letter at the meetings if anyone is interested. It gives a good summary of all our clubs accomplishments. Also at the banquet, Rich received his Trapper of the Year Award and Aurora received her special Club Dog Mascot award. Patti received the Federations Valerie Gonello Sportswoman of the Year. Our club’s donation of a raccoon fur headband for the silent auction was much appreciated. It was a busy night at the podium for the trappers and a nice time for all.

Furbearer biologists from D.E.C. came to our last meeting to give us the latest information concerning trapping. Ken Baginski and Anne Oyer did a nice job of answering many of our questions. They talked about the beaver extension for this year and a possible lengthening of next year’s season. Ken said too many beavers are taken on permits and that they want to open more trapping opportunities for trappers. The harvest data is higher for permits than the short two-week season harvest.

Current pan tensioning device on #330s might be lifted, but the trigger placement seems to be here to stay. Rick went over the letters that he and Jim Comstock wrote back in December 2006 and sent to D.E.C. as well as the NYSTA about consideration of two kinds of “otter friendly” sets that should be exempt from the trigger modifications, the lured bodygripping traps in open water (castor mound), and the baited traps through the ice sets. We asked about a 48-hour check on water sets, with no news on that. As far as cable restraints, the proposal is out and backed by many key people in the department, mentioning that surrounding states allow them and that they would be very effective on coyotes. There was talk about the otter program with some suggestion that they seem to be reproducing in some areas.

So far, the only sampling is tracks, accidental catches and road kills. Please report any observations of otters, fishers and bobcats to the D.E.C. at 716-372-0645 or e-mail ksbagins@gw.dec.state.ny.us. Diana C. mentioned there has been some fisher sightings in East Otto. With the #220’s, Ken and Anne had not heard of any dog catches but there was a small bear cub caught in a #220.

If interested, call D.E.C. for the upcoming nuisance trapping exam in Buffalo in June. Thanks to the 14 members who showed up for the meeting. We will try to invite Ken and Anne back yearly or when the need arises.

We had a great show at the Expo, thanks to the members who helped out including six kids.
It was nice to get so much positive feedback from the show promoters and the show goers as well. Passed out lots of fur pieces to the kids who played our fur game, sold some fur pelts and tails and our beautiful raccoon fur headband raffle brought in 69 tickets. Here is a list of renewals: Rich Lazarczyk, Jason Tadt, Harrold Leggett, Eric Buck. We added a new junior member, Ben Waleszczak (one of our DEC campers).

The April 11 class at S&S added 30 new trappers to our ranks, many being kids. Our Herb Eble award application was passed out. Next classes are at Elma, July 22 and 25, 681-5690 (no calls before July 1), Delevan at the Griz Shop, Sept. 19 492-0432, West Falls Sept. 26 662-5657.

We received our confirmation for camper Travis McNichol and as a last-minute surprise, we were chosen by the Federation to sponsor one of our kids. Next on our list was Joshua Walczyk. Congratulations boys and hope you both have fun at Camp Rushford this summer.
Please return videos and renew your memberships. THANKS!

We had 18 members present at our April meeting, including new members Ed Tutuska and Ed Wiedl. Both met us at the Expo in March and wanted to join our club. We look forward to their input and hope they sign up for lots of activities.

Elections were held and we now have a new VP. Congratulations to John Stanley. John has been a very active member for many years and we are looking forward to having him as our vice president. Patti Wattengel stands as secretary/treasurer and Rick Wattengel is president. We wish to thank former VP, Mark Kubiczek, for his help.

Elma Conservation is hosting their annual Jake’s Day on June 6, and we are looking for some volunteers to help teach kids about trapping. Call Frank at 716-681-5690 for more information. We also have been asked to give a presentation on trapping for an environmental conservation teacher and his class at McKinley high school in Buffalo. We will talk about it at our next meeting. We also got an invite to attend a boy scout meeting in Eden. The scout and his dad will attend our may meeting to give out the details.

Once again, we will need volunteers to set up at the 15th annual D.E.C. Youth Archery Camp. The camp dates are July 31-Aug. 2. It will be held at West Falls Conservation Club. Applicants between the ages of 12-15 will need to submit a short essay with an application. E-mail Jerry at j_lewandowski@msn.com or call 716-655-9131. If you know of any kids that would be interested, let them know. The deadline is May 24. As far as our group helping out, we usually go on Saturday, so let us know if you will be available to help. This is an educational program with hands on training and the chance to earn the NYS Bowhunter Education Certificate. Don’t wait, check it out. We will have a few applications at the meeting.

Mark your calendars for Sat. June 20, 2 p.m.! The Wattengel’s will be hosting our summer picnic at 12580 Jennings Rd., Lawtons 14090, 716-337-2556. Please bring the family along, there is lots of space for them to run around. We ask you to bring a dish to pass and your own beverages. You can also bring something for the grill if you wish. Hope to see you all there. Come out and share the fun. We might even have a surprise guest or two! Remember, this picnic takes the place of our regular meeting.

Rick mentioned a letter from Wayne Jones from NY Trapper Forum. The fifth annual Summer Fur Rondy is July 10 and 11 in Fenner NY. The entire event is free, even primitive camping and dealers as well as tailgaters. If anyone is interested, call 315-768-8115. The Web site is www.nytrappers.org.

We still have some nice club hats for sale for $10. We will have them at the meetings. We ask that you pre-pay for your orders. Wearing our club shirts and hats is a great way to support your club, especially while working at our booth set-ups.

John will have a new sign up sheet, for shirts at the meetings. Call him to order — 716-594-8957.
Thanks to Rick for his demo on beaver and muskrat trapping. He showed the various traps he uses for different set ups. He said to try and catch the beavers quickly, as the best catches are usually in the first few days, and that the beavers learn quickly to avoid a trap after getting snapped. He also mentioned that it is best to use no castor and instead, use a food set with fresh aspen tree saplings while trapping that last female in early spring. The more you trap, the more you find out what sets work for you. Washing the animals immediately is always the best to remove silt and dirt. There was a quick demo on muskrats. Rick uses an easy staking method for #110’s using slats and wedges.

Rick signed up for our May demo. He will talk about trap fastening. Please consider signing up for a demo in July. Remember, it can be on most anything, and as simple as a show-and-tell.
Once again the dates for the Fair are Aug. 12-23. There are special award premiums for the best theme representation, as well as the usual awards. This year seems tough, but we usually come up with something interesting. The theme is “Summer Love a Fair.” We usually feature an animal and go from there. Thinking about the beaver and we also can use our pond and construct a dam. Looking for ideas! Start thinking about working the booth if you have not done so in the past. It is fun and you support your club, not to mention you get in free. Just to note if anyone has a mount to enter, the deadline is July 31. Please go to the Fairs Web site at www.americas-fair.com for a downloadable entry form.

It was a beautiful sunny and cool morning on April 18 for our first trash pick-up. Thanks to the following helpers, Deb S., Don R., Shawn K., Gabe G., Rich P., Patti & Rick W., and the following new helpers Diana and Don C., Ed W., and Bret. Together we picked up nearly 30 bags of garbage! Thanks also to Shawn’s Grandpa Bill for his help and for taking pictures. We will make him wear an orange vest next time! We all enjoyed a pizza lunch on the club at Blasdell Pizza in Springville. We will keep you posted for our next pickup, which will be a week night around 6 p.m. in late June. Our last one will be after the Fair in August. Thanks everyone, and your names are entered into our volunteer award drawing.

Meetings are held the second Tuesday monthly at 7:30 p.m., at the Hamburg Rod & Gun Club on Hickox Rd. For club correspondence, send mail to ECTA 12580 Jennings Rd., Lawtons NY, 14091

Our next meetings:

May 12, special guest will be A.J. Pachucinski, our newest NYSTA Erie County Rep. no June meeting , Picnic is June 20 at 2 p.m., and July 14.

Our August meeting will be at the fairgrounds for our booth set up on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. More Fair news to come.

— Patti Wattengel

FULTON-MONTGOMERY COUNTY FUR HARVESTERS REPORT

April Report

It’s been a busy trapping season, but now it’s come to a close. Hope everyone had a successful season. It was a nice break to see gas prices drop, but unfortunately the fur market followed suit. I’d like to thank all the trappers and buyers who supported our club by attending our 2009 sales. It seems as though the transition to our new location went smoothly, even with the mix-ups in the event’s calendars. The April 5 sale had a great turnout with 49 trappers selling fur. There was quite a bit of green fur. Prices follow as below (listed by species, quantity, average and high)

Beaver — 1,072, $13.10, $37
Coon — 339, $3.57, $18.50
Coyote — 121, $11.62, $34
Fisher — 70, $34.52, $42
Grey Fox — 37, $20.43, $29.50
Marten — 2, $25.75, $41
Mink — 161, $8.76, $13
Otter — 51, $30.94, $44
Rats — 1,959, $3.13, $4.50
Red Fox — 169, $8.80, $26.50
Bobcat — 9, $33.67, $44.50

With 1,100 lots of fur, it makes for a long day. We had quite a few trappers leave without selling due to the long wait to check-in. We will address this issue for next year’s go around and continue to make our fur sales among the best in the state. We have set the dates for our 2010 fur sales and they are: Jan. 2 in Ballston Spa and Feb. 6/April 10 in Herkimer. Thanks to all the members of both clubs who work the sales. It wouldn’t be possible without you guys.

Doug Lansburg and I attended the NTA Northeast Leadership Conference on April 25. It was great to see trappers from nearly every state from Maine to Maryland in attendance. Todd Rogenkamp and Karola Owen did an excellent job giving updates on the current status of the National Trappers Association. Our neighbors in Connecticut and Maine have been battling to keep their trapping rights in recent months. Hopefully the trappers will prevail. By the time you read this, the Northeast NTA convention will have already occurred in Pennsylvania. Let’s hope for good weather and attendance.

Thanks to the Foothills Trappers Association for putting on an excellent banquet at the C&R Restaurant. It’s a great annual tradition to get together, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

 Our April meeting was a busy one. April is supposed to be our election month, but there were no new nominations for officers. So, officers will stay the same as last year:

President: Brandon Hemmerich
Vice-President: Mike Vickerson
Secretary: Doug Lansburg
Treasurer: Virginia Van Schaick

We also had an excellent guest speaker. Paul Jenson, our Region 5 furbearer biologist, gave an excellent presentation on the ongoing research of Marten Dynamics here in New York. It was interesting to hear how the marten range and population has evolved over time. Knowing their quarry is important to trappers, and I don’t think that there was a trapper in attendance who didn’t learn something new about the pine marten. Thanks, Paul.

We are raffling off the beautiful red fox blanket that was donated by Mike Smith at Unadilla Valley Raw Furs. A limited amount of tickets are available for $10 each, and winner will be drawn at the NYSTA convention on labor Day weekend.

Remember, our meetings are the last Monday of each month at the Ephratah Rod and Gun Club at 7 p.m. We are always looking for new, active members. If you have any questions, please contact me. Catch you next issue.

— Brandon Hemmerich

INDEPENDENT FUR HARVESTERS OF CENTRAL NY

Minutes of Meeting
March 8, 2009
15 Members present

• The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
• Minutes of last meeting were read.
• Treasurer’s report was read and accepted.

OLD BUSINESS

• The Trapper course has been scheduled for April 18 at Pompey Rod and Gun Club. To register call Al LaFrance at 682-2050 for more information.

NEW BUSINESS

• Loren Sigman is doing better and has been transferred to an out-of-state rehab to be near his family. You may send cards to him C/O Loren Sigman II at 917 Roscoe Ave., Beloit, IL 61080 and as always we wish him our best and a speedy recovery. We sent out a card to him to let him know he is in our thoughts.

• Al LaFrance won the trap raffle.

• The club voted to award a second scholarship this semester, it will be going to Ron Frodelius’ grandson Kieran for $225 to purchase books and materials. He is a Biology Major at LeMoyne with a very good grade point average. Congratulations.

• The club purchased 48 hats with the club logo on them. These were handed out at no charge to members that attend meetings. If you would like one, they can be purchased for $10 by calling Al LaFrance at 682-2050. They will be available at the meetings and the Spring Banquet.

• Past member Norm Evens’ son Tim and his wife attended our monthly meeting in March. We would like to thank them for attending, and for the generous donation of some of Norm’s prized quality crafts for us to display at our functions. Thank you both.

• The Madison County Fairgrounds of the NRA was addressed by Ralph Meyer, who also attended our meeting. Our grant for 2008 was over $915. The date for the next Banquet will be on June 4, 2009, and it again will be held at the Rusty Rail in Canastota, NY. Tickets are $30 for singles, and the Big Shooter Package is still $100.

• Here is a response from NYSTA Vice President Wayne Jones, concerning the recent Cornell study questionnaire you might have gotten in the mail:

Re: Cornell Univ. questionnaire

Reply #27 on Mar. 28, 2009, 4:36 p.m.

I received a response from Heather and she will be attending the NYSTA BOD meeting in two weeks to present information on the joint study she is conducting in conjunction with the DEC. She sent a series of questionnaires to a random sample of licensed wildlife trappers (about 1,000) and licensed dog-owners (again, about 1,000) in the Southern Tier counties of Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tompkins, and Yates during March and early April. This study has been ongoing in various stages since October 2007 and is scheduled to conclude in May 2010. Since the DEC & Cornell haven’t provided NYSTA with any inputs or prior knowledge of this study, we would like to get some additional information about how the information will be used and who will have access to the results. There is also work related to shoreline waterfowl hunting in and around residential areas. Dave Miller, the NYSTA Executive Director will be contacting both Heather and Gordon Batcheller to gain further information tomorrow. Thank you to everyone that has had concerns about this survey and brought it to the attention of the New York State Trappers Association. We will certainly keep you advised of any future developments.

* The 1st NYSTA Spring membership meeting as defined in the new By-Laws will be held April 11 at the Gander Mountain Lodge in Rochester, NY from 10 a.m.-?? This Spring meeting was a result of many members inputs that they wanted another time to get together and speak with and meet their representative other than the Fall Convention. This meeting will be held in a different area of the state every year so all the members will have an equal opportunity to host and attend.

COUNTY REPORTS

• None

DATES TO REMEMBER

• Ron Frodelius is going to put on a Furbearer exhibit on Dec. 9, 2009 at the Manlius Library. He is also putting on a display at the same library on May 5, through the 30th, 2009 with 100 years of wildlife artists from trapping related magazines.

• New York Trapper’s Summer Fur Rondy, 10-11 July, 2009

• The 5th Annual NY Trappers Forum Summer Fur Rondy will once again be held at Nichol’s Pond Park in the Town of Fenner, NY approximately 5 miles South of the Village of Canastota, NY, with easy access from the NYS Thruway (I-90) exit 34. There will be trapping demonstrations, trapping supplies for sale or trade, games for the kids, a NYS trapping training education course and once again, a Saturday afternoon dinner catered by Fat Daddy’s BBQ.

There will be no charge for admission, no fees for dealer or tailgater set-ups and primitive camping will be available on site at no charge. Please join us for our 5th Anniversary event, which promises to be bigger and better than ever as last year’s event drew trappers and vendors from as far away as Ohio and Virginia. For more information, please contact Wayne Jones at 315-768-8115 or by e-mail at iluvny@roadrunner.com.

• OUR MEETINGS will now be changed over to the SECOND THURSDAYS once again for the Spring and Summer months. THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON APRIL 9 AT 6:30 p.m. There will be a fur handling demo at this time on the proper way to skin and put up muskrats. As usual, it will be at our clubhouse in Pratts Falls Park. Hope to see everyone there.

Minutes of Meeting
April 9, 2009
15 Members present

• The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
• Minutes of last meeting were read.
• Treasurer’s report was read and accepted.

OLD BUSINESS

• Al had a lengthy talk with the new NYSTA president John Rockwood. He was told we would get some type of response from NYSTA concerning the letters we have written concerning Dave Leibeg’s improper behavior while president concerning the #220 statutes.

NEW BUSINESS

• Loren Sigman has recently passed away. The club members signed a card expressing our condolences to be sent to his family. Loren will be greatly missed by all whose lives he touched.

• Harvey Gardinier gave an informative demo on how to properly skin a muskrat before the meeting. Thanks Harvey.

• We renewed the clubs CD again. It will mature on 11-16-09 in time to be used to again pay sellers at our Fur Sale.

• Gary Stoddard and Al LaFrance attended the Advanced Strategies dinner and set up the clubs display of mounts. They said it was very well received.

• The club voted to sponsor two items at $100 each for the Friends of the NRA banquet this year.

• The Onondaga County Federation Sportsman’s Banquet was attended by Rich Palmer and Al LaFrance. Lin Mennenger was awarded Conservationist of the Year. Congratulations.

• Thanks again to Keith Kutil for the generous donation of books and videos for the clubs library. These will be available for all members to check out and enjoy. Thanks Keith.

• The club paid our yearly liability insurance premium of $567.

• Tim Evans thanked us for promoting the Georgetown Fire Dept. pancake breakfast. He said they had an excellent turn out and cooked over 160 dozen eggs. Glad we could help out.

• The club voted to pay Harvey $50 for putting up sevenskunks that Al donated to the club. They will go to Z+L Trading Post at 539 Wortman Ave., Brooklynn, NY 11208 and the phone is 718-272-5190.

• The Club’s Banquet was held at Al’s Village Diner on April 19. Ken Perkins, Norm Evans and Harry Reidl were added to the Trappers Hall of Fame. The dinner was attended by almost 40 people with everyone going home with a couple of door prizes. The Trapper of the Year went to Barb LaFrance for her years of dedication and work for this club. Congratulations, Barb, it is well deserved.

COUNTY REPORTS

• The Oswego County Newsletter was read.

Editors Note: I was surprised and overwhelmed to receive the Trapper of the Year Award. I thank you all very much. I am really honored to have been selected. THANK YOU!

OSWEGO COUNTY TRAPPERS ASSOC.

To all members of the Oswego County Trappers Assoc.,

It’s time for a new Oswego County Representative to the New York State Trappers Assoc. I have held that position for a long time and now that I am president of NYSTA, I think it is time for OCTA to choose someone new to fill the rep position for Oswego County. It is an excellent chance for someone to learn about the workings of NYSTA and to represent OCTA and the trappers of Oswego County at the NYSTA Board of Directors meetings. Although attendance at those meetings isn’t required, I would highly encourage whoever is chosen for this position to attend as many of those meetings as possible. The requirements for this position are as follows:
1. The County Rep. shall be at least 18 years of age.

2. They shall have two years of NYSTA membership in good standing.

3. They will be appointed by the president of NYSTA from names submitted by the regional director.

4. County reps shall work to organize trappers into local chapters throughout their region. If the regional director cannot attend a local chapter’s meetings, the county rep shall disseminate information they have received in a written report from their regional director.

5. The County rep shall also report in written form, information back to the regional director on issues of concern to local trappers.

6. They will meet with their regional director as needed to exchange information, but they shall meet with their regional director within 30 days after a NYSTA BOD meeting to receive current updates.

7. County reps shall be central to the annual NYSTA Spring Membership Conference held in April.

In other words, your responsibilities are primarily to be a contact and organizational person to help with the two-way dissemination of information between NYSTA and local trappers. This will ensure that NYSTA is aware of local trappers’ interests as well as to provide local trappers with pertinent information about what is happening within NYSTA and within State Government in regards to trapping and sportsmen related issues. You should also be willing to spend time promoting NYSTA and trappers issues within your county and to promote membership to both your localized trapping organizations and NYSTA.

It would be great if we could fill this position at the next OCTA meeting on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Anyone requiring more information can contact me personally at loggerjohnr@aol.com or call me at 315-415-4946.
See you all Tuesday evening.
Thank You!

— John Rockwood

MARCH 2009

The meeting was called to order.

Some amendments were made to the Feb. newsletter. One is that the picnic after the highway pick up might not happen as this might be a clean-up date at the Leatherstocking clubhouse. Another is that the contact info for the hunter ed classes is Huntersclass2@aol.com.

The treasurer’s report was given and accepted.

Old Business: The March on Albany bus trip has room left. They are leaving the Hastings Fire barn at 5:30 a.m.

The motion was made to join the farm bureau, Jim P. brought in the info and it was sent out the next day.

New Business: The Oswego County sportsman’s federation’s dinner will be April 4, 2009, at the Hastings fire hall.

George made a motion we donate a dozen #11/2 coil springs to their raffle and it was seconded by Jim P. and carried.

It was brought up about the letter John Rockwood wrote about the beaver seasons online was very well written.

A motion was made to donate $500 to Dave Miller’s legislative fund

And a motion was to give the Leatherstocking Club $100 for use of the club house.

The meeting was adjourned.

The trap raffle was $62.

Respectfully submitted.

— Charles Lamb Jr.

APRIL 2009

The meeting was called to order.

The newsletter was accepted as given.

A brief bank report was made as the treasurer was absent.

Old business: The Sportsman’s march on Albany, took place they meet with a lot of down state representative’s. Roy’s group got to speak to folks from Long Island. The trip went well over all.
 The Oswego County Sportsman’s Federation dinner went well, there were a lot of local politicians present.

 The annual Highway pickup will be April 25th at 8:30 a.m. on Route 104b.

New business: The clubs membership to the NYSCC is up; we voted to renew at the buck-a-member level.

The clubs dues for CANY are also due, but this issue was tabled till the next meeting.

Our Membership to the Farm Bureau went through.

There will be a membership spring meeting for NYSTA at the Gander Mtn, in Henrietta, NY in April.

 I gave a short NYSTA report on what we had going on.

There will be a Hunter Safety course in June at The Leatherstocking Club On the 10, 11 and 14. To sign up, e-mail Huntersclass2@aol.com.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted.

— Charles L Lamb Jr.

Related Posts

  • No Related Posts Found

Leave a Reply