President — John Rockwood, 114 County Route 30A, Williamstown, NY 13493; phone: 315-415-4946; e-mail: loggerjohnr@aol.com
Vice President — Wayne Jones, 9152 River Road, Marcy, NY 13403; phone: 315-768-8115; e-mail: iluvny2@roadrunner.com
Treasurer — Dale Gamba, 12320 Pople Rd., Cato, NY 13033; phone: 315-626-3710; e-mail: minkman@frontiernet.net
Secretary — Ed Hogan, 1900 SR 48, Fulton, NY 13069; phone: 315-593-2196
Legislative Liaison — Dave Miller, 11311 gay Road, Prattsburg, NY 14873; phone: 607-522-4707
NTA Director — Jim Carmody, 237 Fonda Rd., Waterford, NY 12188; phone: 518-237-3071
FTA Delegate — Ray Van Hoesen, 41 Apple Ring Road, Red Hook, NY 12571; phone: 845-758-2453
JTI Chairman — Al West, 5 Hillcrest Ave., Queensbury, NY 12804; phone: 518-793-3662; e-mail: agwthird@hotmail.com
Membership Options:
• Junior Membership – under 16 years of age with subscription to the Trapper & Predator Caller and quarterly NYSTA Newsletter — $15/yr
• Basic Membership – any age, NYSTA Newsletter, no subscription to T&PC — $15/yr
• General Membership – any age with subscription to the T&PC and quarterly NYSTA Newsletter — $25/yr
• Family Membership – One magazine subscription to T&PC and the NYSTA Newsletter — $30/yr
• Lifetime Membership – any age with lifetime subscription to T&PC, NYSTA Newsletter, special membership credentials and placque, etc. — $750
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
CATTARAUGUS COUNTY REPORT
The regular meeting of the Cattaraugus County Trappers Association was held on Oct. 15 at the Cornell Coop. Ext. building as usual. Following the opening, we got down to business. First off was the changes made in the beaver season. Opening it a month earlier had some of us wondering if the pelts would be prime at all. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. It should make for easier trapping for those who intend to take advantage of it. There was some discussion about the trapping classes that were held this fall. Why did two classes have so few students and one have an outrageous number of students? We also talked about the new license fees being charged this year.
We usually give three gift subscriptions to all the schools in our county, but have decided to make it only two this year. We are dropping the CONSERVATIONIST as it has no trapping articles in it. We plan to send a letter to the CONSERVATIONIST and explain why we are dropping them.
We discussed when we would have our fur auction this winter. We are planning for January, but will set the date next meeting. We talked about the different fur buyers we knew and compared the different ways that people like to sell their furs and which was best.
The air is cold, the leaves are falling and it’s time once again to sally forth and put some steel in the ground. Boy! I can hardly wait! Good luck to you all this season.
To join us, call John at 557-2523.
— David L. Allen
CORTLAND COUNTY REPORT
President Bill Howe called the meeting to order at 5 p.m., Oct 18, 2009. Nine members were present. Les Wedge won the 50/50 and Art drew his number again and he also won the hat donated by John Hahn. Hope IRS doesn’t see this.
President’s list: Bill delivered the treestand and knife to the raffle winners. We all know who won the gun.
Bill submitted for the purchase of raffle tickets. Treasurer will pay this bill and the Federation assessment. President was authorized to purchase food for the Cortland Federation meeting in November.
Nate McDonald picked up our pheasant allocation and released them.
A discussion was held about the pheasant release program.
The Trapper Dinner was held at the Solon Club. A great meal that was certainly under-attended. I guess free is just too expensive.
We spent a lot of time discussing the Rendezvous and how it turned out. Very successful covers it. The President thanked all who contributed to this success.
Motion made and 2nd that the Club purchase Bill Howe’s muzzleloader and use it for our next raffle. Motion carried.
Discussion on the Clubs inventory of furs.
The IFH are holding a coyote hunt and entry forms and info are available for the asking. A great inventory of prizes is available.
Treasurer’s report was accepted as given.
Butch Jenks discussed the event held at the Oxford R&G Club. Good P.R. for us. Thanks Butch, Shirley and Bill.
Dale Beckwith noted he won $30 off the NYSTA Calendar number.
Discussion on our ad in the calendar, the ad is OK as is.
Greg Schmidt and Bill discussed the trapping in the Town limits, the good and bad. Greg came up with a 70-pound beaver and two 50-pound beavers. Not bad.
Les Wedge noted he found a 1st edition “Trappers World” at a garage sale.
Les also volunteered to bring the food for the Nov meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted.
— Art Manz
EERIE COUNTY REPORT
We opened our October meeting with a report from Jr. member Bradley. At the time of our meeting, many have received the notices from D.E.C. on the new highlights of changes and reminders for the 2009-10 trapping season. There were some good changes made including relaxing some of the current modifications for beaver trappers using bodygripping traps (#330’s). The tension-adjustable trigger is now optional and a trigger stop is no longer required. Other requirements remained the same. We also gained a longer beaver season in some areas where we only had a two-week season for some time. On Nov. 25, the beaver season will open to coincide with other water trapping like mink and muskrat. We all welcomed this change and can continue our beaver trapping until Feb. 15 (some areas still have a March 15 closing). Please check in with the D.E.C. if you have not received this notice or you can check on their Web site.
There was also a modified regulation for using bodygrips on land. It basically will allow us again to set #110’s as usual. Be sure to have larger bodygripping traps set as described in the hunting and trapping guide.
We discussed our fur handling demo plans. We will check with Hoot for possible dates for using Collins Conservation Club to host our event in January. We hope to have a date by the November meeting. This is always well attended and we like to move it around town. Last year, it was at Elma Conservation. We still are planning our fur auction date for February, and will get that information out soon. S&S Taxidermy & Archery Pro Shop in Springville will gladly host it again.
Patti’s report included information on the NYSTA calendars for sale. Our club purchased ours with our very lucky number 328. She also mentioned that she will put in an order for some tail prep items such as a new hole punch, key rings and suede lace. Debbie brought in a leather bracelet that we might be able to make into fur bracelets. We also need to check out other types and try to make a few. We will welcome ideas as well as helpers on this. We have received three Herb Eble letters so far and the congratulation letters have been sent out. We hope to get a few more kids sending in their essays. If you know of any kid who took the trapper training class this past year, please remind them to write to us. They sure can win a lot of great trapping supplies!
Our meeting demo began with Bradley showing off one of his muskrat traps that he and his dad modified for ease while stabilizing the traps in runs. They welded a single gutter stake on the bottom of a #110. What a neat idea and he can’t wait to try them out soon. Just be sure to also wire the trap. Rick brought in a Griz trap which is dog proof and used for trapping raccoons. Some people spray paint them, but he dyes and waxes them. Most of the traps come with a chain so all you need is to pound in a stake. He sticks to sweet baits like peanut butter and jelly sandies, and uses his Leggett’s tool for releasing smaller raccoons or the occasional ’possum. Bradley mentioned some guys use big marshmallows and a trail of Kool-Aid. Deb brought in some of her homemade items she welded, such as a nice trowel with “T” grip and some stakes. A tip was given to use pliers to twist your rebar to help you get them out of the ground. Thanks for all of the helpful tips and tricks.
A reminder about our upcoming Christmas party on Dec. 8 at the Hamburg Rod & Gun Club. This is when our membership and their families get together and celebrate the past year of our many club activities. We will vote for our “Trapper of the Year,” pick a name in our drawing for our “Volunteer Award,” meet our “Herb Eble Award” winners and their families and present our latest youth award honoring Sgt. Daniel Shaw. We ask everyone to please bring a dish to pass and a wrapped gift if you would like to participate in the gift exchange. We will have some grab bags for the kids and our famous Christmas bingo for entertainment. Hope you all can make it to the party.
We will be taking t-shirt and hat orders and please remember you will need to prepay for them. It is also a good time to renew you membership if you need to.
Our meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Hamburg Rod & Gun Club on Hickox Rd. Anyone interested in trapping is welcomed. For club correspondence, send mail to ECTA 12580 Jennings Rd. Lawtons, NY 14091.
Our next meetings are (Christmas party) Dec. 8 and Jan. 12. Please remember to return your borrowed videos and DVD’s.
— Rick Wattengel
INDEPENDENT FUR HARVESTERS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK
Minutes of Meeting — Oct. 8, 2009
Nine Members present
• The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
• Minutes of last meeting were read.
• Treasurer’s report was read and accepted.
OLD BUSINESS
• The Carpenter’s Brook Sportsman’s Days were held on Sept. 26 and 27. Thank you to all that volunteered and helped with our booth.
NEW BUSINESS
• The Club’s Coyote Hunt to benefit Advanced Strategies went well. There were 17 teams entered and a nice check was given to Advanced Strategies for their Disabled Hunters program. The top three teams were:
1st Place – Ed Wright & Al LaFrance
2nd Place – Lloyd Weigel & Joe Cotton
3rd Place – Ralph & Anthony Ashley
Advanced Strategies and this Club wishes to thank the following for their generous donation of prizes for this Contest: FOX PRO CALLERS, PHANTOM CALLS, F & T TRADING, MANLIUS TRUE VALUE HARDWARE, RICH PALMER’S MOBILE STATION, BILL HOWE TRAPPING SUPPLIES, AL’S CRITTER SOLUTIONS / AL LaFRANCE and INDEPENDENT FUR HARVESTERS OF CNY.
The largest coyote taken was a 38-1/2 lb. male by the first place team. There were tales of misses, almost gotem’s, failed equipment, excuses, but most importantly, fun was had by all for a great cause!
• Congratulations to Ed Wright and Al LaFrance for their nice N.Y.S. Bears taken in the early season. Ed got a 350-pound male and Al a 235-pound sow.
• Also congratulations to Rich Palmer and Al LaFrance. They went to New Brunswick, Canada, and each shot nice bears. Rich got a 325-pound sow and Al a 350-pound boar at Henderson’s Hunting Camp.
• The trapper training course was held at the Peterboro Sportsman’s Club. Al LaFrance and Rich Palmer certified 31 new trappers. Thanks go out to the Peterboro Club for all their help and the use of their Clubhouse.
• As a new hunting and trapping season opens, please think first and stay safe. Enjoy our freedoms and work to preserve them.
• DUES ARE DUE BY NOV. 30
DATES TO REMEMBER
• This year’s fall fur sale will be held on Dec. 12 at the Pompey Rod and Gun Club. Check in will be at 8 a.m. And the flat rate commission will again be 10 percent to all sellers. Please try and attend as the club NEEDS VOLUNTEERS to help check in fur and help out.
• Our annual Christmas Banquet has a confirmed date of Dec. 20 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will again be held at Al’s Village Diner in East Syracuse, NY. The dinner is free to all members; please bring a small gift to pass. If you are going to attend, all we ask is that you please call Al Burns at 633-2030 or 415-7509 anytime before the dinner, and let us know how many will be in your party, so we have a rough idea of how many to make reservations for. Thank You.
• The Northeast Sports Show will be held on Jan. 22-24 of 2010 at the NYS Fairgrounds. The Club will again be attending and NEEDING VOLUNTEERS to man the booth. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so please try and attend. Our raffle item will be the same as last year, the complete predator calling package. It includes a new shotgun, predator caller and decoy along with the nite-light package. It is valued at well over $1,000 and is a great prize for someone. We will be giving away our nice Alpaca blanket as an optional prize. Tickets are included in this mailing, and yes we know the date is wrong – Please Sell Them.
• THE MEETINGS WILL BE ON THE SECOND SUNDAY OF THE MONTH BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER. The NEXT MEETING IS NOV. 8 at 1 P.M. They will be on Sunday afternoons until spring. Hope to see everyone there.
