President — Jimmy Pierce, 201 Rhodes St., Wendell, NC 27591; phone: 919-365-4961;cell phone: 919-801-2562; e-mail: beaverstop@nc.rr.com
Vice President — Tonnie Davis, 167 Ole Cabin Rd., Roxboro, NC 27573; phone: 336-597-3619
Secretary — Sharon Underwood, Rt. 1 Box 416, Peachland, NC 28133; phone: 704-272-7876
Membership Secretary — Karen Rose, 1220 Cross Rd., Roper, NC 27970; phone: 252-793-5191
Assistant Membership Secretary — Krista Rose, 1220 Cross Rd., Roper, NC 27970; phone: 252-793-5191
Treasurer — Wayne Rose, 1220 Cross Rd., Roper, NC 27970; phone: 252-793-5191
General Organizer — David Underwood, Rt. 1, Box 416, Peachland, NC 28133; phone: 704-272-7876
Education Coordinator — Todd Menke, 2663 Tar River Rd., Creedmoor, NC 27522; phone: 919-528-9063; e-mail: minkster@netzero.net
NTA Director — Tim Wilson, 5320 Stokes Ferry Rd., Salisbury, NC 28146; phone: 252-758-8191
Newsletter Editor — Vacant
Membership Options:
• Individual membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• Youth membership (under age 16) with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $10
• Lifetime membership with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $250
• Senior citizens 70 years or older with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $12
Complete membership application on first page of
association section and send dues to:
NCTA, Membership Secretary
Karen Rose
1220 Cross Rd., Roper, NC 27970
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Greetings fellow trappers and I hope that this finds you and yours well and in good spirits. I hope that you had a productive season and had the opportunity to get out and enjoy the bounty provided by nature. Now that the season is over, except for the remainder of beaver season, it is a time of reflection, rest and preparation for the next season.
I apologize for failing to submit a report for the last issue. My clumsy self made a trip to the local ER for some X-Rays and stitches when I should have been working on a report.
By the time that you receive this, the NCTA will have attended the Dixie Deer Classic and completed our Advanced Trappers Workshop. I will have a report on these events in the next issue. Colleen and I have been asked to conduct a seminar for the QDMA folks on the coyote and coyote management using trapping as a tool.
As of today, we have 28 paid confirmed attendees signed up for the Advanced Trappers Workshop. I am especially pleased at the number of attendees coming to the workshop. It is a credit to Todd Menke that he was able to put this program together and have this participation the first year, especially in these stressful times. Also, he determined early on that the price should be such that the student gets full value and the NCTA is able to raise some funds. $300 is a real bargain when one considers that room, meals and on-the-line personal instruction are all included. We hope to make this an annual event, so stay tuned for future announcements.
The NCWRC has not met to decide on our proposals for changes to the trapping regulations. It is usually the middle of March before all information that they receive from public comments is tabulated and put into a form that they can use to aid in the decision making process. The process is not taken lightly as their decisions affect a broad range of sportsmen and many different activities. One should not expect the process to be anything but well thought out and methodical.
Some of the hunting proposals have not been well received by everyone. In fact there have been contentious reactions, especially to the deer and turkey proposals. The NCTA did not take an official position on these proposals, either for or against, just as other groups did not take a position supporting our proposals. I encouraged everyone to speak their conscience as individuals. In spite of my best efforts to keep the NCTA from being embroiled in controversy and rhetoric, we have been, through no cause of our own, involved.
I recently received a copy of the President’s page from the NCBA publication. In it, Ramon Bell says, when addressing the deer and turkey proposals, “It has taken 50 years of planning, investment of money, time and hard work to get our deer and turkey populations to the huntable numbers we all enjoy today. If the commissioners pass these new season dates and regulations, all these wildlife resources could disappear much quicker than it took to develop them. It is a very sad and unprecedented situation in N.C. when politics and personal agendas of some commissioners take precedence over the value of the resource itself. It is also very sad that private wildlife organizations like NCBA, NWTF, NCTA, QDMA and thousands of private individuals have to spend their time and monetary resources fighting our own wildlife resources commission instead of anti-hunting groups like PETA and HSUS in order to try to protect our wildlife resources and our hunting heritages and traditions.”
First, I am not informed enough to state an opinion on the validity or fallibility of these two proposals. My focus at this time is to promote, protect and preserve our trapping heritage. If asked by another sportsman’s group to evaluate a proposal to determine if it is something pertinent to our interests or the future of all outdoors activities, I would welcome anyone to present their case to the board and officers for our review. I do not know Mr. Bell well, but I have found him to be passionate about what he believes is best for his organization and the future of hunting as it affects them. I have no idea why he included the NCTA in his column, but it must have been some oversight that I am not aware of.
Next, it has been the policy of the NCTA during my tenure as your president to work with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission in a spirit of cooperation and in a manner that is mutually beneficial. We have put forth our proposals with sound science, reasonableness and consideration for the resource as the foundation of our submissions. We did not always get what we asked for when we asked for it, but, over time, we have been successful more often than not. I hope very much to continue this relationship, as we both will face many challenges in the present national political climate that will test our resolve and ability to continue as viable organizations. We will need each other to survive threats to our continued existence.
Well, I hope that this does not seem too controversial for you. I just felt the need to clarify my position.
You will soon receive a mailing about the 2009 NTA SE Regional at The Senator Bob Martin Eastern Agriculture Center at Williamston to be held May 1-3. We have a super lineup of demo presenters, vendors and other activities planned for you. This is a showcase event for the NCTA and Martin County, so mark your calendar and try to make all three days.
— Jimmy Pierce