President — Tom Peterson, phone: 918-241-2677
Vice President — Shannon Sheffert, 1301 Old Bumpy Rd., Stillwater, OK 74074; cell phone: 405-742-7884; e-mail: ssheffert@odot.org
Secretary — John Weygandt, 4720 S. 26th W. Ave., Tulsa, OK 74107; phone: 918-645-5667;
e-mail: j.weygandt@maccor.com
Treasurer — Vivian Scott, P.O. Box 179, Alderson, OK 74522; phone: 918-426-6918;
e-mail: littlerockmeme@msn.com
FTA Director — Terry Thornton, Rt. 2 Box 71, Hartshorne, OK 74547; phone: 918-297-2073
NTA Director — Leo Farmer, phone: 918-616-7662
Membership Options:
• 1-year membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• Family membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $25
• Lifetime (Over 70) with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $150
• Lifetime with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $300
• Youth membership — $10
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
OFBA, Treasurer
Vivian Scott
P.O. Box 179, Alderson, OK 74522
918-426-6918; littlerockmeme@msn.com
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Hello and Happy New Years to all!
I hope that Santa was kind to you and you got the toys that you were hoping for. Surely you have been good so that is not a reason for Santa to bypass your house. I have a new wood stove insert in my fireplace this year that I have been running continuously since late November. The salesman who sold it to me assured me that Santa still will be able to get down the chimney with the stove running, but just to be sure, I put the fire out on Thursday the 23rd so the firebox would be nice and cool by Christmas eve.
I have a bunch of ramblings to throw out to you in no particular order. Bob Walshaw asked me to remind you of some upcoming seminars at the Bass Pro Shop in Broken Arrow. On 1/13/2011, A Thursday night, they have a blue bird box workshop. Then on 1/27/11 they are going to have a Coyote and Bobcat calling seminar. Reginald Murray asked me to remind everyone to check out the association website, www.oktrapper.com and look at the on-line forum. He was wanting more people to join in on the forum. The website will also have further details on the upcoming fur sales.
Speaking of fur sales, we have two scheduled this year. The first will be in Chandler at the Expo center 2-5-11, the second will be in Okmulgee at the fairgrounds building northwest of town, on 3-5-11. For more information or to reserve a lot number at either or both sales, please check the website or contact John Weygandt at (918)645-5667. Speaking of furs and then prices, I think that we can look for cats topping out around $400 and coons around $30, foxes around $40, muskrats $10……… however this is NOT for our Oklahoma furs.
Unfortunately, ours should be similar to last year, $1 -$8 for coons, cats (don’t harvest them till after Christmas so they are prime) hopefully will average around $25-35 with some better cats somewhat higher than that and otters in the $25 range. Just a bet, as I didn’t ask a fur buyer about these critters, but I bet opossums will be around $1 for stretched and dried furs. Pick up 5,000 road kill possums and you are in the money!
I know, you are not in this for the money anyway so it doesn’t matter if the coyotes are $2 rather than $20, they are so much fun to skin. Cody Presley asked me to remind everyone to contact the Campground people to reserve a campsite for our spring/summer Rendezvous at Gentry Creek. We will hold it the first weekend of June just like the past couple of years. We are going to set up on Campsite #27 like last summer so call early and reserve a site.
You might set one up close but you need to think about your snoring neighbors. Anyway you can reserve a site at www.recreation.gov or call 1-877-444-6777. Tom Peterson asked me to ask for some more trap tags for our memory board. Remember the project that he has been working on for us? He is asking for 3 trap tags from each trapper in Oklahoma.
They need not be a member, we would just like to have a couple tags from every trapper in Oklahoma. We will put them on a couple stretcher boards, one to be given to a lucky donor since they gave us tags, one to be auctioned to a lucky (high bid) winner and the third, we should just keep for our association. Please mail the tags to me or a director or Tom or bring them to our Fur Sales. And one last thing that Leo Farmer suggested, water safety. This is a serious time of year to be around water. We usually don’t have to deal with much ice, but ice or not, there is water out there that is cold and deadly.
I would suggest a change of clothes be kept in the truck or in the trunk of the car in case you take a spill or your waders spring a leak. If you are very far from the truck, you may be in trouble by the time you get back to the road. Carrying water proof matches may seem like a pain, but it could also save your life. You might also consider wearing wool clothing when working near water. And last but not least, be careful when walking on the ice.
We don’t usually get ice thick enough to walk on but if we do, it usually just barely able to support your weight. And if all else fails, make sure that your life insurance is up to date so your spouse can go on without you in case you succumb to Hypothermia. Then again, you might find her trying to get you to walk out onto the ice or in front of a bus, or fall off a cliff, as you are worth more from the insurance than the hundreds of possums that you catch each winter. Ha I told you that I had a bunch of ramblings.
Anyway, I hope you have a Happy New Year and this finds you and your family healthy and well.
See you at the fur sales.
— Shannon Sheffert
