www.patrappers.com
President — Brian Mohn, 138 Farview Road, Hamburg, PA 19526; 610-562-1790;
papatrees@aol.com
Vice President East — Joel Whitehead, 845 Snake Hill Road, Thompson, PA 19526; 570-756-2714;
JFRED@nep.net
Vice President West — Charlie Sykes, 1265 Airport Road, Stoneboro, PA 16153;
trapper_66@windstream.net
Secretary — Don Klinger, 522 S. Pancoast, Reynoldsville, PA 15851; 814-371-1170;
advantage16@verizon.net
Treasurer — Donna Spittle, P.O. Box 708, Hummelstown, PA 17036; 717-239-9267;
spittlefam@paonline.com
Editor — Ed Price, 3833 Old Newburg Turnpike, Union Dale, PA 18470; 570-679-2318; pricee@nep.net
NTA Director — David Shuttleworth, 5452 Tamarack Drive, Sharpsville, PA 16150; 724-962-4260;
dianeshutts@aol.com
FTA Director — Mark Kasten, RR2 Box 2287, Hallstead, PA 18822; 570-278-2553; willsher@epix.net
Public Relations Director — Barry Warner, P.O. Box 223, Dallas, PA 18612; 570-675-7041;
beavernbass@comcast.net
Website Designer — Barbie Bankston;
barbiebankston@gmail.com
Membership Options:
Individual membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $30
Individual membership without subscription — $10
Junior, age 16 and under without subscription — $5
Lifetime membership with subscription — $500
Lifetime membership without subscription — $250
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
PTA Treasurer
Donna Spittle
P.O. Box 708
Hummelstown, PA 17036
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
I would like to thank District 3 and all the volunteers who helped to make the combined PTA/FTA 2014 Rendezvous a success. I had the opportunity to meet trappers from all over the country. Thanks to all of you for making the trip to our part of the country. On Thursday and Friday evening we shared our rendezvous with several hundred Army troops who were in a convoy traveling through Washington, PA. I’m glad they could attend, get a good meal and may God Bless you for protecting our Freedom.
The Rendezvous was full of all the normal activities plus additional events that the FTA provided. Some of which included the Banquet, Fur Hat making and Dutch oven cooking classes. Our annual trap setting contest, frying pan toss and Mountainman race were very well attended. Thank you to all the participants and congratulations to the winners.
Our PTA annual membership meeting provides the opportunity for direct interaction between the Board and our membership. A motion was brought to the floor and passed to send a donation to Maine to “Save the Bear Hunting and Trapping Season”. Sportsmen throughout the country are joining the fight to defend our rights. I had the opportunity to introduce the 2014 Miss Pennsylvania (Amanda Smith) and 2014 Miss Pennsylvania Outstanding Teen (Page Weinstein) to our members. This was their first appearance for both young ladies who were recently crowned. They modeled their Fur Coats that the PTA donates to this Scholarship Pageant. As of this report our 2016 Rendezvous was not awarded, but we have two Districts that are trying to finalize their proposals. The members made a motion and passed to allow the Board to select where the 2016 Rendezvous will be located. The 2015 Rendezvous will be hosted by District 11 at the Schuylkill Co. Fairgrounds.
The PTA State Scholarship was named in honor of Ned Weston. Ned spent his lifetime promoting trapping and educating everyone he came in contact with. I would like to thank everyone who sent donations to the PTA in lieu of flowers for Ned’s memorial service. Through donations like these and our annual Scholarship Quilt raffle we will continue to fund this great project. I would like to thank my wife Karen for making these quilts and Walt Sphar for seeing that all the tickets got sold by Saturday’s drawing.
The PTA has a fresh shipment of PTA tee-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and hats. Please show your pride by purchasing and wearing our merchandise. Merchandise will be available at District events or through the State’s Website.
“OUR IMAGE is OUR FUTURE” — Brian Mohn
VICE PRESIDENT WEST REPORT
I would like to send out a special thank you to District 3 for a great rendezvous. Everyone that helped did an amazing job that resulted in a perfect event. Great job!
It is that time of year again where the districts are all ramping up to hold their trapping schools. I would like to ask everyone to please help out with their local trapping school. These are good opportunities to teach and engage them in trapping.
We are looking forward to the website getting back up and running. We expect it to be functional soon.
The state has a new t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts for sale. Ask your district director for more information if you are interested in purchasing one of these new items. — Charlie Sykes
FTA DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Fellow trappers,
Wow what a convention. Thanks to Dave Eckels and crew for putting this great show together. Everything seemed to go on without a hitch. It’s no small undertaking to put a convention like this on.
The FTA meetings were both well attended. Next year’s FTA convention will be in Lagrange, Ind. The 2016 FTA convention will at this time be in Lawrence ,Ks. In other news, the FTA college is full for this fall. There is a program being made to help get trapping in schools using U-tube and other computer video programs. Rick Schoonover is heading up this important project. The PTA was given The Elusive Bobcat Award for its donations to the FTA. The FTA is again in good hands as all officers were reelected. Gene Purdy was reelected as chairman of the board of directors. If I can be of any help in your dealing with the FTA please let me know. We had a very good presentation on Minnesota’s not allowing non-resident trapping and it’s not going to go through in the near future. In other news there is a company that rates charitable organizations and almost all of the anti-trapping organizations received a poor rating from them. It was great to see so many old friends and make some new ones.
‘Till next time remember OUR IMAGE IS OUR FUTURE. — Bill Kasten
DISTRICT 1 REPORT
Hello trappers
I hope everyone is having a great summer. In June, had the opportunity to attend the PTA/FTA convention at the Washington County Fairgrounds. District 3 did a great job of hosting the convention. During the FTA banquet District 1 received the Sly Fox Circle Award, for our support. At the general membership meeting, our district was recognized by KIFE for our support.
TRAPPING SCHOOL- This year the school will be held in Mercer County on September 13th. Registration is from 7:00 – 8:00 am and the school should start at 8:00am. It will be at the Dan Lewis residence at 106 Bestwick Road, Jackson Center, PA. 16133. To pre-register contact Walter Guesthouse at 724-967-5147.
FALL MEETING- Will be hosted by Warren County and it will be at the Spring Creek Sportsman’s Club. The address is 611 Turner Hill Road, Spring Creek, Pa. 16436. Demos will begin at 9:00am and the meeting is scheduled for noon.
CRAWFORD COUNTY- July 26th – 27th Pioneer Days Jamestown, Pa.; August 16th – 24th Crawford County Fair; September 19th – 21st Ducks Unlimited Waterfowl Festival; October 10th – 12th Pumpkin Festival
ERIE COUNTY- July 11th -12th French Creek Gathering Union City, Pa.; July 18th – 20th Waterford Days; August 23rd Youth Field Days at the Gem City Sportsman’s Club in Fairview, Pa.; September 1st – 6th Waterford Fair.
FOREST COUNTY- August 2nd Youth Field Days Marienville, Pa.; August 8th – 10th Indian Harvest Festival; September 27th Forest County Trappers Day.
MERCER COUNTY- August 27th – September1st Stoneboro Fair
VENANGO COUNTY- Had their Youth Field Days on June 21st.
WARREN COUNTY- July 26th Youth Field Days Chapman State Park in Claredon, Pa.
If any member has any questions, or would like to volunteer to help with an event, I can be contacted at 814-823-5429.
Our Image Is Our Future. — John W. Chase
PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR’S REPORT
I know many others will be commenting on the 2014 PTA/FTA rendezvous. However, I would be remiss if I did not add my congratulations and thank you to Dave Eckels and his outstanding District 3 crew. A great turn out, a great event, and due to their hard work everything ran smoothly.
In addition to attending the rendezvous to stock up on our annual supplies for the trapline, it is always a great opportunity to see old friends or acquaintances we may only see once or twice a year. Unfortunately, this year there was a tremendous void in not having our close friend, mentor, and leader Ned Weston with us. As many of you know Ned was an integral part of our efforts for many decades. If you were unable to attend our general meeting at the rendezvous, I am delighted to inform you that our scholarship fund has been renamed in honor of Ned Weston.
We have also honored Ned on another front. The wildlife conservations officers of North America and Canada established the North American Wildlife Conservation Officer’s Association (NAWEOA) in the 1980s. In 2004 the officers began the construction for a NAWEOA museum. One of the fundraisers developed to maintain this museum is an opportunity to purchase a paving stone in honor of an officer. At our last board of directors meeting we voted to secure a paving stone in honor of Ned’s decades of wildlife protection and wildlife management.
Honoring Ned through our scholarship and the NAWEOA museum are small tokens compared to the example Ned always demonstrated through his leadership and his never ending dedication to our organization. If you would like to learn more about NAWEOA, you may do so through their web site.
In closing, I would like to extend a big thank you to those of you who took the time to stop to say hello and provide comments or suggestions relative to our past as well as our future operations. — Barry Warner
DISTRICT 2 REPORT
I hope you are having a great summer and all of this rain has not caused too many hardships for you. Please try to help out during the various events our district attends/holds. I apologize for previously posting the incorrect date for our Fall Expo. The expo will be from 9a.m. – 4p.m. on Saturday September 13th. Trapping season it ‘just around the corner’! During the middle of June I had a beautiful grey fox in my strawberry patch at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. I’m sure he/she enjoys the berries as much as we do! Prepare your trapping gear, and enjoy your summer. — Joe
DISTRICT 2 CALENDAR
July 7th: District 2 Scholarship deadline. Applicant must be a current member of the Pennsylvania Trappers Association, or a: child, grandchild, niece or nephew of a current member.
July 20th: The District 2 picnic at Sugar Creek Park (located off of Rt. 268 west of Kittanning). Please bring a covered dish/dessert to share. Other food and drinks will be provided by the district. Your families are invited to share the afternoon as well.
July 26th: Clarion County Youth field day, 7a.m. until 3p.m. Camp Coffman, Cranberry, Pa. Youth must be preregistered.
August 9th: District 2 annual Trapper Training School. This is a free event open to the public. Please preregister for this event by mail or phone to: Brad Fair, Joe Fennel, or myself. This year’s school will be located at Enon Valley Sportsmen’s Club, Lawrence County.
September 13th: The Fall Expo will be from 9a.m. until 4p.m. The expo will be located at East Butler Sportsmen’s club. Dealers should call district 2 for a spot and check availability of tables. Please note the date change, originally I wrote that it was the 14th, which is wrong. It will be Saturday the 13th, I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
October 12th: Meeting at Happy Hunters Club in Fennelton, Pa. The building will be open at noon, with the meeting starting at 1:00 p.m. There will be food and drinks available, 50/50 raffle, and 5 for $1 table. Tailgaters are welcome!
DISTRICT 3 REPORT
Whew ! Those 5 days at the fairground really flew by. Thanks for everyone who made it to the PTA/FTA convention this past month. Attendance was good, and it seemed everyone had a great time. Lynn Cowell’s daughter was keeping track of state license plates coming through the gate, and had marked off 41 states in attendance. I have to thank both the PTA and FTA boards for agreeing to the combined rendezvous this year, and although it was extremely busy, my hats off to the small army of workers we had to accomplish it. Just when you thought there were a lot of people inside the gate, the army actually did show up. It was nice to have the National Guard troops stay over on both Thursday and Friday night, they got to tour the rendezvous and told me that they couldn’t wait to hit the food booths as they were on MRE diets for the past 2 weeks. The winner of the custom made bear trap for the convention was Rod Yaeger of Youngstown, Ohio.
I’m going to try to say some thanks to our workers, and I know I will forget someone in the process, but it’s unintentional, the rondy seems like a fast blur now. First I have to thank the 30 members who showed up the Sunday before, on Father’s day, to build the demo area, set up tables and buildings, line tailgate spots, etc. and Dan Weiss and John Wilkinson for their landscape talents to dream up the demo area, along with a whole crew of staff, also doing more with the auction duties and the “wonderful” mountain man race course design. Steve Lech and his daughter Johnnie Sue for providing an excavator, digging the pond, and supplying firewood for D-3. While I’m on the demos, the whole staff who for 3 days put in the time to provide the demos, and to Don Stiffler who practically lived there for 3 days. Charlie Sphar, who took his vacation, for the whole week, and helped me set up and haul stuff to the fairgrounds on Monday and Tuesday, as well as working the night shift at the gate with his Dad. The whole crew on Wednesday, who worked all day helping to move in vendors and campers. Rege Denne, Erwin Polansky, and Barry Warner for running the CR classes, Charlie Campbell and crew for doing all of the heavy, dirty work, either working on the demo area, moving tables, or tearing down. Greg Grimm, James Pierson, and the whole Skrenta family for taking care of the D-3 booth most of the time, and Judy, thanks for the cookies! The Kiefner and Cowell clans for running the camper / vendor gate, and Ed Maholtz who camped at and watched the walk in gate. My daughter Jen, for talking Randy into helping fold 450 D-3 shirts, then starting on the state’s shirts, and my daughter Jessica for jumping into the kid’s craft, and the boys for obtaining, setting up and tearing down the tent for the kids crafts and dutch oven cooking class, and Ron Shriver for getting us those fancy Kabota buggies to drive around and haul stuff as well as anything else that needed done. The Bartrams, Bill Cochran, and Alan Morris for helping out when needed, Steve Yilit for auctioning off everything on Saturday, and Tereasa and Rick for selling the ice throughout the convention. Thank You to All.
I also need to thank Matt Pappa, Tom Lane, Tom Miller, Mike Mary, and Kevin Cain for doing absolutely anything that was needed during the whole convention and Jon Poorbaugh for all he did, and his help at making the pig roast a success, sorry Jon, I didn’t know that 500+ hungry people were going to show up, but I think it went fine and we didn’t run out of pig. While I’m on the pig roast, thanks to Bill and Bob from D-5 for complete dis-assembly of 3 whole hogs.
Lastly, thanks to the huge crew assembled to clean up on Sunday, move tables and chairs, sweep buildings, and clean up garbage. It was great to have the help even after the convention was over, with members, their wives, and kids. I’m sure my opinion is biased, but I wouldn’t trade the guys and gals of District 3 for anyone. After our 2010 convention, the state talked about us, now the whole country is. Thanks everyone for being the well oiled machine that D-3 has become. Once again, I’m sorry for those I forgot to mention, but I’ll end that with a thanks to all that helped in one way or another.
Keep in mind that the County Fairs will be starting in July and run through August, and we will have our booth set up at Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland, if you would like to help at any of the fairs, give me a call. Our district picnic is set for August 23, at Cedar Creek Park, I’ll get the newsletter and Scholarship application out soon.
‘Till next time. — Dave Eckels
DISTRICT 5 REPORT
I would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to Shirley Custer for all of her hard work before and during the fur sale. She takes care of the food at the sale and does a commendable job year after year. Thanks again Shirley!
Several of you saw me at the state convention in Washington, Pa while I was stocking up on next year’s supplies. I wish I could have spent more time there but conflicting schedules only allowed me a few hours this year. I hope all of you were able to make it and had a good time.
The district 5 spring meeting was held on May 18 at the Gander Mountain in Johnstown. An election of officers was held and our district officers are as follows: Bob Custer – Director, Mike Ridilla – Assistant Director, Deborah Sedlmeyer – Treasurer, and Harry Wade – Secretary.
The trapper school will be held August 7-10, 2014 and new brochures and applications are available.
The fall meeting will be held on September 20, 2014 at the Indiana Fox & Coon Hunters Association.
Please feel free to contact me with any information you would like to see in this report or any questions you might have. I can be reached at (814) 686-0497 or e-mail me at bdstern@atlanticbb.net Thanks for reading. — Brian Stern
DISTRICT 7 REPORT
If you missed this year’s PTA-FTA Rendezvous at Washington, you missed a great time. Dave Eckels and his crew really did a fantastic job planning and running it. I would like to thank Timothy Bittner for representing D-7 in the mountain man race at the rendezvous and winning first place. Upcoming events: July 26 – cable restraint class at the Arnot Sportsmen Club, Arnot, Pa. Register on the PGC website. August 23 – cable restraint class at the Watsontown Lion Club Youth Center at 8 am, and we will have the D-7 trapper training class at the same place on the same day. September 6 is our mini-convention at the Booneville campground starting at 8 am. At 1 pm we will have our D-7 meeting. If you would like to attend as a vendor, please let me know in advance.
Thanks. — Pete, Minkman46@aol.com
DISTRICT 9 REPORT
First I would like to congratulate and thank District 3 in their hosting of the PTA/FTA Convention. The event ran without a hitch, mostly because the District 3 crew are “old pro’s” at it now. Thanks for all you do for the Association.
District 9 will have a bunch of events this summer. The Troy and Harford Fairs are coming up, and if you would help out and donate some time manning the booths it would sure be appreciated. Contact Bill Kalinauskis at 570-942-6895 or e-mail at billdee@epix.net.
Our trapper training school will be held on Sept. 6 & 7 at Camp Lackawanna. The registration fee is $25 and includes a bunch of food and trapping equipment. Call or e-mail Bill Kalinauskis or me at pricee0503@hotmail.com.
Our mini-rendezvous will be held on September 14 at the Triton Hose Co. in Tunkhannock. At this time we are planning to have a cable restraint class in the afternoon. Watch the Game Commission website for this announcement.
We are also hosting a Successful Furtaking class at my house on October 11th from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. To register, go to the Game Commission website.
Our October meeting will be held in Wayne County at a site as yet to be specified. Watch your mail for the postcard announcement.
The Northeast Regional Coyote Hunt will be held on February 6, 7 & 8, 2015. This is a week later than previous years (this is NOT Super Bowl weekend).
In other news, WMU 3C will have a fisher season this year. This change was made in the 11th hour of the Game Commission meeting. I happened to see a large one cross the field behind my house yesterday.
Make sure you read your Hunting and Trapping Digest as there are changes to the regulations every year.
That’s all for now. Hope you are enjoying your summer. It’s not too early to start boiling and waxing traps. And, as always, remember Our Image is Our Future! — Ed Price, Treasurer, District 9
DISTRICT 10 REPORT
Hello to all,
I hope that Everyone is enjoying their summer.
I want to thank District 3 for hosting this year’s PTA/FTA combined rendezvous. There was plenty to do and lots of learning opportunities to be had. The demo schedule was packed with some heavy hitters, and many were standing room only. The food was great, and the weather held out for the most part. You can’t really ask for anything else.
The District 10 & 12 Spring Gathering was held in May, at the Great Swamp Fish & Game Club in Quakertown. What a great location. We would like to thank District 12 for bringing this event back after several years. The club was very hospitable, and with more time, we hope that we can really make this event one to look forward to in years to come.
Northampton County Youth Field Day was held early in June. A special thanks to Steve Wentzel and all of those who volunteered their time for this event. Kids really look forward to it, and having great people to learn from is important. Please contact Steve if you have interest in helping out with any field days in the future. Steve Wentzel 610-797-7944.
The Lehigh Valley Hunting and Fishing Extravaganza will be held at the Kempton Fairgrounds on August 22, 23, & 24. We will be manning a booth at the event, and are looking for any volunteers willing to take some shifts. We will also need some hands to help set up and take down. Call Scot Mucha if you are willing to help out 610-863-9759.
Our next meeting will be held on August 17th at the Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Club @ 1pm. We will have the grill fired up, and will be putting on some trapping demonstrations for those in attendance. This meeting, as always, is open to anyone wanting to join us. Bring your family and friends out for some fresh air and fellowship.
The Fall Mini Convention and Sportsman Show is our next big event. It will be held at the West End Fairgrounds, in Gilbert, PA on September 26th from 12-6pm & 27th from 8am-5pm. There will be Dealers, Tailgaters, Trapping Demonstrations, Trapper Training, and a Cable Restraint Certification Class. Set up Friday Morning Call Scott Mucha, 610-863-9759 or Bob Counterman 610-759-9203. Please call us if you have time to volunteer or put on a demonstration. Clean up and meeting will be on Sunday, September 28th. Again, please let us know if you can help with anything.
The Trapper Training Day will be held on Saturday, September 27th at the convention and will begin at 9am. The training is open to all ages and experience levels. Pick up some new techniques and get the supplies you need all in one day! To register FREE of charge call Bob Counterman 610-759-9203. We will go over Game Laws, Trap Tuning, Land Trapping, and Water Trapping. Meet at the main stage at 9am. Lunch will be provided, and it should be a fun hands on experience for all involved. Remember to register in advance.
The Cable Restraint Certification Class will also be held on Saturday the 27th during the convention, and will begin at 9am. If you are interested in taking this class you must register on the Pennsylvania Game Commission Website. Cost for the class is $15.
That’s all for now. Enjoy the rest of your summer, consider volunteering with District 10, and introduce a young person to the outdoors whenever you get the chance.
Some dates for your calendar:
August 17- District 10 meeting & picnic, Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Club.
August 22-24- The Lehigh Valley Hunting and Fishing Extravaganza, Kempton, PA (www.lvhfe.com)
September 6- Monroe County Youth Field Day @ Camp Trexler.( www.mcyfd.org)
September 26,27- District 10 Fall Mini Convention & Sportsman Show, West End Fairgrounds, Gilbert, PA
September 27- Trapper Training @ Fall Convention, Gilbert, PA. Meet @ stage 9am
September 27- Cable Restraint Certification Class @ Fall Convention. Register on www.pgc.state.pa.us
September 28- Fall Mini Convention & Sportsman Show Clean up and Meeting @ West End Fairgrounds
January 11, 2015 – Fur auction planning meeting. 1:00 pm at Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Club.
January 16, 2015 – Set up for fur auction 6:00pm at Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Club.
January 17, 2015 – Live Bid Fur Auction – Doors open 8:00 am. Sale starts at 9:00 am. Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Club, Belfast, PA. Call Scott or Bob.
If you would like to receive District 10 information electronically, via email, please send an email to Nate Roberts at patrapd10pr@yahoo.com. He will put you on our mailing list. — Scot, 610-863-9759, patrapd10pr@yahoo.com
DISTRICT 11 REPORT
A good time was had by all that attended the FTA/PTA Rendezvous. The guys and gals from District 3 did a great job hosting this year’s rendezvous. It all seemed to run like a well-oiled machine. It was great to be able to catch up with each other, especially friends in the FTA that we don’t get to see as often.
A couple awards were given to District 11 members this year. Butch Herr was presented with the Lifetime Achievement award. This was appropriately given to Butch for all he has done for the district and the State association over the years. The State Trapper of the Year award was awarded to Mrs. Donna Spittle. Congrats to both of these District 11 members.
The winner of the quilt raffle to benefit the Ned Weston Scholarship Fund was George Rigby. Thank you to everyone who bought and sold tickets for this raffle.
Several of us did the dealer signups for next year’s rendezvous and all but 1 building is full. Wayne Gemill is working on the demo list for next year and has a lot of the time slots filled already. We will be doing a lot of planning for next year at our business meeting at Millcreek Sportsmen’s Association on August 3rd. Ralph and I are going to put on a cable restraint course that day starting at 8 AM till noon. This course is not going to be advertised on the PGC website, so if you, or anyone you know of, want to be cable certified let Ralph or me know. There will be spots available at Millcreek if you want to tailgate any merchandise. Dave Rodgers will be there with a full line of trapping supplies if you are in need of anything for this fall. At noon we will serve lunch and then at 2 PM will be the business meeting. Hopefully you will be able to spend the day or at least part of it with us at Millcreek on August 3rd.
I will pass these dates of events along to you again in case you want to participate in any of them:
The Lebanon Co. and Schuylkill Co fairs both run from July 26-Aug.3rd.
York County Trapping School – August 16th – contact Brett Spangler 717-659-7265
Lancaster County Trapping School – August 23rd – contact Terry Suter 717-393-4738
Schuylkill County Trapping School – Sept. 13th – contact Brian Mohn 610-562-1790
Dauphin County Trapping School – Sept. 20th – contact Mike Spittle 717-367-2637
There will be a Successful Furtaker Course offered Sept. 13th at the Kittatinney Hunting & Fishing Club in Lebanon County. Register for this through the PGC website.
We will again have a display booth at the Ned Smith Center’s Nature and Arts Festival on July 26th from 9 AM-4 PM in Millersburg.
Hope to see you at Millcreek. — Mike Spittle, (717)367-2637, spittlefam@paonline.com
