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 wish everyone a Happy New Year! I am thankful for our freedom to enjoy our lives perusing our outdoor lifestyle of trapping, hunting and fishing. Please pray for our members of the armed forces that serve our country guaranteeing us this freedom. This freedom was very evident in the recent vote by the citizens of Maine. I congratulate all the sportsmen in the country working together to inform the citizens of Maine the importance of sound wildlife management. Please don’t forget to support the organizations that defend these challenges. In case you need a reminder I will mention a few: United States Sportsman Alliance, Furtakers of America, National Trappers Association and Maine Trappers Association.
The PTA Officer and Directors starts the new year with a meeting on January 3rd in Clearfield, PA. We plan to testify on behalf of the trappers at the Pennsylvania Game Commission Board of Commissioner’s meeting on January 25. We will represent the trappers at the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsman meeting on January 31. January also starts the cycle of District’s Fur sales and meetings. I encourage everyone to introduce a new member to these district events. February is the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg; we always need help manning this booth. If you can give some time to support the PTA call Wayne Gemmill at 717-993-5526.
2015 is an elections year and after many years in their positions Joel and Bill; V.P. East and FTA director are stepping down. I thank them for their years of service, but this leaves us in need of a few members to step up and fill these positions. You may contact me for more information about these positions.
I am happy the direction our website is going but we need help to make it grow. We are looking for your help to provide trapping information and pictures to accent our webpage. Please contact Charlie Sykes with information.
Our Image is Our Future. — Brian
PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR’S REPORT
OUR IMAGE IS OUR FUTURE
New Year’s Resolutions. Each year we hear this term, at least for a week or two. I guess too often the individual commitment to the resolution is something along the lines, something I would really like to accomplish, but, the commitment is nonexistent.
My New Year’s Resolution is to commit not only my time and available finances to our PTA, but to continually provide assistance to the NTA, FTA, US Sportsmen’s Alliance, Furbearers Unlimited, and any state in need of our support. Simply look at the number of states that have already lost their privilege to trap or have had those privileges severely limited. If you are truly committed to our way of life, you should already be aware of the many states presently confronted by organizations that could care less about professional wildlife management, but, have a life commitment of mandating that everyone agree with their uneducated and narrow views.
By now you should be aware that Maine won their battle against these individuals. This battle was won through the support of trappers and other individuals throughout our country, along with a number of the national organizations I previously mentioned. The successful fight in Maine has been a tremendous accomplishment. However, these battles continue in numerous other states and will not end without our continued support. The most recent confrontation that I am aware of is in New Jersey. New Jersey Trappers are being threatened with the loss of their snares.
Our resolution must be to make every effort to be knowledgeable of the attacks the antis are presenting, and do everything possible to support those in need. We could easily be next.
If you are setting there thinking, “Someone else will take care of this.” You may have a very rude awakening.
Hope you have a wonderful New Year. — Barry L. Warner
DISTRICT 1 REPORT
Hello Trappers,
We are gearing up for the gun raffle. The sponsor gun is going to be a lever action 45-70. The tickets will be getting distributed soon. The next gun raffle meeting will be February 22nd in Meadville at Kings at 2:00pm. I would like to encourage all members to attend.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is citing trappers for trapping in a safety zone. Remember you must be 150 yards away from all occupied structures. Another violation high on the list is not having traps tagged properly – carry a few extra tags in your coat to replace as needed.
Well I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Any questions or concerns, I can be contacted at 814-823-5429
Our Image Is Our Future. — John W. Chase
DISTRICT 2 REPORT
Hello District 2:
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Here are the upcoming events for January and February: On January 3rd there will be an Officers and Directors meeting. Our winter meeting will be held on January 11th at the Happy Hunters Sportsmen’s Club, 676 Chicora-Fenelton Rd, Fenelton, PA. Doors will open at noon and the meeting will start at 1:00 pm. It was decided at our fall meeting that the food for each of our meetings will be free to the members attending. Water, coffee, and pop may be purchased. As always we will have our 50/50 raffle and 5-for-1 table. Please bring an item for the 5-for-1 table. Our annual fur sale will be February 21st at the Burnt Ridge Bow & Gun Club, 493 Ridge Rd, Cowansville, PA. Hours are 8:00 am until 3:00 pm. There will be a 4% commission to sell fur; however, this year you will not have to be a member of the association to sell your fur. Hope to see you there! To contact District 2 our current officers are: Greg Bell, Director (724-895-3731) & Joe Fennell, Assistant Director (724-445-7976). Hope you have a great finish to the season! — Brenda Fennell
DISTRICT 3 REPORT
Hello All,
By the time you read this, winter will be here. Hard to say what we’ll get, but November was wildly entertaining, from snow to rain, lows in the teens to 72 degree highs two days later. Was the first time in a while that most of the water was iced over for the start of rat season. Not much going on in the district with events during the season, but I did want to congratulate the winners of our scholarship. First place went to Shannon McCulloch of Belle Vernon and second place was Keegan Miller of Armbrust. Congrats girls on the winning essays and also a big thanks to all that wrote. We had more entrants than we ever had before and judging was very hard, everyone seemed to vote a little differently as all of the essays were well written.
Our fur sale will be held on January 25, at the Washington County Fairgrounds, 4H building. Once again there will be a 4% commission to sell your furs there. Remember to bring your furtakers license with you. Prices are up in the air right now and nobody really knows what to expect, but we hope you’ll save some or all of your fur to bring to the sale.
Here’s wishing everybody a Merry Christmas. — Dave Eckels
DISTRICT 4 REPORT
Hello Everyone,
I hope you have all been having a great season. I don’t think we are going to get rich trapping so enjoy the outdoors. Take a youngster or beginner trapping. Most of all have fun. Just a quick reminder about the D-4 Fur Sale Saturday, January 17th, at the Sacred Heart Activity Center in St. Marys. The sale starts at 8:30 am until approximately 1:00 pm or until all the fur is graded. There is NO commission but you must be a PTA member so please bring your membership card along with your trapping license. There is a district meeting to follow the fur sale at 1:00. If you have any questions about the fur sale please get a hold of Jeff at 814-781-7539 or myself at 814-371-1170. Best of luck at whatever you are chasing, happy holidays, and see you at the fur sale. — Don Klinger
DISTRICT 5 REPORT
I’ve returned from a successful elk hunt and have been able to get out a few traps. I’m thankful for my job but it sure does interfere with my outdoor activities. I’ve only been able to harvest a few raccoons and now deer season is starting so my fur take may not match my earlier expectations. I hope all of you are doing better. Please keep district 5 in mind for our fur sale in early February. I’ll have more details about the sale next month. Good luck and safe trapping.
Our district officers are as follows: Bob Custer – Director, Mike Ridilla – Assistant Director, Deborah Sedlmeyer – Treasurer, and Harry Wade – Secretary.
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
District 7 fur auction will be January 18, starting at 9 am. You must be a member of the PTA to sell. Bring your membership card with you. There is a 4% commission. We will have a food stand and there will be trapping supplies for sale. Have your furs sorted by species and have an accurate count of each species. If you could help set-up in the morning or clean up later let me know. For more information, email: minkman46@aol.com or call 570-437-2679. — Pete
DISTRICT 8 REPORT
Hello all. I hope everyone is ready for the upcoming season and hope everyone has a safe and successful one. We had our end of the year meeting at Blain on the 26th of October. We got a lot accomplished. We voted at last meeting to have a state banquet next year to benefit the state and KIFE. It will be July 18, 2015, at the Lewistown Moose. Tickets will be $25 a person/$45 a couple, children under 12 free. The meal is going to be roasted turkey or baked ham, tossed salad bar, mashed and au gratin potatoes, succotash, stuffing and gravy, strawberry shortcake and we will also have fruit and veggie tray. One non-alcohol beverage and they will have open bar for purchase of alcohol. I will try to get a donation letter up on the website and any donations will be greatly appreciated. We have almost all dates finalized for events and meetings and should have the fridge magnet ready by December. I have to finalize a date but our next meeting will be January 18th at New Bloomfield Sportsmen’s Club. Hope to see everyone there. — Pete
DISTRICT 9 REPORT
Our coyote hunt will be held February 6, 7 & 8, 2015. If you have not received your registration yet, you can call Bill K. at 570-942-6895, or e-mail me at pricee0503@hotmail.com. Rules are the same as last year.
Our fur sale will be held Feb. 14 at the Triton Hose Co. There will be a 4% commission, and you must be a PTA member to sell. Bring your furtakers’ license with you.
Remember this is an election year. If you want to run for any office, contact Brian Mohn. — Ed Price
DISTRICT 10 REPORT
Hello to all,
I hope that everyone is having a successful season so far. With the uncertainty in the fur market, well handled, prime pelts will get you your best prices.
The District 10 Trappers are looking to update our tanned fur articles that we use as educational tools at sportsman shows, hunter education classes, and field days. Some of our furs are in bad shape, if anyone would be willing to donate a fur article it would be greatly appreciated. You can bring it to the Fur Auction on January 17th or give Scot Mucha (610-863-9759) a call. We would like to thank Jim Mindler for this donation of a coyote skin. Thanks Jim!!
The planning meeting for 2015 will be held on January 11th, 1:00pm, at the Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Association. We will be planning our fur auction and other events for the year. If you have any ideas, or would like to see us at different events please come out and share your ideas. As always, our meetings are open to all PTA members, and we would really like to see some new faces walk through the door.
The 2015 District 10 Live Bid Fur Auction will be held on January 17th at the Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Association located at 474 Sportsman Club Road, Nazareth, PA. District 10 charges 4% commission, and you must have your PTA membership card, and furtaker license with you to sell fur. Doors will open at 8:00 am and the auction will begin at 9:00 am. One of the great things about the auction is getting together to share stories about the season, but the best part about the auction is getting paid for your fur the same day it sells. We will have some fur handling video’s playing downstairs, and our famous kitchen will be open all day. We will meet at the club at 6 pm on Friday, January 16th to get everything set up for Saturday.
In June of 2016 District 10 will be hosting the 79th Annual Pennsylvania Trappers Association State Rendezvous. Location will be at the West End Fairgrounds in Gilbert, PA on June 23, 24, and 25th. The State rendezvous takes a lot of work and planning. The bar seems to be raised from year to year be each hosting district. We hope to make it another great event, but will need plenty of help from our district members to make it a success. Please plan to help out in any way that you can. There will be more details to come, as we move forward on this.
Some dates for your calendar:
January 11, 2015 – Planning meeting. 1:00 pm at Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Club.
January 16, 2015 – Set up for District 10 live bid fur auction 6:00pm at Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Club.
January 17, 2015 – District 10 Live Bid Fur Auction – Doors open 8:00 am. Sale starts at 9:00 am. Belfast-Edelman Sportsman Club, Belfast, PA. Call Scot or Bob.
March 6,7,8, 2015- Lehigh Valley Sportsman Show at Ag Hall in Allentown
June 18,19,20, 2015- Pennsylvania State Rendezvous at the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds.
September 25,26, 2015- District 10 Fall Trapping Convention and Sportsman Show, West End Fairgrounds.
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 be happy to put you on our mailing list.
Happy Holidays to all, and enjoy the rest of the season. — Scot, 610-863-9759, patrapd10pr@yahoo.com
DISTRICT 11 REPORT
Just a couple of things to pass on to you this month. Hopefully your trapping season has been enjoyable so far and you are having some fun enjoying what we all do.
District 11 Fur Sale will be held Sat. January 10th, 2015 at the Berks County 4H Center, Bernville PA. The doors will open at 7AM with the sale starting at 9AM. The kitchen will be open at 7 and throughout the day. All licensed fur buyers are welcome to attend. There is a $5.00 / lot registration fee and a 4% commission on all fur sold. You must be a PTA member to sell fur at the sale.
Our next district meeting will be February 5th, 2015, at 7 PM at the Conewago Township Building just off of Rte 743 between Hershey and Elizabethtown.
See ya further down the line. — Mike Spittle, (717)367-2637, spittlefam@paonline.com
