President — Steve E Colvin, 2000 SB Rd, Barboursville, VA 22923; phone: 434-996-6067; e-mail stvcolvin@aol.com

Vice President — John Bedwell, 210 Fairway Lane, Wytheville, VA 24382; phone: 276-620-5145; e-mail: sinkthemink@hotmail.com

Membership Secretary — Dickie Craig, 2714 Knollwood Dr., Staunton, VA 24401; phone: 540-886-3937; e-mail: ddcraig9@gmail.com

Recording Secretary — James G. Covais, 10401 Moore Ct., Spotsylvania, VA 22553; phone: 540-760-9694; e-mail: jcovais@comcast.net

Treasurer — Thomas Teague, 2920 Cross Keys Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22801; phone: 540-564-1930; e-mail: thomasteague@verizon.net

General Organizer — Glen Mabe, 211 5th St., Luray, VA 22835; phone: 540-860-2634;
e-mail 19612004@yahoo.com

Training Coordinator — Ed Crebbs, 175 Waldrop Rd., Gordonsville, VA 22942; phone: 540-832-2708; e-mail: edcrebbs@yahoo.com

NTA Director — John Coakley, 1188 Turkey Knob Rd., Quicksburg, VA 22847; phone: 540-335-6088

Membership Options:

• 1-year membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• 2-year membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $38
• Junior (under 16) with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $10
• Lifetime membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $250

Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:

VTA, Membership Secretary
Dickie Craig
2714 Knollwood Dr.
Staunton, VA 24401

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT

By the time you read this, I will be getting my feet wet as your VTA membership secretary. It might be a rough start, but I want you to know, if you have any problems please contact me.

I’m thinking by now everybody is enjoying some kind of trapping, whether by land or by water. The snow in December probably put a dent in fur sheds everywhere, but that’s Mother Nature. Most trappers I’ve talked with were starting to trap late to make sure the skins are prime. As a fur buyer in the ’80s, I know that a good many ’coons were caught in season but were green. Mother Nature knows best — good, cold weather primes up furs.

In the meantime, take a kid trapping. Keep those young eyes excited, because starting kids trapping will carry us into the next generation.

— Dickie Craig

GENERAL ORGANIZER’S REPORT

It’s Christmas Eve, as I write this report. I hope Santa is good to everyone.

As I look outside, the snow is still here. It has sure put a damper on my trapping. I hope the season has been good to everyone. Looks like ’rats will be good this year. I have heard from a few reports that the bigger beavers are selling and ’coon are starting. With the blanket of snow up and down the East Coast, the catch will surely be down. Maybe this will help clear out the inventory at the auction houses.

The new executive board had a meeting this month to get things started. There are a lot of things we want to accomplish this year. There will be a few positions that will need to be filled. If you would like to help out, please contact Steve Colvin about these positions. I think we have a strong board and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to move the VTA forward. We also have some fundraisers in the works.

The VTA’s annual fur auction will be Saturday, March 13, 2010, at the Expoland in Fischersville Va. The sale will start at 8 a.m. The building will open up at 6 a.m. for dealers and pre-registered sellers ONLY. Pre-registration can be made March 1 to March 10 by calling Charlaine Crebbs at 540-843-2708.

Pre-registered sells will have to have an exact count of the fur they will sell. Any changes in your fur count on the day of the sell will cause your pre-registration to be void, and you will have to re-register the day of the sale. Last year, this caused a lot of confusion. For dealer info, you can call Glen Mabe at 540-860-2634.

We will also have a 50/50 fur sale. For every “GOOD” pelt that you threw in the pile, your name will go in the hat. At the end of the fur sale, we will auction off the lot and draw a name out of the hat. This person will receive 1/2 of the total of the lot and the VTA will receive the other 1/2.

I hope to see you all at the fur auction. We also need several people to ensure the fur sale runs smoothly. If you would like to help out, please give me a call. Until the fur sale.

— Glen Mabe

DISTRICT 4 REPORT

I hope it has been a good season for everyone and hopefully the fur prices will be good too. The Va. Trappers Assoc. Fur Auction is March 13, 2010, at Augusta Expo in Fishersville.

After the season, I hope to have some meetings, fur demos, trapper training or other activities. Contact me by mail or phone with your ideas or if you would be able to have an activity at your house or fur shed.

When a date and time for any activity has been set, I will get it on the Va. Trapper Web site, published in the Va. Trapper Newsletter, and Trapper & Predator Caller Magazine.

Good trapping and be safe.

— Billy Price

DISTRICT 8 REPORT

District 8 holds regular meetings/cookouts during the offseason (March-September) to discuss issues related to the trade/hobby, provide trade-related demonstrations, and engage in camaraderie around pot luck meals. All VTA Officers and our local DGIF Wildlife/Land Managers have open invitations to attend our meetings to share the meal with us, participate in the discussions, and field questions about trapper concerns.

We look forward to working with our new VTA Officers and hope to see some or all of them at our 2010 district meetings. As of this month, the Executive Board will have already met twice as they lay the foundation to grow and improve our Association. The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled during the March 13 VTA Fur Auction. If you have ideas/suggestions for the Association you would like submitted, please e-mail or call me so I can present them at the meeting.

So much for my mild-weather statements in the last report; fortunately, we hadn’t buried any steel yet so the big snow didn’t turn into the big dig-out except at the home front. The big melt provided the opportunity to hone our mud trapping skills and provide appreciation for dry dirt collection and peat moss.

Our next district meeting is scheduled for March 7 at 6706 River Road, Fredericksburg. The meeting is purposely set one week prior to the VTA Fur Auction so we can present a fur grading and valuation demonstration. Attendees are encouraged to bring any or all of your fur to be graded by our experienced fur buyer district member. A meeting announcement with site directions will be sent to district members and guests, however, the event is open to all trappers or trapping-interested persons. If you would like to attend, please contact me for details and directions.

— Art Foltz