Virginia Trappers Association January 2015 Report

www.virginiatrappers.org

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

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

Membership Secretary — Diana Craig, 2714 Knollwood Dr., Staunton, VA 24401; 540-430-2161; ddcraig9@gmail.com

Recording Secretary — David Brugh, 240 Cherry Lane, Christiansburg, VA 24073; 540-230-4260;
apexwildlifecontrol@ymail.com

Treasurer — Francis Richards, 10721 Thompson Lane, Spotsylvania, VA 22551; 540-840-5542

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

Training Coordinator — Tony Daniel, 11100 Twin Poplar Circle, Chesterfield, VA 23838; 804-892-6139; tonywayne23838@yahoo.com

NTA Director — Larry Kline, 3707 Overview Drive, Fredricksburg, VA 22408; 540-891-4282;
larrynta@aol.com

Membership Options:

• 1-year membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $25

• 1-year membership without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $15

• 2-year membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $48

• Junior (under 16) with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $18

• Lifetime membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $300

• Lifetime membership without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $150

• Organization membership — $40

• 2-year organization membership —$75

• Lifetime organization membership — $350

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

VTA, Membership Secretary

Diane Craig

2714 Knollwood Dr.

Staunton, VA 24401

DISTRICT 4 REPORT

Our district held a meeting on Oct. 11, in Bridge Water, at the Wild Wood Park pavilion. Eleven were present. We discussed the snare regulation, road trapping, and future meeting locations. It is felt that the height of the snare should be raised, with modifications to be practical, such as deer stops, smaller loop, etc. If I remember correctly, the snare regulation change was favored by the VTA as a whole. Also I think the VDGIF was in favor also. These days, a snare has so many variables to make them a safe, practical tool to use on the trapline. Training and instruction is the key to making the right decisions, when using snares. Road trapping is one of my personable headache subjects. The over all feeling is, that the land owner owns the land under the bridge, or culvert, to the middle of the road. I have problems accepting that, and some day hope to find a definitive answer. Future meeting places were discussed and we are gonna try to narrow a place down that we can have flexible activities, such as camping, demos, etc. We hope to build on this and make it a yearly event. Our next meeting will be at the fur sale in March. Watch the association reports and the newsletter for more information, as I will not mail a letter for that meeting. I want to thank Carol Carr for taking notes at Bridge Water, and also thanks to Peggy Bryan for bringing the fire wood. Tom Teague donated two bags of waxed rock to be auctioned off, and I donated a DVD for the door prize. I also provided a stock pot full of Brunswick Stew. Lastly, thanks to Tim Shifflett for putting us onto Wild Wood Park. It is beautiful there.

Last November I had a call from a lady that lives about 14 miles from me, and she had beavers in their creek. Up the hill a ways, they have Christmas trees, and they were worried. I go and soon find a dead beaver here and there along the creek. Turns out her husband has been shooting them already. After three days, I manage to catch three, one of which weighed 43 pounds. The husband couldn’t believe they get that big, I just laughed and said “they can get much bigger.” He then tells me he lost his 20-gauge shotgun in about five or six feet of water. He had slipped off of a rotten log that stretched across the creek, about 25 feet from the beaver dam. I get my potato fork and go back down to the creek with him following. With my chest waders up to my arm pits, and standing on my tip toes, I hoe around and found his shotgun. The look on his face was priceless! He and his wife sent me a nice Christmas card later, thanking me for everything. The gun was back in service, but the shell that was in it didn’t fire. I didn’t think it would. I have new friends, and they said they would call again, but would not shoot first! — Jeffry Hart

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