President — Bob Newberry, 5595 Waddletown Rd., Bland, VA 24315; phone: 276-688-3670; e-mail: sandyhollow@embarqmail.com
Vice President — Mike Perdue, 9150 Poor Mountain Rd., Bent Mountain, VA 24059; phone: 540-929-4412; cell phone: 540-589-4508; e-mail: Bentmtntrapper@aol.com
Membership Secretary — Norm Mullins, P.O. Box 802, Cedar Bluff, VA 24609; phone: 276-963-0642; cell phone: 276-971-1856; e-mail: nsmullins@naxs.net
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, Virginia 22801; phone: 540-564-1930; e-mail: thomasteague@verizon.net
General Organizer — Bud Jenkins, 33423 Seacock Chapel Rd., Ivor, VA 23866; phone: 757-859-6868
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: 540-477-3440; cell phone: 540-335-6088
Membership Options:
• 1-year membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• 2-year membership with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $38
• Junior (under 16) with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $10
• Lifetime membership with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $250
Complete membership application on first page of
association section and send dues to:
VTA, Membership Secretary
Norm Mullins
Box 802, Cedar Bluff, VA 24609-0802
President’s Report
District 1 Report
District 8 Report
District 10 Report
Well, the countdown is on here in the Commonwealth. It is just 13 more days until land traps can be set! Seventy degree weather isn’t my cup of tea to drive steel. I hope maybe the election coming up will stir up a wintery mix to get us in the mood for setting traps. Anyway, fuel prices are dropping to levels below last season.
Maybe we can extend our line a little more to make ends meet. I have nothing certain on fur prices for this upcoming season. John Epler said when he was here at our show at Bland to get up with him about mid-November and he should be able to tell us what looks good on the horizon.
I want to touch on our trapping amendments for the 2009 season. We have three new amendments before the VDGIF board. They are an otter season in all counties west of the Blue Ridge, the 72-hour check for the submerged conibear and the engraving of the trap identification numbers on the trap frame. These would be effective Aug. 1, 2009 if passed by the VDGIF Board.
I would like to wish each and everyone a safe and successful trapping season and be sure to take that youngster along on your trapline. Until next time, keep the torch lit for our great sport.
— Bob Newberry
Hello once again from the mountains of southwest Virginia. On Oct. 17 and 18, we had our fall rendezvous at the Bland County Fairgrounds. We had a little light rain on Friday, but Saturday’s weather was wonderful. We all had a great time watching demos buying supplies, swapping stories and eating good food. A big thanks to all who helped, donated and attended. We have a couple of upcoming events that I hope many of you are able to attend.
Our fur demo day will be Jan. 17, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wytheville Livestock Market, same as last year. This day is devoted to teaching and demonstrating proper fur handling techniques. If you put up fur, you should attend. No matter how long you have been putting up fur, you will certainly learn something here. If you would like to show how you skin, flesh, stretch, etc., you are more than welcome to join in. This is all about doing the job right and getting the most out of you hard work. Our District 1 fur sale will be Feb. 28, 2009.
Have a safe and successful start to this year’s trapping season!
— Jonny Wright
District 8 held their last of the year meeting/cookout on Oct. 26. We had a good turnout with 13 District 8 members, one District 7 member, and 10 family members. As usual, the potluck offerings were fantastic and we had more food than we could consume, but not for the lack of trying.
After the meal (plural for some), we had numerous official business topics to cover: trapper education, snare height limits, VDGIF wildlife regulatory process and the Web-based Nuisance Trapper Listing. A copy of the VDGIF furbearer regulation issues and comment forms were provided to everyone present to provide their inputs to the review process. The remaining discussions were informative in nature and no action items were taken.
The final piece of official business was the vote for District Director position. The direct mailing notice sent to all District 8 members on Sept. 17 complied with the VTA By-Laws advance notice requirement and the 13 members present constituted a district quorum. The group was informed that no one from the direct mailing responded to the call to be added to the ballot. The vote was taken and 12 members confirmed me to the Director position with one abstention.
At the conclusion of official business, two demonstrations were provided; a baited log raccoon set and the use of Coon Cuffs in a bank set. Additionally, a member presented his pictures of double and triple catches and discussed the benefits of using multiple sets at locations. The demonstrations and discussions seem well received by everyone present so we’ll continue providing trade demonstrations for continuing education of our new and experienced trappers.
Our next meeting is planned for early March 2009 prior to the fur sale and area fur buyer pickup dates. We invite members to bring their fur to the meeting for a grading demonstration and an estimate on the value of their fur. I’ll send a flyer announcing the meeting date and directions to the site by mid-February.
Have a safe and successful season
— Art Foltz
Greetings all. I hope everyone is enjoying a successful trapline by now. We held our final district meeting for the year on Sunday, Oct. 19. We had eight members in attendance. We discussed our missions regarding the 2010 VTA Convention, Mandatory Trapper Training, our first 2009 district meeting; as well as some items that filtered in from the rendezvous at Bland. Now to fill you in on these topics…
We are “turning-to” on 2010 VTA Convention preps. We are presently doing site reconnaissance; basically looking for a place with the same commodities as Luray, but in our “neck of the woods.” We are tentatively planning on May as the convention month. That’s as far as we got with items to take action on.
We discussed the Mandatory Trapper Training Proposition. The majority feel it’s a good idea for first-time trapping license buyers, but not a good idea for old hands at the game. We will hold our next meeting in March 2009. Location is yet to be determined. I will advertise the location, date/time again in a future issue.
We hope to hold a couple meetings during the fur season via Internet. Those of you in D10 will hear about it soon. Just a friendly reminder, remember we can now legally set 10×10 bodygrips AT LEAST half submerged. My point is many of us here trap tidal water. Make certain your trap is always in compliance; even at the lowest, low tide. This law can be rescinded as easily as it was adapted. Always deny the enemy an opportunity.
We in District 10 wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
If you have any ideas or suggestions to better our district, I want to hear from you. You can e-mail me at rob.brewer@us.army.mil or werjello@verizon.net. Please be sure to put VTA in the subject line, so I don’t delete it as spam. For those who’d rather pick up the phone, my cellular is 757-869-9822. ‘
Til next time.
— Rob Brewer