President — Virgil Schroeder, 3471 Earlwyn Road, Cottage Grove, WI 53527; phone: 608-764-5218; e-mail: virjo4t@msn.com
Vice President — Greg Schroeder, 514 Water St., Cambridge, WI 53523; phone: 608-423-4621; e-mail: schroeder4@charter.net
Secretary — Krystle Kasper, 605 W Central St., Chippewa Falls, WI 54729; 715-214-5147; e-mail: krystlesue@gmail.com
Treasurer — Pam Mather, P.O. Box 305, Oregon, WI 53575; phone: 608-335-2700; e-mail: wtatreasurer@wistrap.org
NTA Director — Chris Bezio, 5479 Hawthorne Dr., Pulaski, WI 54162; phone: 920-822-3427; e-mail: cbezio@msn.com
Sergeant at Arms — Doug Gorst, 3941 Cty Rd. E, Pittsville, WI 54466; phone: 715-884-6452
Trapper Ed Coordinator — Nicke Shumaker, N4297 Weasel Dam Road, Tigerton, WI 54486; phone: 715-754-2121; e-mail: wctep@mwwb.net
Public Relations Director — Ken Kasper, P.O. Box 367, Fremont, WI 54940; phone: 920-446-3815;e-mail: wtapr@centurytel.net
Correspondence Course Director — Mike Widner, P.O. Box 483, Baraboo, WI 53913; phone: 608-356-3621; e-mail: muskrat_mike@yahoo.com
Historians — Mary Cassidy & Larry Vanderhoef; W 10513 County Road P, Plainfield, WI 54966; phone: 715-366-2453
Web Site Coordinator — Brent Straka, 7936 Cty A, Lancaster, WI 53813: phone: 608-732-3548
Future Trappers of Wisconsin President — Maggie McAuley, 621 13th Street South, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494; phone: 715-423-3229;e-mail: ftwpres@wistrap.org
Future Trappers of Wisconsin Coordinator — Jennifer Roever, WI 4399 US HWY 45, Tigerton, WI 54486; e-mail: ftwcoord@wistrap.org
Membership Options:
• Three-year individual membership without Trapper & Predator Caller — $80
• Individual membership with Trapper & Predator Caller — $30
• Individual membership without Trapper & Predator Caller — $15
• Junior (under 17) with Trapper & Predator Caller — $15
• Family Membership with Trapper & Predator Caller — $30
• Lifetime membership (under 65) with Trapper & Predator Caller — $500
• Lifetime membership (over 65) with Trapper & Predator Caller — $300
• Husband and wife lifetime membership with Trapper & Predator Caller — $600
• Future Trappers of Wisconsin membership (under age 19) without Trapper & Predator Caller — FREE
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
WTA Treasurer
Pam Mather
P.O. Box 305, Oregon, WI 53575-0305;
http://www.wistrap.org
BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Board of Directors Meeting
Stoney Creek Inn, Mosinee, WI
March 19, 2011
Meeting was called to order at 9:01 am by President Virgil Schroeder. The Pledge of Allegiance was said and roll call taken. All eleven districts were represented as were all four elected officers. Various handouts for meeting topics and discussion were distributed.
Secretary’s Report – Secretary informed all in attendance that meeting was being recorded and asked for any changes or addendums to the January BOD meeting report. Motion made by Mark Loka to accept Secretary’s report. Seconded by Jim Gordon. Motion Carried.
Treasurer’s Report – Steven Van presented the financial report, which was accurate as of 1-31-11 and fielded any questions pertaining to it. Motion made by Mark Loka to accept Treasurer’s report. Seconded by Jim Gordon. Motion Carried.
President’s Report – Virgil reported it was official that the NTA convention in Marshfield was the largest on record with 5280 in paid attendance. Our memberships and membership renewals are down significantly and need to be encouraged at our district meetings. Steven Van is able to provide a monthly list of memberships that have expired to the directors. The legislative front is quiet at this time and we’ll discuss national level conventions later in the meeting.
Vice President’s Report – Scott reported there would be a by-laws meeting in June at Pumpkin Center. And that there are three questions on the spring hearings pertaining to trapping: landowner/cable restraint, fall beaver season and trapping on state parks.
FTW Report – District 10 sponsored part of the FTW display booth. The FTW will be holding a 50/50 raffle today and will be asking the WTA for the raised portion to be returned. The FTW is looking for a trailer for their use. They will also be looking for sponsors for kids to the Kids Camp, cost is $60 per camper. Motion made by Rich Kirchmeyer to allow kids to keep the proceeds from their 50/50 raffle. Seconded by Stan Hoeft. Motion Carried. Discussion followed on budgets and funding. The WCTEP will/did reimburse the donation to the camp. Discussion on an additional $1000 to what the WCTEP is already donating. Motion made by Jim Gordon to donate $500 to each camp, $1000 total, in addition to the WCTEP donation. Rich Kirchmeyer seconded. Motion Carried.
NTA Director Report – NTA reports have been going out to those who wish to receive them. The NTA is also currently having a push for memberships. Volunteers will be needed at the Madison Deer Classic the first weekend in April.
WCTEP Report – Class materials are here today for those who have classes scheduled. We are still waiting on some brochures. There will be a letter going out to instructors reminding them that they need to be WTA members to be instructors. There are four rough, very rough, copies of the new manual floating around in the lobby. Anyone interested take a minute to view them. There will be mandatory training for all instructors by next year to use the new manuals.
Personnel and Finance Report – Michael Leiser reported that Steven Van has been on for a year. He has done all he was asked to do and more. Deb Koltis has been working extensively with the district treasurers. Biggest thing is filling out the memo on the checks and accurately. She has also helped on the budget and check requests. Steve pays the monthly bills. Discussion on budget accuracy and working on a spreadsheet. The Fall Rendezvous is a concern right now as to coordination, etc. The website cost is $40 a month. The cost of space at events is going up and there will be a larger expense due to attendance at the NTA in Missouri this year. Mentioned a possible increase of $100 per month for the bookkeeper. Steve Van has created an e-store on the website. Definition of line items for the accountant. Motion made by Jim Gordon to approve the budget. Seconded by Stan Hoeft. Motion Carried.
FTA Report – Dan Carroll reported that President Chick Andres is here and the convention is a separate item on the agenda. Jack Hill handed out the mission statement on Chapter 35-A of the Fur Takers of America. He reported the Chapter would be having elections this year for Vice President, Secretary, and General Organizer. The FTA has 135 members in Wisconsin and the Chapter would be putting in a bid for the 2013 convention.
Old Business
FTA Convention– The bid for the 2013 FTA convention was discussed. The convention has to be in June. Jack Hill mentioned that Father’s Day weekend would not be a good choice. A representative from Marshfield has offered to go to New York this year and present a bid for us. Chick confirmed that the auction is all the FTA gets from the convention. Dan Carrol said this will get the FTA exposure to Wisconsin trappers which will benefit the Wisconsin trappers. The WTA will set up the convention, the FTA has no front people like the NTA. It was defined that the WTA is an affiliate of the FTA, Affiliate 35, and that Chapter 35-A is a chapter. Concern was expressed if we need to amend budget for this, no it is two years out. Jack Hill expressed concern for donations to the FTA and portion of proceeds to 35-A. Chick gave an example of Indiana conventions and that there was no precedence in the splitting of proceeds. A FTA national convention is the size of our fall convention and due to it being in June, we will still have our fall convention. Motion made by Jim Gordon that the WTA, Affiliate 35 of the FTA put in a bid for the FTA convention in June of 2013. Seconded by Rich Kirchmeyer. Motion Carried.
Wisconsin Trapper Magazine – Dave Hastings reported he would like to see more stories from Wisconsin similar to Bryce’s in the last issue. Also more photos and not necessarily tailgate or end of the line pictures. Photographs from events and the trapline are a plus. Dave mentioned to thank the advertisers from the magazine and support them. A handout was distributed providing facts and data from the magazine. John Irwin asked if the ad rates were published and the answer is yes. Russ Warmka asked how effective are old Wisconsin Trapper copies at trapper’s ed classes and other events? Would another pro-trapping handout be as effective without the cost of printing extra copies of the Wisconsin Trapper? Scott McAuley stated he didn’t know what percentage of the Wisconsin Trapper get read after being handed out at events such as the Deer Classic in Madison. Duane Fronek commented that handing out magazines is very beneficial. Bryce reported that as liaison it has been super working with Dave thus far and that the communication and working relationship between Dave and Steve Van is working very well. There have been some requests and it was confirmed by Dave that the magazine can be distributed by e-mail if requested.
NTA and FTA Donations – Donations have been at $50 per month for sometime now and it was asked if it was time and if we were able to increase that amount. Question was asked if this would affect the budget. Answer is the budget is not gospel until the general membership votes on it. Motion made by Rich Kirchmeyer to up our donation amounts to $100 per month from the current $50 to both the FTA and NTA. Seconded by Scott McAuley. Motion Carried.
WTA Raffle – Virgil reports that a final opinion is not achievable. He has put the raffle tickets and the raffle license in his name. Everything was getting mailed today and a promotional flier was included with every mailing.
New Business
Magazine Advertising (Reciprocal) – Bartering will be eliminated as agreements run out. USA FOXX and F&T are both open to the new arrangement. This allows more accurate numbers than the bartering system. The WTA’s raffle, banquet, and income totals were skewed with the barter system. Discussion on website advertising, mailing lists and catalog inserts. Discussion on multiple issues to same address. Recipients will need to request a reduction in copies to their address.
Salary (Steven Van) – Handout was provided showing the additional duties that have been requested of the bookkeeper. Motion made by Dave Louis to go into closed session. Seconded by Mark Loka. Motion Carried. The room was cleared of all individuals except BOD and P&F members. Motion made by Rich Kirchmeyer to return to open session. Seconded by Jim Gordon. Motion Carried. It was announced by Michael Leiser that Steve had been approved to receive a $100 per month raise.
Fall Rendezvous and Spring Banquet – Richard Clark stated that we do have the fairgrounds reserved but the “big book of knowledge” pertaining to the rendezvous has not yet been turned over to him. He has tried but has been unable to contact Ellen for this. Russ Warmka states that “We are here so the banquet must be a go”.
The June BOD meeting will be June 4 at the MacKenzie Center.
Trapping License Increase – Virgil would like to see a trapping license increase of $2 that would be earmarked to go solely to the LTE position that Shawn Roessler currently holds. LTE means Limited Term of Employment and is not a permanent position with the state or the individual. It would require legislative action and Virgil states he has the support. Done this way a Governor cannot rob the position or the account. Currently Shawn’s position allots it time 50% to WCTEP and 50% to Furbearer Program Assistant. Motion made by Rich Kirchmeyer to seek a $2 increase in the trapping license fee to fund a separate account to man the position.
Seconded by Dan Shumaker. Motion Carried. This won’t pay for all of the position but it will make it a full time position. Also discussed if seeking legislation to have a dedicated warden in every county would be feasible. Would this increase also include Patron Licenses where trapping is indicated. Rich Kirchmeyer moved to amend his motion to read all trapping licenses increase $2. Dan Shumaker confirmed his second to the amendment. Amendment to the motion carried. Due to the current budget climate in Madison if Shawn were to leave the position would probably go away and might not ever return. We have lost positions before, example being the Furbearer Research position. This will keep the WCTEP position in Madison so we need to support this. This also shows we are willing to put our money where our voice is. It was stated that this motion gives Virgil the right to promote this at legislature.
It was asked if a motion would be entertained to remove Pam Mather’s name from the merchant account and put Steven Van’s name on. Motion made by Mark Loka to remove the Mather name from the merchant account and put Steve Van’s name on it. Seconded by Jim Gordon. Motion Carried.
It was asked if we would entertain the paying of the cost of printing the trapping regulations for 2011-12. Motion made by Mark Loka to provide $1500 for the printing of the trapping regulations. Seconded by Dave Louis. Motion Carried.
Guest Speaker Chick Andres, FTA President, reported on the wolf delisting. The FTA is a monetary and legislative sponsor of this. They are currently helping out in Montana and Idaho. The Trapping Chronicles is starting up again and will air for 13 weeks. The cost of this show is $45,000. The Illinois bill to ban conibears / bodygrips was defeated in committee. Chick also stated that the USSA is the best organization in the country for fighting for ALL sportsman.
Guest Speaker Jerry Knuth, WWF, reported that the WWF goal is 75% about education and 25% about policy. The DNR is becoming more receptive to sportsman. The latest deer meeting he attended was more of a wolf discussion than a deer discussion. They had over 35,600 signatures on their wolf delisting petition. The WWF is focusing on the wolf in the Midwest whereas Chick is involved at a national level. He also discussed various upcoming events for the WWF.
Guest Speaker Scott Zimmerman, Chair of the Furbearer Harvest for the Conservation Congress, reported on the three questions that pertain to trapping that will appear on the April11 hearings. Landowner privilege of using cable restraints on their own property, shortening of fall beaver season in the Northeast portion of the state, and allow the DNR to regulate species using trapping on state park lands were the three questions. Jerry Knuth stated that the WWF has also opened up many stewardship lands to trapping.
There were reports on various DNR research projects. There is currently a black bear population estimate project happening. This project is utilizing 3700 baits across 32 counties. In addition, hunters will be asked to contribute a section of rib again this year.
The USFWS is being told that they are not showing enough attention to the social side of the wolf. Information will now also be gathered from farmers and hunters pertaining to the wolf.
Currently there are three furbearer projects happening in the state. Another 30 martens were released in the Clam Lake area. Several were collared and this was the last phase of the ninety total martens. The movements of these marten will be tracked to better understand their habitat needs. The next research on the martens will focus on reproduction.
UW-Milwaukee is doing a genetic project with badgers. The research is focusing on the southwest and north central part of the state. It is a 3 or 4-year project studying the population, habitat, etc. of the badger population. Radio collaring badgers has become an obstacle due to the badger having “no neck”.
The current $3 fee for bobcat applications is being put to use studying our bobcat population south of Hwy 64. The poop sniffing dogs are back to obtain samples. Genetics can be extracted from the scat retrieved in this manner. Discussion on the type of dog that makes the grade for poop sniffing. Only 1 in 1200 makes the cut and no one breed excels at it. Hyperactive mutts from the pound that really want to retrieve the object are the typical dogs that make the grade.
4-H group is looking for furs for display with highly disabled kids. The current ones are worn out due to high use.
Motion made by Rich Kirchmeyer to adjourn. Seconded by Mark Loka. Motion Carried.
Meeting adjourned at 12:18 PM.
Respectfully submitted.
— Shawn Bazile
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING REPORT
General Membership Meeting
Stoney Creek Inn, Mosinee, WI
March 19, 2011
Meeting was called to order at 1:03 pm by President Virgil Schroeder. By visual count, it was determined that a quorum of members were present. The Pledge of Allegiance followed.
Secretary’s Report – Secretary reported that the meeting was being recorded and the minutes of last General Membership meeting had been published in both the Trapper & Predator Caller and Wisconsin Trapper magazines. Copies were available on side table if anyone desired a copy. He would entertain changes, additions, deletions, or corrections to those minutes at this time. Motion made by Mark Loka to accept Secretary’s report. Seconded by Dan Sabish. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report – Steven Van presented the balance sheet and financial sheet and asked for any questions or clarifications. Motion made by Rich Kirchmeyer to accept Treasurer’s report. Seconded by Dave Louis. Motion carried.
President’s Report – Virgil commented again about the awesome NTA convention and the work done by all. Our membership is declining and the membership renewals are lagging which is of concern. The spring hearings will be coming up on April 11. He asked that more articles be written and submitted to our Wisconsin Trapper magazine. He will be attending the FTA convention in Dunkirk, NY this June and the NTA convention in Columbia, MO this August. He asked that we all support our district rendezvous’ coming up this summer. He thanked Steve Van for the outstanding job he has been doing for the association with the bookkeeping position. Virgil reports the raffle tickets are in the mail and please participate in this major fund raiser for the association.
Vice-President’s Report – Scott reported there will be a by-laws meeting in June at Pumpkin Center. The major topic to be addressed will be the fall voting and procedures. He will try to make as many of the summer rendezvous as he can and asked that the membership attend as able also. Scott presented the vice-presidents award by stating there is no criteria for the award. Just an award for individual(s) that care for the association and move it forward. This year the Vice-President’s Award is presented to Mike and Kathy Nicholson.
WCTEP Correspondence Course Report – Mike Widner reported there were 222 correspondence course graduates last year and 44 so far this year. The course is using the new NTA handbooks now. Also new manuals will be in use by next year after a “teach the teachers” course is held for all instructors. Correspondence course students are being offered the fur handling DVD’s at half price due their not having the hands on skinning available to live classes. So any rumors you might hear of “deals” on the DVD’s are proven correspondence course graduates. Mike went over the criteria for the Dan Busch memorial scholarship and described the attributes of this years recipient. The Dan Busch Memorial Scholarship is awarded to Katherine Mauritz of Hartford, Wis.
Personnel and Finance Report – Michael Leiser reports that the focus of P&F has been the budget. They have been receiving good solid numbers from Steve Van with help from Deb Koltis. The publication figures having really improved. The committees and liaisons are working good. Fall Rendezvous is of great concern. The binder with all information is in Ellen’s possession and help is going to be needed for this fall. The raffle is moving forward with tickets being mailed out and the license holder is now Virgil. The early bird drawing for the raffle will be drawn at the Districts 1-2-3 rendezvous with top prize of a 10’ johnboat and 4 additional prizes of $100 Gander Mountain gift cards. Discussed the new WTA website and reasons for events costs going up on budget. One larger new item will be the expense of attending the NTA in Missouri. Discussed reasons for Steve Van’s raise and additional duties he has taken on. Motion made by Dan Sabish to accept the proposed budget. Seconded by Jim Goordon. Motion carried.
NTA and FTA Reports – Scott McAuley reports that the NTA is quiet at the legislative end right now and would be doing a membership drive this year. Dan Carroll reported the FTA convention will be in Dunkirk, NY and that President Andres was in attendance here today.
FTW Report – Maegan Loka reported the recent and upcoming activities of the FTW.
Presented the new FTW logo to the membership and presented Virgil with a sweatshirt displaying the new design. She also outlined the FTW agenda and fund raising events for the next year. She stated the FTW booth will be out and about more this coming year. Also they are still looking for donations of trapping related books and DVD’s for library donations. Currently districts 2,3,4,and 7 have FTW representatives and are looking for representatives for the other districts. President Virgil Schroeder was presented with a check for $1000 to repay the WTA the $1000 the FTW was loaned a year ago. The Crex Meadows camp has 5 students signed up with a limit of 12 and the regular camp has 10 signed up with a limit of 30. The new FTW display is on display in the hallway outside the meeting and the FTW is holding a 50/50 raffle today. Also asked if anyone wanted to sponsor a kid to camp or donate new trapping supplies to camp to please do so.
WCTEP Report – Just a reminder that to be an instructor you need to be a member of the WTA. Limited copies of the new manuals are available in the hallway to be reviewed. There will be mandatory training in the use of the new manuals for next year.
Old Business – FTA Bid – Sharon Kluse from Marshfield will represent Wisconsin in New York for the FTA bid. Once again expressed how “wowed” the City of Marshfield was by the NTA convention held there. Complimented again on how clean the fairgrounds were after it was over. Jokingly stated she was still looking for her fur vest. Motion made by Dan Carroll for the WTA to put in a bid for the 2013 FTA convention. Seconded by Jim Gordon. Motion carried. Requirements for a FTA convention and distribution of receipts were discussed.
Wisconsin Trapper – Dave Hastings reported he was always looking for articles for the magazine. Also pictures were needed and not just catch or tailgate pictures. Please support your advertisers with purchases or just by saying thank you for advertising in the Wisconsin Trapper. In addition there is no compensation for articles.
FTA and NTA Donations – Discussion on the subject to increase the donation to these organizations. Motion made by Jim Gordon to increase the donation to both organizations to $100 per month per organization. Seconded by Dan Carroll. Motion carried.
New Business – Steve Van (Salary) – Discussion on the reasons for the request of the increase. Motion made by John Irwin to increase Steve Van’s salary by $100 per month. Seconded by Dan Cichantek. Motion carried. This will move to confirm from the general membership what the BOD has already approved.
Trapping License Increase – Virgil stated the reasons for seeking this increase and that the motion would give Virgil the authority to seek sponsors. Motion made by Maynerd Breunig to seek a $2 increase in trapping license fee. Seconded by John Irwin. Motion carried. It was stated that this will have to go through the legislation and a budget bill to become law. The Conservation Congress expressed interest in supporting this. A LTE – Limited Term of Employment position was defined. It is not a permanent position and doesn’t have a future for the person in it. LTE’s are the first positions cut and by our support of it, we can keep it long term. Concern was expressed if it would be possible for an anti to get into this position for or on our dollar. The number one job duty and 50% of the position is being the statewide WCTEP coordinator from the department’s side. The other 50% is for furbearer management.
Cable Restraints in Nova Scotia – Mike Schmelling reported on his trip to Nova Scotia to help with their cable restraint research. It provided for 30 extra days of trapping in Nova Scotia. Wisconsin has excellent records for cable restraints and trappers from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ontario were instructed. They also use cable restraints/foot snares to catch black bears. Mike would like to see this promoted in Wisconsin with a possible season. It has been used to capture and release bears unharmed for years for research. The model Mike demonstrated ran about $54. Motion made by John Irwin to research the safety and feasibility of the foot snare as a viable and legal means of harvest in Wisconsin. Seconded by Richard Clark. Motion carried. It was mentioned that we need to include the Conservation Congress with this proposal.
Nominations for Vice President and Secretary – The floor was opened for nominations to these positions. Richard Clark nominated Scott Zimmerman for Vice President and nomination was accepted. Shawn Bazile was nominated for Secretary and the nomination was declined at this time. It was announced that you have until April 1 to nominate someone and have their name appear on the ballot in the fall.
Guest Speakers – Chick Andres, President of the FTA, reported the Trapping Chronicles were well received last year and were going to run for another 13 weeks this year. The FTA worked hard in the Maine lawsuit and is working nationwide on delisting the wolf. Montana and Idaho have broken off and believe they can go it alone with the delisting. The national convention will be in New York and he appreciates all the WTA and Wisconsin trappers have done for the FTA.
Jerry Knuth from the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, described the long history between the WWF and the WTA and the very positive working relationship both parties have enjoyed. Personally thanked the WTA for furs donated to the MacKenzie Center.
Ed Harvey from the Conservation Congress stated that all laws start by action of the governor and the legislation. Statutory laws are passed by the legislation and then the governor. Administrative rules such as those imposed by the DOT or the DNR are lower level laws and easier to change. The $2 increase we are seeking will have to be part of a budget and the budget is defined every two years. We are currently in a budget year so it will be two years before the next budget is proposed. In addition, by being part of the budget it will be a statutory law not an administrative rule. The Conservation Congress cannot be part of the law but it cannot be of opinion on it either unless it is an advisory question. The bear restraint can be part of the Congress procedure. He stated that the WTA has always used the administrative rule process and thanks us wholeheartedly for that.
Scott Zimmerman, Fur Harvest Committee Chairman for the Conservation Congress, presented the three trapping related questions to the membership. The first was to let landowners use cable restraints on their own property outside of normal cabling season. Motion made by Dan Carroll that the WTA would support the question. Seconded by Jim Gordon. Motion carried. Second question pertained to the shortening of the fall beaver season in Northeastern Wisconsin. Motion made by Richard Clark to not support this question. Seconded by Dan Cichantek. Discussion ensued both for and against the motion. Duane Fronek pointed out that APHIS is getting an unwarranted reputation in his opinion. Motion carried. It was asked if the WTA’s support or non-support could appear on our website. It will be investigated. The third question introduced by Larry Meyers was to allow the use of trapping on state park lands. Motion made by Dan Carroll to support this question. Seconded by Jim Gordon. Motion carried.
Motion was made by Rich Kirchmeyer that the WTA support one bear permit per year for the Wounded Warriors program (Purple Heart recipients). Seconded by Jack Hill. Motion carried.
John Olson reports that the badger research study has started. You can contact the researchers at badger@uwm.edu with samples or questions. To pickup a road kill badger for research you can contact the 1-800-TIP-WDNR number for permission.
Chris Bezio asked for nominations for Trapper, Volunteer, Warden, etc. of the Year. He can contacted for more information.
Shawn Roessler reports they are working on the trapping ethics video and the new WCTEP manuals. There are nutria pelts available in the hall for the district fur kits. We traded the state of Oregon some of their nutria pelts for Wisconsin fisher pelts.
John Olson states that the new beaver management plan has thus far not been warmly received. The old plan was reduce, reduce, and reduce. The user groups will part of the new management program and asked for their input. These groups will include the fisheries, forestries and trappers groups. The BMP meeting went well with NAFA being right there to show the group the size of the wild fur trade. The workshop in Siren was timed to be in conjunction with the Wisconsin wild turkey season. Bassarisk (ringtail cats) and lynx are up next on the BMP schedule. The resources in wildlife that the US and Canada enjoy are due to its citizens being involved. The new bobcat season structure surveys and appraisals will be done by the end of May. We will also assess how the 24-hour reporting went. The direction for marten reintroduction will be towards reproduction and bobcat research will concentrate on the population south of Hwy 64. Wolf management is looking at the social aspect of the wolf. Otter surveys have been in question and it has been given a top four priority. Genetics are a possible tool along with game cameras being used as another tool. The beaver population along the Mississippi is up.
Richard Clark reports that the rendezvous information book has turned over to his possession.
Eugene Janes asked about backup for data such as the rendezvous and the banquet. As of right now we have none but this will hopefully be rectified in the near future.
Motion made by Jim Gordon to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Rich Kirchmeyer. Motioned carried. Meeting was adjourned at 3:48 pm.
Respectfully submitted.
— Shawn Bazile
TRAPPER ED REPORT
FIRST OFF…..I would like to say Thank You to John Olson and Shawn Rossler for selecting me as one of the recipients of this year’s “Trapper Ed Instructor of the Year” Award. I was quite shocked to say the least and obviously speechless. I still can’t believe that I received it. When this award was first announced at the Trapper Ed Committee meeting the night prior to the banquet, my head starting spinning as to which one of the many well deserving instructors was going to get the award. All I could think of were the many great instructors that we have in our program, those who put in endless hours volunteering their time to educate not only the youth, but all interested in learning about trapping and keeping the sport alive. Some who have been part of the Trapper Ed Program since the very beginning before it was mandatory. Some who deserve to be known as Trapping Legends or be part of the Trapping Hall of Fame. Just thinking about it reminds me of how grateful I am to be a part of a top notch program with such outstanding individuals.
Then Saturday started and I was running in all directions with FTW, Trapper Ed and who knows what else. The FTW Raffle Table was crazy for a while and Olson even came up to me and said they had a little bet going at their table and wanted to know when I started as WCTEP-Statewide Coordinator. I said, “Why, who wants to know?” and told him he had to figure it out himself. He couldn’t remember from the 20 page resume I wrote about my qualifications to get the job? How could he forget? I think I might have given him some multiple choice options and then went back to the raffle table never even giving his little visit any thought.
It was non-stop until finally around 7PM when Dan and I got a chance to take a little break and sit in the hall outside the banquet room and try and get a little bite to eat from the day. As I sat sprawled out in the chair relaxing I listened to Jr. announce the recipient of the 1st Annual Mike Abrahamson Scholarship Award. Next up was Olson. Oh no! As long as he talks I was going to fall asleep for sure. It was a little noisy in the hall so I couldn’t hear everything, sometimes a little blah, blah, blah, but managed to catch the words “Statewide Coordinator”…….you have got to be kidding me! I must not have heard that right. I tried tuning in a little more as Olson was looking right at me out in the hall. Holy crap! He really is talking about me. Unbelievable. I moved into the doorway to hear the rest of the story and was thinking of how I could make an escape since I never got a chance that day to even change into decent clothes for the banquet or even brush my hair. In fact I don’t even think I took my jacket off or went to the bathroom all day. Little did I know an escape was not an option as there were lookouts at both doors and in the hallway in case I made a quick dash. What an overwhelming feeling to walk through the crowd of my peers to accept the award.
Our kids wanted to know why I wasn’t crying and I think I was just too exhausted from the day’s events. I also didn’t have much to say because that was probably one of the last things I would have expected that night. So this will have to do as my speech. This really is quite an honor to me. I don’t have an office desk or wall to display this award, but my mom, who is my biggest fan, takes it with her, along with the President’s Award I received last fall, to almost every doctor appointment I take her to and shows them off to doctors, nurses, patients, whomever she runs into besides rubbing it in to my siblings. She has a really big camouflage bag that she takes everywhere. It’s similar to the man purse that Mike Abrahamson always carried around with him at rendezvous. You would be surprised the things she pulls out of that bag.
So thank you. Again, I am quite honored to have received this award. I would not be able to do all the things I do though without the encouragement and guidance from fellow Trapper Ed Coordinator Mike Widner, the unending cooperation and support from instructors, but most of all the help and love from my family, most importantly, my husband Dan. He is my partner in crime and my behind the scenes guy to keep everything moving smoothly. Whether it’s loading, unloading, running, packing class materials, folding, stuffing, stamping, cleaning up after me, even doing the housework so I can get Trapper Ed things done or covering for me by giving my reports like he did at the Spring BOD and General Meeting while I was busy with other commitments, he’s always there for me to make sure things stay on task and go as closely as planned. Thanks Honey!
Trapper Ed Classes – Classes are off to a great start this year. Below is a listing of those on the DNR website. We can always use more classes. If you are planning on having a class, get the dates to me as soon as you know so they can get posted on the web.
All trapper ed graduates will again be receiving a one year complimentary membership to the WTA which includes 4 issues of the Wisconsin Trapper.
Trapping District Location Date Contact Comments
District 2
Mercer DNR Ranger Station, Hwy 51, June 10th (5-9pm) and 11th (9am-5pm), Bruce Bacon, (715) 476-7843, Bring lunch & field clothes for Saturday
District 3
Rhinelander, May 12th (5:30pm) ,13th(5:30pm) & 14th (8:00am), John Lindner, 715-369-2153, or Dave Harmon, 715 892-2169
Sugar Camp Town Hall, September 15th (5:30pm), 16th (5:30pm) & 17th (8:00am), Mike Kortenhof, 715 272-1358
District 4
Abrams, Sat., June 18th and Sun., June 19th (8am to 4pm both days), Jack Hill at 920-826-7416
Florence DNR Resource Center, June 24th 5-9pm and June 25th 8am-4pm, Lee Breckheimer at 715-336-3094 if no answer 920-894-7346
Elcho School Forest on Doc’s Road (north of County T), July 27th, 28th, (8am-noon) and 30th (8am-4:30pm), Call Tim Otto after July 4th 715-623-4190 ext 3132, Limited to 20 students
District 5
Fall Creek Village Hall, June 11th and 12th (8am-4:30pm), Jr. Prudlick, 715-695-3675, Please pre-register and bring a lunch
Bangor Rod & Gun Club, October 8th and 9th 8am-4pm, Bryan Kostuch, 608-486-4570
District 6
Rudolph Town Hall, 2nd Avenue, Aug 4th & 5th 6pm – 9pm & Aug 6th 9am – done, Bill Peters, 715-213-7359
District 7
Black Wolf Town Hall, Van Dyne, May 21st and 22nd 8am-4pm, Contact Steve O’Krueg at 920-688-3254, Class is limited to 15 students and pre-registration is required
Jim Binder Farm, New London — Aug 26th, 27th and 28th, Jim Binder at 920-982-6925
Pumpkin Center Sportsmen Club — Sept 12th, 17th, and 18th, Email Scott Zimmermann to register, Pre-registration is required
District 8
Barkhausen Waterfowl Reserve and Maribel Sportsmen Club, May 10th (Barkhausen), 12th (Barkhausen), and 15th (Club), Chris Bezio 920-822-3427, Must attend all three classes.
District 9
Mauston Outdoors Forever, July 7th, 8th, 9th, Contact Dan Carroll at 608-847-5538, Pre-registration is mandatory
Boscobel Sportsman’s Club — Grant County, August 27th (8am-4pm) and 28th (8am-noon), Al Krieg at 608-875-6251 or Mike Widner at 608-356-3621, Pre-registration is required. Class limited to 36 students.
District 10
Whitewater Fire Department, Sat., April 29, (7:45am to 5pm) and Sun., April 30 (8am to 3:30pm), Larry Meyer at 262-473-2794, Pre-registration is required. Limited to 40 students.
Jefferson Sportsmen’s Club, Sat., August 13 (7:45am to 5pm) and Sat., August 20 (7:45am to 5pm), Larry Meyer at 262-473-2794, Pre-registration is required. Limited to 40 students.
Trapper Ed Manual – The Trapper Ed Manual is still moving along as planned with final edits still being made before going to print. We have a distribution date planned for August or September.
Trapper Ed Instructor Requirements – A question arose at our Fall Trapper Ed Committee meeting asking if all instructors were complying with instructor requirements and were “members in good standing with the WTA. After review it was revealed that out of the 427 individuals on the Instructor List there were 158 that were not WTA members. There are currently 188 Active Instructors and 79 of those are not WTA members. This instructor requirement is listed in the WCTEP Code of Conduct and is something that every individual signs at New Instructor Orientations prior to becoming an instructor. I also tried to send it out with as many class materials as I could last year for all class instructors to sign reaffirming what is expected of them as an instructor. It is being sent with all class rosters this year. If you are a lead instructor and have not received this with your paperwork, please let me know and I will send you a copy. WTA membership is also a requirement with our standing MOU between the DNR and the WTA.
A notice will be going out to all those that are non-members to remind them of this requirement and to renew their membership. You will not be able to participate in a Trapper Ed Class if you are not a WTA member. If you are the lead instructor it is your responsibility to double-check and be sure that all assistant instructors you ask to help with your classes are WTA members. If they are not members they will be allowed to renew their membership at class. Their membership application(s) and renewal fee(s) can be returned with the class roster. Helpers and apprentices are strongly encouraged, but not required, to be members.
Instructor Orientation – I really need to plan some Instructor Orientations this year but have been extremely busy and have also put things on the back burner until the manual gets closer to completion. All active instructors will be required to attend some type of new manual training prior to teaching the new manual. This training may be a possibility at the Fall Rendezvous. So any apprentices would have to take the Instructor Orientation and Manual Training. I am just trying to kill two birds with one stone and will keep apprentices and instructors notified by a letter or a postcard if anything new comes about before the next issue of the Wisconsin Trapper.
— Nicke Shumaker
FUTURE TRAPPERS OF WISCONSIN REPORT
FTW Vice-President’s Report
Hi. My name is Sara Shumaker and for those who don’t know, I’m the current FTW Vice-President. During the last few months the FTW has been crazy busy. The Spring Banquet went very well according to the FTW merchandise sold. I wish there would be more FTW members who would attend state events. It’s a lot of fun and you can do your part of being a member by helping out at the booth or raffle table.
Since last year’s camps went so good we are having two this year. The beginner camp is June 20-24 at Sandhill. The beginner’s camp was so much fun last year. We made weasel boxes, fisher cubbies, and muskrat floats just to name a few. We learned about trapping equipment and how to trap for mink, muskrat and all the other animals we can trap in Wisconsin. We even got to skin animals. I was there first-hand to experience everything and it was awesome. We even made our own brand of lures that we are selling at our booths.
Our second camp will be at Crex Meadows in August. That camp is full and we will have less campers attending so the instructors can go head to head with the campers to teach them all about water trapping.
Send in your applications for your furbearer and merit pins. They are really cool.
Some FTW members attended the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation Meeting in April. They were happy to see us there and just recently some of us went to a Shadows on the Wolf meeting where they almost fully donated us a new trailer for all of our stuff. We still have to get the matching funds from the DNR to cover the remaining amount so we will be skinning otter Saturday May 21st at the Fur Shed in Madison. If there are any members who can help out we really need you. We already have some adult volunteers who are willing to help us out, but the trailer is for the kids and we should be helping out too.
That is all for now, I hope to meet and see some of you at your District Rendezvous and at camp.
THANK YOU SHADOWS ON THE WOLF!!
Future Trappers of Wisconsin News
The Future Trappers are Busy, Busy, BUSY! The WTA Spring Banquet events went very well. We had a dozen kids who came along to swim in the morning and they all had a great time. Thanks to Julie Radtke, Kathy Bazile, Tammy Loka and Jeff and Amy Heine for coming along to help chaperone. We enjoyed pizza afterwards, then set up our new display booth that we purchased which was sponsored in part by District 10. Our booth included FTW related brochures and camp information, pictures of past events and offered our new shirts, water bottles and logo stickers for sale. The merchandise went over far better than we had expected.
At the WTA General Meeting we presented the WTA with a $1000 check for the amount that they borrowed us a year ago to help us out with operating expenses when we were in need. After the meeting we scrambled to set up our raffle table and take down the booth. We had a 50/50 raffle somewhere in between all of that too. The kids in attendance did a great job helping out.
We would like to have the FTW represented at all of this year’s District Rendezvous. If there are any FTW members who would like to help man a table or plan some events for your rendezvous let me know and we will try and help you put something together or find others that can help you out.
Thank You – The FTW would like to say Thanks to Tom Florin’s Trapping Supplies, Brian Riske and an anonymous donor for donating some items to our raffle table at the Spring Banquet, District 10 for contributing to part of the cost of our new booth and Dick Hladalick and his “Deer and Bear Club” for again donating proceeds of his yearly game feed to the FTW. It is truly appreciated.
FTW Skinning Party
Saturday May 21st, 2011
FRTC Building, Madison
9AM-??
Food and Beverages provided by FTW
~The FTW is looking for volunteers to help us skin out incidental otter from the FRTC freezer so we can acquire the $1500 matching funds to purchase an enclosed trailer.
~Bring your skinning tools and any extra otter boards you may have. They will be returned to you at a later date.
~RSVP Nicke at (920) 609-2825 by May 15th if you plan on helping.
FTW Camp Needs – We have received some camp sponsors and donations but are looking for more to help fund this year’s camps. A camper sponsorship is $60 per camper which goes to help pay for all of their meals, lodging and other materials used during camp. Below is a list of suggested items that could be donated. Thanks in advance for your support.
• DVD’s, Books
• Baits/Lures
• Stretchers (Metal or Wood or a small starter kit)
• Traps (#1, #1 ½ CS, Dog Proof, #1, #1 ½ Single LS, 110’s, 160’s)
• Wisconsin Legal Cable Restraints, Snares, Disposable Stakes, Wire
• Gift Certificates or Coupons for Trapping Related Equipment
• Magazine Samples, Subscriptions or Applications
• 1 Year Complimentary Memberships
• T-Shirts/Hats/Cups/Mugs/Water Bottles
• Fur Shipping Bags, Plastic Handled Take-Home Bags
• Aircraft Cable for Snare/Cable Restraint/Drowning Slide Workshops
• Trapping Related Brochures/Booklets/Catalogs
• Trap Tags (Coupon or Gift Certificate good for 25 or 50 Free Tags)
• Trowels, Sifters, Dirthole Punches, Rubber Gloves, Bucket Buddies
• Lineman’s Pliers, S-Hook Tools, Safety Grippers, Trap Setters, Hammers
• Tail Zippers/Strippers, Skinning Gambrels
• Logwood Dye, Wax, Speed Dips
• Scrap wood for workshops (weasel boxes, sifters, muskrat floats etc)
• Scrap 3/8” and ½” rerod at least 24” in length
• Hardware Mesh for Sifters, Wire Mesh Caging for BodyGrip Enclosures
DISTRICT 4 REPORT
Hi. Well according to the calendar, it DOES say that it is May 1st this morning as I sit and write this, but after already being outside and now watching the trees sway and the clouds roll by it sure looks and feels more like the middle of trapping season. Brrrrr! Mother Nature sure has had an attitude lately….the rain, the winds…I hope everyone has faired well through all of the latest storms. Hopefully it won’t be snowing the day of our District 4 Summer Rendezvous which is Saturday July 9th, 2011 at the Mountain Community Center beginning at 9:00AM. We again have quite a line up of Demos including Coyote, Coon, Weasel, Cable Restraint and Beaver Sets and Skinning. Food for this year will be a little more simplified and will include BBQ and Hot Ham Sandwiches along with Potato Salad, Chips, Soda and Water. Coffee, Donuts and Milk will be sold in the morning hours by the FTW members.
The day will also include raffles, kids trap setting contest and activities. The general meeting begins at 1PM. The Big Raffle prizes include: 1st-Savage Axis .243 Bolt Action, 2nd-Basket of Trapping Supplies, 3rd-High Point .45 Semi Automatic Pistol, 4th-$200 Cash, 5th-Hand Carved and Painted 18” Small Mouth Bass and 6th-Set of Fisher Cubbies with Traps. The drawing for the raffles is 2PM. If you would like to sell raffle tickets or if you cannot attend the rendezvous and would like to purchase raffle tickets please contact me and I’ll send you some.
Our District Spring meeting in March went well. We had a good turn out and a lot of good food too. We discussed our upcoming District Summer Rendezvous plans. We decided to have the FTW members make up District Attendance buttons for our rendezvous this year. Our district will be sponsoring 2 campers from District 4 for this year’s FTW Camps. If anyone else would like to sponsor a camper or help out with supplies or materials let me know. We will be representing the WTA at the Gillett Youth and Ladies Day in June and at the Oconto Fair in August. We are still undetermined about the Langlade Fair. There is always a lot of people attending throughout the fair but we are always short on help. If there are District members in the Antigo and surrounding area who would be interested in manning the booth for a few hours at a time, give me a call. The Fair is July 27th-July 31st and runs from 6:00PM Wednesday to Sunday night.
We are still looking into getting a new, more user friendly display booth. We will look into it after our Summer Rendezvous. It was suggested to have a 50/50 raffle at our District Spring Meeting in future years. We also decided to vote on Summer Raffle Ticket items at our July meeting from now on so we can have tickets available to distribute at our District meeting in March.
We are also in need of helpers for the day of our District Summer Rendezvous to help at the raffle tables and in the kitchen area. If you can help for an hour or two or if you have any items you’d like to donate to the raffles let me know. All donations and help are greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance and I hope to see many of you in July.
— Dan Shumaker, N4297 Weasel Dam Rd, Tigerton, WI 54486, (920) 737-2826 or email dirholedan@yahoo.com.
DISTRICT 5 REPORT
Hi Trappers & friends I would like to remind everyone about the summer rondezvous in Galesville WI. June 25th 2011. We gather at Arctic Spring Park on County Road XT. Watch for signs. We get started about 9:00 a.m. and have demos and kids fishing contest starting at 10:00 a.m. and we supply the poles and bait for the kids.
District 5 meeting will start at 1:00 p.m.
We will have food and raffles all day and the drawing will be after the meeting.
There will be venders for all the trapping needs and other things. We hope that you all will join us on June 25th. We hope for good weather and sunshine.
District five is having a trapper education class in Fall Creek, WI. On June 11 and 12th.
For more information call Junior Prudlick at 1-715-695-3675.
I want to thank everyone for helping with the spring banquet that was a great success. Everybody that attended had a lot of fun and stories to share.
I would encourage people to attend there own district and other rondezvous because they all are different. That is where the real strength of the WTA comes from.
— Jim Gordon
DISTRICT 6 REPORT
District 6 members, just a reminder on June 18 our rendezvous will be at Marshfield Fairgrounds from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. A reminder will also be sent out a few weeks before. Demo’s on beaver,muskrat, canine’s, weasel, also fur handling demo NAFA will be putting on. Lunch put on by dist. 6, it should be a great time.
Camping is $18 electic water and shower’s included. Drawing for raffle is at 4:00 pm, the raffle include’s your choice of Browing BPS shotgun or Ruger M77 rifle choice of caliber in stock at time of pickup, 2nd a $150 Gander Mountian card, 3rd a handmade packbasket ( made by Leo Hoeft), 4th a $50 gas card, 5th a wildlife print.
If you would like some ticket’s just contact me or pick some up when you get at the rendezvous. There will also be raffle item’s just for the kid’s, so if you have something you think a young trapper could use, bring it along. John Irwin will be doing the walk around raffle’s every hour, some nice items. I’m looking forward to seeing you there.
Thanks Tom Baggs 608-564-7947 or tbaggs1960@hotmail.com
DISTRICT 8 REPORT
I want to thank each of you that were able to make the general membership meeting and also attend the banquet to support the WTA. We were able to locate some tables so we could group together a bit and that made if fun for many of the first timers. The committee that planned and put on the spring banquet did a very good job and we will wait to see how the WTA did financially as the spring banquet is one of our 3 large annual fund raisers.
By now most of you have received a packet of tickets for the state raffle. If you want to be eligible for the early bird drawing you need to buy your tickets soon and get them in the mail. You should also have received a packet of tickets for our district 8 spring rendezvous raffle. We are going with the straight cash raffle to see how well it works out. This is a great opportunity to support district 8’s events and programs we support. We encourage you to purchase some tickets and work to sell some as well.
We have our WTA BOD meeting the morning of the spring banquet and before the general membership meeting. We are continuing to improve our accounting system and financial reports along with our membership rosters and mailing lists. Please reference the latest WTA magazine if you or a member you know is still having renewal issues or magazines are not being coming to your residence.
Dave Hastings, the editor of our last two WTA magazines drafted a complete report for our BOD of directors and also gave a report at the membership meeting. Dave and Steve Van both were at the banquet so that many WTA members were able to visit with them and meet these two key persons that are working for our organization at this time. Our new treasurer Deb Koltis has now attended two of our last BOD meetings and our membership meeting this spring. Many of you will know Deb and her husband from the maple syrup booth they have at the WTA fall rondy in the building with Trapper Art and Tom Olson.
We bought several hundred dollars worth of tickets as a district at the banquet and we one some prizes that we can put on our own raffles back at Maribel.
I won’t use up much print on our spring rondy as all members should be getting a detailed rondy flier with their district 8 tickets. For any other WTA members interested our rondy is Sunday May 15, 2011 at the Maribel Sportsmen’s Club with gates open at 7 AM and our first of 6-7 demos starting at 8:15 AM
District 8 needs an FTW director for the FTW. If you are interested please contact FTW coordinators Dan and Nicke Shumaker at 715-754-2121 or e-mail wctep@mweb.net.
Also if there FTW youth that would like to attend the FTW camp let me know and or Brenda Keys know ASAP. Registration Deadline is May 1, 2011. District 8 will consider sponsoring FTW youth that want to attend the FTW camps.
I want to thank all of the members that have pitched in to volunteer at many of the events that District 8 helped sponsor. Without your help we could not put trapping out to the non trapping public. We get really good feedback from our 4 –H seminars and our booth at the Chilton Conservation Day is considered by many the best one there. Thanks again.
As you will note we have a slightly different schedule for our spring rondy. We hope that you will come and support our event and the vendors that come.
By now most of us have spent our fur checks from our district fur sale and or other selling opportunities. I trust you saved enough money to buy support our state raffle and our district cash raffle.
Also note that the Manitowoc County Trappers Association will completely take over the food aspect of our rondy and winter meeting. It is our hope as a county association to make enough profit to pay for our Manitowoc Fish and Game affiliation fees and the prize donation for the fall banquet. We also hope to be able to cover other costs so that the district’s funds can be used for other events and activities that we choose to support.
The county association is looking into a late summer mini rondy at Dan Chicantek’s “fur post”. Watch the next issues for more information or we may have more details at the spring rondy. I have been in contact with district 11’s new director and their secretary treasurer. They will be holding their rondy the Saturday before our event. I have also received some good information regarding raffle tickets etc.
Mark your calendar for May 15th. It is always great to meet fellow trappers and “gossip” about our heritage and sport. The sales are over the pelts have been counted and all speculation is over and chest thumping is over. Not so bad and not so good it is what is and I enjoy the heck out of doing it. Spring is close my seeds are under the tube lights in the basement waiting to germinate and the warm weather and the fresh spring soil to start a new growing year. As we speak the female furbearers are giving birth to next years harvest as well.
— Bryce
DISTRICT 9 REPORT
As recently elected District 9 Director, I have a lot of catching up to do, but here are a few of the important updates for our district.
On March 3rd, we held our annual spring meeting, election, pot luck lunch and raffle. Here are some of the highlights:
We held elections for the positions of District 9 Treasurer, Secretary and Director. These are the election results:
District Director: Patrice Rhodes
Secretary: Denny Knuth
Treasurer: Roger Bohringer
And some lifelong continuing assignments:
Sergeant at Arms: Wayne Wagner
Senior Advisor: Lloyd Girardy
We said “goodbye” to our long-standing director, Dan Carroll, and thanked Dan for all of his time and help in our district. We enjoyed some great food and company and we also raised some money for our district.
A motion was passed to add the District Director, Patrice Rhodes, as a possible signer of checks from the district checking account. This would allow the Director to act as a backup to the Treasurer, Roger Bohringer, in the event the Treasurer is unavailable when funds are needed. Roger and Patrice will make the necessary arrangements with the bank.
A motion was passed to allow the use of District 9 funds to pay for the tanning of pelts to be used as part of the district’s fur collections.
We set dates for the following events:
Our District 9 Spring Highway Cleanup and lunch was scheduled for Saturday, April 30th. (That event will have happened prior to the date of this publication.)
Our District 9 Fall Highway Cleanup is on Saturday, August 20th at 9:00 AM. Here are the details:
The Highway Cleanup is on Highway 14 in Arena, WI (east of Spring Green), from Coon Rock Road to County Road H. We meet and park on the gravel drive immediately west of Heck’s Marketplace, on the north side of Highway 14 (about 2000 feet west of County Road H). We will meet, break up into teams and each team will pick up and bag trash along a stretch of roadside. We will have an ATV & trailer to move people and bags of trash around. The whole cleanup generally takes an hour or two, depending upon the number of people who participate, and we always find some interesting and valuable things along the roadside.
In fact, we generally find so much cash that the trailer is a necessity just to haul it back to our vehicles! (Overly enthusiastic district director is responsible for the previous statement.) Wear brightly colored, blaze orange or fluorescent jackets or vests if you have them. There seem to be a lot of sandburs, so boots will be helpful. Bring gloves for trash pickup – disposable skinning gloves are a good idea. We will supply garbage bags, hand sanitizer and bottled water for everybody. If we have rain, dress accordingly. (In the case of really bad or dangerous weather, we will reschedule for the next day: Sunday, August 21st.)
Our District 9 Fall Meeting (and lunch) is Saturday, August 20th at 11:00 AM at Walt and Deb’s Sports Arena at 200 East Sharon Street in Arena. The meeting will take place on Saturday regardless of weather or the status of the Highway Cleanup. You do not need to participate in the Highway Cleanup to attend the meeting! To get to Walt and Deb’s from Hwy 14, turn north at the BP gas station onto Village Edge Road near the Arena water tower. Go a few blocks, cross the railroad tracks and turn east on Sharon Street. Sharon Street will take you straight to Walt and Deb’s parking lot. (Don’t be fooled – There may be an old sign on the end of the building that reads “Ole’s Country Club”!) Walt and Deb serve burgers, sandwiches, chicken, etc. and they open at 7:00 AM on Saturdays and Sundays.
Our district is asking for members to donate pelts or tanned furs to help complete the District 9 fur collections that are used for educational purposes around the state. We currently have one complete large North American fur collection and are working on completing two smaller Wisconsin collections. To find out which furs are still needed to complete the collections, contact Denny Knuth by email at demak@rucls.net or by phone at 608-524-2255.
If you or anyone you know would like to be added or updated on our District 9 email list, please send those email addresses to patrice@phrhodesinc.com and I will update my email list. If you have questions, you can also reach me through the WTA phone system at (888) 601-8727 Ext 209. That number transfers to my home phone.
As I get caught up on other important topics I will bring you more updates. Hope you are all enjoying this spring!
— Patrice Rhodes
DISTRICT 10 REPORT
Hi All!
It is the end of another season and hopefully everyone had a good year. Apparently the District 10 Winter Meeting at NAFA was a success as was the Spring Banquet in Wausau.
Thank -you to everyone who attended and help support the WTA. I would especially like to thank all those individuals who donated prizes for the District 10 raffle.
Also all those who worked so hard on making the fish fry lunch a success. I would like to thank NAFA for sponsoring the meeting and providing the space. Thank you to all those members who bought raffle tickets.
District 10 was responsible for staffing the booth at the Deer Classic in Madison WI. Thanks to all those who volunteered to work at the booth. This event always has a large attendance and the WTA is able to contact a large number of people and provide information to the public regarding trapping in Wisconsin.
NEW BUSINESS: District 10 would like to take this opportunity to announce that it is again sponsoring a scholarship to support students entering the field of wildlife management whose career goals and/or research are in direct or indirect support of sound furbearer management. The amount of the award is $500.00 and this scholarship is open to graduate and undergraduate with a junior status in the fall of 2011. Please send an email to wtascholarship@gmail.com for more information and/or an application. The deadline for receipt of applications is July 31, 2011.
District 10 Summer Rendezvous will be at Jefferson Sportsmen Club in August. Look for Detail in the Trapper Predator Caller District 10 News.
DISTRICT 11 REPORT
Hello from District 11,
It’s been a busy few months for me so I thought I would pass on what I have learned so far. First I have to apologize for missing the last issue of the Trapper & Predator Caller, I am still getting used to the deadlines needed for the publications. I got back from the Spring Banquet held in Wausau and there were a couple points of interest from the Banquet; first is that if you are a Trappers Education Instructor, you must be a member of the WTA. The second issue is the fact that our membership is down, if you have not renewed your membership please do. I would also like to thank Earl Klippel for manning the table at Banquet; I guess this was agreed on last year, so Earl was pretty much stuck there by himself. That shouldn’t happen again in the future. I would like to say a big congratulations should go out to Katherine Moratz, because of her hard work and academic standing she won two scholarships from the WTA, “Great Work” Katherine.
In March Slade Noreen and I attended the New Fane Sportsman’s Club wild game feed. The club donated over $300.00 so we could fund the libraries in the Kewaskum area so a big Thank You goes out to that organization. By the time you are reading this District 11 will have held its spring Rendezvous at the Daniel Boone conservation Club. The Rendezvous was held on May 14th there will be games, vendors and food and at the time of this writing I am optimistic that it should have been a good one. I look forward to the Rendezvous season much like the upcoming trapping season. I can figure out what works and what doesn’t and adjust from there.
While it is “Rondy” season I feel we have missed some great opportunities this year to help educate the public about our sport. One area I would like to explore is the Milwaukee Sports Show, we have done it in the past but the cost had made it too expensive but we should consider it for next year. All options are open, so I ask our County Directors to look for events in their counties that we may wish to attend.
I would also like to thank the county directors and members who have gotten back to me with ideas on how to improve our district.
Respectfully.
— Mike Bothwell
