President — Rick Van Horn, 4185 N. Irving Street, Kingman, AZ 86409; phone: (928) 757-3860; e-mail: rgvan@npgcable.com
Vice President — Mike Burris, 5452 E. Farmdale Avenue, Mesa AZ, 85206; phone: (480) 654-1411; e-mail: bda30@cox.net
Recording Secretary — Mike Huffer, 7720 E. Beatrice, Scottsdale, AZ 85257; phone: (480) 970-5904; e-mail: mjwildlife@aaahawk.com
Treasurer — Mike Hull, P.O. Box 3355, Chinle, AZ 86503; phone: (928)674-9542; e-mail: trapper7772003@yahoo.com
Membership Secretary — Amanda Prosser, P.O. Box 4111, Chino Valley, AZ 86323; phone: (928) 499-2114; e-mail: atamembershipsecretary@yahoo.com.
Fur Auction manager — Bill Strauss, P.O. Box 183, Seligman, AZ 86337; phone: (480) 375-1183
NTA Director — Cindy Seff, P.O. Box 762, Seligman, AZ 86337; phone: (480)390-0723; e-mail: AzTrappers@hughes.net
Scent Post — Winter/Duncan Davis, P.O. Box 86783, Phoenix, AZ, 85080; phone:(623)466-6799; e-mail: dunksdonk@yahoo.com
Membership Options:
• Adult membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $30
• Junior (under 16) with subscription — $20
• Family membership with subscription — $35
• Oldtimer membership with subscription — $75
• Lifetime membership with subscription — $275
Complete membership application on first page of
association section and send dues to:
ATA, Membership Secretary
Amanda Prosser
P.O. Box 4111, Chino Valley, AZ 86323
Phone: (928) 499-2114
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT
APRIL
Dear Members,
This month I have renewed the following members: Jack Harding, Loren Covington, Jack Flowers, and the following Lifetime Members have been renewed: Don Baughman, Wayne Flory, Charles Frey, F L Malody, Pete Cote, Rodger Heistand, Norm Johnson, Chester Kelley, Don Willis, Richard Roop, Keith Ewing, Hank Gonzalaz, M L Hendrickson, Ernest Poe, Ronald Major, Jeff Foo, John C. Watt, William Freshour, Jack Sherman, and Don Jamroz. If there are any questions, please call or write.
Thank you.
— Amanda Prosser
MAY
Dear ATA Members,
This month I have renewed the following members: Matt Fabritz, Barry Pearson, Mike Hull, Frank Torkowski, Roger Soberg, Dexter Oliver. For the lifetime members I have renewed, Hank Gonzoles, Don Jamroz, Walter Smith, Dennis Kubesh, and Ernest Poe. If anyone has any questions about your membership, please contact me. If you are a lifetime member and you receive a bill, just let me know and I will contact the T&PC and let them know you should not be getting a bill. Please call me anytime. I will be happy to answer any question and it’s always nice to hear from you guys!
Thank you.
— Amanda Prosser
TREASURER’S REPORT
Mark you calenders for our summer convention Aug. 7, 8 and 9 at the Gila County Fair Grounds in Globe, AZ. I think we have the best line up of speakers at any trappers convention in the nation.
We have Rick Phillips from Idaho. Rick has thousands of coyotes to his credit and has been the state director of wildlife services in Arizona and Wyoming. Rick is a close friend of Gary Graham and Gary says there is none better. That is a great compliment coming from someone with as much coyoteology as Gary.
On ’cats, we have Bill Ilchik from Nevada. Bill has been chasing ’cats professionally since 1969. He has many seasons with over 100 ’cats and has thousands of ’cats to his credit.
Bill also has received many awards at the Nevada fur sale for his fur handling ability. His book Wild West Bobcat Trapping and Snaring Methods is the Bible on the walk-through set.
On grey fox, we have Tracy Truman. Tracey’s new video “Modern Grey Fox Trapping” is one of the fastest selling videos in the country. Tracy also takes good numbers of those high-dollar Nevada ’cats. I can’t wait.
What a line-up!
Many of our members that put up big numbers of fur will be putting on demonstrations all through the convention.
Our Arizona predator calling associations will have calling demonstrations and information. A great time will be had by all.
See you there Aug. 7, 8 and 9 in Globe, AZ.
Regardless of your politics, pray for our troops.
— Mike Hull
NTA DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Convention season is upon us and we have already had the SE & NE when you reading this. As a reminder, the remaining conventions for 2009 are as follows:
Western in Lewistown Montana Sept. 18-20.
NTA 50th Anniversary National July 30-Aug. 1 and the board of directors beginning with executive council on July 26-July 29. Meeting will be held in Lima, Ohio. Watch the NTA Web site for additional information.
An important topic that was discussed at the leadership conferences is a program that has been developed by President Kraig Kaatz to monitor National Wildlife Refuges. That will assist us to affect change in a positive way for trapping as refuges re-write their Comprehensive Conservation Plans (C.C.P.s’). There has been many long hours put into the research and accumulation of the information contained in the program. USFWS staff and personnel have worked to assist in compiling and formulating a process that they feel is appropriate and important to assure trapping will and can be included on the refuges. We will need the help of our affiliates if this is going to reach its full potential and we ask that whomever an affiliate determines to be their point person, that they have internet access and are willing to check their e-mails regularly.
The executive council is working very hard to be certain that the NTA has proper representation in Washington, D.C., with a new administration in place we need the best representation possible at this level. The EC decided to exercise the 30 day notice included in the DNIA contract. It is unfortunate but new challenges offer new opportunities. The EC is working diligently to provide protection to keep our rights to trap. The Executive Council has put out a request for proposals for the vacant DNIA position you can refer anyone interested to the NTA website to apply for the job.
There was a problem with the winter issue of the American Trapper. We now have a plan in place that will resolve these problems for any future issues. The winter issue did not reflect the quality expected for the NTA’s publication. We encourage all of you to share your trapline experiences and knowledge by writing an article for publication in the magazine, members like to hear about other trappers’ experiences.
Remember this year is election year for president and general organizer.
A sample ballot for the 2009 election was included in winter issue of American Trapper.
The nominees that have accepted are Kraig Kaatz and Bruce Hutton for president; Todd Roggenkamp for general organizer.
Please send your ballot in this summer when you receive them. Every vote counts!
It is time to think about the NTA Awards Banquet. We are in need of nominations for the many different awards that the NTA presents each year. The categories are: Trapper of the Year-East & West, Benefactor Award, Pioneer Award, Leadership Award, Director of the Year, Affiliate of the Year, Congressional Merit Award and Conservationist of the Year Award. We would request that all nominations be submitted to Karola Owen , v ice president, prior to July 1. All qualifying nominations will go to the Awards Committee for review.
There has been a request to review and possible utilize the short version of the Myth Video that was a segment on the PBS Series “Spot Light On.” We are reviewing making these copies in-house.
Gary Lestico NTA legal counsel, updated us with the following info on the ME lawsuit; AWI has sued the State of Maine for issuing licenses to trap and when trapping occurs the lynx, which is an endangered species, is accidentally caught. AWI, by way of a restraining order, was trying to stop trapping this season. The restraining order was denied with certain emergency rulings put in place regarding where traps are set. A trial was set to be held in April 2009. Information on this will be forthcoming.
Dave Roberts, office manager made a list of proposed changes to the employee handbook that the executive council has approved. In addition, the employee evaluation changed from a three-point to a five-point system and will increase the evaluation to two times per year. The office has a new employee, Aimee Carlisle. In regards to NTA finances, the NTA cash calendar is within a $1,000 of the net profit of last year’s calendar with consideration we started a month later; the Merrill Lynch account value has dropped severely; and the lapsed member mailing has made a profit and increased the membership by approximately 100. The latest fundraiser is offering an incentive of a stainless steel coffee mug that has the 50th anniversary logo on the side for a $20 donation. Please consider supporting this effort to receive your collectors mug.
In an effort to keep the staff cross trained and skilled, we have paid for some continuing education classes at the local community college, which includes classes in advanced Excel spreadsheets, Web design using Adobe Dreamweaver, beginner class in QuickBooks and QuickBooks Non-Profit. Due to declining membership, we are exploring ideas for a membership drive and some of the incentives that we may use. Also encouraging each of you to look at your state’s numbers and offer any suggestions you have for increasing membership. We realize that these are “tough times,” but we need to keep our membership level at least even.
The account report has been redesigned. The negative numbers seen last month were simply the result of transferring money as directed by the Finance Committee from one account into a CD and money market savings account. The 2009 IFTF grant is finished and has been forwarded to Keith Kaplan for review as suggested by Helmut Rothe. The NTA is planning the 2009 sweepstakes and are accepting donations from anyone interested in sponsoring an item.
Conservation Director Jim Curran is working with an individual to make a commemorative bear trap for the NTA 50th Anniversary. Curran will be attending the North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Conference, March 16-21 in Arlington, Virginia. Jim has had daily correspondence from the American Wildlife Conservation Partner (AWCP). With the new administration in Washington, DC all of our conservation partners are actively seeking support for existing programs that are important to sportsmen. Support letters to the USFWS for a new delisting package for the Gray Wolf in the northwest have been submitted.
At the present time, all federal actions that were started under the past administration have been put on hold by the new administration. Jim attended the Annual BMP meeting of the Technical Work Group in New Orleans and represented NTA along with Tom Krause. Discussion was held regarding a draft white paper on the many attributes of snaring, descriptions of snare components and definitions. A subcommittee of the TWG has been working on this document for over a year. Tom Krause has been our representative on this snare document. When provided to the state agencies, it is hoped it will be useful for the states that are drafting snaring regulations to use common terminology in describing legal snares and their parts.
There was common agreement that a simple method was needed to field test break-a-way performance. In states that have required break-a-way regulations with pound specifications, a simple method of testing will be recommended. It is not a major problem with commercial snares as they can be tested in a laboratory, however, trappers that construct their own snares need to be able to test and conform to their state’s regulations.
The last high-priority species still lacking a BMP is mink. Jim is on the ad-hoc committee for mink and last year they recommended more testing of bodygripping traps. One problem is that all bodygripping traps are being tested in Canada and they haven’t tested them on mink since mink were not included in their agreement with the EC. The only killing trap Canada has approved for mink is a powerful Belisle 120 Super X which has the potential to break human fingers. They have requested and received a commitment to at least develop a computer model to test the standard #120 Conibear, with double-strike technology.
This was done with the standard #120 Conibear in the marten BMP. Also included is testing of cage traps for muskrats, tests in New Mexico and Kansas for swift and kit fox, and badger test in Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. A total of 15 BMPs are now printed and available online.
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has presented to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a recommendation to eliminate CITIES tags on bobcats and river otter. It appears the FWS is in agreement, and the current target date to eliminate CITIES tags for these two species is now 2010. Many states might still require their own tag, however, it will no longer be a federal requirement. We are waiting to see if the current Washington administration allows this to go through. The delisting of the bobcat from Appendix 2 of the Endangered Species Act is a separate issue from the CITIES tag requirement. Another attempt to remove the bobcat will be made at the next convention which is in 2012. There is no current plan to delist the river otter as the pelts can be confused with the sea otters which is also listed.
Kaatz will attend the Fur Takers of America Convention in Arkansas sometime in June. Executive Council member Sam Smith attended FwTH meeting and advised several of the speakers might be favorable to our cause.
The USSA is putting together a “Meet & Greet” with some of the new politicians details of this will be forthcoming.
Members of the EC have sent out e-mails to various directors and trapping leaders providing information or asking for information. Most are prompt in responding, but there are too many individuals who do not. We ask for a simple response so we know that you’ve seen the e-mail. Without your response, we have no way of knowing if it has been received or acted upon. In the last month, president Kaatz has sent out many e-mails with notice that some of the National Wildlife Refuges are in the planning stages for coming acceptable usages and has received nothing from many people. Please take a few moments to acknowledge receipts of your e-mails. This will help us to improve our communications.
The link to the NTA Web site is http://www.nationaltrappers.com. Stop by and visit for current information as well as contact info for your national organization.
I will finish this newsletter off with the request that if you are not a member of the NTA, please get yourself signed up. You can send your $30 for your year’s subscription to the NTA, which includes the American Trapper magazine to:
National Trappers Association, 2815 Washington Ave., Bedford, IN. 47421.
I am only a phone call away so don’t hesitate to contact me with concerns or comments.
Catchcha Next Time.
— Cindy Seff
