ASSOCIATION CONTACT — Arkansas Fur Trappers Association, P.O. Box 1681, Greenwood, AR 72936; 479-651-3597; arkansasfurtrappers@gmail.com
President — Brad McDaniel; 479-651-3597
Vice President — Greg Griffith; 479-774-1434
Secretary/Treasurer — Mark Alexander; 479-310-0692; arkansasfurtrappers@gmail.com
General Organizer — Donald Wilcox; 479-997-8559
Membership Options:
• Individual membership without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $10
• Individual membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $22
• Family membership without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $13
• Family membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $25
• Lifetime membership with plaque (without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller) — $100
• Commercial membership/sponsorship — Please contact an AFTA officer for pricing and information.
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
Arkansas Fur Trappers Association
P.O. Box 1681
Greenwood, AR 72936
SECRETARY/TREASURER’S REPORT
Another season here and gone. Variety keeps things interesting just like this season which started with dry, dusty conditions and ended with most places in Arkansas wet and muddy from snow and rain. Dry conditions tend to keep equipment cleaner and may push the critters towards water sources. Wet conditions sure make for easy track id. Somewhere in the middle is best for good dirtholes and trap beds.
Trappers who shipped to the early NAFA auction saw some very good eastern/central fur price averages. Coyotes at $55, Red Fox at $65, Grey’s at $49, Beaver at $37, central Bobcat $77, Otter $112, central Coon $18. Even the section III beaver averaged $15 where last summer you couldn’t give them away. Hope they hold up for everyone that has fur in the later auctions. For auctions later this spring, bobcats and otter should be CITES tagged by April 1. That is a strict date for otter as it is unlawful to possess an untagged otter after April 1 and before the beginning of next otter hunting and trapping season.
In association news, AFTA has been incorporated by the state of Arkansas as Arkansas Fur Trappers Association, Inc and is a 501c(7) organization. Donations to AFTA are not tax-deductible and we can support political candidates, which we will do when persons run for political office and are anti-trapping or anti-hunting.
Anti-trappers have introduced bills in New Mexico that would make trapping a crime and allowing someone to trap on your land a crime, and in Connecticut to ban all foothold traps from within 100ft of schools, state/municpal parks, campgrounds, boat ramps, rest areas, state hiking areas, public roads and highways. In Oregon bills have been introduced to ban all body-gripping traps which includes footholds.
Make your voice heard on trapping, hunting and 2nd Amendment issues, contact your representatives, support your local trappers associations and on the national level Fur Takers of America, National Trappers Association, US Sportsmens Alliance, NRA and other pro-sportsmen organizations.
At last months AGFC meeting, it was reported that 431 black bears, 30 alligators and over 213,000 white tail deer were harvested in 2012/2013 and populations are stable. A revised plan for turkey management was approved at the meeting. The result is the 2013 Strategic Turkey Management Plan, which will provide “long-term guidance for proper management of Arkansas’s turkey population,” according to a Commission minute order.
Turkey season opens on April 20th this year with the youth hunt scheduled for the weekend of April 13. Turkey populations in Arkansas have been better in past years. If you get in some pre-season scouting or just plain get lucky, maybe you’ll find some birds. There’s also the chance to add another cat or coyote to your season totals during the first week of turkey season.
As mentioned last month, AFTA has a life membership special for two people in the same household that can save $50 off regular life membership. The two people could be husband-wife, parent-child, grandparent-grandchild, etc, they just need to live at the same address. This would normally cost $100 each or $200 for both. This special price for two people in the same household is $150 and each will receive a wooden plaque with a plate showing member name and life member # and a real 1-1/2 coilspring trap. Check our website to see a picture of the plaque.
For more information about AFTA, information about starting your own AFTA chapter, comments or suggestions, contact one of our officers, email us at arkansasfurtrappers@gmail.com, visit our website at http://arkansasfurtrappers.org or find our page and group on Facebook. — Mark Alexander
