Arkansas Fur Trappers Association August 2013 Report

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

In the middle of the dog days of summer it’s hard to believe a little over 100 days until trapping season starts. Takes dedication to stand over a boiling pot of water in the middle of summer cooking your traps but a little pre-planning and preparation now goes a long way for a successful season.

The hot weather didn’t stop the Crawford County 4-H from having their annual camp at Lake Fort Smith State Park last month. Don Wilcox was on hand to give a trapping demonstration, display an Arkansas furbearer fur collection and answer questions about trapping. There was a great group of kids at the camp and AFTA wants to thank 4-H for allowing us to attend and help educate the kids about fur trapping.

Cabelas, a hunting, fishing, camping mega-store, has been sponsoring a US Sportsmens Alliance Trailblazer Event at it’s Rogers, AR store on a fairly regular basis this year. Trailblazer events are usually done for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4H and similar group outings. Having the event at a public location like Cabelas exposes a group of kids to the outdoors that might not otherwise have the chance. At these events the kids can shoot bows, throw tomahawks, shoot BB guns, learn about trapping, pet barn animals, hear game calls, do a little fishing and more. USSA and Cabelas are both big supporters of hunting and trapping. You can find out more about Trailblazer events at trailblazeradventure.org.

It’s good to see that fur prices stayed strong thru NAFA’s recent auction June 1st thru the 4th. Otter, muskrat, bobcat, coyote, red fox and raccoon are all 100% sold out. NAFA is confident that the remaining articles will sell out by October. NAFA is planning three auctions next winter/spring instead of the regular two. The 2014 auction schedule is mid-February, late April and late June. Receiving dates for each will be a month or so earlier. Check the NAFA website or your pickup agent for details.

AGFC conducted their annual Trapper Survey back in May. A survey was sent to everyone who applied for a free Trapper Permit. There was a new question on the survey about how many raccoons and grey fox each trapper had taken. Blake Sasse, wildlife biologist with AGFC says they are trying to get more accurate harvest data on these species. Harvest data is usually obtained from Arkansas fur buyer reports. Results of the Trapper Survey can be found in the AGFC Annual Furbearer Report which should be available on the AGFC website sometime after August.

Thirty or fourty bleeding hearts attacked our public Facebook page last month over a picture of a coon in a DP trap. Nasty mouths on most of them. We’ve since erased all of their posts, banned them all from our page and added another half dozen or so trapping pictures for their enjoyment. We apologize if any kids were exposed to their posts or if anyone was offended by their gutter mouths. It’s difficult to understand how some people can claim to be so caring of animals and then have such hatred for the human race. AFTA has a private Facebook group that all trappers are welcome to join and no chance of anti nonsense with Jay and David in charge. Look us up, ask to join and they’ll get you fixed up.

We’ve had several life membership sign-ups this summer and everyone should have their plaque by now. Let us know if you have not received your plaque, have trouble with your magazine subscription or have any questions about AFTA. Thanks and see ya next month. — Mark Alexander 

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