Iowa Trappers Association September 2010 Report

President — Craig Sweet, 1825 Kirkwood St., Saint Charles, IA 50240; phone: 641-764-2758

Vice President — Randy Mitchell, Iowa Fall, IA; phone: 641-648-6787

Secretary — Patty Kempf, 3371 130th St., Jamaica, IA 50128; e-mail: itasecretary@iowatelecom.net

Treasurer — Chris Grillot, 2769 110th Ave., Wheatland, IA 52777; phone: 563-374-1074;
e-mail: itatreasurer@fbcom.net

FTA Director — Gene Purdy, 521 Edwin Place, Fontanelle, IA 50846; phone: 641-745-8841

NTA Director — George Scalf, 123 N. Madison Ave., Ottumwa, IA 52501; phone: 641-682-3937;
e-mail: iantadtr@mchsi.com

Membership Options:

• Individual membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $15
• Lifetime membership with subscription — $250

Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:

ITA Secretary
Patty Kempf
3371-130th St.
Jamaica, IA 50129

http://www.iowatrappers.com

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Greetings to all. As you read this, the convention will be less than a month away, hope that you can attend. It is always fun to see old friends and meet new ones – see more info about the convention under Convention Report in column following.The Fall Directors Meeting will be at 1:00 P.M. Friday Sept. 10th at the convention grounds. The General Membership meeting will be at 1:30 P.M. Saturday Sept. 11th. Officer positions up for election this year are President & Treasurer. Nominations from the board are Chris Grillot for Treasurer and myself for President. Nominations will remain open until the General Membership Meeting. Nominations can also be received from the membership provided consent of the nominee is obtained before being placed in nomination. You must also be a current paid-up member of the ITA to be nominated.

Sept will be busy as stated last month for the ITA, 10-12 convention, 18-19 Boy Scouts in Des Moines, 25-26 Izaak Walton League’s Outdoor Expo in Des Moines. Volunteers are needed for all these events, if you would like to help contact me for info.

Spencer Hill & I spent July 23rd meeting with the North Iowa Fair Association Interim Manager, Larry Drabek, and Sue Armour, Director for the Mason City Convention & Visitors Bureau. They are really excited to see the possibility of having the NTA National back in Mason City again in 2012, if the site is selected. Both were involved with the 2008 National and are very familiar with the event. I will be presenting the bid on August 3rd in Marshfield, WI.- will keep you informed as to the outcome.

Some of you may not know, but Ron Andrews retired June 25th as the Furbearer Biologist for the DNR after 43 years of service. Ron has been a great liaison for the ITA and all trappers over the years and will be greatly missed in this position. For the time being, David Hoffman will assume Ron’s duties. The ITA welcomes David to his new position & looks forward to working with him in the future. Thanks Ron for all you have done and best wishes on your retirement & the future.

As I stated before, there are a few districts in need of directors around the state. If you live in and are a paid up member from one of the open districts, come to the Board of Directors Meeting and present yourself. I would like to see all these District Director positions be filled. The following districts are in need of directors: Dist 4(Appanoose, Davis,Mahaska,Marion, Monroe & Wapello), Dist 6 (Des Moines, Henry, Lee & Louisa), Dist 9 (Benton, Iowa & Linn), Dist 19 (Clayton,Delaware & Dubuque), Dist 20 (Allamakee, Chickasaw, Howard & Winneshiek) and Dist 24 Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola & Sioux). If you live in one of these districts, contact any officer or director for more information.

Off of any trapping subject, I would like to congratulate the Martensdale-St Marys girls softball & boys baseball teams and coaches on their outstanding seasons. The girls finished 4th in 1A at the state tournament this year, was 3rd in 2009 & 2nd in 2008. My niece, Hailey Sweet, a sophomore, was chosen for the 3rd year in row to the 1A All Tournament Team – congratulations Hailey!!! The boys are the 1A State Champions finishing the season with a 43-0 record. They are the 9th team ever in Iowa to finish with a perfect season and 1st 1A team since 1973 when the class divisions were implemented.

Better go for now – See you all in Marshfield or Sigourney. Til next time, have a safe & enjoyable summer.

— Craig Sweet

CONVENTION REPORT

The ITA Fall Convention will be held Sept 10-12 at the Keokuk County Expo Center in Sigourney. The grounds are located 1/4 mile south of the junctions of Hwy 92 & Hwy 149 east of town. For those people who utilize a GPS device for driving directions the address for the grounds is 22400 220th Ave Sigourney. Gate fee is $5 for 12 & up, Camping will be $10 per night primitive & $15 per night w/electric, Tailgating is $15 per space plus gate fee, inside dealers are $25 per table. It is first come first serve for camping and tailgating. Convention will open at noon on Friday and close at noon on Sunday.

Beware that some inside dealers may be leaving late Saturday or early Sunday. If you are planning to come on Sunday, give me a call at 515-306-9385 and I will be glad to answers any questions you may have. Any questions about convention up to the evening of Sept 8th you can reach me by e-mail at hightoweria@aol.com or at the cell number above. If calling my cell anytime Monday-Thursday between 10 A.M. to 9:30 P.M. I am at work and will not be able to answer. Leave a message with a time when I can call back either late evening or early morning. Friday – Sunday I will be able to answer. The Belva Deer Inn in Sigourney (1/2 mile from grounds) is probably full for Friday & Saturday nights.

The last I knew it was full for Saturday, but had a few rooms for Friday. There were plenty of rooms available in Oskaloosa, 23-25 miles west of Sigourney. No blocks of rooms have bee reserved, but the direct lines for the motels are as follows:

Belva Deer Inn – Sigourney – 641-622-3200

Super 8 – Oskaloosa (east side of town) 641-673-8481

Americas Best Value Inn – Oskaloosa (east side) 641-673-8351

Budget Inn – Oskaloosa (east side) 641-673-8333

Comfort Inn – Oskaloosa (west side of town) 641-676-6000

All motels in Oskaloosa are located on or within 1/4 mile of Hwy 92.

A complete convention schedule for the weekend can be viewed on the ITA website The potluck dinner will be Friday evening as has been in the past. Anyone willing to donate fish or turkey for the evening can contact me. Turkeys in the 10-12 lb range is about the right size for cooking, any side dishes will also be welcomed. Come and enjoy an evening of relaxation and conversation. Miss Iowa will be present from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. on Saturday as they have in the past.

There will be a program by Conservation Officers at 11 A.M. Saturday over Conservation laws and changes in the Consealed Weapons laws. Saturday evening is the White Elephant Auction. If you have anything that you would like to donate (within reason) for this event bring it along. Hope at see everyone in Sigourney

— Craig Sweet

NTA DIRECTOR’S REPORT

It is with profound sadness that I announce the death, on July 13, 2010, of former NTA President Steven Lee Fitzwater, 57, of Dubois, Idaho. Steve served as NTA President from 2004 to 2006 and had also served as NTA Vice President, NTA Director for the Upper Snake River Trappers Association, and as NTA Northwest Regional Director. Steve leaves his wife, Mary Ann, four daughters, Sarah Ann (Bruce) Bovey of Riggins, Rebeca Lee (Jarid) Heiken of Idaho Falls, Rachel Marie (Timothy) Dart of Myton, Utah, and Loni Beth Fitzwater (T. J. Williams) of Logan, Utah, and one son, Jonathan William Henry “J. W.” Fitzwater of Dubois; three grandchildren, parents, Bill and Chlorina Fitzwater of Villisca, Iowa; siblings, Joe, Scott and Bruce Fitzwater and sister Peggy Vermillion; along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, and great friends.

We held our first FBU banquet in Ottumwa in 2003, and Steve honored me by attending. He had come back to Iowa to visit his parents and decided to surprise me. He brought his parents along to the banquet, too. What a truly great man who will be profoundly missed by all who knew him.

This will be a short report, as we are finalizing the sale of our bait shop, which we have owned since March of 1992, and packing to head for Wisconsin. Now, maybe we’ll have time to go fishing and catch up on all the tasks we’ve neglected for 18 and a half years! Of course, we’ll have plenty of time to devote to trapping, too.

Don’t forget to stop by the NTA booth at the Iowa Trappers Association convention in Sigourney, Iowa in September.

Time to go build some snares.

— George E. Scalf

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