New York State Trappers Association March 2009 Report

President — David Leibig, 1375 Warren Rd., Delhi, NY 13753; phone: 607-829-6813; e-mail: beavertrapper64@yahoo.com

Vice President — William Ballou, 4 Noth Street, Camden, NY 13316; phone: 315-245-0960

Secretary/Treasurer — Dale Gamba, 12320 Pople Rd., Cato, NY 13033; phone: 315-626-3710; e-mail: minkman@frontiernet.net

Recording Secretary — Ed Hogan, 1900 SR 48, Fulton, NY 13069; phone: 315-593-2196

NYSTA Newsletter Editor — Angie Berchielli, 3861 SR 85, Westerlo, NY 12193; phone: 518-797-3747

NTA Director — Jim Carmody, 237 Fonda Rd., Waterford, NY 12188; phone: 518-237-3071

FTA Delegate — Ray Van Hoesen, Rt. 3. Box 259, Red Hook, NY 12571; phone: 845-758-2453

Executive Director — David Miller 11311 Gay Rd., Prattsburg, NY 14873; phone: 607-522-4707; e-mail: guarddn@empireaccess.net

Membership Options:
• Individual membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• 3-year individual with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $50
• Family membership with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $22
• 3-year family with subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $56
• Senior life member (65 or older) — $100

Complete membership application on first page of
association section and send dues to:
NYSTA, Secretary/Treasurer
Dale Gamba
12320 Pople Rd., Cato, NY 13033
http://www.nystrappers.org

CATTARAUGUS COUNTY REPORT

The regular meeting of the Cattaraugus Co. Trappers Association was held on Jan. 15 at the Catt. Co. Cooperative Extension building in Ellicottville.

John Milks reported that we had a camper for the DEC camp this coming summer and that she had a friend who also wanted to go. Due to the increased cost of sponsoring a camper we decided to contact the Catt Co. Sportsman Federation to see if they could sponsor the friend. They usually do sponsor a camper and they might not have one lined up yet.

John also reported that he had done some advertising for our fur auction which is to be held in just two more days. He also brought necessary supplies for the auction.

FUR AUCTION RESULTS – Due to bad weather during trapping season this year the fur take was way down. We normally have several hundred lots of fur but this year had only 125 lots. Due to the poor global economy we knew the fur prices were not going to be high, but the prices paid were not that bad so those who had fur to sell seemed satisfied.

It was reported that Larry Cool had $3,000 worth of fur stolen from his fur shed. The word went out to keep watch and sure enough – the thief was caught in Pennsylvania trying to sell the furs to Eplers. Fur theft is considered a hanging offense isn’t it?

It was noted that Erie County is pushing for a longer beaver season to help control the population. Their season is quite short.

Jody Tingue, the lady who does our Sportsman Show program had a stroke just before Christmas. She’s only 38 years old and is having a tough time now so we voted to send her $100 to help out.

Andy, the Region 9 South Director, asked if there was anything we wanted voiced at the next New York State meeting. Derwood Say indicated that the NY Conservationist magazine should have an occasional article on trapping in it in order to show our sport.

Derwood then passed out a paper with the results from the FUR HARVESTERS AUCTION which was held Jan. 9.

Our next meeting is Feb. 19 in Ellicottville. Anyone wishing to join should call John Milks at 716-557-2523

— David Allen

CORTLAND COUNTY REPORT

President Howe called the meeting to order at 5:25 p.m., Jan 18, 2009.

14 members were present.

Joan M won the 50/50 and Dale B won the hat donated by John Hahn.

President’s list: Furs donated to club: John Slocum two coyotes, Butch Jenks two coyotes, Les Wedge, nine rats. Bill Howe has coyote from Ken Carrier that he bought for $20. Club will pay for it. Les Wedge has possible buyer for Beaver Hide.

President and Club welcomed Bud Woodfield back. He’s been gone awhile.

Treasurer’s report was accepted as given. Annual report was accepted as read.

Art noted that he asked NYSTA why they hadn’t cashed our dues check since last October. Dale Gamba from NYSTA replied that they just hadn’t cashed it yet, and nothing was wrong. Art noted that his reply was timely and that he (Art) has no trouble getting answers from Mr. Gamba and that is a good thing.
Round table: Bud W discussed some of his trials and tribulations. Welcome back Bud.

Les Wedge: Les discussed the newsletter and problems getting in touch with a lot of people. Les has the dues collections going well. Club thanked him for his work on the newsletter and membership list. Les also had results of a Canadian Fur Auction and prices were discussed. Art noted that Les had received required documentation from our scholarship winner (Mathew Bowker) and Treasurer has sent check for his award to him

Rich Palmer: Rich discussed Benefit Coyote Hunt. More prizes keep coming in Lots of good stuff to be given away. Rich discussed how awards would be given out. Feb. 1 is weigh-in day, right here at the Solon Club. IFH sent us a check for $100 the reason is not quite clear, but we will hold it to make sure no entry checks bounce and CCTA gets stuck for the charges. No expenses like that and we will return the check to the IFH.

Lots of discussion on hunt. Three teams and three singles entered at meeting.

Butch will be sending furs to be tanned.

John Slocum brought up Maple Festival. Discussion on Tarp. Tables Chairs and Canopy.

Butch will get price on Canopy and tables If you have a mind to, look at prices for tables we need 50 feet of tables, and the tarp or canopy needs to be about 12 feet by 34 feet. Check prices is you have a chance.
We only have two meetings before the festival.

Shirley Howe will do the food next month.

Motion to adjourn carried at 6:45 p.m. Mr. Slocum’s stew was wiped out in record time. Nice job John, and what a night for hot stew.

— Art Manz

ERIE COUNTY REPORT

Elma Conservation Club provided a great location for our annual Fur Handling Seminar on Jan. 10. There was a nice show of spectators who kept busy watching our several skinning stations. There were plenty of kids who came to see what it is all about. One kid brought a notebook and was busy writing tips and ideas down. Our club table had all of its show and tell items and all the kids went home with a fur prize. Thanks to Andy from the Griz Shop for setting up a fine table of items from his Delavan shop. The selection was terrific and many took advantage of his on the road deals. Andy I also had some free lures he handed out to anyone interested. A big thanks to all of our skinners, Frank Miskey, Dan Amigone, Mike Koestler and Rick Wattengel for their time, and expert skill in dealing with furs. Thanks also to Debbie Schillaci for skinning out the last of the muskrats. Other members to thank are Harold Leggett and Rich Penoyer.
This informative event is one not to be missed! Watch for a new location next year as we try to move it around to different areas of Erie County.

Welcome our latest lifetime member, Tony Gonello from East Aurora. Tony has been active for years in the Federation and showed his interest in trapping. A fellow member took him out and got him started.

Welcome Tony and hope you have fun in our club! Thanks to Mike Rinow for his renewal and Don Rankin for his upgrade to Lifetime. On the topic of memberships, Membership Secretaries Debbie and Patti have just finished updating our list. We have a good database now with much more helpful information. We will compile a full list of our “Life” members and will post it in the next report, as well as a total of all the memberships. We began our life membership back in 1999, so watch for your name! Please call Patti if you have not received your “Lifetime” laminated card (716-337-2556). Also, be sure to completely fill out your applications at renewal time so we know what club events we should be contacting you about. Thank you all for your continued support, and think about signing up for a committee!

Travis McNichol has been selected and will be attending the DEC summer camp at Rushford this year. The McNichol family has been involved for many years in our club and have helped at many events. We sent Travis’s older brother Colby a few years back. So far we have two kids signed up for next year. We recently received a nice certificate of appreciation for our continuing sponsorship to the camp program. It will be framed and hung at our booth displays.

The WNY Outdoor Expo will be March 12 to 15 at the Fairgrounds in Hamburg. Set up will be Wednesday, March 11 around 6 p.m. at the AgriCenter. Use the McKinley Rd. entrance. Please show up if you can to help. We will get our tickets for the show then or you can pick them up the day you work at the exhibitors entrance on the far left side of the building. The show dates and times are Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13 noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday, March 14 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday March 15 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please check your calendars and let us know if you can give us a hand and work a shift. We will have a beautiful raccoon headband for our raffle and we are sure to get many chances on it.

Our meetings are held the second Tuesday monthly, 7:30 p.m., Hamburg Rod & Gun Club on Hickox Rd. Anyone interested in trapping should attend. For club correspondence send mail to ECTA 12580 Jennings Rd. Lawtons NY 14091. Our next meetings are March 10 and April 14. Please update your membership now!

— Patti Wattengel

INDEPENDENT FUR HARVESTERS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

Minutes of Meeting — Jan. 11, 2009

10 Members present

• The Pledge of Allegiance

• Minutes of last meeting were read.

• Treasurer’s report was read and accepted.

OLD BUSINESS

• We still have not had any response from NYSTA as far as the Dave Liebeg incident with the body gripping regulations. We have numerous letters that are going to be hand delivered to the NYSTA BOD at their next meeting.

• Remember we have Bear Hunt tickets for sale. For tickets, call Al at 682-2050.

NEW BUSINESS

• First we would like to welcome new members Dale and Eric Brooks to the club.

• We received a letter from Kaitlin Harper, the young lady we awarded our Harry Riedl Scholarship to last year. She has again applied, and the club voted to award her another $250.00 this semester. She is a sophomore at Plattsburgh University and planning on going into the DEC Law Enforcement-Forest Ranger field of work. She is a hard working and motivated young lady and we are very happy to be able to help her achieve her goals.

• We also received a thank you letter from the Advanced Strategies Program.

• It is the time of year to start thinking of our annual Spring Banquet and nominations for Trapper of the Year award. We also are looking for members to be inducted into the IFH of CNY Hall of Fame. Some of the people to consider are Ken Perkins, one of the founding members, along with Harry Riedl, Norm Evans and others. These members are no longer with us, but were always active and dedicated to our club, and promoting and preserving the heritage of trapping for future generations. If there is anyone you would like to nominate for either award you can contact Al LaFrance at 682-2050. Thank You.

COUNTY REPORTS

• None

DATES TO REMEMBER

• The Club has set March 14, 2009 for our Spring Fur Sale to be held at Pompey Rod and Gun Club. The3 commission will again be a flat 10% for all sellers. Check in time will be 8 a.m., and as always we would greatly appreciate anyone that would like to volunteer. Call Al at 682-2050.

Safe Ice: In addition to preparation, a successful ice fishing trip requires diligence afield. Be sure the ice is safe, err on the side of caution, and use common sense. Smaller ponds and lakes freeze before deeper waters. Stay well clear of places where moving water may enter or underlie the ice, and always keep your companions in sight. The intern et has many sites with information covering other aspects of ice fishing safety.

The American Pulpwood Association has developed a table for judging safety on lakes and streams. The guide is based on clear, blue, hard ice on non-running waters. Slush ice is about 50 percent weaker. Clear, blue ice over running water is about 20 percent weaker. Many ice anglers do not like to fish on less than five inches of ice, and do not like to drive a pick-up truck on less than 15 inches of ice. Remember, this is just a guide; use your own good judgement before going out on any ice.

Ice Thickness and Permissible Load
2 inches — One person on foot
3 inches — Group in a single line
7.5 inches     — One car (2 tons)
8 inches — Light truck (2.5 tons)
10 inches — Truck (3.5 tons)
12 inches — Heavy truck (7-8 tons)
15 inches — 10 tons
20 inches — 25 tons

OSWEGO COUNTY REPORT

Jan. 6, 2009

The meeting was called to order.

Treasurer’s report was accepted as given.

Howard asked that everyone please check your batteries in your smoke alarms after the recent loss of eight lives in one house fire

The newsletter was not sent in DEC as there wasn’t any thing to send due to the family Christmas party and not much going on.

Gary Pratt from the NYSDEC was present to ask and get some information about our thoughts on the beaver season in the areas we trap. The DEC is looking at setting some more permanent dates. If you have any comments contact your regional people for Region 7, contact Gary at GRPratt@GW.dec.state.ny.us or call his office at 315-695-2262. Gary will also seal pelts or set up to get your stuff sealed. The club is sending a letter to Gary about our collective thoughts on the seasons as they are.

Andy Mcduff from the DEC is looking at collecting information on muskrats sex and age from the pelts. If you would like to help out Andy is out of the Watertown DEC office.

Old business: The Mannsville fur sale went well for the amount of fur present. There was the usual poorly handled fur. Their next fur sale will be April 13, 2009.

New Business: The state is looking at a licence increase.

We are looking into joining the farm bureau as they are pro trapping.

The highway pick up will be April 25, 2009.

Camp Zerbe will be Sept. 17 to 20 tentatively .

A motion was made and seconded and carried that we donate $200 to the funeral of the family of eight that died in the fire in Richland.

Meeting adjourned.

Trap raffle took in $59.

— Charles L. Lamb Jr.

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