President — Ken Mills, 13004 W H-40 Hwy, Rudyard, MI 49780; phone: 906-478-6631
Vice President — Lloyd White, 2739 W M-28, Dafter, MI 49724; phone: 906-632-6071
Secretary — Jim Neitling, PO Box 171, Kinross, MI 49752; phone: 906-495-5233
Treasurer — Mark A. Spencer, N4552 Spencer Lane, Moran, MI 49760; phone: 906-292-4779;
e-mail: spenfurs@lighthouse.net
Membership Options:
• Individual membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $21
• Junior (16 & under) with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $16
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
NGLFH Secretary
Jim Neitling
PO Box 171
Kinross, MI 49752
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Here it is the end of January and the temperature out was 36 degrees and raining and now it is 8 degrees below zero and lots of snow on the ground. The January thaw came and went and now it is back to winter. I have always said that the snow melts so that it can make room for more. The ice is now covered with snow and this makes the snow like it is covered with grease. It even makes driving more a challenge.
The fur auction sure fooled everyone this year, especially with the muskrats. I haven’t seen prices like that since the ’80s. The new year seems to have started out on a positive note. Maybe some of you this year will actually be able to have some money left over after expenses. I do not have any idea as to what the rest of the auctions will bring but if they are anything like this last one it will be a real great way to start out the year. I have always figured that if you were not in on the good auction, you will have missed the excellent fur prices and it is usually me that misses out on the great deals.
We had our meeting in Gaylord on the 20th of January and there was a great turnout. We awarded scholarships for $200 to two members who are taking up Wildlife courses in college. The two recipients are Rob Torp and Lauren Davison. We donated a Fur-Fish-Game magazine subscription to the Library of the Alanson High School and we are also donating the two subscriptions from Fur Takers for their magazine to Paradise High School Library and the Onaway High School Library.
Mark Spencer, the younger, received an award from the DNR, The Partner in Conservation, to recognize him for his work on the trapper education course. Congratulations, Mark. Well done. I would like to thank Paul Davison for his donation of a subscription of Trapper & Predator Caller magazine to Lake Superior State University Library.
We will once again have a booth at the Traverse City Hunting and Fishing Expo March 19, 20 and 21. If you can volunteer to help in the booth in any way, give a call to Mark Spencer Jr. We have a new lifetime member who is Tony Brindley. Tony thanks for your confidence in the organization.
Mark your calendar for the next meeting. It will be March 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lutheran Church in Rudyard.
As another reminder to those of you who might have not seen this in the newsletter, I received a letter from Trapper & Predator Caller stating that beginning with the February order, the price of the magazine will be going up to $12 per year. So when you receive your renewal slips from them, please change the amount due to $22 and send that amount to me as soon as possible. Lifetime members only need to send $12 for the cost of the magazine. It will take them awhile to process the order, so send it in as soon as you get it. Thanks a lot. From the critter sign out there, there seems to be a considerable amount of coyotes this year. You sure couldn’t tell by what I have hanging in my fur shed. This rain sure makes it difficult to set traps and keep them working in this weather. I need some sort of excuse and this works for me.
By the time you read this, we will have had our annual trapper’s banquet. If it is anything like in the past, we will have enjoyed a great meal and shared some of our trapping experiences with one another.
Just a few words of wisdom or not. Ice in November to walk a duck, the winter will be all rain and muck. Be careful out there.
— Jim Neitling
