Oklahoma Fur Bearers Alliance December 2011 Report

President — Tom Peterson, phone: 918-241-2677

Vice President — Shannon Sheffert, 1301 Old Bumpy Rd., Stillwater, OK 74074; cell phone: 405-742-7884; e-mail: ssheffert@odot.org

Secretary — John Weygandt, 4720 S. 26th W. Ave., Tulsa, OK 74107; phone: 918-645-5667;
e-mail: j.weygandt@maccor.com

Treasurer — Vivian Scott, P.O. Box 179, Alderson, OK 74522; phone: 918-426-6918;
e-mail: littlerockmeme@msn.com

FTA Director — Terry Thornton, Rt. 2 Box 71, Hartshorne, OK 74547; phone: 918-297-2073

NTA Director — Leo Farmer, phone: 918-616-7662

Membership Options:

• 1-year membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• Family membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $25
• Lifetime (Over 70) with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $150
• Lifetime with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $300
• Youth membership — $10

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

OFBA, Treasurer
Vivian Scott
P.O. Box 179, Alderson, OK 74522

918-426-6918; littlerockmeme@msn.com

http://oktrapper.com

 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

I would like to thank all who helped me to be your new president of OFBA.

We are going to let the past go and get the whole family involved in OFBA.

I need and would appreciate all the help from all to make OFBA a positive organization.

We are hoping to host a youth camp for December 27 thru 30 28th thru 31st if weather permits. Contact John Weygandt at 918-645-5667 for details.

The OFBA will have two fur sales, the first one being held at Chandler fairgrounds on Feb. 4,2012. The second one at Okmulgee fairgrounds on March 3,2012.

Contact John at 918-645-5667 for sales number. Watch the web site for more details. www.oktrapper.com

Take a child with you on the trapline.

God Bless All. — Gene Callaway

 

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Hello To All,

I am once again very glad to represent Oklahoma Trappers Sportsman. I would like to thank all those who placed their vote for me as Vice President of OFBA and NTA Dieirector. I have the upmost confidence and respect for our new president Gene Calloway, who is doing a great job! Also all of our other officers, John Weygandt Secretary, Shannon Sheffert Treasurer, and Board of Directors Tracy Anderson, Cloyce Callaway, Noel Carruthers, Monte Dodson,Leo Farmer , BJ,& Janice Johnson, Leon Melton, Cody Presley, Bill Scherman, Vivian Sott, Terry Waggoner, and Terry Thornton FTA Director. I think this is a great bunch to work with also all our members who stay behind the scenes! Ohh and cant forget to give our thanks to Sherry Covington, Cathy Sheffert, and Brenda March for the kitchen work! “Great Job”

We will once again have a Trappers Kids Camp. It will be held Dec. 28-31st sorry to say that we will have to charge a 25.00 fee, but with this you will get a membership to OFBA and 10 issues of Trapper And Predator Caller, all meals 3 times a day , a NTA book, two bags of goodies, and a top notch instruction of trapping and skinning. also we will have a bucket of trapping supplies which they must sign in and out.

We have a limited number of scholarships available. Those of who can not afford the fee, please go to OKTrappers.com for release forms. all persons who attend must sign a medical form just in case God forbid someone needs medical treatment. and land owner release so they wont be responsible for accidents. A list of things the kids will need will also be on the trapper website.

If you have any questions call me Darrell Woodward (9189020529) or John Weygandt at (9186455667)

I would really like to thank Glenda Walls her mother and brother for providing there property for the camp. We might have up to 5 sections of land to trap all together. On another note OFBA would like our members to get together with the directors in your area to have small get togethers.

Like potluck dinners, restaurant meetings or just a hangout for our fellowship. So you can voice your opinions on how we the staff can have a better relationship, our members your ideals and concerns. We will be very much appreciated for a list of directors in your area, or to find the area go to your website. I’m sure it will be there soon.

On another note the department of wildlife will soon have public hearings around the state PLEASE! PLEASE! go and voice your concerns and opinions. Just like voting, if you don’t go and say what’s on your mind, no one will hear you and you won’t know what’s going on. They will listen go to OKLAHOMAWILDLIFE.COM to find a hearing near you!

On a final note, A thanks must go out to Janis Johnson and Leo Farmer for taking in my NTA Directorship in my absence in the last three years. I really had to take a break, and missed out on a lot! My family talked me back into serving you folks once again. They said I seemed to be more happier do something I enjoyed doing. So here I am. Thanks to you all and have a happy Thanksgiving and happy holidays!!!

Sincerely. — Darrell Woodward

 

TREASURER’S REPORT

Hello all,

I missed writing a newsletter for the November issue of the Trapper so I hope to get you caught up with this issue. The 5th annual Outdoor Expo was held on the last weekend of September. We had some great help again representing the trappers of Oklahoma all three days. On Friday we had Gene and Cloyce Callaway, Ron and Vivian Scott, Cody Presley and our youngest active member Kyler Damron out helping educate the school kids who came through. Once again Friday was school kids day and we had thousands of kids and teachers come through. This is always a great experience with the hands-on activity with tanned furs, furbearer skulls and traps. Then on Saturday, Cody Presley and Ron Covington were there to help with the table again. Saturday and Sunday were family days and there were thousands of people there again! Sunday we were represented by Cody Presley again for a third day, Leo Farmer and Roy Weir. We also had some general trapping demos that we put on at the outdoor stage. We also had some skinning demos with a beaver and two skunks. It is amazing how much of a crowd that will assemble while you are walking to the stage and back, where people just want to see a beaver up close. I don’t have the total attendance for the weekend but there is rumor that this was a record crowd. You don’t make trappers out of the general public, but we sure educated many people about the need for trapping and the safety for people and pets with today’s traps. My only regret about the expo is that I never got to see the other exhibits since we are working the entire weekend talking with people.

We then had our Fall convention at Crowder OK on October 8th. There was a good attendance, the weather was nice, good demos and fellowship along with a great meal. One of our demos consisted of a talk on lure use and manufacturing by Monte Dodson. Then how to make waxed waterproof dirt by Noel Carruthers and finally Terry Thornton and Ron Scott put on a demo on how to skin and stretch raccoons for maximum profit in our furs. These were all very educational and hopefully helpful.

The Outdoor Expo and our trappers meetings are just like a family reunion to me. We get to see people at each gathering that we don’t see but once or twice a year. Thanks to Cathy Sheffert, Sherry Covington and Brenda Marsh for all the kitchen work in the meal preparation. Vivian Scott pulled double duty and worked the desk taking memberships and also helped in the kitchen with the other ladies! She and Ron also supplied the main course for the meal, a smoked pork loin. Also thanks to the rest of you who brought covered dishes and desserts to round out the meal. We also opened and counted the ballots for this years elections. Our new president was announced and that is Gene Callaway. Darrell Woodward is now vice president, John Weygandt is still the secretary and I will be representing you as treasurer. Our new board of Directors were also elected and they are as follows: Tracy Anderson, Cloyce Callaway, Noel Carruthers, Monte Dodson, Leo Farmer, BJ and Janice Johnson, Leon Melton, Cody Presley, Bill Scherman, Vivian Scott and Terry Waggoner. Darrell Woodward is now the NTA director and Terry Thornton is still our FTA director. Please help support our new officers to make this association stronger and better.

As you get this newsletter, trapping season is starting and hopefully your traps are ready (remember back in August when I was thinking that I need to get my traps adjusted and dipped) and your freezer is full of deer meat and you a can get started on the furbearers. Like usual, there is plenty of sign of coons and other critters out there. I would say that every creek you stop at, you can see plenty of tracks, but you don’t need to look under the bridge as there have been lots of road killed coons, coyotes and others to show that there are plenty of furbearers out there. Remember the only major change from last year is the Grey Fox zone is now state wide, but the limit is still 6 or a combination of greys and no more than two (2) Red Fox statewide.

Please remember to attend the wildlife departments public hearings around the state that will be held in January to comment on any proposed changes for the upcoming season. As it turns out, there are only 2 public hearings this year. Both are going to be on January 10th at 7 PM, one in Oklahoma City at the wildlife department auditorium and the other in Poteau at the Kiamichi Votech. For next year, there are proposals to increase the limit on Otters to 4 per year and open the season statewide. Another proposal would be to increase the grey fox limit to 10. There is also a proposal to remove the daily limits on raccoons, foxes, bobcats and otters. However, right now, there are no proposed season limit changes on Raccoons. Please make sure that every one around you makes the department aware of this need to remove the season limit. I know that Eric Bartholomew is working on this and the biology is in support of removing the limit, but we still have lots of resistance from some members of the Wildlife Commission who make the final decision to allow or not allow these changes. We need the support of the other hunters and outdoorsmen, ranchers and farmers to make the department aware of this need. Please have everyone attend the meetings, see the date and location above. Write in comments are welcome and needed. You can also note these suggestions if you attend the public meetings. Thanks and hope to see you there. I will attend the OKC meeting for sure.

If you have any problems with your membership or any other questions, please feel free to contact me. Spread the fun and take a kid or someone else on the trapline with you. They will love it!

Thanks. — Shannon Sheffert

 

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