President — Anna Hermanson, P.O. Box 922, Hot Springs, SD 57747; phone: 605-440-0227; e-mail: aghermanson@jacks.sdstate.edu
Vice-President — Ray Maize, 28658 Tree Farm Place, Pierre, SD 57501; phone: 605-295-0416; e-mail: sdtrapr@mncomm.com
Exc. Sec./Treasurer, Public Relations FTA Director — John Almquist, 521 2nd St. NE Watertown, SD 57201; phone: 605-886-8501; cell: 605-880-4165; e-mail: jcalmquist@aol.com
Secretary — Terry Olson, 921 North Harth, Madison, SD 57042; phone: 605-256-6311; e-mail: trapperto@yahoo.com
Youth Education Coordinator — Aaron Doyscher, Box 247, Volga, SD 57071; phone: 605-627-6558; cell: 605-690-4095; e-mail: trapperad@yahoo.com
NTA Director — Jerry Westphal, 17342 297th Ave., Agar, SD 57520; phone: 605-258-2142;
e-mail: Rodeoking@hotmail.com
Tanned Fur Coordinator — Steve “Pete” Peterson, 22251 448th Ave., Ramonda, SD 57054; phone: 605-482-8131; cell: 605-291-8945; e-mail: trapperpete@alliancecom.net
Membership Options:
• Individual membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• Junior membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $13
• Family membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $30
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
SDTA, Treasurer
John Almquist, 521 2nd St. NE
Watertown, SD 57201
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Greetings,
It has been a while since I’ve heard from many of you and I hope your summers are going well. I’d like to start off by reminding everyone about our Fall Convention that will be held in Flandreau, SD at the city park on Friday September 17th and Saturday September 18th. Saturday will feature many of our activities, some of them including: our youth trapping school, a large variety of demos, a dinner, and used equipment auction. Camping is available at the park, and hotel accommodations are available in Flandreau. The Royal River Casino just outside Flandreau has a large number of hotel rooms. Reservations can be made by calling them at 1-800-833-8666. If you have any questions about this event please feel free to contact myself or John Almquist. Also, our new website is up www.sdtrappersassociation.org you can find information about the Fall Rendezvous and as the event is finalized an agenda will be posted as well. I do know that since the event is being held along the Big Sioux River, Friday night will kick off with another catfish tournament.
I would like to thank some active volunteers. Thanks go out to Bud Hart, Ryan Skogstad, and Dave Jellis for going down near Colman, SD and repairing the vandalized billboard. Their efforts are greatly appreciated, and our billboards promoting trapping do not go unnoticed. Also, I would like to thank Aaron and Pete for heading up the Step-Outside programs in Dell Rapids and Madison. I had the opportunity to help Aaron give demos for this program in Dell Rapids and it is a great way to introduce kids, who in some instances have never been introduced to trapping or have never even seen a trap set, gain an interest and understanding about trapping.
Before I get into the politics involving trapping in South Dakota, I would like to let everyone know we will be having our summer directors meeting on July 25th. We will be finalizing plans for the Fall Rendezvous at this meeting. If you have any great ideas for things you would like at the convention, or would like to help volunteer at the convention, please let myself or another director know.
Trapping Regulation Changes
As many of you are aware, there have been some recent issues with trapping regulations that have arisen. First of all, there was only one regulation change that was finalized at the June GF&P commission meeting. This regulation is worded: “No person may place any trap (set or unset), stake, cable, chain, wire or other device used for the purpose of attaching a trap or otherwise attempt to claim or mark a trap site on any public road right of way or public lands or waters open to trapping within 30 feet of water from October 1 to the day before the opening of the mink season, inclusive.” This regulation is similar to the regulation already in place preventing individuals from marking or flagging muskrat houses on public land before the start of trapping season and during trapping season except for those houses with operational trap sets. Another change put in place was to extend the date that trapping can occur on or in muskrat houses to March 15th…Outside of these changes, everything else should remain as it has in the past for the upcoming trapping season.
SDTA Trapping Issue Involvement
As you remember from our spring meeting, interest was sparked about changing our non-resident trapping to reciprocal trapping. This change would allow only residents of states that allow South Dakotans to trap to be able to come to South Dakota and trap. This is a legislative issue and we have full intent to bring up legislation during the next legislative session in South Dakota to change to allow reciprocal trapping rather than non-resident trapping in South Dakota.
As some of you might not be aware of, I have been very busy defending our trapping rights in South Dakota. I attended the May GF&P Commission meeting in Custer. At this meeting, a very challenging woman presented her wishes for the future of trapping in South Dakota. Her wishes were not at all friendly to trappers. Some of her rambling requests at this meeting were to require trappers to report their species and numbers of catches, require trappers education, require trap tags, stop or seriously change the methods of trapping in areas where threatened and endangered species are present, and to implement a 24 hour trap check rule. She had several other requests that she made, but they were for regulations that she wasn’t aware were already in place. Now, although there is quite a list here, and I’m only giving you this whole list so you’re aware of the types of challenges we may face in the future, she only had a couple serious priorities that she emphasized. She wanted trap tags and a 24 hour trap check rule implemented. Now, I have learned that apparently she has been speaking against trapping for years, and no one has been there to combat her. I think she was in for a pleasant surprise when I got up to defend our current trap check regulations in place for east and west river. I was even thanked by several GF&P officials for getting up after she spoke and defending and justifying our current regulations. I continued to combat her unbacked claims of animal suffering at the June commission meeting where John Almquist attended and spoke in our defense as well.
I went there with a list of reasons our current trap check regulations are humane and effective, and how changing them would be detrimental. While doing this I also provided information to the commission about how it would be detrimental to prevent trapping in areas where threatened and endangered species resided and about trapping methods in place to prevent the capture of threatened and endangered species. No changes were made to implement a change in the trap check regulations, and I will continue to work hard to prevent any changes to our trap check regulations. The antis are taking this seriously though, there were about 12 letters read from the antis requesting both the implementation of trap tags and a 24 hour trap check rule. I will keep you posted about any issues and any help we as directors may need from our members whether it be testimony at commission meetings or letters to the GF&P if we need any further help (we have strength in numbers) in the future, but right NONE of these issues are even being proposed as regulations.
Request
I have one request from our membership. I would like to know who our founding officers were for the SDTA. If you were one of the founding officers or know who they were, please let me know.
Thank you.
— Anna Hermanson
