www.wsdfha.com

President — Larry Bowden, 27409 Whitetail Road, Hot Springs, SD 57747; 605-745-5888; bowdens@gwtc.net

Vice-President — Jeremiah Heath, P.O. Box 358, Newell, SD 57760; 605-892-5137; Kayla.adams@jacks.sdstate.edu

Secretary/Treasurer — Tuffy Halls, P.O. Box 25, Hot Springs, SD 57747; 605-745-6746; tuffhalls@hotmail.com

 

Membership Options:

• Individual membership without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $10

• Family membership without subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $15

• Individual membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $22

• Family membership with subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $27

 

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

Tuffy Halls

P.O. Box 25

Hot Springs, SD 57747

 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Greetings to All,

I have several items to share with you.

Tuffy and I went to Pierre in April to meet with SDGF&P about proposed trapping changes. It was a very productive meeting.

I attended the Game Commission meeting at Custer State Park in May. At this meeting SDGF&P submitted their proposals to the commissioners.

The only item that pertains to west river hunters and trappers is a required change to baited 220 conibear traps in boxes or buckets on public land or road right of ways. If passed, it will require the traps to be set back a minimum of 7 inches in the box containing the bait. According to test from other states this lowers the chance of incidental catches.

SDGF&P’s original proposal at the April meeting was to administer this east river only. We proposed that it be state wide to lessen the possibility of incidental catches. Remember that this is on public land only.

GF&P proposed a limited bobcat season east river. WSDFHA voiced our support for the east river season.

I received the “Bobcat Management Survey” for 2011-2011 from SDGF&P. The total harvest of bobcats for this past season was 784. This was the third largest harvest on record. The number one harvest was the 2006-07 season with 934 cats and second was the 2007-08 season with 792 cats. A total of 252 individuals harvested bobcats which is the highest number ever recorded. The complete survey is available on GF&P’s web site. The survey consist of 18 pages and is quite interesting.

Our gun raffle is going great. Each member should have received a booklet of tickets in the mail. It is for a Henry lever action 22 carbine custom engraved with WSDFHA logo and a really neat badger. The rifle has the large loop lever installed also. Ticket are $5 and we will draw for it at our September convention. If you sell out and need more tickets call Tuffy at 605-890-2009.

I would like to give a big thank you to Tuffy Halls and Joe Bowden for representing WSDFHA at a recent Black Hills Boy Scout Council event. These guys did a trapping and fur finishing demo at the Boy scouts rendezvous held west of Hermosa in May. The amount of public relations and education at an event like this is immeasurable. The adult leaders were as interested as the boys.

We just returned from the NTA Western Convention held at Rock Springs Wyoming. It was fantastic, a big hats off to the Wyoming trappers for putting on another great convention. What a great bunch of demo’s. I hear that the 2013 convention will be back in Blackfoot Idaho. If you have never been to the NTA Western you don’t know what you are missing.

WSDFHA members did very well at the FBU raffle. Tuffy won the Ruger 30-06 rifle and Joe Bowden won a Savage 223 rifle with scope. Tuffy won the Wyoming TA’s Dunn knife drawing also. All I got was a bunch of ticket stubs, but what the heck it goes to a good cause.

Our Spring meeting was held in New Underwood on June 10th. The attendance was good and the weather was great for the outside demo’s and youth trapper education. We had our business meeting, youth trapper education, predator calling demo, bobcat snaring/trapping demo and grubstake raffle followed by general discussion. The days events were followed by a board of directors meeting.

I want to recognize some people who helped make the meeting so successful. Ron Miller for Youth trapper education. Jeremiah Heath for the predator calling demo. Larry Rossum for the bobcat demo.

Also I want to acknowledge the businesses who donated to the grubstake raffle. John Grahams Fur Country Lures, The Snare Shop, Grizzly Rose Trapline Supply and Bowden Fur & Firearms.

The board decided to have the fall convention In New Underwood on September 9th. We will publish more information soon about the convention events.

Have a great summer. — Larry Bowden

 

SECRETARY/TREASURER’S REPORT

If you have raffle tickets sold please forward the money and stubs to me so I can get them accounted for. I sent books of 10 tickets to each of you. I meant to send books of 5 so if you have sold the books of 10 this will count as two (2) books sold. Remember, if you sell 10 books you will receive a 2 bladed trapper knife. There will be another surprise award involved in this raffle but you will have to keep selling tickets to find out what it is!!

Membership is slowly building and the family membership still remains popular. There are a lot of callers, hunters @ trappers out there that could benefit from a membership in our association. If you know someone like this discuss with them the possibility of joining.

Please be introduced to another long time director, Larry Rossum.

Born and raised in Rapid City, Larry has resided there except for the 3 years he spent serving his country where he was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC as a paratrooper! He is currently employed at Black Hills Power and this fall he will celebrate his 30TH year.

Larry started trapping while in the 7th grade. “There were a few older kids running some traps and it really sparked my interest.” “In no time I was all in”. He ran his first trap line off his bicyle around the ponds where the new GF&P outdoor campus now sits. He started off catching muskrats and then one day, “I caught a buck mink in a 110 conibear set in a muskrat run with a carrot on the trigger.” “I was one proud kid riding home with the mink hanging from the handle bars,” recalls Larry. to this day, mink are still one of his favorite animals to try to catch.

Coyotes were his next challenge. “They were defiantly a challenge in my younger years and they have a way of humbling you .” “I probably learned more about being a skillful trapper from chasing coyotes than any other animal.” For just fun and enjoyment Larry likes bobcats. “They are so secretive and stealthy that you really have to figure out their habits to be successful.” He also loves just being in the remote country that the cats hang out in. “It does the soul good!”

P.S. As a fur buyer I have had the opportunity to view Larry’s finished furs. He is second to no one! — Tuffy Halls

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