www.kentuckytrappers.com
President — Stacy J. White, U.K. Cooperative Extension Service, Bell County, 101 Courthouse Square, Pineville, KY 40977; 606-337-2376; cell 606-521-1705; sjwhite@e-mail.uky.edu
Vice President — David Kriege Jr., 3513 Cowie Ave., Erlanger, KY 41018-1608; 859-342-8109
Financial Secretary — Dave Dykes, 152 Mapleview Ct., Mt. Washington, KY 40047; 502-538-3290
Executive Director — Chet Hayes, 3951 Neises Rd., California, KY 41007; 859-635-3102; lhayes@fuse.net
Membership Options:
• Class A Kentucky trapper including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $25
• Family Membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $35
• Associate Membership including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
• Youth Kentucky trapper including subscription to Trapper & Predator Caller — $15
• Lifetime Class A Kentucky trapper — $250
Complete membership application on first page of association section and send dues to:
UTK, Financial Secretary
Dave Dykes
152 Mapleview Ct., Mt. Washington, KY 40047
502-538-3290
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
MAY
By the time many of you read this, the Spring Fling will be history. I am confident it will have been a successful meet, well organized and attended.
As we enter late spring and early summer, we have a number of things to look forward to. All plans have been put into effect for the marketing of our elk tag for the scholarship. Hunter Ed classes, JAKES events, NRA Youth Days, and other educational opportunities will be ramping up. We will be saying goodbye and thanks to some outgoing officers and welcoming new ones effective July 17. Later this month the big sale at NAFA will take place. Hopefully prices will remain good. The Fall Fling will take place in Kenton County, and we will hold several Trapping Workshops with Fish & Wildlife personnel.
I’d like to take a few lines to recognize some outstanding work recently done by a number of our members. The trapping/fur handling seminars with school students done by Stacy White, Kevin Hughes, and Mark Bruner are outstanding. The Grant County 4-H Trapping Program done by Oral Jones, Dave Kriege, Gregg Bickel, and Rodney Mattingly – also great. Some of these kids are already catching & skinning their own fur. One youngster shipped a nice bunch of fur to NAFA.
Robbie Hoover is now very active in the 8th District with Hunter Education and Trapper Training. Robbie has always been one of our most dedicated and active members and has organized and hosted 2 very good Fall Flings in his area.
Here in the 5th District, UTK partnered with the Kincaid Longspurs and several local Conservation Officers for a very successful Youth Turkey Hunt weekend. We had a great hunt and harvested 7 big gobblers. One other youngster had his shirt tail cut off by Sergeant Mick Craig for missing a shot on his gobbler. I was fortunate to guide my youngster to his first gobbler, and what an enjoyable hunt that was. I enjoyed that more than any turkey or deer I could take myself.
Speaking of youngsters and gobblers, I’d like to congratulate Jeremiah White on his first gobbler. With turkey season still going on at the time of this writing, I don’t doubt that Jeremiah or some of the other White clan will be tagging some more turkeys if dad Stacy can get them out there.
In closing, it appears the legislative session in Frankfort will end without any negative impact on the sportsmen and women of Kentucky, or our Department of Fish & Wildlife. That is good news.
Until next month. — Chet Hayes
APRIL
Spring is here, though not all that much different from our wet and warm winter. Time for fishing, turkey hunting, catching up on household chores, etc. By now, most all of us have sold our fur or shipped it off to the large auctions. This is when many trappers forget all about trapping until the approach of next season. It is sometimes difficult for trapping organizations to get any response or support from their membership and even some of their elected people at this time.
For the most part, UTK has been fortunate in this regard, with a few exceptions. It has been well publicized that several offices will be open due to term limits. Also, the nominating/election process has been clearly spelled out and put before the membership. It is up to the membership to take advantage of this by nominating good people, and for good people to give their time and talents for the benefit of trapping. Otherwise, without new people and fresh ideas, our group could stagnate into oblivion. I’m confident the UTK is made up of people who appreciate trapping too much to allow that to happen. All we ask is for each officer/director to participate actively in their job duties and for each member to support us by keeping your dues paid up, attend our conventions and help a little with demos, youth activities, workshops, fundraising, etc.
Dave Dykes has organized a very good Spring Fling in Bullitt County. Hope to see each of you there.
Until next month. — Chet Hayes
