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ALERTS, MESSAGES, NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
As we get more and more news items up on our site some people may choose not to read the entire list, although it is highly recommended that they do. This "index" will allow you to go directly to a particular news item.
Please click one of the following links to take you to the related story
DNR Furbearer Registration Stations 2012
Trappers Workshop-February 2012
FHA Auction Pickup Schedule 2011-2012
2011 Raffle Winners
Trappers Education Update
National Trappers Association Convention in UP??
New MDNRE Furbearer Registration Instructions for 2010-2011
Trapper Education Instructor Needed!!
Coyotes!!
Trapper's Education Manual Available
Mich DNR 2012 Furbearer Registration Stations
The following pdf links provide registration station locations and times for Stephenson location.
Bill Rollo, Wildlife Technician from Escanaba DNR office informs us that this year skulls are required to register fisher, marten, otter and bobcat. Trappers that cannot make it during normal business hours at Escanaba or Stephenson can call Bill to see if he may be of help. If you have questions please contact Bill at 906-786-2351 x115
DNR Furbearer Registration Hours 2011-2012 pdf
DNR Stephenson Office pdf
Trappers Workshop February 4, 2012
Another great workshop coming your way in February!!!!!!! Click on the PDF link.
Workshop (PDF)
UP Trappers Announce Raffle Winners!!!!!
Just released!!!
UP Trappers Association announce the 2011 raffle winners. See PDF file.
2011 raffle PDF
FHA Fur Pickup Schedule for 2011-2012
The FHA fur pickup schedule just arrived!!!! Check out the PDF file link below.
2011-2012 FHA Schedule PDF
Trappers Education Update
The new Michigan Trappers Education program is finally getting off the ground and we have several instructors in the Central and Western Upper Peninsula who are ready for final certification and a few others willing to receive the necessary training. Our first class most likely will be held in Escanaba, at the U.P. State Fairgrounds during this year’s convention, which is being held on July 15 & 16.
This is an opportunity for beginning trappers to be “miles” ahead of where most of us older trappers (I’m going to be 66 in May) had to begin. In the “olden days” most trappers were unwilling to share their methods and/or experiences with the younger generation. They took their “secrets” to the grave and those of us starting out had to learn things the hard way. Many of us made serious mistakes or became discouraged because we couldn’t catch the intended animals.
Today things are different! Students will learn about the history of trapping, trap-line safety, where and how to set traps, what kind of lures and baits to use, how to set traps to catch the intended animal, how to properly prepare furs for market, etc.
Anyone wishing to know when upcoming classes will be offered can sign up to be put on our database of people who will be notified where classes are being offered in the area. Experienced trappers who would like to become instructors can also get on the State’s database by filling out an instructor application.
Below are links to the Trapper Education Training Instructor Application which can be filled out and mailed to the DNR in Lansing and the form for being added to the database to receive information on upcoming Trappers Ed classes in our area.
Bob Steinmetz
National Trappers Association Convention in UP ????
We are considering submitting a bid to host a National Trappers Association convention at the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba in 2013 or 2014. We have an excellent shot at being able to host an NTA convention right here in the great Upper Peninsula! A chance of a lifetime for hundreds of Yoopers who have never had a chance to attend a national convention! I can’t even imagine what this could mean for U.P. trappers! Escanaba has everything necessary. The Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau are behind us 100%. All we should need to make it happen is for you and a few hundred other trappers to agree to help out. I am compiling a list of trappers willing to put in one, two, or more days helping out at a national convention. If we get enough names on the list we can put in a bid at this year’s NTA convention in August. With your help, this could actually happen! We could have five or six thousand trappers descending upon Escanaba in a couple of years! Starting this snowball down the hill could produce the most spectacular AVALANCHE U.P. trappers have ever seen. If you would like to see an NTA convention in the U.P., get your name on my list! We are asking those who feel they will be able to put in at least one day at the convention to send us their contact information so I can compile a database of potential helpers. The convention is traditionally held during the first week of August each year. Below is a signup sheet that you can print out and send to me. Sign Up Sheet (Adobe Acrobat) pdf
Bob Steinmetz, NTA Director
New MDNRE Instructions on Registering Fisher, Bobcat, Otter and Marten
See the following PDF file of an email from DNRE on instructions for 2010-2011 season regarding registering Fisher, Bobcat, Otter and Marten.
MDNRE Registration Instructions (PDF)
Trapper Education Instructors Needed
We are in need of more Trapper Education Instructors!!!!
The trapping community needs people who are willing to teach others.
Are you interested??? If so, one of the first steps is to fill out the following application and submit it to the DNR. When future trapper education instructor classes are offered you will be considered for attendance. This is the first step.
Trapper Education Instructor Application (PDF)
Coyotes!!!!
As you know most of the U.P is over-run by coyotes. They are impacting other species of game animals and birds and even some protected species. Better coyote control will probably involve getting more incentives for the trappers and hunters pursuing them. One thing that would help would be moving the opening day of bobcat trapping season back to October 25 like it was previously. Coyote trappers have been telling me that they have to avoid areas with large populations of coyotes because of the certainty of catching bobcats and having to go through the extremely difficult process of releasing them. Bobcats have 5 “business ends” and they can all work simultaneously. Anyone who has ever released a Bobcat knows what I mean! Al Ettenhoffer from U.P. Whitetails, Inc. is proposing another great incentive for coyote trappers and hunters. U.P. Whitetails has allocated $5000.00 to be used for a $10.00 bounty on coyotes. To make this work Al needs two things from other Sportsmen who want the coyote population reduced: He needs people throughout the U.P. to set up check stations for the coyotes. The person checking in coyotes only needs a good pair of scissors to clip the tips of the coyote’s ears and a 3-part form which will be provided by U.P Whitetails. One part of the form would stay with the check-in person, one would go to the trapper/hunter, and the third one would be sent to Al Ettenhoffer for payment. The other thing he needs is more money for bounties so this can be continued until the coyote population is reduced to the proper levels. If you, or a club you belong to, would be willing to donate to the bounty fund or if you would like to serve as a check-in person in your area of the U.P., please give Al a call at (906) 786-9425. Follow the links below to read two very interesting articles written by a respected wildlife biologist from Maine on suggestions for controlling those large, deer-eating Eastern coyotes. He told me that he may be putting another article up on the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine website, so I’ve also included a link to this site. ( www.samcef.org).
Trapper Education Manual Available
Trapper education in Michigan is finally getting somewhere. At least the manual is ready and it appears to be an excellent resource. Check it out! Valuable information for new and experienced trappers alike. It pretty much covers trapping from A to Z. Click on the following link to be taken directly to the download page. If you have a phone modem you may want to download a chapter at a time as this file is huge: www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10363_10880_12399-174841--,00.html
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