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ALERTS, MESSAGES, NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
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Extra Fur Pickup for the June Fur Harvesters Auction Sale!
Coyotes!!
Trappers Congratulated by Michigan DNR
Fur Harvesters 2010 Auction & Pickup Schedule Revised!
Trapper's Education Manual Available
A good year for UPTA!
Extra Fur Pickup for the June Fur Harvesters Auction Sale!
The U.P. Trappers Association will be running an extra pickup for the June 2nd sale at Fur Harvesters Auction on Saturday May 1st. This is in addition to the pickup that is already scheduled for April 17th. The routes will be run at the same times and with the same pickup points as all the other fur pickups. Reasons for the extra pickup include allowing our members time to empty their freezers while prices are hopefully still rapidly rising, allowing spring beaver trappers time to put up and ship their catch and taking advantage of the fact that Mark Spencer will still be able to get this “late fur” on the June sale. Both Cites items (Bobcats and Otters) and non-Cites items will be accepted.
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).
Trappers Congratulated by Michigan DNR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 7, 2009
Contact: Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014
Trappers Recognized as Partners in Conservation for Efforts on DNR Trapper Education Program
Several members of the trapping community were honored with a Department of Natural Resources Partner in Conservation Award at the Dec. 4 of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.
The members of the Trapper Education Consultation Team (TECT) honored included John Caretti of the Michigan Trappers Association; the late Bob Dougherty, an independent trapper; Chris Kettler, independent trapper; Kahler Schuemann, independent trapper; Mark Spencer, Jr., Northern Great Lakes Fur Harvesters; and Chuck Turk, Mid-Michigan Independent Trappers.
TECT was formed in April 2008 to help guide the development of the DNR Trapper Education Program. The group met regularly and worked through many issues related to trapping, and many now continue to volunteer their time to help implement the program.
The TECT volunteers reviewed the student trapper education manual that was provided by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and provided valuable input on the content to make it appropriate for Michigan. They also volunteered their time to attend meetings, provided input on program format, helped plan the agenda for student trainings, and volunteered to serve as regional coordinators for the program.
They also helped raise funds for printing the student manuals and for additional supplies for the program. Volunteers on the team, lead by John Caretti, created a Trapper Education Support Fund to be used to purchase supplies for student kits. Through their efforts, each student goes home with two traps and a lure. Additionally, members helped secure other donations, such as 360 fur handling manuals and a box of beaver pelt patterns for students.
“Trapper education ensures the future of trapping in our state,” said DNR Director Rebecca Humphries. “This program had significant volunteer input from these trappers and their organizations, helping to ensure we have trained, knowledgeable trappers in the field and helping to avoid non-target catches.
“Also, well-trained trappers help minimize the likelihood of emotionally-charged events that could threaten the continued use of trapping as a wildlife management tool,” Humphries added. “It is critical that trappers know and understand trapping regulations, make good ethical decisions and understand how to humanely and safely harvest animals. Our trapper education program ensures all these things.”
Individuals and organizations are nominated for the Partner in Conservation Award by DNR employees for outstanding volunteer efforts to assist the department in natural resources protection and conservation.
The award is given out six times a year at NRC meetings.
The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, accessible use and enjoyment of the State’s natural resources for current and future generations.
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Congrats, good job and thank you all.
Fur Harvesters Auction 2009-2010 Auction & Pickup Schedule Revised!
Here is a link to the Auction & Upper Peninsula Fur Pickup Schedule: Schedule
2008 -- A Good Year for UPTA -- Especially District 3!
2008 has been a great year for Upper Peninsula trappers and district 3 has played a large role in nearly everything good that has happened this past year!
Regional officers were no longer attending the Furbearer Workgroup Meetings with the DNR in St. Ignace, so district 3 stepped up to the plate! What began as an effort to get the concerns of district 3 trappers heard by representatives of the DNR—has mushroomed into so much more! Three other Michigan trapping organizations were also there struggling to make their voices heard. And guess what? Many of the issues being dealt with by all four organizations were the same. So, why not WORK TOGETHER on these issues and speak with ONE VOICE that can be heard from one end of Michigan to the other? That’s now what’s happening and Gary Schinske, President of the Michigan Trappers Association, was so impressed with this new partnership that three of his four coveted “President’s Awards” went to the other three Michigan trapping associations: U.P. Trappers Association, District 3; Northern Great Lakes Fur Harvesters; and Mid-Michigan Independent Trappers. And all four organizations have put their differences aside and are all now members of the United Trappers Council of Michigan. Once again most Michigan trappers can speak with one voice and have some real power and influence.
This great year quickly got rolling back in February with our most successful Mid-Winter trapper’s workshop ever. The number of kids attending nearly doubled from 2007 and every kid attending got a weasel box and related equipment to get them started trapping. These workshops have proven to be an excellent way to introduce youngsters to trapping. The 2009 event will be held in Hermansville on Saturday February 7th and promises to be even better!
Then in July, District 3 hosted a fantastic convention. The demos were great, the dealers made money, trappers saved money—learned a lot—and had a great time. It doesn’t get much better than that. Or does it? Come to the 2009 convention in Escanaba on July 17 & 18—then decide!
District 3 President, Rick Arduin, believes our displays at the fairs in Escanaba and Norway may be among the most important things that we do. We are educating the general public on the necessity for, and the benefits of trapping—so non-trappers will be in our corner when it’s “crunch time” with the Anti’s. And this year, besides having our display booth, district 3 shelled out $1000.00 of our hard-earned money to sponsor the Growing U.P. Foresters Building at the U.P. State Fair in Escanaba. At peak times up to 300 kids per hour go through this building. That’s a lot of kids to expose to trapping in a positive way. Hundreds of kids watched “Destroying the Myth”—the excellent NTA DVD—and bought trapping coloring books and furbearer trading cards at the “company store” with their wooden nickels. Rick Arduin is convinced this may be the “best $1000.00 bucks we have ever spent! And at the conclusion of the Dickinson County Fair in Norway we drew the winners in what might have been our most successful fund-raising raffle ever!
Then in September, district 3 spearheaded the revitalization of the Region. As most of you know the Region is supposed to be the “glue” that holds the U.P. Trappers Association together—and this great organization (established in January of 1962) was falling apart. The Region is supposed to coordinate the efforts of the five local districts and speak for all U.P. trappers with one voice. Due to inactivity at the regional level, the districts had to “fend for themselves” and some of districts weren‘t doing too well. District 3 set up a meeting date, send letters to nearly 1000 trappers, sent news releases to dozens of U.P. newspapers, and gathered together nearly 50 trappers in Merriman on September 13. New officers were nominated and elected and The Region is functioning again!
Right behind that, District 5 was revitalized – and once again, district 3 did what they could to help. News releases were sent to the newspapers in district 5’s area promoting their reorganization and a list of all known trappers in the district 5 area was sent by district 3 to past president, Dave Basil. District 5 now has a new slate of officers (ready to get to work!) and are, once again, 100 members strong and poised to grow by “leaps and bounds” in 2009.
I have belonged to district 3 of the U.P. Trappers Association for almost 40 years and I don’t believe I have ever seen a more successful year than 2008. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to sit back and relax. When every single trapper in the U.P. belongs to the U.P. Trappers Association and at least one of the National Associations (FTA, or NTA), then maybe we could relax a little?
Submitted by Bob Steinmetz, District 3 Secretary
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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