Donations to the Tanned Fur Project were made by the following members this spring:
A special thanks to Cory VanDriel for the 50 ermine he donated to go along with several of them donated earlier in the year. We can always count on Cory to keep the MTA stocked with ermine it seems. My thanks also to Bill Schmidtke and Ken Olson for their continuous donations, they donate heavy and often. Cumberland's and Melby's can always be counted on as fur buyers that remember the MTA. Both of these good families have donated often to the Tanned Fur Project for the past ten years.
My son Rob and I were able to put some pelts into the Tanned Fur Project from our trip down south in February. These pelts of course are not up to Minnesota size and quality levels but for donating to schools, etc. they are just fine. We really figure we should stay down there for a month or so next year......just for the Tanned Fur Project you know, not that we would enjoy ourselves or anything. I would encourage any of you that can to take a late winter trapping trip to a southern state; it sure was nice leaving the frozen ground and snow for 50 degrees and dry dirt. We averaged 6 coyotes, 5+ grey fox, and 5+ bobcats a day along with red fox, otter, beaver, and lots of coon and opossum. We made several new landowner friends down there and have memories that will last a father and son a lifetime.
I have a few pelts here that came to me second or third hand and I don't know the donor. Don't be shy about getting in touch with me if you donated pelts and didn't get listed, I do want to know who you are and give you credit for your donation.
I'm looking forward to school being out for the summer. My reasons are a little different then the students however. Our traveling tanned fur sets need a summer break. It is time to weed out the worn pelts and try to replace them before the teachers are asking for them again starting in August. It would be great to be able to donate sets of furs to the pro-fur teachers that use them in their classes year after year but that is unrealistic at this point due to the large demand and short supply. Please donate what you can so that we can continue to loan nice sets of pelts to educators that are on our side. They will do the work but we need to supply the tools.
Have a great spring and summer and if you find a pelt in your freezer when you're putting your walleye fillets away remember the MTA Tanned Fur Project.
Tim Caven, Tanned Fur Project Coordinator
6699 156th Ave. NW
Pennock, Mn. 56279
email: info@minntrapprod.com
telephone 320-599-4176
fax 320-599-4314