District 8 Chair & Co-Chairs reports.
Districts
Minnesota Trappers Association
District 8 Reports
Director
Co-DirectorBill Adler
(Address)
(Phone)
(Email)
(coming soon)
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Director - Brad Wobbrock
Winter 2019 Report
Greeting Trappers:
Hope all is going well on your trap lines.
It has been a fun fall. Our daughter Maddie and Mitchell were married in September and Kathy and I enjoyed some time together during MEA for our anniversary. We had some fun fall days with our two older granddaughters, Halloween Party with all four granddaughters and now the upcoming deer hunting season with our kids.
In October we had our BOD meeting in Brainerd. We discussed having more of a presence at the capital. Please continue to check the website for legislation updates. Also all updates regarding the October BOD meeting should be either in the Presidents report and/or the minutes.
It has been a wet spring, summer and now the fall has been wet. It has finally “dried” out so farmers have been able to farm and/or at least farm around the wet areas.
Because of the excessive moisture, I have not set a trap yet. It sounds like the cold and snow will be coming tonight (11/5).
Our deer season runs from November 9-17, so hopefully after that I can get some gear out.
District 8 Spring Meeting will be March 28th, 2020 at The Stewartsville Sportsman Club. Thank you to Bruce Schroeder for setting this up. This will again be a potluck and cards will be sent out in February. Also it will be on the MTA website.
Happy Holidays and Stay Safe This Trapping Season!
Brad Wobbrock
Progressive Trapper
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Co-Director - Bill Adler
Winter 2020 Report
About a year ago, I toyed with the idea of getting involved with the organization. Brad Wobbrock was thinking of stepping down as director and I wanted to be more involved. Brad decided, however, that I needed some time to get used to the organizational structure and after being at a couple of board meetings, I believe that was a wise decision. This organization is much more comprehensive than I would have known just being a member.
MTA has a lawyer who also does nuisance beaver control and traps bobcats during the fur season. This is not something enjoyed by many other trapping associations. Now, when local, state, national or international efforts are made to eliminate fur use/trapping, we don’t have to spend dues money to convince a lawyer about the merits of fur harvest and nuisance animal removal. He already knows and is keeping his fingers on the pulse of all of these initiatives so we don’t have to. More importantly, though, he shares his discoveries and implications of This organization is involved in several statewide educational programs, which put trapping and fur harvesting out there in a positive light. We don’t live in a world of rural over urban anymore. Lots of people know nothing about wildlife, farming conditions, animals caused damage and the need to keep populations under control. Participating in wildlife and conservation heritage educational events lets the public know animals-being-animals can be controlled when they impact rural and urban environments. There is still genuine interest and as long as MTA provides the information, trapping, as a control method, stays alive.
Close working relationships with the DNR is helping DNR fi eld personnel become more acquainted with trapping as a tool. Trapping is not something many wardens know much about. Apparently, in-depth trapping education hasn’t been a part of the formal training DNR specialists get before, or until recently, after they become wardens. Parts of Minnesota have been blessed with wardens who know and understand trapping. Other parts have not always been so fortunate. These working relationships are important to MTA and the DNR and become more so as our tools and methods evolve.
I had no idea what our budget was; where the money came from; or even how funds were distributed. This is all part of the learning process and I’m a little humbled by the comprehensive nature of the organization’s management. What I’m seeing is an organization that addresses past practices, present conditions and future situations that will benefi t all of us, even though some things are painful to process. The directors, co-directors, and staff I’ve met are dedicated to keeping trapping a continuing process in Minnesota. It’s a lot to learn.
Bill Adler