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Missouri Mountain Men Newsletter You can mail, fax, or email your stories to me. Officers, directors, and committee chairmen, your reports are due April 25. Albert Hempel, Rt. 1 Box 52, Eldridge, MO 65463, ph/fax 573-363-5213, email momtnmen@sbcglobal.net.
Meet the Members - Doren Miller After doing the article on our newly elected President (Robert Wilson) in the last issue of the Missouri Mountain Men Newsletter, I thought it would be good to do one on our Vice President as well. Doren joined the MTA about 1990 and has been an active member ever since. He was the District 2 Director for a couple of terms. Doren was also the MTA Membership Committee Chairman, in his words, "Longer than I thought I would or should be". He sat on several other MTA committees as well. Doren is currently serving his final term as Vice President. Doren is an MTA Life Member. He is also a life member of the NTA and FTA, along with being a life member of the Illinois and Iowa Trappers Associations and a member of the Kansas and Texas Trappers Associations. Doren is also a member of the NRA. Doren started trapping about 1988. He started buying fur about 1994 - 95 and has been buying fur locally around Clarksville, in northeast Missouri, and then on to the MTA Auctions ever since. Doren became a trap supply dealer about 1998. Since that time, he has attended the MTA Fall Rendezvous, other Missouri functions and meetings around the country selling trapping supplies and doing demos. As The MTA Vice President, Doren has traveled many miles and put in a lot of hours attending state and district meetings. He is trying to get a better feel for the thoughts and concerns of the MTA membership and how they would like to handle some of the issues concerning the MTA and trapping in general. Doren's favorite animal to trap is the beaver. He really likes to trap beaver with foothold traps. Doren has been married to his wife, Lynn, for thirty-two years. He has two children (Ben and Lara) and two grandchildren. Doren's whole family works in the fur business, to some degree or another, whether buying / finishing fur or just handing push pins or swatting at imaginary flies on the wall. Doren strives very hard to help others become what they're meant to be in life. I asked Doren the same question I've asked everyone else, "Where would you like to see the association in the next 5 - 10 years". Doren answered a little differently by saying, "I can't put a timeline on what I would like to see, because I would like to see the MTA continue to grow in numbers and to prosper. I would like to see the MTA continue to build on the respect that we now have of other associations and organizations, not only on the state and local levels, but on the national level as well." I asked Doren if you could say anything to the MTA members and new or prospective members what would it be. His response was this. "YOUR DESTINY IS NOT A MATTER OF CHANCE, IT'S A MATTER OF CHOICE." In talking to Doren's family about him they told me - Doren likes helping others and he really likes buying fur. He has a soft spot for kids and will go out of his way to help a youngster get started. He once gave a young man a beaver trap and told him, "When you catch a couple of beaver bring them by and we will call it even". The young man caught a couple of beaver and brought them to Doren. When he tried to pay the young man for the beaver, he told Doren "No, I owe you these for the trap". Doren not only helped get the young man started, but also helped teach him a valuable life lesson - "Nothing is for free". One of his family also told me, Doren has a very strong work ethic at anything he does and believes all of his family should have also. Ha Ha Ha. I was told that his Grandmother Miller always said Doren was just born 100 years to late. I think a lot of us could relate to that. Troy Crooks
Bobcat Christmas My name is Jake Nye. I've been a silent member of District 9 for five or six years and a member of the NTA for about the same. My New Year's resolution is to get more involved in the MTA, and spend as much quality time in the outdoors with my grandchildren as I can. I'd like to share with you a special day on my trapline. It was the day after Christmas and I had the honor of my 6 year old grandson, Justin, riding along with me. This was his first real trapline adventure with Pawpaw. Of course he already knew that Pawpaw's fur shed mysteriously accumulated a variety of fur critters throughout the fall and winter. It (the fur shed) was the first place he and his sister, Kaitee, would check out when they came to visit. So this was his chance to see where these critters came from. It was a great day and we had a ball. Catching a big male bobcat was the highlight of the day. Justin was a little apprehensive about getting out of the truck to see a live bobcat. After a well placed shot with the 22 and a couple of pokes with a stick to make sure he was dead, he climbed out of the truck and admired our catch while I remade the set. All the other sets were empty. But that was just fine with him. We had just caught the biggest bobcat in the world and we were on our way to show him off to Grandma. Well I hope ya’ll enjoy the picture and take a kid trapping. You won't regret it. God bless everyone and good luck on your traplines.
1930's Trapline Memories I am 84 years old and would like to share with you some trapline happenings of my youth. Though we were poor as church mice, I look back on my youth as a treasure house rich with memories. I was in my mid-teens (14 -16 years) and just past the 'box-trap-bunny-rabbit' stage. I began trapping the regular furbearers in earnest. I might even have been considered a long liner back then as my line was some 4 - 7 miles long. My mode of travel was by means of a bicycle. I had no boat, so I trapped from the banks. I lived in Washington, MO. I trapped to the west along the St. John's slough and also along some of the sloughs off the Missouri River. There were some rich soil bottom farms between the St. John's slough and the Missouri River with a dirt road circling around the entire bottom. My bicycle had balloon tires. On cold frosty mornings, I could really get along on the frozen ground. In the afternoon, with my energy spent, this same dirt road had thawed out and the mud would build up between the tires and the wheel guards. I was reduced to pushing my bike out of the river bottom road. I really appreciated it when the winter turned colder and this dirt road stayed frozen all day long. My home county was Franklin. Back in the 1930's, you purchased a county hunting and/or fishing license. This meant your pursuit of game was limited to that county. Coyotes were considered a real nuisance animal back then due to the various domestic animals that they killed. Franklin County paid a $10 bounty for all coyotes turned in. Ten dollars back then was roughly equivalent to three days of adult labor. If you could trap or hunt a coyote, you could bring it to the county clerk at Union, MO. He would perforate both coyote ears numerous times and then pay you 10 bucks. They did the perforations so that you couldn't take this same coyote to another county court house and collect another bounty. Who would ever do a thing like that? Ha. Ha. Anyway, in my case, the $10 just barely covered the loss of the No. 2 Victor jump traps that I had lost. At first I didn't really recognize the type animal that kept breaking out of some of my sets. Every time this happened I lost two No. 2's. I thought a big boar 'coon was doing this. No way! It was coyotes. On one occasion, I had caught a large buck mink up under a root wad at the top of about a 16 to 18 foot steep bank. I did not carry a gun, only a club. So here I am, barely hanging on this bank, trying to swing my club at this mink. He was lunging all over the place, trying to get away. Finally, he turned and lunged straight at my face. In my desperation, I threw myself backwards off the bank. The only thing that saved me was the wire and chain that held the trap jerked him back. He was only an inch or two away from my un-guarded face, with all four claws raking the air. Had the gap of space been an iota shorter, that mink would have slashed my face to shreds. From the fall, my body was really sore several days after this. A trapper pays his dues to this calling many, many times over during his lifetime. At that time there were two very large fur houses in St. Louis, MO. They were the Moser Fur Company and Taylor Fur Company. Each would publish a list of prices they were currently paying. These lists would break down the various types of furs by grade and size. No commission was charged. Raccoons had to be open and squared with the head drawn down into the square of the pelt. I don't recall ever seeing a cased 'coon pelt. There was a long table with several stations and a fur grader at each station. For carry-ins, when your turn came, you would go to that station. The grader would lay out your entire lot before him on the table. He usually did not pay any attention to you at all and concentrated on his task. He would fill out a worksheet, pricing each grouped item. As an example: 3 - No.1 large muskrats @ $1.75 each; 4 - No.1 medium muskrats @ $1.35 each; and etc. As a carry-in, you could accept or reject each bunched item. Following this, he would fill out the final sale sheet on each priced item accepted. You would take each bunched item not accepted and place them back in your box and leave his station. His job was done. You would take your original sheet of the accepted sale priced items to another floor, where the cashier would make out the check. I don't know how the mail-ins were handled since I never used that option. One of those fur companies would select one finished pelt based on neatness and form out of all pelts that were received that day. They would award the person submitting that pelt a cash prize of $25 over and above the graded price paid for that actual pelt. Typically, I would come in with some 70 finished pelts of all types at the close of a season. As they say in the lyrics of a song "Those were the days my friend." I salute you, one and all.
On Educating the Public Albert called me a couple times since the fall rendezvous to check and see if I was going to send something for the Missouri Mountain Men Newsletter. I got all hopped up and wrote about ten pages in longhand about all the things the third district has done in the last sixteen months. When I got the last Trapper and Predator Caller and found there were only five paragraphs written by the whole association. I was disgusted and thought why bother to write anything. It just seems like a waste of time. Then Albert called again the other day, so I decided to condense it all and send it in. The main reason I don't like to do this is because it sounds like I'm blowing my own horn. It's true, my name pops up a lot in the Trapper and Predator Caller and the Mountain Men Newsletter. The reason is that I keep a fur display, tables, chairs, and a pop-up canopy at my house. Every time another member gets a setup booked, they call me to use it. Since I talk a lot, everyone thinks I'm the one that gets all these things lined up. I won't even try to mention all the members in this district that have events lined up, but there are a whole bunch of them. It's true that I usually end up being there to help. A lot of the times, I just loan the display. I let others handle it if they already have enough help lined up. So to make a long story short, we have set up my display at nineteen, that's right nineteen, locations for District 3 since September 2006. If anyone doubts this, I have all the dates, places, and the people that worked the events in my little book. There are others that have displays and cover things in their area. I have said this many times, and I'll say it again, every district needs to make up at least three full tanned fur displays. You can get handout literature from Kevin Whitworth along with a pop-up canopy, tables, and chairs. Then educate people on how to present all this to the public. Twelve years ago, there was no way anyone could get me to sit in a booth. Now, after I got my feet wet, I look forward to doing whatever comes up. My ten-year-old Grandson and I did a daycare center here at St. Clair and it went really well. About three years ago, I went to a rest home in Washington, MO and it came out OK. So you see I've been to daycare centers, rest homes, and everything in between. Know what? I have never had a bad experience at any of them. Fred Jr. and I have a young lad that is really into trapping but has never had a chance to finish his fur. Jr. invited him to come over and we are teaching him how to do it right. This young man is a fast learner and he will have a lot number and sell his fur at the February auction. He is not related to the Cox's. He is Coryell Coch's little brother, Colton. This won't be the last time you see or hear his name. I also have another special kid, my Grandson Kevin. He asked if I would teach him how to trap. While he was on the holiday break from school, we went out over the bluff behind his house and set a live trap, a Griz Getter, and a couple dirt holes. The first night nothing, but the next two nights we caught two gray fox, two big 'coon and a super grinner. Kevin is ten years old and he just might become a trapper some day. The third morning he looked up and said, "You know Grandpa, I must have a hundred dollars worth of fur already". Doesn't that sound just like any other trapper?
Living the Trapline Seems like yesterday when I lived in the teepee down in Sugar Tree Hollow. It was 1984. I had been working at Marmacie, a small town in Stone County. The last few years my winters were spent in the woods and along the James River trapping. The fur and leather shop said they would buy my best fur if I tanned it. So everything from 'possums to foxes found their way into my traps. I took them to north Missouri to a little town called Santa Rosas to spend a week trapping and tanning 'coon hides. The tiny town had corn fields on three sides and a creek called Grindstone, running north and south on the east side. Raccoon Heaven – lots of water, lots of food, with woods and old houses to have their young in. The town is full of vacant houses that are falling down, so more homes. 'Coon trapper's paradise. (My family had five old house places.) I set two dozen number elevens and put little reflective tacks on stakes near so as to be able to find them in the dark. By the time I had the last one set, I had gotten so far from home, I decided to make camp and spend the night. I had a short trotline with me, six hooks, so I set it and found rocks for a fireplace. I had a trappers ax so I used it to build a lean-to and cut a pile of firewood from a tree that had blown down from some storm long ago. It got dark before I was finished so I built up the fire and finished by its light. I had an old canteen and canteen cup with me. So I boiled some creek water and went to check my fishing line. There were four mud cats about eight inches long, looked like litter mates. I cleaned them, cut the meat off, and put it in the boiling water. When it seemed cooked, I dumped in a little pill bottle of powered milk and made some fish chowder. Sat by the fire and daydreamed of a big fur check and finding a soft place to lay my head. Morning came. I broke camp and headed back south checking each trap as I went. Soon I had more coons than I could carry. Big corn fed ones. I saw a farmhouse across the way and I wondered if the people who lived there might want a fat 'coon to roast. I skinned the ones that I had gathered so far. One was a young female, fat, and sassy. I put her carcass in a white pillow case, I had in my coat pocket, and went to the farm house. I knocked and waited. A little silver-headed lady came to the door. She looked at me. I must have been a sight 'cause she stepped back and said, "So who are you, Davy Crocket?" I was wearing buckskins that had a lot of beadwork on the shirt. I told her that there was a fine fat raccoon in this here poke, I mean sack, and would she like to have it to roast for coming Sunday dinner? She laughed and said "And I suppose you want to come help eat it if'n I do?" I smiled and followed her to the kitchen where I pulled the coon from the pillow slip and put it on her counter. I said "It's a present," and went out the back door and off to the creek. I had a lot more traps to check and time was passing fast…..(to be continued)
Volunteer Get a Great Return I have gone to the first two Missouri Trapper's sales held in Columbia and volunteered my time. I didn't sell any fur, but do have a number for the last sale. We are lucky. There are a lot of great people who run our organization. They are working hard to support trappers in Missouri. The sale is a great place to exchange trapping tips with other trappers. While volunteering, you will learn a lot about taking care of fur and how to get the most money for your hard work. I want to be able to trap, and for my sons to trap. Our organization works to continue our trapping heritage. I urge you to get involved, volunteer and reap the great returns, as I have.
50 Years The 2008 MTA Fall Rendezvous is going to be our 50th anniversary. The event is planned as a great celebration and I'm sure we will not be disappointed. We encourage everyone to come and be a part, and do their part in this meeting. I was thinking the other day about this, remembering where I was 50 years ago, and how trapping was a part of my life. Fifty years ago would be 1958. I was in the eighth grade and thirteen years old. My dad had been a trapper for maybe five years and had a limited amount of traps. I think that most of them were single spring traps and I don't know what size. Mink and muskrat were his main target but there were always some 'coon caught. My dad taught me how to skin a 'coon because they did not bring as much as a mink. I think mink were bringing $25 and a 'coon was maybe $5. If I cut a hole in a 'coon it was no big deal. Then 'coon were skinned and stretched in a square shape. We nailed them up on the smoke house wall to dry. There was another trapper in our neighborhood who was a very good trapper and he taught my dad how to trap mink and 'rats. One day I heard my dad and Doris talking about trying to catch some beaver. They came up with the idea of setting their trap at the bottom of a slide and tying a long wire from the trap to the top of a small tree. Their thinking was if they caught one, it would not be able to pullout of their small, weak traps. I think they had some pull out. I remember one day Doris talking about someone who had sent a letter or something about forming the MTA. It was asking trappers to join. I don't know if he or my dad ever joined. I don't believe they did. My dad walked most of his trap line in hip boots, carried everything, and would be gone all day. Doris had a boat and motor he would use. He had a longer line and more traps. Dad would sell his fur to a country buyer about a week before Christmas and use that money to buy our family Christmas presents. I would like to hear from some of you about your memories of 50 years ago. Now on to a different thought. I have been talked into being the membership committee person for the MTA and I am going to need your help. Dan Miller said something at one of our meetings many years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. He said if every member would sign up one person that we could double our membership in one year. I made up mind to do this. I did and to my amazement, it was the easiest thing I ever did. The person I asked to join said that they had wanted to join for a long time and just did not know how to go about joining. I said all you have to do is give me your name and address and your money and I will fill out the paperwork and mail it. I am sending out a challenge to everyone who reads this. Yes, that is you. Take the membership application in this newsletter and sign up a new member. The end of this year's trapping season is in sight and it has been a good one. The high point for me was during Christmas vacation. There was a young man, 15 year old Zach Wheeler, who wanted to learn how to catch some beavers. We went on the upper Eleven Point River and set an area where I had been scouting for beaver. We made several different sets, showing Zack more than one way to catch beaver. The first night we caught five beavers, two 'coons, and one 'rat. Zach learns quickly. He is now catching beaver on his own. So until next time, take those youngsters trapping and just don't talk about it. Let's practice what we preach.
Trapping Clinic Proves Interest is Growing Trapping is not a dying sport, and Missourians will prove it every time an event is scheduled. Interest in this traditional pursuit is growing at a rapid pace for people of all ages and from all walks of life. Forty-five student trappers gathered at Everhart's Wilderness Lodge, northwest of Clinton, Saturday, December 1, 2007, for their 2nd Annual Trapping Clinic, to learn the art of trapping. Many more wished to register, but were turned away due to limited space. The event was organized online through the Missouri Trappers Message Board, where trapping information is freely shared. Because of this, several instructors and assistants met each other for the first time at the clinic. The weather was near perfect, with warm temperatures and only occasional light rain. Andy Bullock, the local MDC agent, began the afternoon with an explanation of rules and regulations that apply to harvesting furbearers in Missouri. He also discussed the reasons why people trap and the importance of trapping to conservation. Doren Miller, owner of Miller Fur Company of Clarksville, displayed all types of traps and trapping supplies. Paul Webb, MTA District 6 Director from Gravois Mills, along with well-known trapper Bob Whitworth of Pleasant Hill, demonstrated how different traps worked, from conibear to cage. Trapper Dale Verts of Florence taught an extensive class on Land Sets. He lead the group along the edge of a field, bordered by trees, making flat sets, post sets and dirt hole sets, for catching coyote, bobcat and raccoon. The use of lure and bait was explained (and smelled) from loud coyote lure to sweet raccoon bait. Dale supplied each student with written instructions and contact information, should they need more help or advice. Tony Hursman, an expert water trapper from Nelson, demonstrated sets in the marsh for catching beaver, otter, muskrat, mink, and raccoon. Students could tell he felt right at home, standing hip-high (and sometimes more) in the cold water, setting large conibears in runs and small foothold traps in pockets. Tony then lead the group on a walk down Plum Branch to a large beaver dam. Here he explained how to catch, not only the beaver that tended the dam, but also many other furbearers that are attracted to the structure. A skinning, fleshing, and stretching demonstration was taught by James Camden of Clinton. His fur handling skills, learned from years of experience, made the task seem easy. Local fur buyer, Butch Kedigh of Urich, explained how furs were purchased and what conditions increased or decreased the price offered. He examined beaver and raccoon pelts, giving his assessment of size, color and fur quality, while pointing out defects and damages that might hurt the market value. Winners of donated prizes, which included gift certificates, embroidered ball caps, trapping movies and books, were drawn at the end of the clinic. Each youth received a trap, courtesy of the Missouri Trappers Association. Chase Cooper of Clinton and Miranda Foreman of Lowry City won memberships to the MTA. Other clinic assistants were MTA State Secretary Troy Crooks of Newburg, Troy McDaniel of Hillsboro, and Melvin Childers of Clinton. Sarah Fellhauer of Clinton, served as the official event photographer. Johnny & Linda Everhart and MTA District 6 sponsored the clinic. Door prizes and supplies were donated by the Missouri Trappers Association, National Trappers Association, Montgomery Fur Company of Ogden, UT, Slim Pedersen Inc. of Oswego, NY, Minnesota Trapline Products of Pennock, MN, Hoosier Trapper Supply of Greenwood, IN, Miller Fur Company of Clarksville, and D&M Signs of Clinton. Due to the growing interest, the 3rd Annual Everhart's Wilderness Lodge Trapping Clinic, planned for 2008, will be expanded to accommodate a larger number of students.
In Memory Dave Hamilton, a respected scientist, a dedicated wildlife biologist, and a sincere friend, died on September 8, 2007. As a recognized national and international expert in furbearer management, Dave was dedicated to the wise use of our natural resources. He wanted to leave the world a better place for us all. The trappers and hunters can look forward to a more secure future due to his tireless efforts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all his family and friends. He will be missed.
New MDC Biologist I'd like to take a paragraph or two so that I can introduce myself and set the stage for what I hope will be a long and productive relationship with you guys – fellow trappers. My name is Jeff Beringer and I am the Conservation Department's new furbearer biologist. I am following Dave Hamilton who was a respected colleague and good friend of mine. Here is my background: originally from Wisconsin, I migrated to Missouri in 1987 after completing graduate school in Tennessee and getting a Missouri job as a wildlife damage biologist. Later I worked as a research biologist on deer, turkey, and ruffed grouse. I have been with MDC for 20 years. I am a hunter, trapper, and fisherman and so are my two sons; my wife is mostly tolerant of our activities. We live on 135 acres in northern Boone County and make a passable stab at country living by eating mostly wild game, growing a big garden, and heating with wood. Here's my take on being a furbearer biologist in Missouri: I really want to keep trapping viable and meaningful in Missouri, and I want trappers to continue to be viewed as conservationists. We will need to keep trapping progressive and consider both biological and political implications when considering regulation issues. I will work with you to continue to refine or introduce regulations that benefit trapping or enhance management of our abundant fur resource here in Missouri. I hope that as a group we can speak with one voice. We can debate issues behind closed doors but when decisions are made, we must be united. I am always happy to discuss ideas and issues and maybe swap some stories. Take good care, Jeff.
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