President's report
Greetings!
I hope you are having a great summer so far! It was great to see many of you at the UTA campout. And I look forward to seeing you at the UTA Convention on September 8-9 in Nephi. Not much to report on, I did have the opportunity to attend the DWR board meeting earlier in June and I was able to make some comments about the recent legislative changes. I gave a more detailed report in our email newsletter so if you are not receiving the emails please contact myself and we can get you added to the emails.
Best wishes,
-Cody Bassett
I hope you are having a great summer so far! It was great to see many of you at the UTA campout. And I look forward to seeing you at the UTA Convention on September 8-9 in Nephi. Not much to report on, I did have the opportunity to attend the DWR board meeting earlier in June and I was able to make some comments about the recent legislative changes. I gave a more detailed report in our email newsletter so if you are not receiving the emails please contact myself and we can get you added to the emails.
Best wishes,
-Cody Bassett
Vice-President's report
Good day Utah Trappers!
Rendezvous has been a time of gathering since the early 1800’s. The UTA rendezvous is no different. This is a time of gathering of all trappers and venders to be able to come together to sell the supplies and share past experiences for the upcoming winter fur trapping seasons. Also, this is a great time to take the opportunity to help a new trapper learn the ins and outs of trapping in order to be able to keep the trapping legacy alive.
Well, the dog days of summer are gone and it's starting to cool off, meaning it is time for fellow trappers to assemble together once again. And having it in September it's a joy to have the cool September mornings. Making way to be able get out and get our final scouting done before the trapping begins. Time to check out the new lure’s you have been making all summer, before trying it on the target animals.
Our rendezvous is a good time to catch up with old friends and make a few new ones. Watch a few demos where you always pick up a few good pointers whether it's from a new Trapper or an Old Trapper, you're never too old to learn something new. The rendezvous is a great time to pick up the rest of the supplies you may need or have run out of during the summer months or just find a new one to try out.
Thanks
-Jerry Swasey
UTA Vice President
Rendezvous has been a time of gathering since the early 1800’s. The UTA rendezvous is no different. This is a time of gathering of all trappers and venders to be able to come together to sell the supplies and share past experiences for the upcoming winter fur trapping seasons. Also, this is a great time to take the opportunity to help a new trapper learn the ins and outs of trapping in order to be able to keep the trapping legacy alive.
Well, the dog days of summer are gone and it's starting to cool off, meaning it is time for fellow trappers to assemble together once again. And having it in September it's a joy to have the cool September mornings. Making way to be able get out and get our final scouting done before the trapping begins. Time to check out the new lure’s you have been making all summer, before trying it on the target animals.
Our rendezvous is a good time to catch up with old friends and make a few new ones. Watch a few demos where you always pick up a few good pointers whether it's from a new Trapper or an Old Trapper, you're never too old to learn something new. The rendezvous is a great time to pick up the rest of the supplies you may need or have run out of during the summer months or just find a new one to try out.
Thanks
-Jerry Swasey
UTA Vice President
Secretary/ Treasurer's report
Spring has sprung and summer is sneaking up on us! With over 150 days until the next trapping season, many of us are pondering on what we might do differently next year. Even with the very weak market for most furs, our passion for trapping is still alive and well and most of us will be geared up and ready to go by the time the leaves start turning next fall. Maybe we won’t hit it as hard as usual and just trap the easy access places or possibly just focus on the more valuable species. This would be a good time to take advantage of the situation and get a youngster started trapping muskrats or mentor a new trapper on a small fox or raccoon line. We could help them with all aspects of being an ethical trapper, from scouting and reading signs to picking set
locations and checking traps. We could teach and encourage respect for the animals we trap along with proper fur handling to get the best return for our efforts.
Even with the anticipated lower prices and much smaller harvest which was partially due to some early heavy storms that made trapping very difficult in a lot of areas, our annual Fur Sale was a success. We had a good turnout and signed up quite a few new members. It is always exciting to see junior members joining our ranks. Their enthusiasm reminds many of us of the “Olden Days.” We implemented a new fur sale program this year and made a few changes pertaining to the fur check- in process and want to thank everyone for their patience while we all adjusted to these changes.
We have an awesome support group of members that donate their time year after year to make our events happen. A big thank you goes out to everyone who helped out and all of the next generation trappers that did a super job shagging fur as well as helping with setting up and cleaning up after the sale. Our board of directors are always there willing to do whatever is necessary and play a big part in making our Fur Sale successful. A special thanks goes out to Neil Chaney, Cory Farnsworth and Stan Bassett for sharing their expertise in the demos they put on.
We appreciate the DWR and their excellent staff for being there to tag bobcats and bounty coyotes. The service they provide makes it very convenient for all of us that need to get that chore done. Finally, we all need to thank all of the buyers for coming to our auction. They are the ones that make our sales possible.
We had many top quality very well-handled furs but also had some that were lower quality and some that could have brought a lot more money if they had been put up better. As a result, there was a big spread in the prices they brought. We all know that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but you can turn a potential $500 cat into a $100 cat pretty easily. Proper fur handling is probably more important in the current market than ever before. We encourage all fur harvesters to take advantage of the many resources that are available on fur handling. There are many good books and Videos available that explain each step of the process to ensure the
final product will be as good as it can be. Every fur should be handled like it will be competing for “Best of Sale.” The UTA is committed to getting the best prices possible for every fur sold and we will continue to do everything in our power to accomplish that. We are currently working on lining up some good demos on fur handling as well as trapping and snaring during our fall convention. With the craft market exploding like it has, we hope to be able to have someone there that can shed some light on what is in demand etc. on these items. If you have any ideas on things you would like to see or ways we could improve, please share them with us. Our next event will be our summer camp out in June. We will have details on our website and Facebook page as it gets closer.
Hope to see you there,
Kelly Laier
UTA Treasurer
locations and checking traps. We could teach and encourage respect for the animals we trap along with proper fur handling to get the best return for our efforts.
Even with the anticipated lower prices and much smaller harvest which was partially due to some early heavy storms that made trapping very difficult in a lot of areas, our annual Fur Sale was a success. We had a good turnout and signed up quite a few new members. It is always exciting to see junior members joining our ranks. Their enthusiasm reminds many of us of the “Olden Days.” We implemented a new fur sale program this year and made a few changes pertaining to the fur check- in process and want to thank everyone for their patience while we all adjusted to these changes.
We have an awesome support group of members that donate their time year after year to make our events happen. A big thank you goes out to everyone who helped out and all of the next generation trappers that did a super job shagging fur as well as helping with setting up and cleaning up after the sale. Our board of directors are always there willing to do whatever is necessary and play a big part in making our Fur Sale successful. A special thanks goes out to Neil Chaney, Cory Farnsworth and Stan Bassett for sharing their expertise in the demos they put on.
We appreciate the DWR and their excellent staff for being there to tag bobcats and bounty coyotes. The service they provide makes it very convenient for all of us that need to get that chore done. Finally, we all need to thank all of the buyers for coming to our auction. They are the ones that make our sales possible.
We had many top quality very well-handled furs but also had some that were lower quality and some that could have brought a lot more money if they had been put up better. As a result, there was a big spread in the prices they brought. We all know that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but you can turn a potential $500 cat into a $100 cat pretty easily. Proper fur handling is probably more important in the current market than ever before. We encourage all fur harvesters to take advantage of the many resources that are available on fur handling. There are many good books and Videos available that explain each step of the process to ensure the
final product will be as good as it can be. Every fur should be handled like it will be competing for “Best of Sale.” The UTA is committed to getting the best prices possible for every fur sold and we will continue to do everything in our power to accomplish that. We are currently working on lining up some good demos on fur handling as well as trapping and snaring during our fall convention. With the craft market exploding like it has, we hope to be able to have someone there that can shed some light on what is in demand etc. on these items. If you have any ideas on things you would like to see or ways we could improve, please share them with us. Our next event will be our summer camp out in June. We will have details on our website and Facebook page as it gets closer.
Hope to see you there,
Kelly Laier
UTA Treasurer
Public Relations Report
I’m Cory Farnsworth and am UTA's new PR Director. I was born and raised in Moab, Utah. I first got into
trapping as a boy helping my grandpa keep raccoons , squirrels, and skunks out of the garden and the
chickens. I started snaring coyotes after my first experience seeing a calf that they had killed. We calved
in March so their hides weren’t very good but that’s what really got me started. It took me a long time
to find someone to give me the fur harvester course and my first season with it I caught a single grey fox
that I hiked all winter in snowshoes for. My dad is a taxidermist so he helped me mount it. I have quite
the collection of pelts and I have one of every species I’ve caught hanging in my office and it’s great PR
even for folks I thought it would repel. I’m on a quest to trap some of the animals I don’t have yet such
as ermine, mink, and marten. I just got done making a skunk trapper hat to keep me warm this winter.
I’m looking forward to the UTA fur sale, it’s always a great time especially if you’re selling bobcats, the
sale brings in top buyers and top sellers. Please put some effort into your fur. If you need help figuring
out how to put up your fur please contact one of us, it will help us all out. Some of your counties have
bounties on critters like skunks and raccoons so talk to your county agent or your conservation district
so you don’t miss out on that. Bobcat season starts in week but I’ve had the trapping fever for a while so
I’ve already taken care of four foxes at our chicken coop to help a little with the shakes. Best of luck this
year, and a plug to be ethical and that includes with your pictures. We want to keep trapping into the
next century. If you’ve got anything you’d like us to focus on this year, please let us know.
-Cory Farnsworth
UTA PR Director
trapping as a boy helping my grandpa keep raccoons , squirrels, and skunks out of the garden and the
chickens. I started snaring coyotes after my first experience seeing a calf that they had killed. We calved
in March so their hides weren’t very good but that’s what really got me started. It took me a long time
to find someone to give me the fur harvester course and my first season with it I caught a single grey fox
that I hiked all winter in snowshoes for. My dad is a taxidermist so he helped me mount it. I have quite
the collection of pelts and I have one of every species I’ve caught hanging in my office and it’s great PR
even for folks I thought it would repel. I’m on a quest to trap some of the animals I don’t have yet such
as ermine, mink, and marten. I just got done making a skunk trapper hat to keep me warm this winter.
I’m looking forward to the UTA fur sale, it’s always a great time especially if you’re selling bobcats, the
sale brings in top buyers and top sellers. Please put some effort into your fur. If you need help figuring
out how to put up your fur please contact one of us, it will help us all out. Some of your counties have
bounties on critters like skunks and raccoons so talk to your county agent or your conservation district
so you don’t miss out on that. Bobcat season starts in week but I’ve had the trapping fever for a while so
I’ve already taken care of four foxes at our chicken coop to help a little with the shakes. Best of luck this
year, and a plug to be ethical and that includes with your pictures. We want to keep trapping into the
next century. If you’ve got anything you’d like us to focus on this year, please let us know.
-Cory Farnsworth
UTA PR Director