My most fragrant weekend ever occurred when I worked for the Columbus-based Sportsmen?s Alliance, at the time called the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America. The pro-trapping organization had me man an exhibit booth at the annual National Trappers Association convention at a county fairgrounds in Indiana, where I shared a long, hot September weekend with dozens of trappers displaying their home-brewed scents inside a poorly ventilated, oversized Quonset hut. After two 10-hour days confined with that crew and their pungent wares, it took multiple washings to get the stank of castor-based concoctions out of the clothes I wore, and even my car?s interior retained the scent for more than a week afterward. To this day, the slightest hint of skunk takes me back to those fragrant fairgrounds.
Similar scents, albeit less-concentrated than those I endured, may be on the breeze at the Holmes County fairgrounds early this month, during the annual gathering of Ohio State Trappers Association members in Millersburg. The event is open to the public and offers the chance to see professional trappers in action as they lead talks on various techniques that are used for maintaining a sense of balance in Ohio?s furbearer populations.
Ohio State Trappers convene
The 2017 Ohio State Trappers Association Convention will be held September 8-9 at the Holmes County Fairgrounds, 8880 OH Route 39, in Millersburg. The event and programs are open to the public, and adults pay a $5 entry fee. Kid?s events and an outdoor flea market are ongoing, with an auction held Saturday night. Here is the schedule of demonstrations and their presenters:
Friday, Sept. 8
8 a.m. ? Jake Meadows, Fox Trapping
9 a.m. ? Dave and Karen Linkhart, Team Trapping
10 a.m. ? Glenn Witchey, Raccoon & Coyote Trapping
11 a.m. ? Charlie Pierce, Mink Trapping
Noon ? Butch Barhorst, Coyote Trapping
1 p.m. ? Dirk Schearer, Nuisance Trapping
2 p.m. ? Dave Rodgers, K9s and Bobcats
3 p.m. ? Scott Welch, Trapline Troubleshooting
4 p.m. ? Harry Kinnison, DP Traps
Saturday, Sept. 9
8 a.m. ? Jim Cundiff, Coyote Trapping
9 a.m. ? Doug Lee, Muskrat Trapping
10 a.m. ? Jason Webster, Raccoon Trapping
11 a.m. ? Jeff Robinson, K9 and Bobcat Trapping
Noon ? Robby Gilbert, Coyote Trapping
1 p.m. ? Keith Daniels, Turtle Trapping/Processing
2 p.m. ? Dave Muir, Trap Regs/Legal Trap Mods
3 p.m. ? Hal Sullivan, Beaver Trapping
4 p.m. ? Sam Luther, Ginseng
For more information on the annual convention, visit ohiostatetr
