ITA membership,
This is my monthly president report that goes out to the three national magazines. I thought you would all like to read it early. Hope to see all of you at the fur sale. We are still looking for volunteers to help on Thursday to set up and Sunday to break it down. We are also looking for any donations you can bring to auction off to off-set the cost of putting the fur sale on. Donations can be anything from tanned fur, raw fur, lure, old traps, handmade items, canned jellies, practically anything!
Thank you
Rusty Kramer
208-870-3217

Hello from Snowy Idaho,
I'm a couple days late writing this December report but always seems like I'm behind writing my reports. We have been getting dumped on here in southern Idaho and I currently have 2 1/2 feet of snow and snowing hard. I don't mind the snow much here at the house because I am a watermaster and farmer, but it makes cat trapping tough. Slogging through knee deep snow and waist deep drifts digging out traps check after check takes a little of the fun out of cat trapping but hey it's still trapping!
Dec 8th - 11th I wore my NTA hat and went to Little Rock, Arkansas to the NASCA summit. National Assembly of Sportsmen Caucauses meet in a new location every year. The NTA and FTA were sponsors of the event and we had a booth set up and a trapping event at the end of the event where we went out on an actual beaver line. I met a lot of legislators all over the US during these days and everyone wanted to talk wolves. There is tremendous support nationwide on Idaho's wolf management plan. I talked at length with Arizona and Colorado legislators on the issues they would have with no foothold trapping on public land. It was an amazing experience and please check out the more in-depth article about this event in the American Trapper.
On the subject of wolves, the grizzly/lynx federal lawsuit has a lot of people calling me wondering what ITA is doing with it. ITA along with National Trappers Association and the Fur Takers of America are going to be official interveners in this case. We have multiple organizations and groups that have personally told me they will support us through this lawsuit. The lynx lawsuit 5 years ago was a huge financial hit on our group. I strongly feel we have a lot more allies this time around. I don't want to talk a tremendous amount in print about strategy (I'm sure antis get this newsletter as well), I assure you we are "all in" defending trapping in Idaho!
Furbearer and wolf trapping changes have been submitted to the IDFG and will be discussed at the January and March commission meetings. Not a lot of huge changes but we requested some beaver and otter closures get opened, raising personal otter quota, and raising two regional otter quotas. As always, we are working for all of you in the state and I have testified at every IDFG commission season setting meeting since becoming president. If you are wanting trapping rule or seasons changed, please contact me or a board member.
By the time you read this, the fur sale will be already done and over with. I always forget how much work it takes leading up to the fur sale. My phone has been blowing off the hook with calls about the fur sale and the lawsuit. If I don't return a call in a timely fashion, please don't take offense, and call me again in a day or two. My voicemail fills up frequently and people forget I do have regular job and traps to check.
2022 Sustaining membership patches are in and this cross-fox patch is one of the best patches I have ever seen. The picture was from an actual cross fox that my dad caught in one of his bobcat sets 15 years ago. Sustaining membership program was a smashing success last year with 139 members. Sustaining membership is a way to give a "little extra" to the ITA, get your name listed in our magazine and get a fantastic collectible patch. Sustaining memberships can be bought for $25 on our website or mailing in a check to ITA PO Box 256 Fairfield Idaho 83327.
Thank you
Rusty Kramer
Idaho Trappers Association President
208-870-3217