I received my issue of the American Trapper yesterday and saw the application for the Hall of Fame award in it. Who do y'all think would be good candidates for this award? It's a shame that some years there is no one selected. I know there has to be many out there who are very deserving of this award, but no one thinks to submit a good package for them. The person needs to be someone who has contributed in a meaningful way to trapping and the NTA.

We would like to see Trapper Art get in the Hall of Fame. He is more than deserving of this. I know a few guys been trying to get him in. Adam

I agree. He'd get my vote. He was always available for me when I got back into trapping 25 years ago if I needed some expertise.

I’ll second Trapper Art. I miss talking Fox with him.

Major Boddicker come top of mind as well.

Triple on Trapper Art. Art was a trappers trapper. Also as Herb Lenon said of a real trapper: Art was salt of the earth !

Major Boddicker was inducted in 1997. Here's the page showing those who have been inducted - https://www.nationaltrappers.com/halloffame.html

Good to see my buddy Johnny Thorpe made it.

Just because your a trapper to me dosen't make you a Hall Of fame candidate. It's what you DO FOR TRAPPING not what your catch numbers are or how many books you've written or how much lure you've sold.
How much time did you spend defending trapping. How many years did you spend donating your time as a NTA or FTA or STATE officer.
Just my thoughts on the subject.

trappers forget about the ones who were way before us, that kept the industry going by writing (which takes alot of time), teaching and motivating (starting the clubs) and lets not forget the dealers that fronted the money to supply house (you think Dailey Rickard and Butcher were made of money they got credit) to keep them on their feet
Walter Arnold
VE Lynch
Oscar Cronk
EN Woodcock
Elmer Krepps
Wiley Carrol
Raymond Spears
Bill Nelson
Sheldon Colvin
Hugh Walker
OGorman
Jim Comstock
Tom Parr
Keith Winkler
Ludy Sheda
James Mast
Frank Terry
Hart (B&L)
Newhouse
Glen Sterling
Raymond Thompson
Neil Lindsey
Dean Wilson
Nick Wysinski
Gibbs he also backed Hawbaker
Howe he backed Hawbaker

G I FOX FC TAYLOR MASS STENSON

we forget where we come from

Yep...My vote is Wayne Derrick..Thank You

Ludy Sheda could tell which county in Iowa any Iowa coon came from.

Good point Beav
And a lot of time those people aren't in the spot light and go unnoticed

Neil Olsen

Don Shumaker

TRAPPING HISTORY 101 THE REST OF THE STORY
Paul Dobbins post on the NTA Hall of Fame and some resent/historical comments gave me some inspiration to share some reality of the trapping industry. Please bear with me for a few minutes here.
Charlie Dobbins (the writer), shared his methods freely in magazines before his books came out. The books were written not to make money but ensure his knowledge was preserved and shared. It takes a lot of time to sit down and write a book or article, and it takes time to make DVDs also. Ask Paul if they got rich doing this, I bet no. Just like the web site.
Trapper do not appreciate the time it takes to edit and publish a magazine. Magazines go through quite a few editors, Don Shumaker, Chuck Spearman, Tom Krause, Harding, Hawbaker and many others worked very hard to create their products. Name one trapper that did not start his trapping education reading Fur Fish Game. Most trappers learned to read by that magazine. What’s the price of your trapping education and where did it start and who inspired you? Camera equipment was expensive years ago and took great effort to put those pictures in those book and magazines.
How much money and time do you think it takes to compound a great lure. Look at how much time and money the government spent on developing coyote lures (thanks Sherm). You think catches do not matter, well they do; as you need proof that the product worked.
Let’s talk about dealers for a moment. Every trapping organization, hits every dealer they know for a donation for their auctions and fund raisers. The items that bring the most money for the clubs is from well know trappers: that’s right the big ad guys with the lure bottles and articles. How much do you think Sheda and Winkler donated to organizations over the years?
Dailey knew Hart and Hart supported him, Dailey would have been nothing without Harding and of course Dick Woods and Raymond Spears. Hawbaker bought fur for Howe (that means Howe fronted him the money). Hawbaker knew Gibbs and Bennet very well, where do you think he got his rat glands from. Arnold supported Dailey and Butcher, they in turn supported and built the Trapping clubs in NY and PA.
Tom Parr is a trapper, editor/owner of two magazines and operates the NATCA museum. All a labor of love, trust me on that. When Frank Conibear made his famous trap and took it to Victor, it was tested in the Maryland marshes, by Bennet and others. How about a shout out for those guys? I cannot image any of you rat and beaver trappers not thanking that group.
Oh, let’s not forget Mr. Newhouse. You would not have traps with out him. What about Terry Montgomery and Glen Sterling do you think they changed the industry.
Then the infamous OG, he motivated more trappers than anyone I can think of and set the competition for making the the best coyote lure ever made, which leads us to the great Russ Carmen.
There was Raymond Thompson, EN Woodcock, Elmer Krepps way back before cameras were around; they had to write and use art work to achieve their goals of educating you.
I hope you enjoyed this short trip down memory lane. So, look at you book and magazine collection and try to understand where it all came from.
The NTA Hall of fame, a great place: but it will never replace the trappers in your hearts and memories.

X2

Lots of great names already on that list. I see Don Powell as an up-and-coming candidate for the honor. What he has done for trappers and trapping with Minktoberfest is huge and he's a one-man show. He brings a hundred trappers together in PA every year for three days of fellowship and sharing knowledge. You won't find a nicer or more selfless person than Don. His video is a huge factor too, but like Beav said, it's what you do for trapping that makes you a hall of famer.

He saved my bacon one year payed me 17 ave on 70 green beaver. After I had turned down an 11 average. Got me through till my summer job started. Ludy and Marry were top notch.

I third this don did a lot for the trapping community.

"Tom Parr is a trapper, editor/owner of two magazines and operates the NATCA museum."


So MUCH has been given by his family and himself.