The HOF was very important to me. I still feel like more effort should be made to honor those that have done so much. I nominated three people, and all three are in the HOF today.

Most of the applications that fail once in front of the committee do so because the application was not well prepared. The nominated member may be well deserving, but the person doing the nominating needs to do a good job of presenting them to the committee. As an example, one current HOF member failed to make the cut for seven years in a row, because the application basically said they were the greatest that ever lived and the committee was stupid for not having added them to the HOF years before. The member was only accepted after a new application was submitted with more information about why the nominee deserved the award, a little more humility about their greatest that ever lived claim, and no attacking the committee. One of the committee members may have helped the nominator understand their mistakes.

Of course you've also got to get past the committee members prejudices and politics too. If you've done something bad or upset one of the committee members, then it's unlikely that you'll be successful. Keep trying. Wait until you've got a favorable committee.

If you are nominating someone for the HOF, then my advice is this. You need more than huge catch numbers. In fact some HOF members weren't big numbers trappers at all. Your nominee needs to have done more than trapped. Any service to their fellow trappers is important. Served as officers or Board members in trapping groups, teaching and helping with workshops, working to defeat bad legislation or create good legislation. Anything that your nominee did to serve trapping is important and arguably more important than the act of trapping itself.

Some nominees really did a lot in their State and not so much outside of their home State. The committee tended to feel that those people deserved to be in their State HOF and not so much in the National.

It wouldn't hurt if the NTA made more effort to explain it better to those that would nominate someone.

But what do I know? They threw me out of the organization all together.

If you are nominating someone for the HOF, then my advice is this. You need more than huge catch numbers. In fact some HOF members weren't big numbers trappers at all. Your nominee needs to have done more than trapped. Any service to their fellow trappers is important. Served as officers or Board members in trapping groups, teaching and helping with workshops, working to defeat bad legislation or create good legislation. Anything that your nominee did to serve trapping is important and arguably more important than the act of trapping itself.


Old Relic hit the nail on the head with this statement.

Lots of good comments on this subject. I would agree with not only good trapline results are important but, a hall of famer should contribute to the promotion of trapping as well. The combination of both should be part of the qualifications for the hall of fame. I can think of some trappers on here who would fit the bill, IMO.

Some extremely good responses and thoughts here,,, thank you everyone.

I know of two deceased people right now more qualified to be in it than some who already are BUT I have no clue who to contact to get info on them, as relic said a in depth account of what all they did carries more weight in the committee than a few pictures of a barn full of fur and a sentence claiming they caught more than x y and z ever did.

I submitted a very strong package on Don Shumaker a number of years ago, but he was not selected. I have no idea why he wasn't.

Don is a worthy of HOF

I guess we all have different opinions on hof. Maybe there should be different categories. Me,i would vote for adc men with the proof of catches and probs solved. Most by guys ypu all never heard of. Then there could be category like who has done the most for trapping etc..McAlister, would get a vote from me on adc...jr sterling...a couple others.

its the nta HOF, its about what you have done to promote the nta and trapping, been a board member. been on committee's put on nta convention, been a rep, for your state to the nta , did demo , at a nta, help out at nta, put on fbu, banquet , sold Calander, things like this are what they are looking for, not so much about what you have done for your state,

All of these different views on who should and shouldn't be in is why it's tough to get in, as it should be so those who do get in should take it as a great honor. If it was easy EVERYONE would be in.

yes !!!!!!, jtrapper,

Jtrapper, I had same thoughts. Lots of folks around here put up eye popping numbers but aren’t on any radar or known nationally. Even locally they may not get much attention. I remember at our conventions in 80s and 90s there were folks making this or that, bragging about this or that, and elbowing each other for officer seats on local chapter.
But the guys in the back, the ones I’d watched come through the buyer doors night after night with pickup loads of coon, or the one man in particular I’m thinking of came in once in dead of winter with literally a pickup load of prime December rats. I saw another come in with four tall grocery sacks stuffed with finished mink. I remember those times clear as day and I was impressed.
And of course those with pickup loads of finished coyotes. I know their names. Nobody else on here may.
I know one guy who paid cash for a new truck with just coon money. Granted better markets but I took work to pull that off and when prices were high there was stakes and wire under every bridge around here. Competition was high too.
I remember one guy that always got a lot of press and kudos on here. Watched him working for a local buyer from time to time. He caught a lot of coon, beaver, for sure. He also sold lure and bait.
But I will also never forget seeing he had a stand set up at a convention and I thought cool I bet my two young buys would like to meet him. As we walked closer to his stand he was talking with a couple guys about coon trapping and literally every other word out of his mouth was foul this and expletive that. Cussed like a sailer. I walked my boys quietly away and thought they don’t need that impression and he’d never get my vote for hall of trapping game.
I remember sitting in a spring chapter meeting once listening to a guy brag about his abilities and thinking god I know so many other guys that cannot trap you any day.
So who gets the nomination? The politics guy, or the one who sells a lot of books, or the quiet guy in back doing the hard work but is low key about it?
Hmmmm.
This is a tough call.

How about the guy who helps out in the fur shed when his neighbor is down with the flu. Or annually, sees that his neighbor's boys are getting of age, and he gives 'em a dozen old 'rat traps or a new pocket knife? These things go a long ways to show trapping in a good light.

Jack

The best trappers I ever knew are all dead and gone. Nobody would know their names.

Someone has to make the case for those people. It's not the hof committees job to do it for them. It's a bit of work.

It's a somewhat lengthy speech that's given going over the person ls history and what they've done for trapping. It's not, here's Bob from Iowa that caught 80000 raccoon and 9000 mink in a 40! Year span and so he's this year's HoF inductee.

If it's someone that's largely unknown, start a whisper campaign so they become known. So when the application is submitted, it's presented as a fait acompli.