I have never taken a kid I thought was going to turn out bad.

Attended 33 straight state conventions/spring meetings/etc. if something was going on you could count on seeing me there. Haven't been a member nor attended a thing in this state in 13 years now and probably never will again. Was badgered over the phone for 2.5 hours to be their president even though id never been a director or anything. Was either take it over or it was going away and I couldn't stand by and do nothing even though agreeing to this foolish idea didn't mean it would last either as I pointed out I had no clue how any organization ran or how to run one, lol.

Fund's were about all gone, 54 members still hanging on, it was a mess. In 4 years we had hosted the first NTA SE regional and got those up and going and held a FBU banquet as well. Got funding stabilized and recruited alot of new members. Finally got the trappers on board with joining the state DNR too put on kid workshops. Bad blood existed between these two groups forever so that was a chore. I felt we needed a better working relationship with the game dept as regulation's/laws that could damage trappers rights would be carried out by them. That was probably the single dumbest thing I ever did!

Now the association is ran by the game dept. so whatever reg/ law they want to change that needs the legislature to approve all they have to do is contact the president and it's got the trappers of the state's full approval on it whether the board or the trappers in the state have a clue anything is changing or not. That's why i walked away from it all.

Recruitment is your question though. The above mess i typed is why the OLDER guard has faded away from many association's, i could write a book on the crap other states have pulled to run their older leader's off and don't even get me started on the national association's BOTH of them not just the one most like to sling arrows at.

Kid sports in school's is crazy now days! I got several niece's with kids and all of them keep the kids strung out from one activity to the next, even if a kid wanted to trap now days they wouldn't have time! Most live now in sporty little neighborhood's not out in the country like we did where a trapline was just out the back door! Momma going to haul little Johnny around before school in the dark in her Lexus to check traps and put muddy 1.00 coons in the back? Turn the carport into a trapping/fur handling shed? lol

I don't have any answers to your question but I don't think it's anything you are doing or not doing, it's just the way today's world is and nothing is going to change it. And this post reminded me i was going to join your association and got sided tracked! I think ya'll invited me up to the first get together long ago and I can honestly say that was the most enjoyable convention ive attended! You got a great group of people up there running things!

I want to retire and trap mink but i can't kill a mink for 2.00! This crappy fur market isn't helping things either!

Help organizations out NTA,FTA,State trappers Associations,go to as many trapping conventions as you can,support all trappers,hunters,fisherman,and our great outdoors and above all trap,hunt,and fish in our great outdoors.Thank God every day.

I think the key is parents taking their kids trapping. I started trapping as a young kid with my dad, and he trapped because there was money in fur. We enjoyed what we did, and I still enjoy trapping even if I sometimes barely break even. However, my dad would not have trapped if he didn't make money from it, and I would not have learned how. I don't think we will ever see fur being profitable enough {outside of the peaks every 15 or 20 years for specific items) to interest most young parents. Maybe ADC trapping but that is difficult for newer trappers. I am not very optimistic about future trapping.

There are a whole bunch of O and Ds reading this.
They have just as many excuses not to reply as the
regular folk have for not joining.

Nail on head wright brother's. The secret squirrel society of running things hasn't helped them any but 'that's how it's always been done'. Old guard pretty much keeps the newcomer's ran out of them, can't have fresh new idea's, have to keep things exactly the same. What's that old saying about doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome? lol

Got to stay hid or the anti's will git us!

Well, we make zero decisions on anything without O & D discussion. And we’ve had good luck not adhering to Roberts Rules of Order. Anytime anyone asks they can know the bank fund but it can drop suddenly with a big shirt order or dues to Sportsmen’s Alliance or League of Kentucky Sportsmen. Maybe we’ve been lucky but it’s been open and honest business. I was just thinking long term how many will keep it up when the guys that knew trapping organizations when it was paper and mail still die out. I see fairly young guys come to our meets, watch demos and leave without joining or taking a ticket on a gun. That is not sustainable for our group to stay functioning.

Forgive me if I missed it, but what are O and Ds?

officers and directors
excuse my laziness