I would like to announce the start of the 2025 Annual Trapperman Kids Art & Writing Contest!

THE PRIZES:

FIRST PLACE $100 PLUS a JoeGoodmanPrints.com prize package!
SECOND PLACE: $75 PLUS a JoeGoodmanPrints.com prize package!
THIRD PLACE: $50 PLUS a JoeGoodmanPrints.com prize package!

TO ENTER:

You must be LESS than 18 years of age and a Trapperman member or family member only. You must have your parent's permission to enter, as the winners will be asked to pm me their addresses in order for us to ship the prize packages to you. You must submit your entry no later than 9 PM EASTERN TIME ON CHRISTMAS EVE, DECEMBER 24TH. NO EXCEPTIONS PLEASE! To submit your entry, you must post a scan or good quality photo of your finished drawing or painting, as well as TYPE IN your writing or story RIGHT HERE IN THIS THREAD. YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME, AGE AND STATE YOU RESIDE WITH YOUR ENTRY. Ask for help from your folks, or other members here if you have difficulty posting. This is so all Trapperman members may see and read it. Previous winners may enter again! Let's see how you've improved over the years!

THE RULES:

This year's theme is: "The Beauty of Nature!!!" -

FIRST, write a story that describes, "The Beauty of Nature" and whatever that means to you. It could be a true story, or a fictional story you've created in your mind. I'd like this story to be a few paragraphs minimum, if possible. I know this may be difficult for the very young contestants and we will consider this when we judge the entries at the end. Include many details to make your story interesting, who, what, where, when, why, how!?


SECOND, You must draw or paint a picture that goes with this story and illustrates it in the best possible way. It may be FULL COLOR OR BLACK & WHITE. It may be done in PENCIL, INKS, WATERCOLORS, ACRYLICS, OILS, CHALKS, CRAYONS, MARKERS, or the KITCHEN SINK!!! Put as much effort as you can into it! I want to see what talented young folks we have here on Trapperman! Then have someone take a nice brightly lit photo or scan of it and post it here with your story!!

ONCE AGAIN, THE CONTEST ENDS AT 9 PM EASTERN TIME ON CHRISTMAS EVE !! NO EXCEPTIONS. YOU FOLKS ON CENTRAL, MOUNTAIN, AND PACIFIC TIME PLEASE MAKE NOTE!

WE WILL ANNOUNCE THEM HERE ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, SOME TIME AFTER MRS. CLAUS HAS HAD HER COFFEE…..

PM ME IF YOU OR YOUR FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS.

WELL KIDS, I SUGGEST YOU GET BUSY!!!
AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THE TRAPPERMAN FAMILY!!!

From The Goodman's
Joe, Julie, and Carly
www.JoeGoodmanPrints.com

Joe--you may want to post this,on the kids forum also--some have been asking about it.

Tom

Do the kids post story and copy of drawing as a reply here? tks, Gary J

yes

One of my favorite events. Good luck too all!

The beauty of Nature- By: Brody Burke Age-12 Proctor,MN
I believe the beauty of nature comes from waking up early to watch the sunrise and catch fish as well as long dark drives at night watching the moon shine down on your car. It also can come from long hikes in the woods checking traps for beaver trying to stay as dry as you can as the rain comes down with big thick drops. Even sitting in a deer stand for many hours listening to the birds rise and come back to your shack or cabin hoping you will have more luck the next day. Or watching the first snowfall come knowing summer is over and it's winter and getting closer to the new year. It comes from days at a nearby lake searching for agates and having the opportunity to swim and meet new people. It comes from the first week at a campsite with a big fire and smores signaling summer is near and knowing the next morning you will be able to have that opportunity least one more time. That is what I believe is the beauty of nature.
posted by Gary J

The Beauty of Nature
By Karis Phillips - 11 years old
Grand daughter of Steve Phillips (Riverotter)

Nature is Gods creation, and it is beautiful in many ways. We are to enjoy it and use it as he meant, not to abuse it. The land, the waters, the trees and plants, and birds and animals. My favorite part is the animals, especially the bright colored birds. I love the Red Bird (Cardinal). It is so bright and colorful and sings. They eat seeds and bugs, they really love sunflower seeds. You can enjoy watching them around bird feeders, guarding the seeds from other birds.

I see Red birds around my grand parents house, they have several bird feeders. One day, I was walking around outside and saw a bright colored bird on the ground, it wasn't flying off. It seemed hurt, I went over and picked it up in my hand, it stayed for a few seconds and flew off. I hope it was ok. It was so pretty and soft. They say a Red Bird is a sign of an angel of your loved one that has passed.

I would like to welcome Karis & Brody to my Christmas contest! WoW!!! Two excellent entries, for sure! I hope you other kids get busy working on your entries. REMEMBER, the deadline is tonight at 9 pm eastern time! Good luck everyone!!

Joe Goodman

Here is 9 year old George's picture. I'll type out his story when I get another break.

" The Bear That Argued"

It was a beautiful and quiet morning. The frogs were croaking and the wildlife was active. My dad and I heard a stick break.
Twenty minutes later a black bear walked into our bait. My dad shot the bear. Dad got out of the stand and found blood. Dad got me out of the stand.
We followed the blood to a big tree. Dad said to stay here. Twenty yards away was the bear. He was rubbing against a birch tree with a trail behind it. Dad shot it again and it ran onto the trail. He shot it two more times. He missed once. I tried to get my knife out of my pocket. The bear was growling. He shot his last shot and killed it.
If it wasn't for hunting and trapping I wouldn't get to see how beautiful nature is.

Sa’adrii Pope
13
Alaska
Plants with personalities
The sun sparkled over the flat green meadow, many unique plants where dancing in the soft breeze each with their own personality and stories. Some bitter some sweet but all designed by mother nature so each one designed with a beautiful feature.
The Lilys sang a soft toon to wake up all the bees reminding them of a full day of work ahead. The Fireweed await to be selected by little children to be taken home to their mothers as a token of love, the Fireweed are pleased to be picked because they believe they are the most beautiful of them all. The Chicory flowers stand sour because they like to cause trouble when a baby cub tries to eat it, it likes to retaliates with bitterness.
The Dandelions are the most confident of them all waiting for their time to shine, where they turn into fluffy balls of what seems like cotton for young children to wish on when they dream big. But for berries they are the most prepared sitting low to not be seen by the bear, but all are loved the same by the mother of nature who gave them their name.

THE HUNT FOR A PACK
BY KIERAN, AGE 10

Once there was a wolf named Ryan who was alone. He was alone because his mate had died when they were hunting a bear. He needed to leave to find a new mate. He spent the rest of the day hunting to get ready.

Early in the morning he woke up and started travelling and he made it past the forest, and he made it to a large plain. He had a big problem. He could not find a place to stay for the night. It was a new moon and it was so dark Ryan could barely see. While he was walking he found a marten den, and a marten came out. The marten saw him and started to attack him. He started battling the marten and defeated it. Now he had a place to sleep so he went to bed. In the morning he was hungry so he went hunting and found a group of rabbits and killed two of them and ate. He found a lake and got a sip of water.

Ryan got to the end of the plains and stepped in quicksand. He started to panic and couldn’t escape. He was slowly sinking. Then he found a rope that was in the quicksand so he started to pull himself out. He got out and then started walking again and made it into a forest and it started snowing. In a few minutes it started to get really cold but soon Ryan found a tree that had fallen over so huddled under it and went to sleep. In the morning he woke up and it had stopped snowing so he kept going. He came across three other skinny wolves. They started to attack him. Soon Ryan saw a few vines hanging overhead. The plan was to climb up to the trees and outsmart them by getting caught in the vines. He started to climb and they followed. They followed him and one by one they fell and got tangled.

For the rest of the day, Ryan walked and as the sun was setting he found a mountain with pine trees. It was a full moon, and Ryan could see far despite the snow beginning to fall. He started looking for shelter but saw another wolf in the snow. Ryan cautiously approached the wolf. He saw that there was a cave behind her as he approached the other wolf.

“My name is Ryan, what is yours?,” he said.

“I am Shadow, why are you here?,” she responded.

“I am here to find a mate. Will you be my mate Shadow? We are both here alone.”

“I will be your mate, Ryan,” Shadow answered.

One year later….they ran under a full moon on a snowy night with three pups running behind them.

The End (or maybe)

THE CAMPING TRIP
BY FINN, AGE 8

Henry and his dad went on a camping trip. It was fall and the leaves were falling. Henry went to the woods away from the campsite. He saw a squirrel eating a nut. The leaves crunched under Henry’s feet as he walked. A few minutes later there was a beautiful sunset. Then he headed back to the campsite. He had 2 dogs. Their names were Leroy and Tucker. They ran up and licked him.

The second day, Henry went to the woods again. He picked flowers. They were purple and he loved them so much. Henry returned to the campsite with his father. They sat and watched the fire. Henry heard an owl hoot in the dark. He felt so peaceful sitting there. That is what the beauty of nature is to me. The peace I feel being in the woods.

A REINDEER NAMED ALLISON
BY FIONA, AGE 6

A girl was camping with her family. They found a reindeer in the snowy woods. Their dad said “shoo.” The girl really wanted to keep the reindeer because she was so cute. The mom also said “we can’t keep the reindeer.” But it was a special reindeer and the girl gave the reindeer a special name, Allison. The girl’s brother and sister wanted to keep it. The mom and dad kept saying “no.” The children asked so many times the parents got mad. The girl and her brother were playing with Allison. Their mom said get away.

The last day they were camping the kids were petting Allison. And after all that, the parents said yes they could keep Allison but the Allison couldn’t fit in the car. So they left the Allison in the forest. They went home. And one day, on Christmas day, the kids were playing outside. Allison walked up to them on the lawn. Allison lived with them forever. Nature is beautiful because animals like Allison are so beautiful and can be your best friend.

Evan Duliba
Age 13
New York

Introduction:
It was a cold dreary day, the day he made the decision. The city was as crowded as ever and reeked to the top of the empire state building. It was as loud as a freight train and he just couldn’t stand it a day longer. I’m talking obviously, about New York City and the poor, mistreated boy who lived there, Jack Slate. He lived with his uncle Gabe who, unfortunately, did not care in the slightest what happened to the boy. Jack hated the long days and the loud nights, most of which he would sit up, with his pillow over his head. He was just about ready to run away, but something happened that damp, grey day that made him leave immediately. It was about 1:00 in the afternoon and his uncle was going out, he said he would be back by 4:00. He had told him to wash the floor, clean the table, do the dishes, wipe the windows, and make dinner.

The story of Jack Slate

I passed Uncle Gabe on his way out, his enormous belly bumping into to the walls. “You had better get te’ workin’ kiddo!” “Those stakes aren’t going to cook em’ selves!” I had just finished my chores when the clock struck 4:00. “No problem,” I thought, “He’ll be talking with his goons for another half hour.” But an hour later, when dinner was ready, Gabe still hadn’t show up. Finally, at 7:00, a car pulled in. I thought it strange how it didn’t sound like Gabe’s loud, grinding pick-up engine, but a quiet, muffled sound. When I opened the door my blood turned to ice in my veins. There in the door way, was a police officer. “Are you Gabriele Nick’s nephew?” He asked in a deep, husky voice. “Yes sir, um…why?” “There’s been an um… accident, your uncle…um…he…” muttered the officer. “He’s dead, isn’t he?” Jack asked. “Yes, I’m sorry,” replied the officer, “But, it appears here, that he was your last living relative, so, these two are here to take you to the orphanage.” For the first time I noticed two men in black suits, red ties, and dark aviators. “Go on boy,” one growled at me. “Go get your things, and be back in five minutes.” I nodded and shut the door. Gabe’s dead? Orphanage? What am I to do? These thoughts kept bouncing around in my head as I sat with my back against the door. Then I knew what I had to do. I had to run away. I pounded up the stairs and ran into my small room, I opened the top drawer of my dresser where I kept most of my belongings. When I was done I ended up with: a small pocket knife, a rechargeable stream light, my waterproof watch, and my wallet. The wallet only had about $50 in it, but it would be enough for a few meals and a bus ride. I ran to my bed just as I heard “Boy!” BANG! BANG! BANG! At first I thought it was them knocking, then I realized it was the door being broken down! I striped the covers off my bed and tied them together. I attached one end to my bed’s leg, and threw the other end out the window. For the first time in my life I was glad that our crammed apartment was the closest one to the road. My makeshift climbing rope would only reach 2/3 of the way down the wall and then it would be a 10 foot drop to the dumpster below. I underestimated how silky the sheets were and almost fell, but I griped tighter and locked my legs around them and began lowering myself down like that. BANG! CRACK! BOOM! I was half way down when I heard the footsteps on the stairs. I was almost there when I stopped moving. Well, I was still going down the “rope” but I wasn’t making any progress on the wall. “I’ve got him!” I looked up and saw that the police officer was pulling up on my NSEET! (Not So Effective Escape Tool.) I didn’t have time to think. I jumped. “No! Don’t do it kid!” SNAP! The part of the sheet I had wrapped around my leg had caught, leaving me hanging upside down, above the dumpster. Without a second thought, I grabbed my knife and hacked off the loop. SNAP! AAAGGHH! PLOP! “NO! NO! NO!” the police officer yelled as the other two joined him “YES! YES! YES!” I yelled up as I climbed out of the metal box of my human sized dart board. As I rounded the corner I saw the bewildered feces hanging out the window. “Hasta la vista, suckers!” I yelled over my shoulder. And then I ran. And ran. And ran. I made a mile or two, got dinner at a fast food restaurant, bought a bus ticket, and boarded. In 5 miles the houses started to thin out. After riding another 25 miles the area became mostly fields and woods. Woods! I finally made it to where I’ve been trying to get for 5 years! When I got off the bus I ran 2 miles to the nearest patch of state land and started walking. It was the most dreamy, silvery, crisp, and freeing walk of my life. The full moon made the fresh snow shine like silver and cast dark shadows on the ground. After an hour or two I tried to go to sleep but found if I stopped moving I soon got cold. So I kept walking and after a while I came to a house. If house was the right word. I was barley 6 feet tall and only a little bigger than 2 or 3 times the size of my room. I knew shouldn’t trust strangers, but I was freezing and chances were slim that there were any other houses for a few miles. I walked to the front door and knocked. The door CrEEEaked open! Then the last thing I expected to see was at the door. A boy who seemed to be around 10 or 12 years old, and had not had a bath in weeks. “Can I help you?” He paused, waiting for my response. “Um…err…” was all I could get out before he offered, “Come inside and warm up.” I followed him inside but before I stepped inside…BAAM!!! I wacked my head on the door frame. “Watch your head,” he warned. “Thanks,” I mumbled, rubbing my head. He sat me down on a wooden stool and gave me a cup of something warm. “Who are you?” I asked. “You first,” he returned. “My name’s Jake and I ran away from the city because they were going to take me to the orphanage.” He was silent for a while and then said: “Me too, only one difference.” “What?” I asked. “My name’s Theodore, you can call me Teddy.” “Well, why did you want to live in the middle of the woods?” I asked. “Because every morning I wake up to blue skies, clean water, a worm fire, and the chirping birds. I go do whatever I want all day, and then do it all again the next day. Well, because I have true freedom. And that,” He said looking out the window at the snowy scene outside, “Is the beauty of nature.”

Evan Duliba New York, (out in the woods, not the city)

Matthew Duliba
Age 10
New York


Once there was a boy, his name was Edmond Featherstone, and he lived with your average rich family. One day, he decided to go exploring, he had often wandered the skirts of his property, smelling the fresh air and looking for animal sign. He was slowly walking along by their house with it just out of sight, when he suddenly heard a sickening crash from behind him. He ran to see what it was, and what he saw turned his blood to ice… his house, that he had lived in all his life, in flames, shrapnel, and smoke. He screamed for hours till he knew the sad truth, his parents and little sister, were gone. He cried for about an hour and then, got in their van, and drove away to his friend Tom’s house with his one possession, his backpack. They said they would take care of him till the mess was straightened out, and he had a home. The next days that followed were mirky days for Edmond, he spent them in stiff necked misery and sadness. He also had the biggest secret of his life on his mind. He had decided to run away. He didn’t want to, but he knew that “get this all sorted out,” meant going to an orphanage, and everyone who he had heard about who had gone to an orphanage, had nightmarish stories of scrubbing the floor all day, and watery soup for all your meals. He would rather risk the woods and wilderness than have watery soup for the rest of his life. The time had come, he woke early in the morning, left a note, and left ready to except the adventure that fell to him. He had enough food to last until he could find a new and sustainable food source. He was starving, he had been walking for about five hours, so he stopped for his lunch and then set off to find a spot to set up his tarp. He found a nice open spot, and set up his tarp at kind of a diagonal slant so the front was open while the back was pinned down by two logs, and the two corners that were suspended were tied to trees. He kept admiring the lovely trees and the fresh air, he liked them, no he loved them, but last time he was out in nature his parents and sister died and the stove blew up as the fire men figured out. He lay in bed trying to plan his next move. He went into the woods heading only north so he knew which way to go when it started getting dark. The crisp air filling his lungs, the beautiful trees looming above him, it made him feel familiar happiness, and made him feel very small. He got back to his shelter and lay in his sleeping bag, which was in his backpack along with string, a hatchet, rope, a book, and a hammock. He lay there, thinking about all the things he was getting out of by running away. Though he was also thinking about how his friend must feel, but he also realized that they probably don't have trees at an orphanage. Then it got dark and he went to sleep. He woke up the next morning stiffly from sleeping on the ground. He wasn’t new to sleeping out, he had enjoyed camping before and knew the stiffness would go away. He got up, stretched, and made breakfast. He went into the woods heading north to see if he was right about something he found the day before, and oh how he loved being nature. His favorite thing to do was take off his shoes and walk barefoot. Then he suddenly felt something cold land on his cheek, then another and another till he exclaimed ”Its snow!” He immediately started for his shelter before the snow covered his tracks. He got back right before it became just about a blizzard. Luckily it was blowing into the back of his shelter, he went in his sleeping bag, and he waited till the storm passed. When he got out everything in his shelter was covered with a layer of snow, he knew that he had to get up but then he realized he only had a long-sleeve. He got up and knew that he couldn’t run away, some people could, but he couldn’t. He went back to his friend's house and used all his courage and rang the doorbell. When his friend answered the door, he was happy and obviously hiding something. He brought him into their sitting room and what he saw there made him blink twenty times before he knew he wasn’t seeing things. It was his family. Alive. “How?” It was the only thing he could say, they explained that they had smelled a lot of gas and all went outside, no sooner had they done so than the house exploded. Then Edmond ran forward and embraced them.
THE END

We have some VERY strong entries this year!! Thanks to all who entered. We will post the winners tomorrow.
Good night and Merry Christmas!
Joe Goodman

Good luck everyone, those are some great entries!