Guys, what year did you finally get to attend a national convention?
My first was in 2003 in Bloomington. Illinois.
Although I wasn’t a greenhorn, I still had yet to attend a national,,, I was absolutely blown away!!
I had read about them for years… it was like a kid getting to visit the North Pole!!
Took my wife and kids with me,,, and the kids still remember it.
My son’s favorite memory was getting to meet and talk to trapper art .
Meeting tom Krause. Paul dobbins, Hal Sullivan were a few great memories for me

First national convention. 1969. NTA. Some place in Iowa. Went there on our honeymoon. I didn’t know diddle about trapping! LOL. Look at where I am now!!

I think it was an NTA in 1995ish in Rochester Minnesota. Came home with a dozen Sleepy Creek 1.5's, a big livetrap, and a lot of plans and dreams.

Moosetrot

I think it was a fur takers in ,77 at lake Itasca Mn. A lot of the old names there. The lilastrands { sp},..that's a tough one, did well
with the bear trap setting,.there was a kid lost during the convention and most of the focus was insearch of which.
All in it was a great convention, this was on the preceptious of a growing market.

On another note, George wrote a book in attibute to his exploites throughout his career.Can't remember title for sure, but I think titeled " land of the wolf",well worth getting a copy of which available if possible.

I've never been to a national or even state convention. Weekends are almost always busy for me.

This year's is relatively close, Richmond is around 80 some miles.

"67th Annual NTA Convention
July 23-25, 2026
Wayne County Fairgrounds
861 Salisbury Road
Richmond, Indiana 47374
Hosted by the Indiana State Trappers Association"

Keith

2005. Goshen Indiana. Met my husband there.

2002 NTA, Mansfield, OH

1984, NTA 25th anniversary convention in Cookeville, TN. Star's back then were Jim Helfrich, Charlie Dobbins, Willis Kent, etc, etc, etc.

Dont know the year, but it was in Rutland Vt.

I don’t recall the year but it was in Nebraska that year. Got to meet Charlie Dobbins after his demo. Still have his land trapping book he signed for me. It is my predator trapping bible.
Jim

1985 in Duluth fresh out of high school,it was quite a day....Been to 3 two in MN and one in the UP MI.

1978 Clearfield, PA

This was mine too. I caught my first carp out of the harbor there at the campground.

2010ish, in Wisconsin. Was my first ever trapper's convention. I was blown away.

I had my 7 month old cur with me, he was worn out by the end of the day.

1982 - FTA in Union City, Tennessee

Same for me as well

Dont remember the exact year. Maybe 74 0r 75. NTA convention in Marshall, MI. I rode with Ivan White and his son Jim.

1985 in Duluth. On vacation with wife and son. Still use a knife i purchased there on beaver. Had protesters at the
entrance.

NTA 1994 Fond Du loc Wisconsin. It was the Summer of my senior year of high school. Me and a friend tent camped at the convention. Someone broke into our tent and stole our underwear from our bags. It was the only thing taken. Weird. Also met Tom Miranda when he was just starting out with his ESPN hunting show. We went to the dance and I danced with a woman and her man wanted to fight.

I’ve been to several more NTAs over the years and none were as exciting as my first.

1982... Gaylord, MI... 44 years ago and still at it.

1986 Fond du Lac City Fairgrounds, Fond du Lac, WI. Got to meet Charles Dobbins.

When I was stationed in the UP, we came down to Gaylord in 1982 and met dad there.

1979 Monte Vista Colorado.

NTA Nationals from 1961 to 2007
1961 Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, IL, October
1962 Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, IL, Sep 28-29
1963 Lake Itasca State Park, MN, Sep 27-28
1964 Chain of Lakes Conservation Club, Lydick, IN, September
1965 Chain of Lakes Conservation Club, Lydick, IN, Sep 24-25
1966 Historyland, Hayward, WI, Sep 23-25
1967 Turkeyfoot Valley School, Confluence, PA, Aug 18-19
1968 Beck’s Grove, NY, Aug 16-17
1969 Izaak Walton Club, Iowa City, IA, Aug 15-16
1970 School gym, Davis, WV, Aug 14-15
1971 Space Farms, Beemerville, NJ, Aug 20-22
1972 Alba, MO, Aug 18-20
1973 Whirli-Gig in L’Anse, MI, Aug 17-18
1974 Fulton County Fairgrounds, Wauseon, OH, Aug 17-18
1975 Calhoun County Fairgrounds, Marshall, MI, Aug 22-24
1976 Space Farms, Beemerville, NJ, Aug 20-22
1977 County Fairgrounds, Scribner, NE, Aug 19-20
1978 Clearfield County Fairgrounds, Clearfield, PA, Aug 18-20
1979 Ski Hi Stampede Fairgrounds, Monte Vista, Co, Aug 17-19
1980 Rutland County Fairgrouds, Rutland, VT, Aug 15-17
1981 Central Iowa Fairgrounds, Marshalltown, IA, Aug 14-16
1982 Ostego County Fairgrounds, Gaylord, MI, Aug 20-22
1983 Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, KS, Aug 19-21
1984 Tennessee Technical University, Cookeville, TN Aug 17-19
1985 Duluth Arena Complex, Duluth, MN, Aug 16-18
1986 Fond du Lac Cty Fairgrounds, Fond du Lac, WI, Aug 14-17
1987 Richland County Fairgrounds, Mansfield, OH, Aug 20-23
1988 Civic Center, Peoria, IL, Aug 10-14
1989 Virginia State Fairgrounds, Richmond, VA, Aug 17-20
1990 Arkansas State Fairgrounds, Little Rock, AR, Aug 16-19
1991 Syracuse Fairgrounds, Syracuse, NY, Aug 1-4
1992 Waterloo Cattle Congress Grounds, Waterloo, IA, Aug 6-9
1993 York Fairgrounds, York, PA, Aug 5-8
1994 Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds, Fond du Lac, WI, Aug 4-7
1995 Richland County Fairgrounds, Mansfield, OH, Aug 17-20
1996 County Fairgrounds, Midland, MI, Aug 17-20
1997 Olmsted County Fairgrounds, Rochester, MN, Aug 7-10
1998 Boone County Fairgrounds, Columbia, MO, Aug 6-9
1999 New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, NY, July 29- Aug 1
2000 York County Fairgrounds, York, PA, Aug 17-20
2001 North Iowa Fairgrounds, Mason City, IA, Aug 9-12
2002 Richland County Fairgrounds, Mansfield, OH, Aug 15-18
2003 Interstate Center, Bloomington, IL, Aug 7-10
2004 Boone County Fairgrounds, Columbia, MO, Aug 12-15
2005 Elkhart County Fairgrounds, Goshen, IN, Aug 18-21
2006 Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, KS, Aug 3-6
2007 Elkhart County Fairgrounds, Goshen, IN, Aug 2-5


And I have been to everyone after that.

1984 Cookville, tn. bought a 25th anniversary pocketknife. sure, was disappointed when my friend Roy did not have a 50th anniversary pocketknife at the U. P. convention.

1975 Marshall Michigan close to home had to go!

mid 90's in York Pa

1978, Clearfield PA.

1985 Duluth Mn.

15, 1981 Marshalltown IA.

A buddy’s parents took us. I brought home a ferret I bought for $20. Mom not happy.

2006 Hutchinson ks. Was my first national trappers convention.

Went to many western conventions before that.

Iowa 1981

This is a great day!! It finally happened - I’m “better” than The Beav at something!!! Yippee!!

I went to my first trapping convention 10 years before he went to his first convention! 10 years - imagine that!! And he is older than I am!!

Gaylord mich1982 I think

Mansfield, Ohio, 1987

That was my first one, too. I was 16 and two things consumed all my thoughts back then: trapping and girls. My girlfriend went with me to the convention, so it was a great day.

Escanaba in 2023. Yes, the loved and legendary Boco was there. Some even left the bleachers as he walked in. I assume they were just so humbled by his presence and didn’t feel worthy being in the same county as him.
Only other one was the next year in Sioux Falls. With all the convention obligations and promises, I get around but have to miss a lot, I still have a full time job for crap sakes. Gonna be a tough August!
I’m glad no matter how busy I get in summer with work, trail maintenance, firewood collection, fall hunting prep and ADC, I’m glad Minnesota is close by as they’ve always got a huge one.

I think it would’ve been the 50th anniversary at Lima, OH but I can’t remember the year. 2009? 2010?

Wowzer, pretty darn impressive!!

1967 Confluence PA I was 14 years old. I attended with Nick Wyshinski.

2000 York PA.

2009 Lima, Ohio

Yep I know it was the late 70's but beyond that

I think that was in Scribner NE, 1977. Home of Smeal Hide and Fur. I sold a lot of critters to Harry and Bob over the years. They had “The market, our guess” article in “The Trapper” for years.

Did you ever sell to them Jim?

1996 NTA Midland Michigan

First one I was around was about '83 or '84 in Kansas.
A lot of the big names then are out of the game now. Some deceased, some just moved on. "Long-lining" was all the rage. There was some decent money to still be made but it seemed the better money was in telling/showing/selling others on how to do it, even then. Some of the best never sold anything but furs.

1988 Sturgis SD (FTA)

L-anse, michigan 1973,

2012, Owatonna MN

Probably 2028 or so

I would have guessed about 1978/1979 but looking at the list that Kzoo made for us 1975 would be the first one. However, I was young and it didnt mean alot to me. My memory of it is basically a different version of the winter fur sale held there back then. The first one that really stands out was Gaylord a few years later

2020’s

1986 at Fond du Lac

Bryce