Western NTA

[Machias]

Anyone here going weekend of the 11th of June?

Convention time is here!
  Folks, I hope you have your schedules cleared for June 11th and 12th!  Vendors, Games, Demos, Miss Rodeo, Raffles, Live Auction, tailgaters, hundreds of trappers from all over the west will be here.  Here are 11 reasons not to miss this event!
#1 Get your supplies!  Quick vendor list is Harris Traps, NO BS Traps and Lures, Top Lot Stretchers, Lesel  Reeuwsaat Lures, Sterling Trap Supply, Wildcat Custom Stretchers, Rusty Johnson Lures, Weiser Lures, Grizzly Rose Trapline Supply, Cascade Biological Trapline Supply, Western Montana Furs, Camtrip Cages, and Northwest Predator Control Lures.  More vendors calling every week!  Save money on shipping costs and get your lure, stretchers and traps at the western!  I know we will have over 30 tailgaters coming.  There will be a TON of used traps being sold at tailgater tables.  Coyote prices are sky high and rat prices are rising, get your gear now.  Wolf trappers take advantage of those new longer seasons!
#2 Great demo list!  This will be the greatest lineup of wolf trappers ever assembled in the lower 48.  Fantastic trapping demos and the grand finale is a Q & A time with legends Gary Jepson of ND, Wayne Derrick of NM and Chuck Carpentar of Idaho.  That one will be a don't miss demo!.
#3 Get your collector traps!  I have gotten a ton of calls from people wanting to sell collector traps, bear traps and unique trapping collectibles.  North America Trap Collectors will have a booth and several folks bringing collector traps to sell.
#4 New swag to buy!  Idaho Trappers Association has newly designed hoodies, patch hats, decals, Idaho patches and convention patches.  Buy them while supplies last!
#5 Renew your membership! Support the NTA and ITA by renewing your membership.  There will be a show special of $50 for a ITA and NTA combo membership (savings of $10).  The first 50 people will get the latest issue of the Idaho Trapper Magazine and a bumper sticker.  Support the groups that are protecting trapping and putting great events on!
#6 Buy something at the live auction on Friday night!  Friday evening, we are having a live auction with a professional auctioneer.  The donations are already filing in, but I am asking each person to bring one item.  We already have a tanned lynx pelt, tanned wolf pelt, newhouse traps, ammo, misc trapping supplies, rifles, red fox blanket, wine, ladies' items, lure stretchers, old trapping magazines, handmade benches, and tons more.  Please please bring one item to donate so we can have a great live auction. 
#7 A fantastic trapper feed on Friday night.  We are going to sit down and have a great meal and I will speak to the group about what the ITA has been doing to protect trapping.  Please bring an item to the potluck. 
#8 Great guns and items to win in the raffles inside the vendor building.  Several guns are available to win.
#9 Trap setting contests! Extra prizes for kids
#10 Miss Teen Rodeo walking around signing autographs and taking pictures.
#11 Meeting new trappers!  I already have calls from folks coming from 13 different states that are coming to the western.  Meet new folks around the campfire, at the trapper feed or walking around the tailgaters.
Time line:
No one can get into the fairgrounds before Thursday.  No events are happening on Thursday, vendors and tailgaters are setting up and we are setting things up.  If you show up on Thursday and aren't a vendor, I'm going to ask you to help us set things up!  Gates open Friday morning at the Elmore County Fairgrounds in Glenns Ferry Idaho.
I'm horrible about delegating tasks and asking for help.  Trying to get better with this, here is some chairmen for the event, they will be point of contact for these tasks:
Chairmen:
Camping Chairmen--Michelle Mills 907-799-9647
Tailgating Chairmen--Bernie Nelson 509-671-1946
Demo Chairmen--Toby Walrath 406-369-5119/ Mike Ward 208-507-8493
Trapper Feed Chairmen--Angel Lovan 208-850-6762
Volunteer Chairmen--Tim Conant 208-420-1189
Volunteers:
We need them!  We need help on Thursday setting up tables.  We need folks taking shifts taking admission fees at the gate.  Contact Tim to get your name down as a volunteer.
Food: 
We need food!  Angel is designing a spread sheet to determine what food is needed.
Hope to see you all in two weeks at the western!  Come support your trapping organizations and have fun!
Thank you
Rusty Kramer
Idaho Trappers Association President
208-870-3217

[Trapper John]

   I am Fred  shocking right 

I'll see you there.
JC   

[Machias]

 

[Birdgetter]

I will be there!

[Bobmaier]

I’ll be there.

[Humptulips]

I'll be there with some new traps to sell if you are interested in a swimthrough. Look for me in the tailgater section.

[Machias]

Awesome, we all need to meet up somewhere, sometime, maybe at the back of Bruce's truck? 

[Machias]

Great get together!  Great seeing you Bruce and John!!  Hope everyone had a safe trip home.

[Humptulips]

I had a great time. I'm still recuperating from the 12 hour drive home. I came down 84 and by the time I got to I-5 it was heavy rain and blinding road spray which has added to my tiredness. Tomorrow will be a better day.
Great weather at the Rendezvous, nice location unless I guess you were  trying to sleep along the RR tracks in the camping area which I was not. A couple extra bucks for tailgater camping was well spent.
I only took in a couple of demos and spent most of my time visiting with people but the ones I watched were very good.
It is sure nice to come to a Rendezvous and not have to work the whole time. Rusty, Bernie, Michelle and the others who worked their tail off have my thanks.
I sold one of my traps to Mercer Lawing who was set up by me. Like hauling coal to Newcastle as the old saying goes.
Glenns Ferry is a nice small town. I could not have asked for a better Rendezvous.