Moncton Reporter Receives Award
Moncton Times & Transcript reporter, Jim Foster, accepts
the Irwin McIntosh Memorial Award from NB Trappers & Fur
Harvesters Federation Moncton Council Director, Brent
Renton (left) and Moncton Council President, Lloyd
Thurrott (right).
Support the NBTFHF by Donating a Fur
The NBTFHF works tirelessly for
the Trappers of New Brunswick in many trapping & fur
harvesting related matters. Much of that work is done behind
the scenes and benefits both NBTFHF members and non-member
trappers alike. The NBTFHF Executive & directors work
closely with Fish & Wildlife, DNR, outdoor use groups and
many other agencies and organizations to help preserve and
maintain trapping as we know it today. The input from the
NBTFHF is invaluable in setting seasons, quotas, regulation
changes and insuring the trappers of New Brunswick are given
a fair shake.
Although the work is done by
volunteers, there are incurring expenses to do so. Our
winter convention, Summer Rendezvous, Website and Newsletter
all cost money but are necessary to promote trapping,
educate both trappers and non-trappers and keep trappers
informed and aware of anything related to trapping.
Unfortunately, with only 20% of licensed NB trappers buying
a membership, the budget gets pretty limited at times. In
order to help our budget out, the NBTFHF is asking all
trappers to "Donate Fur the Federation" .
It's not always easy to part
with cold hard cash, but donating a pelt seems a little
easier and will help the NBTFH in exactly the same way. When
your dropping your fur off to Fur Harvesters Auction or
North American Fur Auctions for sale at the auction, donate
a pelt (or two) to the NBTFHF. We have an account at both
Auction Houses and you simply have to tell the pick-up agent
you'd like to donate it to the NBTFHF and give them the fur
you'd like to donate.
The New Brunswick Trappers &
Fur Harvesters would like to thank trappers in advance for
their donation, it will be greatly appreciated and certainly
be a big help in our continued work to benefit trappers in
NB.
Plaster Rock Area Trappers Take
Trapper Ed Course
A Trapper Education course was
held on April 29th, 2011 at the Plaster Rock Welcome Center.
A total of 22 students took part in the course. Everybody
present showed lots of enthusiasm and was eager to learn. A
special thank you goes out to the Professional Volunteer
Instructors who took the time to instruct during this fun
and instructive weekend; Frank Hathaway, Bert Laforge,
Charles Neveu, Roland Michaud & Ken Eagle. (Taken picture,
Donald Parent, Region 4 – Trapper Education Coordinator).
Updated List of Approved
Traps September 2011
In the fall of
2007, the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards
(AIHTS) took effect for Canadian Trappers. Only those traps
meeting AIHTS standards and certification are now legal to use
in Canada. The Fur Institute of
Canada has done and continues to do extensive testing on a
wide range of traps to ensure as many traps as possible will
meet the standards, even going so far as to offer discounts to
trap manufacturers for testing and certification purposes.
Trappers & Fur Harvesters should review the
List of Approved & Certified Traps to ensure that any new
traps they will be purchasing as well as those they are
currently using meet the standards.
Click Here for the Updated List
/
Cliquez ici pour la liste à jour
CFB Gagetown Decision on
Trapping & Hunting
Hunting, Trapping and Fishing
in the CFB Gagetown Range and Training Area
As the “Home of the Army,” CFB Gagetown’s mandate is to
provide the support and facilities necessary to train
Canada’s soldiers throughout their career. While respecting
operational priorities, the Base also strives to support
non-military use of its Range and Training Area that
promotes the health of its ecosystems and maintains its vast
biodiversity. Within this context, the Base Commander
recognizes that hunting trapping and fishing are an
important part of the local culture and economy and he is
pleased to allow these activities in the Range and Training
Area during the following seasons:
Bear: fall 2011 archery and firearm hunting season in
accordance with New Brunswick Department of Natural
Resources Regulations;
Deer: fall 2011 archery and firearm hunting season in
accordance with New Brunswick Department of Natural
Resources Regulations;
Moose: fall 2011 hunting season in accordance with
New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources Regulations;
Hare: fall and winter 2011/2012 hunting season in
accordance with New Brunswick Department of Natural
Resources Regulations;
Grouse: fall 2011 hunting season in accordance with
New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources Regulations;
Waterfowl: fall and winter 2011/2012 hunting season
in accordance with Environment Canada Migratory Birds
Hunting Regulations.
Trapping at CFB Gagetown will continue in accordance
with the rules, regulations and constitution agreed upon by
Commander CFB Gagetown and the CFB Gagetown Trappers
Association.
Fishing in the CFB Gagetown Range and Training Area
is authorized in accordance with provincial regulations.
** Please Note - There are
restrictions, closed areas and other policies set out by
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown regarding the above
activities. It is important that you check with base
officials before entering the base to find out the
particulars on doing so.
Notes From Last Season
October
2010
Well it’s
almost beaver trapping season and Northwest and Tobique
Trappers’ Council have decided to have a small workshop for
beaver, otter, and coyote. We had three experts with us;
Blair Young for beaver trapping, Frank Hathaway for otter,
and Edwin Michaud for
coyote.
There were
17 trappers at the workshop, everyone from the young to the
not so young and, Frank and Edwin learned a lot in the 2
hours that it lasted. Special thanks go out to Frank, Edwin,
and Blair for the time they gave for the workshop. Blair is
the nuisance beaver trapper for CN Rail. If you ever have
the chance ask him for a demo on beaver trapping, he has a
lot of knowledge in that department.
Frank is an
experienced trapper who has devoted a lot of study on how
and where to set traps for otters. Edwin loves the challenge
of trapping coyote, he’s an excellent snare man and enjoys
sharing his knowledge with the youth and showing them how to
properly trap.
New
Brunswick is lucky to have so many talented instructors that
are willing to go the extra mile in teaching others the
trade. Thanks Boys for excellent work.
Northwest Trappers Council
President, Gérard Levesque
November
2010
After we
had the workshop in October, young Cody Green was very
excited to try beaver trapping. Well he was in luck because
his grandmother’s land was flooded by beavers. I met Cody
and his father on his grandmother’s land to see what we
could do. His father couldn’t believe all the damage that
was done around the beaver pond, so many trees were cut.
They asked how many beavers there might be. I answered that
it’s hard to say. So we opened some traps, Cody wanted to
set everything so I showed him how to put the safety device
on a Conibear trap. Cody brought a beaver lure that he had
won at the trapper meeting, and he set up everything
himself. After laying four traps Cody wanted to go back and
check to see if we had caught anything, I said we should
wait a few days before we check. I guess it didn’t take that
long because the next night Cody and his father arrived with
this big beaver weighing in at 61 pounds, another smaller
beaver, and a muskrat. Now Cody is hooked on trapping.
Northwest Trappers Council
President, Gérard Levesque
Warning Poster Available for
Download
Trappers who would like to warn
the general public that fur harvesting is taking place in
their area can now download and print the poster below. The
posters can be used in those areas where, although it is
legal to trap, there may be a chance that non trappers may
frequent from time to time to walk their pets. The poster is
in PDF format and you will need Adobe Reader to open and
print the poster. You can download Reader by clicking this
link.
Download Adobe Reader
Click
Here To Download Poster
Changes For Moose Draw
FREDERICTON (CNB) – A
double-barrel of good news for moose hunters was announced
today by Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup – better
odds for long-time unsuccessful applicants and a major
increase in licences for this fall's hunt.
"To say New Brunswickers are passionate about moose hunting
is an understatement,'' said Northrup. "Last year, we had
almost 63,000 residents apply for just over 3,500 licences,
so our government is pleased to take these actions to
improve the odds for long-suffering applicants and increase
the overall number of licences by more than 20 per cent.''
The new pool system fulfils a commitment in Putting New
Brunswick First to improve the odds in the moose draw for
hunters who have not had their names drawn for more than 10
years.
Under the system, for every five years applicants who have
applied unsuccessfully to the moose draw since 1994, they
would move into a new pool where their chances in the draw
would triple.
New hunters or those who have been drawn within the past
four years will be in Pool 0, with a single ballot in their
name.
Hunters who have been unsuccessful for at least five years
will be in Pool 1, with three ballots in their name.
Anyone who has been unsuccessful for at least 10 years will
be in Pool 2, with nine ballots in the computerized draw.
Pool 3 is for those who have been unsuccessful for at least
15 years. Applicants will have 27 ballots.
"Compared to the system now in place, the success rate for
applicants who have failed to get drawn for the last 10
years will double under our new system,'' said Northrup.
"There are still going to be many more people applying for a
moose licence than available licences, but this improves the
odds for New Brunswick hunters who have waited a long time
for a chance to take part in this hunt.''
The minister announced other changes to the moose draw, all
of which will be in effect for this fall.
The legal hunting age for the "designate" moose hunter will
be reduced to 16 from 18, and RCMP members and regular
members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are New Brunswick
residents will be eligible for "designate" hunter status.
Northrup said the New Brunswick Wildlife Federation worked
with Department of Natural Resources' staff to develop the
new pool system, and the federation has endorsed the new
system.
The minister also announced the number of available moose
licences for New Brunswick residents will be increased by
almost 800 to more than 4,350.
"This has been accomplished by adding licences in wildlife
management zones where we have seen a high number of
moose/vehicle collisions,'' he said. "Our goal is to reduce
accidents while providing more opportunities for moose
hunters. This increase will not reduce the current
population in those zones but will control the rate at which
the moose population is growing.''
The application period for the residential moose draw begins
May 16.
Source: gnb.ca
"Life off the Grid" News Article on
Trappers Murray & Becky Monk
Murray and Becky Monk yearned for
the best of both worlds: life in the breathtaking wilds of
north-western Ontario and the conveniences of modern life.
They turned their wish into reality by moving to the
solitude of a remote lake and setting up their own
eco-friendly power system.
With electricity from the sun and wind powering their home
in the wilderness, they have full internet and telephone
access through a satellite dish — and they never even have
to miss a favourite TV show. But living "off the grid" does
mean a few sacrifices and some modifications to daily
habits.
View the Photo Essay by clicking here
Source: CBC News
Meter Reader Attacked by Coyote in Nova
Scotia
An
aggressive coyote attacked a meter reader with Nova Scotia
Power Friday morning in the Spryfield area of Halifax.
The man walked around a
building at a farm museum in an urban area on Rockingstone
Road in Spryfield to find one adult coyote and two younger
animals, the Department of Natural Resources said in a
release.
The adult coyote leaped up and
bit the man on the arm. He was wearing a bulky winter
jacket, so the bite did not go through to his arm.
Fur Harvesters Auction Offers Online
Account Access
Trappers who ship their fur with
Fur Harvesters Auction can now check their accounts online.
Shippers can view sales results, unsold fur, grades etc
simply by logging into their account on the Fur Harvester's
site. Shippers will need to register with their
trapper/account number and address but once done it is
instant access. Go to
www.furharvesters.com to register.
Restraining Traps Certified for
Raccoon
Canadian Trappers will have a
couple of more options for this season in regards to available
traps for raccoon. Two dog proof restraining traps, the
Duffer's Dog Proof and the Lil' Griz Getter have both been
approved and certified for use on the line for raccoon. They
will give trappers some options on different types of sets and
locations than would be possible with bodygrips. Provincial
regulations must still be followed in regards to legal setting
distances, however, they will be ideal for locations where
trappers previously passed up setting bodygrips because of the
risk of dogs running at large. The Duffer's and Lil' Griz are
more money than 160s and 220s, they start at about $20 each
depending on where they are purchased and may require a
setting tool.
Trapping Stories & Articles
We like to keep things
interesting here on the NBTFHF Website. Trappers love to hear
and read about other trappers experiences out on the line.
Whether its about your first season, favourite set, a funny
experience, tips and tricks or any other trapping related
subject, we'd love to put it on the site. No need to worry
about spelling, punctuation or grammar, we can edit it and fix
it up like you were the Teacher's Pet in English class. If you
have a few pictures to go along with it, even better, send
them along too.
Send your stories &
articles to the NBTFHF Webmaster by Clicking here.
Fatal Coyote Attack In Nova Scotia
A 19-year-old folk singer from Toronto has died after being
attacked by two coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National
Park.
Taylor Josephine Stephanie
Luciow, who went by the stage name Taylor Mitchell, died
overnight at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. She
had been on tour in the Maritimes.
Mitchell was hiking on the
Skyline Trail when she was attacked Tuesday afternoon. She
was taken to the hospital in Cheticamp, then airlifted to
Halifax in critical condition.
Park officials said Mitchell
was walking the trail alone. They said other hikers managed
to scare off the coyotes and call 911.
An RCMP officer shot at one
of the animals but couldn't find the body. Later Tuesday
evening, park staff located another coyote and killed it.
Derek Quann, the park's resource conservation manager, said
he doesn't know whether it was one of the ones involved in
the attack. He said there were no signs on the animal's body
that it had been shot.
Quann said he believes there
are five or six coyotes in the area. Park staff were still
trying to track down the other coyote involved in the attack
Wednesday.
"One of the individuals may
be dead now and may have gone off into the woods and died
after some distance," said Quann.
Germaine LeMoine, a Parks
Canada spokeswoman, said the hunt for the second coyote
would go "around the clock." The trail where the attack
happened has been barricaded.
LeMoine said even if a second
animal is found and killed, the trail would not be opened
until officials could conclude they had both coyotes
involved in the attack and the trail was safe for the
public.
The NBTFHF with funding from the
NB Wildlife Trust Fund is carrying out a Marten Nesting Box
project in New Brunswick forests. NB Trappers are placing the
nest box in areas that Marten inhabit but may not have many
suitable nesting locations. It is hoped that with the aid of
the nest boxes, Marten will remain in the area and use the
boxes for nesting locations, enhancing a healthy population of
Marten in the province. Click here to read more on the Marten
Nesting Box Project.
Black Bears Raising Concern
Black Bear sightings in urban
areas in New Brunswick are raising some concern from residents
not used to seeing them so close. Increased sightings are
occurring in many parts of the province but seem to be most
common in the Fredericton and Saint John areas.
Department of Natural Resources
personnel have placed live traps in a number of locations in
hopes of trapping and relocating the offending bears to a more
remote location. However, competing with compost, household
garbage and dumpsters is making it difficult to lure the bears
into the live traps.
Part of the problem seems to
be an increase in population due to less hunting pressure. The
downturn in the North American economy and the higher Canadian
Dollar means fewer non resident hunters are visiting the
province to hunt, allowing the population to increase rapidly.
European Union Votes To Ban Seal
Products
HARPER GOVERNMENT WILL DEFEND
CANADA’S
HUMANE AND SUSTAINABLE SEAL HUNT ON THE WORLD STAGE
OTTAWA – The Government of Canada today expressed its deep
disappointment, concern, and opposition to the vote by the
European Parliament to move towards a ban on products from
Canada’s humane and sustainable seal hunt.
“The decision by the European Parliament lacks any basis in
facts,” said the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries
and Oceans. “The Canadian seal hunt is guided by rigorous
animal welfare principles which are internationally recognized
by independent observers. I once again caution my European
counterparts about the dangers of pursuing politically
motivated bans on other countries’ traditional industries. Our
government will stand up for the jobs and communities that
depend on the seal hunt.”
“If the EU imposes a trade ban on seal products it must
contain an exemption for any country, like Canada, that has
strict guidelines in place for humane and sustainable sealing
practices," said the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of
International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway.
"If there is no such acceptable exemption, Canada will
challenge the ban at the World Trade Organization (WTO).”
The Government of Canada is studying the exact wording of the
proposed regulation and will take appropriate action to
protect the Canada’s sealing industry and continue to defend
the interests of Canadian sealers. It will also continue to
work with provincial, territorial and industry partners to
maintain access to other markets for seal products and to
identify and build new markets.
“A European ban would have a devastating impact on thousands
of Canadian families in remote coastal communities who rely on
the seal hunt for 25 to 35 per cent of their annual income,”
added Minister Shea. “In these difficult economic times the
impact of such a loss is even more serious and many families
will have to make tough decisions about their future if access
to the European market is lost.”
The European Parliament’s proposed ban cannot become law until
it has been adopted by the Council of the European Union,
which represents the member states. Ministers Shea and Day
announced that the Government of Canada will continue to
aggressively counter the misinformation campaign being waged
by professional anti-seal hunt lobby groups in order to ensure
that the decision of the Council would be based on accurate
information.
Have you renewed your membership yet?
A reminder that NBTFHF Memberships
expire on the 31st of January each year. If you haven't
renewed your membership, you will not receive the magazine
associated with your membership until it is renewed.
Not a Member Yet?
The New Brunswick Trappers & Fur
Harvesters work both on the frontline and behind the scenes to
enhance, improve and preserve trapping and fur harvesting for
New Brunswick Trappers. Do your part and support the NBTFHF by
purchasing your membership today. For details on joining,
renewing and the benefits of doing so, go to our
Membership Page by clicking here.
Enjoy talking trapping
with other trappers?
Why not check out the
Canadian Trapper Talk Forums! Over 700 trappers from all
across Canada, the USA and around the world are already
members and visit the site regularly. Pick up some tips
& tricks, new sets, fur handling methods or just shoot
the breeze. Besides the the forums/message boards, the
site also features a chat room where you can chat live
with other trappers. Click on the logo above to visit
the site.
Fur Pick Up Dates for 2011 - 2012
Season
Fur Harvesters Auction
Agent - John Richard's Schedule
North American Fur Auctions
Agent - Furafee Trading Schedule
Did you know the November Full Moon
is called "Beaver Moon"?
Watch the video from Farmers Almanac and see why!
A
recent story in the Telegraph Journal has
naturalists believing that it is only a
matter of time until we see wolves returning
to New Brunswick forests. They have steadily
been migrating to the North-eastern United
States and have been confirmed in the state
of Maine and the province of Quebec. It's
not too far fetched to think they may
already be here.
