Free Trapping Course With Meals

[HunterDave]

Sorry, not in Alberta.....in Tennessee.

These guys are serious about promoting trapping and getting people involved in it. Obviously not concerned with profiting from it.
Kudos to them.

[wolfcrazy]

Thanks for posting. Be sure to take lots of photos.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by wolfcrazy

Thanks for posting. Be sure to take lots of photos.

Tennessee is too far. It would make more sense to go to Manitoba for their free mandatory trapping course BUT students may have to divy up to pay for the actual expenses for the instructor if there are none in the immediate area. RIPOFF!

http://www.manitobatrappers.com/education.html

The free Trapping course in Minnesota would be closer as well.

http://www.mntrappers.org/mtaclasses.html

Unfortunately I don't think that either course is recognized in Alberta so you'd still have to pony up $420 for a course to trap here. Alberta is special.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Sorry, not in Alberta.....in Tennessee.

These guys are serious about promoting trapping and getting people involved in it. Obviously not concerned with profiting from it.
Kudos to them.

Looks like a good deal. Are you going to put on a free course here...with meals included? It would be a great thing for people that wanted to get into trapping/snaring but don't have access to an RFMA. Keep us posted.

[bushbug]

We could be so fortunate

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by hal53

Looks like a good deal. Are you going to put on a free course here...with meals included? It would be a great thing for people that wanted to get into trapping/snaring but don't have access to an RFMA. Keep us posted.

I can't help anyone out with qualify them for a trapping license in Alberta but you, and anyone else, are ALWAYS welcomed to spend time in the skinning shack. There's always coffee and if you get really hungry I can get my Wife to make you a sandwich if you want.

I'm big on mentoring, pay it forward, and I've put numerous new trappers through the shed this year. Many are right on this forum. Just last week I had a Dad and his ten year old Son in the shed to show them how to put up a coyote from start to finish, including sewing a bullet wound. Very rewarding. As it turned out the fella was a mortician and he could have taught me more about precision sewing than I'd ever know. I'm not sure that he ever used a hammer to tap down the stitches on a corpse's head though.

[Red Bullets]

Only in my opinion...

Free trapping courses may sound good but I think it may compromise the standards to which trapping needs to be held.

Trapping is like any other trade, you have to invest into the education and equipment before you reap the rewards.

[wolfcrazy]

Originally Posted by red bullets

only in my opinion...

Free trapping courses may sound good but i think it may compromise the standards to which trapping needs to be held.

Trapping is like any other trade, you have to invest into the education and equipment before you reap the rewards.

👍

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Only in my opinion...

Free trapping courses may sound good but I think it may compromise the standards to which trapping needs to be held.

Trapping is like any other trade, you have to invest into the education and equipment before you reap the rewards.

I don't follow that logic, Red. Are you saying that the quality of instruction would be lower on a free, or less expensive course, as opposed to an expensive one simply because of the cost of it? If that is the case, do you think that all of the associations offering free or affordable courses are actually doing a disservice to the trapping community by qualifying more Trappers? I always figured that the more Trappers the better and collectively the greater numbers would give us a stronger voice on issues.

Maybe you mean that by making the course accessible to low income earners and kids they would be less qualified to trap after taking the course......although they received the same instruction?

When potential Trappers need an RESP or student loan to take a trapping course things have gone way beyond ridiculous.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Just my thoughts, the first "Trapping Introduction 101" course should be low to modest cost to encourage more young people into trapping. The more advanced course for serious professional trappers would make sense to be higher cost in $500 range to cover instructor expenses etc.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

I don't follow that logic, Red. Are you saying that the quality of instruction would be lower on a free, or less expensive course, as opposed to an expensive one simply because of the cost of it? If that is the case, do you think that all of the associations offering free or affordable courses are actually doing a disservice to the trapping community by qualifying more Trappers? I always figured that the more Trappers the better and collectively the greater numbers would give us a stronger voice on issues.

Maybe you mean that by making the course accessible to low income earners and kids they would be less qualified to trap after taking the course......although they received the same instruction?

When potential Trappers need an RESP or student loan to take a trapping course things have gone way beyond ridiculous.

My train of thought is that we do not need to make it easier for people to learn about trapping. If they are serious about learning trapping they will need to pay a price. My analogy is if I wanted to become a welder to earn some money I don't think some free courses would qualify me for the trade.

I do not agree with the fees that associations and instructors charge. When I was teaching the trapping course it cost about 40 bucks for 28 hours of instruction.(that is only 18 years ago). That works out to a buck and a half an hour for the course. It is obvious that today the instructors and associations are all about lining their own pockets.

Also, it just seems to me that if more people are out trapping it will eventually lead to more quotas of various species. If we look at trapping historically there was a time that beaver trapping was stopped due to the fact that there weren't many beaver left because of overtrapping. If more and more people get into trapping then this will likely be the future outcome. And the more fur available on the market will probably lower fur prices.

I believe if low income people and youth can prove financial hardship and have a genuine interest to learn trapping there should be concessions in course prices. We need to direct our concerns of exorbitant prices for courses to the associations and instructors.
Instead of free courses our associations should have one on one mentoring programs for individuals available for our youth to get some experience.

[Trappingman]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Sorry, not in Alberta.....in Tennessee.

These guys are serious about promoting trapping and getting people involved in it. Obviously not concerned with profiting from it.
Kudos to them.

Maybe go get certified to be an instructor and put on some free courses Dave