09/06/2008
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Staff photo by Thomas Michael Corcoranfrom the Kennebec Journal
QUESTIONS REMAIN
No complaints from those who switched to Somerset County center
Vote on 1 may hurt some in election
Steeple at center of debate in Whitefield
VETERANS REQUIRE ASSISTANCE: Homelessness takes center stage
J.P. DEVINE: Overcome sadness with hope
BASKETBALL: NBA Hall of Famer Barry doles out advice at Thomas College
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY: Maranacook sophomore Mace dominates Class B field
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
A year later, families await answers on fatalities
Owner of topless coffee shop on the comeback trail
Officials report cheaper, better service after switch
Two people in critical condition
Young Marines stick to program
Issue of homeless veterans at center stage
GIRLS SOCCER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Winslow falls to York in Class B
Bard hits her marathon stride
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
"Are you selling furs?" she asked Wilson, excitedly.
"We'll have them tomorrow," Wilson answered. "We'll have some raccoons."
"I'll be sure to bring my money," she said with a grin, before bounding off again to find her family, who were selling an assortment of traps, tools and pelts.
The little girl's request might be out of place at the mall, but at the Maine Trappers Association Sportsman Rendezvous, which began Friday, the request is typical.
For many at the rendezvous, trapping is not just a sport or a hobby, it is a finely-honed skill that has been sharpened over decades. Many of the trappers, mostly men, started trapping as children, guided by their fathers or grandfathers.
Trapping is not the same as hunting, however, Wilson said.
"When you're trapping, you're waiting for the animal to come to you," he said. "With hunting, you're seeking out the animal."
Tattooed men, some wearing bright orange or camoflauge-patterned caps, stood under a tent and watched an intensive demonstration how-to on trapping coyotes and bobcats. Others were selling foot traps and snares.
Jerry LeBeau, a North Anson man, proudly displayed the basswood fur stretchers that he makes and sells across the country.
"I've been trapping forever," he said, with a smile. "About 50 years or so. Started when I was 11 years old."
Terry Newton, who was intently checking out an array of oils used to attract certain animals, said he has trapped for 45 years. "I'd say I spend most of late fall and all winter trapping," Newton said.
Wilson, owner of Track and Trap Guide Service and vice president of Maine Trappers Association, has been trapping for at least 40 years, he said, including bears since 2001.
The love of the sport is one that runs through Wilson's family's veins. "My father and I trapped together," he recalled. "My son didn't have much interest in it himself, but my grandson does and I passed it along to him."
The result of the catch, several trappers at the rendezvous said Friday, is a feeling of accomplishment.
"You have the feeling of knowing that you've placed your wits against the animal's," Wilson said. "The animal could go anywhere, but the point is, you have made him step in that one spot where the trap is."
With trapping -- be it a muskrat, pine marten or bear -- also comes an unspoken code of conduct among those who love it.
Though there is no legal limit on how much a trapper can take, aside from a limit of 10 fishers and 25 pine martens a year, most in the business believe limits on how many animals one catches should be exercised.
"Most trappers are conservationists, too," Wilson said. "(Animals) are a renewable resource."
The rendezvous continues today and tomorrow at the Silver Spur Riding Club grounds in Sidney. There will be the sale of pelts, traps for land animals and fish and supplies, demonstrations on trapping techniques and talks on catch limitations and habitat management.
The rendezvous is one of three held in Maine; the others are in Bethel and Carrabassett Valley.
Meghan V. Malloy -- 623-3811, Ext. 431
mmalloy@centralmaine.com
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