Every year, my boys (big & small), go to the Montana Youth Trapping Camp. Yes, we hunt, fish, and trap, so if you don’t agree that God gave us dominion over the animals, and they are for our use, it would be a good idea if you left now 😉 LOL!
Anyway, when they go, all 7 usually go, and us girls are home alone (yee haw!) – it is usually our yearly weekend of chick-flicks and chocolate, jammies and sleeping in. This last weekend however, we had invited another family to camp with us, so we were hanging out with them (at the lake). Plus, my sister’s 3 kiddos came out to play…
Jake had decided that he didn’t want to go to trapping camp, so he was hanging out with us girls for the weekend. He did however, have our friends’ 3 boys, and then his cousin came over to keep him company also. It took some work, but I talked my sis into letting the cousins stay the night Friday (the girls were dying to sleep in the loft), and we had a grand time…
we stayed up way too late, ate way too many hot dogs, and didn’t sleep in nearly late enough! It was a lot of fun – the cousins stayed through Sat. evening, and we really enjoyed our time camping together.
Sunday, it finally got warm enough for the kids to play some in the lake…
They waded, swam, conquered floating logs, and just generally had a good time.
Even Molly, who did not go swimming, but liked to play in the rocks. She adores being outside!
We have been at the lake for 2 weeks as of yesterday, and normally we would have to move, but there is a 4 day extension going on right now that has something to do with a walleye (fishing) tournament that is coming up. So, we don’t have to move quite yet. We love being at the lake, but we would love it even more if we would have a few more nice days that the kids could play in the water!
It is good to be with friends again, but the nice weather that the south is enjoying is sure tempting us…
It is good to be with friends again, but the nice weather that the south is enjoying is sure tempting us…So, Jake missed trapping camp this year, but I had a baby holder for the weekend…
~sounds handy, but it is rather a bummer to have to share her when she is sleeping!
we didn’t have any ‘trapping clothes’ handy, so they improvised with a garbage bag. Thomas is ‘fleshing’ the hide; fleshing gets off any meat that is left on the hide after the beaver is skinned, so that the hide does not rot.
~sounds handy, but it is rather a bummer to have to share her when she is sleeping!The boys that went to trapping camp came home Sunday evening and talked non-stop for the next hour filling me in on the happenings.
Daddy goes as a chaperon, Greg has been an instructor for the past 2 years, Eli is a junior instructor (helps an instructor with hands-on), (Jake and) Thomas is 3rd year; highest level, has been a 3rd year for 2 years, and will be until they move him to helping out! Daniel and Joel were 2nd year this time.
The guys had to sleep in a TENT – they really roughed it this year! Before, they would take our travel trailer, but Vaughn said that there was no way we would get this new rv in there.
The camp teaches a lot on the how-tos of trapping covering everything from trapping etiquette, to how to sharpen a knife, to how to set properly for the target animal. When trapping is done properly, the animal is dispatched quickly, and the trapper should not be catching non-target animals.
The 3rd year guys go out and trap problem beaver each year. Thomas harvested the only beaver in his group. Greg’s group harvested 6! The kids get to keep the animals that they catch, and so this came home to our Home Sweet Toy Hauler…
we didn’t have any ‘trapping clothes’ handy, so they improvised with a garbage bag. Thomas is ‘fleshing’ the hide; fleshing gets off any meat that is left on the hide after the beaver is skinned, so that the hide does not rot.The attendees always receive a trap at camp, compliments of one of the fur companies that helps out with the camp. Daniel is showing Emma how he sets his trap…
Every year at camp, there are drawings – there are 4 prizes – a set of 6 traps for the older kids, and another set for the younger kids, and 2 guns – one for the older kids, one for the younger set. Last year, Thomas won the rifle for the younger set while Joel won the jr. traps. This year, the guys got some ribbing about the drawing being rigged as Jake was initially called to win the traps for the older kids (too bad he didn’t go!), and Eli won the rifle! Eli was pretty stoked!
Last year, Thomas sent a thank-you note to Terry, the man that donates the rifles every year, and his wife sent us back the nicest letter, and then they even sent us a Christmas card (which we didn’t receive until Feb. since we were traveling – LOL!). I’m pretty excited to throw my own little thank you in with Eli’s – I’m beginning to feel as if we know them!)
(Vaughn got pictures at trapping camp, but I can’t download them.)
Every year at camp, there are drawings – there are 4 prizes – a set of 6 traps for the older kids, and another set for the younger kids, and 2 guns – one for the older kids, one for the younger set. Last year, Thomas won the rifle for the younger set while Joel won the jr. traps. This year, the guys got some ribbing about the drawing being rigged as Jake was initially called to win the traps for the older kids (too bad he didn’t go!), and Eli won the rifle! Eli was pretty stoked!
Last year, Thomas sent a thank-you note to Terry, the man that donates the rifles every year, and his wife sent us back the nicest letter, and then they even sent us a Christmas card (which we didn’t receive until Feb. since we were traveling – LOL!). I’m pretty excited to throw my own little thank you in with Eli’s – I’m beginning to feel as if we know them!)Had we been out on the road, Greg would have flown home to go to trapping camp! This is his element – in fact, it is costing us a member of our traveling troupe next year! Greg is leaning towards staying home (he IS 20…) because he misses hunting and trapping, and just getting out in MONTANA-his stomping grounds.
Greg gave Thomas some pointers on fleshing his beaver, and then cleaned it up a little for him (he’ll get a better price for it)…
(Vaughn got pictures at trapping camp, but I can’t download them.)Greg helps Thomas stretch the hide for drying…
I must admit that seeing my boys back in their spheres of outdoor recreation makes me want to buy some remote parcel of land and build a cabin with our bare hands (why not?). All while letting my boys run wild. hehehe! I do love that they are back in the sticks. It is so different than ‘camping’ on our travels. It can be rather difficult to ‘get away from it all’ when you are traveling – when you are not familiar with the area, it is hard to find where the remote ‘nature’ is (besides, can we even do ‘remote nature’ in this 40′ trailer???).
I must admit that seeing my boys back in their spheres of outdoor recreation makes me want to buy some remote parcel of land and build a cabin with our bare hands (why not?). All while letting my boys run wild. hehehe! I do love that they are back in the sticks. It is so different than ‘camping’ on our travels. It can be rather difficult to ‘get away from it all’ when you are traveling – when you are not familiar with the area, it is hard to find where the remote ‘nature’ is (besides, can we even do ‘remote nature’ in this 40′ trailer???).Thomas with his stretched hide…
(which went in his dad’s job trailer, NOT my ‘house’! hehehe!)
(which went in his dad’s job trailer, NOT my ‘house’! hehehe!)While the boys were at camp, they sold their furs from the year before last, and brought home nice sums for their bank accounts. Eli also sent his bobcat off to auction hoping to get more than the $25o he was offered. Vaughn told me later that Thomas had been given more money than he was supposed to get when he sold his furs, and that the fur-buyer was pretty tickled when he spoke right up and returned the over-payment.
My boys love to go to trapping camp every year; they really enjoy trapping. So much so that they go and testify at the state legislature every session when anti-trapping bills come up (which they do every session compliments of Cali. transplants!). We are debating how to handle our love of working with the legislature and how it conflicts with our travel.
The boys are bummed that camp is over for the year, but are loving that we are perpetually camping!
We will be enjoying this lake-side site for another few days; I love that my backyard…
and my front-yard…
change every so often.
and my front-yard… change every so often. Sorry that I haven’t posted in so long, and am now so far behind – I just got back from 6 days hidden away at my sister’s cabin for a scrapbooking marathon. I’ll have to catch up more later 🙂
 
  
Isaiah saw the picuture of Eli and his rifle and said “We could trade!” Isaiah’s rifle (it makes shooting noises;)) for Eli’s. Do you think he would go for it? 🙂