While we love all the fun new opportunities for adventure that we get to participate in while we travel during the winter, there are a few things back home that we ‘have’ to do, and that we still enjoy as much as ever despite all the neat on the road experiences we have had. One of my boys’ favorite things to do each summer is to attend the Montana Youth Trapping Camp.
Held up north near Great Falls, MT, the camp is located in a beautiful little valley.
With between 100 and 200 attendees each summer, the weekend camp attracts boys and girls from all across the state, and from a few surrounding states as well.
Because of the beautiful location, we would all (meaning us girls) love to go spend the weekend. Us girls could go for walks and pick wildflowers while the boys learned/taught about trapping. That used to be the plan, for the whole family to go one year – until we got our current 5th wheel, which we cannot get into the rural location (or so Vaughn tells me – maybe he just doesn’t want us girls infringing on their ‘boy’s weekend’!).As many of you know, our oldest did not travel with us this past winter. He had found a job that he thought that he would enjoy, so he rented an apartment and stayed here while we traveled. His apartment was great for the winter, but it is a vacation rental during the summer, and he has to be out from the middle of May to the middle of Sept., at which time he can rent it again if he would like to this coming winter. He really didn’t want to rent a different apartment – besides, most require long-term leases, and are downtown – Greg is decidedly NOT a down-town kid. He loves the rural location of his apartment.
So, this summer, he bought himself a little camper to stay in for the 4 months that he needed a place to stay. At first we wanted him to move back in with us, but then decided that due to his work schedule, he really needed his own place to sleep. He found this little camper, and now has his own ‘space’. He parks near us, spends most of his waking time with us (when he’s not at work), and eats with us. But, when it’s time for that early bird to go to bed, and the rest of us are still going strong, he has his own quiet little space to retreat to. (we are still trying to talk him into going with us next year tho – before he signs his life away to the National Guard).
Because Greg has this little camper, the guys had a dry place to stay at Trapping Camp even if we couldn’t take our house…
The camp always feeds the attendees Very Well, so we packed a few guy snacks, and off they went. They always leave pretty early on Friday morning, and while there are a few little things going on with the camp Fri. night, the workshops really don’t start until Saturday morning.
The kids (and some adults, disguised as parents) learn about things like setting for targeted animals (and not catching others), how to make different kinds of land and water sets, how to skin your animals and care for the pelts, parasites and diseases, gun and knife handling and safety, and even tips on selling your furs.
This evening talk was on skinning coyotes…
A fur company was there with some of their wares to sell, and they also donate traps so that each of the kids receives one just for attending. 
I love it that my boys love to do anything ‘outside’. Even if it is picking up road kill. Greg started picking up road kill after talking with a guy last year at trapping camp. He started retrieving expired porcupines for their hair; he would bring them home, pull the hair, and bundle it up. He took the hair from 2 porkies with him to camp to see if the hair was worth anything, and got $36 for the 2 ounces that he took. I’m thinking that there will be more road kill in his future.
Probably sounds like a crazy job for $36, but one thing that we have taught our kids, and without thinking about it or realizing it, is to diversify. My kids tend to find lots of ways to make money; I think that they enjoy the different activities, and the challenge of knowing different skills (not that pulling hair off of a dead porcupine is a skill…).
For the past I-don’t-know-how-many years, Greg and Eli have been Jr. Instructors – they help under a master trapper – teaching, but with a supervisor. This year, we hadn’t bothered to pick up the mail for the 2 weeks before trapping camp (it’s funny how after you withdrawl from getting your mail more often than every 6 weeks, how very unimportant getting it out of the P.O. box becomes) – so he didn’t get the letter asking him to fill the spot of an instructor. They got to camp to find out that Greg would be a Master Trapper this year with his own group of kids that he is responsible for, without any oversight.
For the past I-don’t-know-how-many years, Greg and Eli have been Jr. Instructors – they help under a master trapper – teaching, but with a supervisor. This year, we hadn’t bothered to pick up the mail for the 2 weeks before trapping camp (it’s funny how after you withdrawl from getting your mail more often than every 6 weeks, how very unimportant getting it out of the P.O. box becomes) – so he didn’t get the letter asking him to fill the spot of an instructor. They got to camp to find out that Greg would be a Master Trapper this year with his own group of kids that he is responsible for, without any oversight.
Daniel was in his 3rd year class. I thought that was pretty interesting that even tho it would be Greg’s first year as a master trapper, that they put him over a group of advanced kids. Maybe they really like Greg because, in his time working at the capitol, he managed to find out about a bill that Fish and Game was trying to sneak through regarding trapping education. It flew through the first house, but Greg caught it in committee during first reading second body. Without any preparation, he went in and testified against it. And killed it. One of the things that we have required of our kids, once they get about 7 years old, and older, is that they work on 2 or 3 bills each session. They can choose the bills, be for or against, but they have to write up and give testimony in committees. It is one of the best things that I have ever required of my kids. and you’d be surprised how much weight kids pull with legislators. Even kids testifying against other kids, yet demanding respect for the legislative process and scorn for fluff bills. Maybe because he had to do it for ‘school’, it didn’t bother him to take a stand and testify against that bill.
Anyway, Greg really enjoyed being a Sr. Instructor (but I think that he likes the term ‘master trapper’ better! LOL!)
He loves to set for beaver, so he was right in his element, sharing one of the things that he likes best (one of the other reasons that he chose to stay in Montana last winter).
To be honest, I love to send my fam to trapping camp. It is full of land-owners, ranchers, down-to-earth old-school men who know that we need to manage the land and the animals on it. There is actually a great respect for the animals because these people KNOW where their food comes from, what it takes to get it on your table, and how to manage the environment without worshiping it. They focus a great deal of time on setting for target animal so that you don’t get another by mistake, and for instant dispatch so the animals don’t suffer.
Much of trapping is population and damage control. If muskrat overrun the banks of creeks, rivers, and irrigation ditches, erosion will take over costing a lot of government money (read your tax dollars and mine) to fix. If the overpopulation of muskrat (for instance) were to be allowed to continue, the banks of these bodies of water would erode away causing land loss that would greatly effect ranchers, roads, and other wildlife. Beaver dam up streams, causing flooding both when they dam them up, and if those dams are allowed to grow big and numerous enough and break apart. For the camp, area ranchers who have asked Fish and Game for damage control permits for their beaver problems, ask the camp to come in and take care of their problem… after learning to set for beaver, the kids go out in groups on Sat. afternoon, and make beaver sets in problem areas. This year there were 5 advanced groups (only 3rd year do beaver) that went out. Greg was one of the 5 instructors, and his group smoked the others – harvesting 5 beaver when they pulled their sets Sunday morning. We may never hear the end of it from our ‘master trapper’. 🙂 Here is his group with their booty…
The kid who ‘made’ each set get to take home whatever they catch, so 5 of the kids each took a beaver home. I remember the first year that one of my boys brought home a freshly-fleshed beaver pelt. boy was I was so excited for that. (OK, I really was tickled for my boys, but… ewww!)Sunday, before the camp dismisses there is an assembly of sorts where they recap the weekend and do a few drawings (for cool things like guns!)…
The boys had a great time seeing old friends, getting their feet wet (and muddy), and digging in the dirt. it was a great guy weekend!
The boys had a great time seeing old friends, getting their feet wet (and muddy), and digging in the dirt. it was a great guy weekend!Us girls did without our wildflower walks …
but did get in some serious down time. Since Jacob had decided to stay home ‘with the girls’, he was our grunt man for the weekend and we didn’t have to take the trash out or go get groceries from the shed. But it was also a busy weekend with the girls working extra hours at the store and the grill.
One of these years, us girls will get to go check out Beaver Creek for ourselves. It’s a bummer not getting to go camp somewhere because your camper is too big take back in the boonies! We’re thinking that we need a another, smaller camper just for camping! LOL!
but did get in some serious down time. Since Jacob had decided to stay home ‘with the girls’, he was our grunt man for the weekend and we didn’t have to take the trash out or go get groceries from the shed. But it was also a busy weekend with the girls working extra hours at the store and the grill.
One of these years, us girls will get to go check out Beaver Creek for ourselves. It’s a bummer not getting to go camp somewhere because your camper is too big take back in the boonies! We’re thinking that we need a another, smaller camper just for camping! LOL!
 
  
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