Why It Matters: Learn-to-trap programs offer great opportunities for individuals who have little to no experience with trapping to learn new skills. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have mentors to introduce them to our time-honored outdoor traditions, and not having the proper knowledge can be a barrier for youth or first-time trappers. Recognizing this, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF) are hosting learn-to-trap and fur-harvesting classes. Hunter Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) is one of the many focuses of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and these programs provide youth and first-time trappers with an opportunity to get involved.
Highlights:
- Hunter Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation is a focal area for many organizations, including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
- Learn-to-trap programs provide youth, as well as new and current trappers with opportunities to learn the proper skills needed to trap.
The Iowa DNR and North Dakota Game and Fish Department are offering learn-to-trap programs to teach new trappers safe and ethical trapping skills. R3 efforts, like learn-to-trap programs, are critical for recruiting and training the next generation of sportsmen and women, who will continue to carry on our time-honored outdoor sporting traditions. For many, the lack of trapping knowledge and skill can be a barrier for them to participate in our sporting traditions, and the learn-to-trap classes offer a low-stress environment where new and lapsed trappers can start to learn these skills.
The Iowa DNR learn-to-trap program will teach the basics strategies for trapping. Participants will learn proper equipment, trap placement, trapping regulations, and steps for preparing hides. The NDGF fur harvester class will give participants hands-on experience with traps and properly caring for pelts.
Learn-to-trap programs, like those that the DNR and NDGF are offering, can be a great starting point for recruiting the next generation of sportsmen and women, and lead to a life-long passion of outdoor sporting heritage. While these programs are a great starting point, continued mentorship through multiple trapping experiences is pivotal for R3 efforts. Learning these skills and gaining the knowledge needed will help youth, new, and even life-long trappers continue to trap safely, ethically, and successfully.