Why It Matters: Trapping plays a pivotal role in conservation in the United States that cannot be replicated or replaced effectively. While it may feel like an uphill battle at times, there are numerous collaborative state, regional, and national efforts that are actively working at multiple levels to protect and advance trapping. Among such collaborative efforts, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) shares a strong relationship with national trapping organizations like Fur Takers of America (FTA) and the National Trappers Association (NTA). Recently, CSF’s Manager for the Eastern States, Fred Bird, attended the FTA Trappers College for hands-on training with some of the best professional trappers in North America serving as instructors. The field experience was backed up with classroom instruction to provide the most extensive training. CSF’s participation in this event will enhance the organization’s already strong advocacy efforts for trapping and professional wildlife management into the future.
Highlights:
- Last week, CSF’s Manager of the Eastern States and, “The Sportsmen’s Voice” podcast host, Fred Bird, spent 6 days in field and classroom instruction with CSF partners, FTA, along with the top professional trappers in North America.
- Instruction included: professional trapping techniques, public relations and trapping, furbearer management, new trap types, avoiding non-targets, wildlife disease & human risk, wildlife biology: behavior and habits, and much more.
- The College was held at YMCA Camp Potawotami, Wolcottville, Indiana. Field instruction was held in the Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area in partnership with Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Purdue University.
Last week, nearly 50 students, made up of wildlife professionals from state fish and wildlife agencies, conservation officers, Animal Damage Control (ADC) professionals, part-time trappers of all levels, and CSF participated in 6 days of intensive and immersive instruction on modern trapping and furbearer management.
Extensive research on restraining traps has been conducted through annual appropriations from Congress to the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Such research resulted in the development of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in 1996. Through science-based management coupled with BMPs, CSF has been able to successfully advocate for the important role trappers play in conservation. The curriculum covered at the FTA College further supports and updates methods for restraining trap modifications to keep furbearers comfortable and unharmed.
CSF has successfully defeated legislation related to fur bans, broadly written animal cruelty bills that do not account for wildlife management practices, equipment bans and more. In 2025 alone CSF saw 69 trapping related bills across 27 states. Another 12 were introduced in Congress.
This professionally instructed and operated course of instruction by FTA and FTA certified Instructors is an opportunity not to be missed. State agencies should consider sending employees who influence management and regulations to the College. Trappers at all levels should also find their way to the College at least once in their trapping careers. For policy makers, the College can be extremely beneficial in self-education, dispelling common myths and disinformation around trapping, and allowing policy makers to make informed decisions when crafting policy. With CSF completing the course of instruction successfully, our staff is now able to bring still greater experience, education, data, and facts to our advocacy of trapping to the legislative sportsmen’s caucuses we support throughout the nation, and better serve members as a resource concerning issues around ethical trapping and protecting trappers – keystone conservationists.
In addition to certification, students also became trapper certified in the state of Indiana and received 70 contact hours from Purdue University. CSF would like to thank our partners at FTA and the professional instructors for the opportunity. Interested parties considering attending in 2026 should visit the college web page, Trappers College | Fur Takers.
Through CSF’s partnership with FTA and NTA we continue to collaborate on issues of concern such as how our community communicates about trapping. How we talk about and present the benefits of trapping matters and recent trends, and research shows that when our storytelling is articulated well, the general public becomes more receptive to modern trapping and the benefits the trapping community provides. These trends and more have been covered at past NASC Summits with FTA and NTA speaking on topics such as, fur bans, mesopredators and ground nesting birds, and dispelling myths around modern trapping. Armed with the most current information on management, furbear life cycles, equipment technology, and current perceptions of trapping, CSF will continue to build upon our successful advocacy for trapping with the education the FTA College provides.
Be on the lookout for further coverage and deep dive with FTA on a future episode of, The Sportsmen’s Voice podcast!
