U.P. Trappers Association

Press release

Escanaba — The National Trappers Association Convention and Outdoor Show is being held July 27 to 29 at the U.P. State Fairgrounds, located in Escanaba. The three-day event will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. Admission is $10 for a 1-day pass, $20 for a 3-day pass and kids under 12 free. Food and refreshments will be available.

New to this event is the “Kids Cave” which was a big hit at the last two NTA conventions. In the “Cave,” the demos are done by kids! “A great way for youngsters to learn is to be taught by their peers!”, Stated Bill Pipp (longtime member of U.P. Trappers). Examples of Cave events include seminars, prize drawings, “Hands on” stations with archery, bb guns, fishing, trap setting, laser shooting range, etc. Several matching games using furs, skulls, pictures, and tracks round out some of the educational aspects of the Cave.

And the most exciting event in the Cave is the coin scramble. Lots of cash and prizes are buried in the straw (even some folding money!) and tokens that could be used to shop for and purchase more great items.

The Demo Schedule features 24 demos during the 3 days along with the “She Side” (another new event for Escanaba) which will feature 14 demos all done by female presenters.

On the main demo stage, one of the demos generating a lot of interest this year is a roundtable discussion on beaver, featuring Robert Connor (from Canada), Dave Eckles and Paul Dobbins. This much beaver trapping expertise all in one place is outstanding!

Connor got interested in trapping around 1968 when he was 12 years old. He had been watching muskrats swim in the creek behind the house, and he wanted to trap them. In 1970, his family moved further north in Ontario deeper into the wilderness, where lots of kids in his school were trappers. Connor then started going out with his buddies and sold his raw fur to the local buyer. From there, he went on to a registered Canadian Trapline. He concentrated on beavers, but also learned to capture foxes, lynx and wolves. In 1993, he was hired as an agent for the railroad doing full-time nuisance beaver trapping. Those years saw him capture several hundred beavers annually.

Today, Connor continues to run three registered traplines. He belongs to several area fur councils and was involved with and served as vice president for the Ontario Fur Managers Federation.

With Connor being joined by experts Dobbins and Eckles this will make for a very informative, educational demo. For more information on demos, presenters or any other convention items go to www.uptrappers/nta-convention.com. Please note: A few demos are restricted to NTA members only.

Over 120 inside vendors will be at this event with most offering convention sale specials. Countless tailgaters will be there to sell and swap their wares. One never knows what kind of treasures you may find. There will be lots of great food vendors on the grounds.

Thanks to local native Al Dubord (expert Alaskan Trapper) many of his friends from Alaska will be attending, including many of the cast of the TV show The Last Alaskans. The ever-popular Marty Meierotto (From Mountain Men) and his family will be there as well. This event is a good chance to meet many outdoor celebrities and experts in person.

For questions or more information, contact local convention coordinator Roy Dahlgren at 906-399-1960, trapperroy@outlook.com or visit www.uptrappers.com and go to the 2023 National Convention page.