HERMANSVILLE, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Saturday, February 1, the U.P. Trappers Association is hosting its annual New Trappers Workshop at the Hermansville Community Center.
“It’s a beginner’s workshop,” said U.P. Trappers Association District 3 President Roy Dahlgren. “It really doesn’t matter if you’re 60 and starting out or 6 and starting out.”
Kids 11 and younger will receive a weasel box starter kit. They will also learn about sportsmanship, safety, and how to handle animals after catching them. Demonstrations will be given throughout the day.
“There will be a demo on how to trap a weasel and demos on how to trap a raccoon, which is a really easy animal to catch,” Dahlgren said. “We emphasize being able to utilize as much of the animal as you can because you’re taking its life.”
Now its its 20th year, the workshop continues to draw new people. Dahlgren says the event is a fun way to ensure an important American tradition is passed on to future generations.
“Trapping is what made America,” he said. “Many cities were built because of the fur trade. Back in the day, the trappers were tight-lipped because they were making money at it. Now, it’s more recreational. It gets a father and son, a mother and daughter, or whatever combination out in the outdoors and enjoying it, learning about it, seeing a track, and being able to identify what animal made that track.”
The New Trappers Workshop is free to the public and runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central. Concessions will be available to purchase.
