If you're a trapper or are interested in learning about trapping, the Arkansas Trappers Association will hold an instructional workshop Nov. 4-6 at Camp Clearfork near Royal.
Camp Clearfork, a U.S. Forest Service facility, is the host lodge. Participants will stay in the rustic cabins on the premises. Admission will be $20, and $10 for participants age 18-younger. Participants must bring their own bedding, and overflow tent camping will be available. The cost also will include meals.
Check-in will begin at 5 p.m. Nov. 4, and checkout will end no later than 1 p.m. Nov. 6.
Wayne Watson of Fayetteville, a member of the Arkansas Trappers Association District 1, said the event allows trappers to socialize and discuss the previous season, and to watch trapping demonstrations from some of the best trappers in Arkansas.
Demonstrations will cover how to trap on land and in water, snaring, how to handle fur and market fur, ethics, safety and more.
Trapping is a constitutional right in Arkansas under Amendment 88. It is an ecologically friendly conservation tool that is vital to the conservation of many kinds of wildlife besides fur bearers. Quail, turkeys, waterfowl and all other ground nesting birds benefit from the regulated control of fur bearers.
At the annual ATA fur sale, trappers sold 1,435 furs for $6,572. Bobcat furs sold for an average of $22.67, otter furs brought an average of $19.09, and red fox brought an average of $8. Raccoon furs averaged 93 cents. Coyotes brought $10.87, beavers $3.99 and mink $6.57.
The event is sponsored by the Arkansas Trappers Association, Southwest Arkansas Fur Takers, North American Fur Auctions and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Camp Clearfork is on U.S. 270, about 20 miles west of Hot Springs.
Call Aaron Hitchcock at (479) 997-5361 for more information. Applications are available online at arkansastrappers.org. Mail reservations to Arkansas Trappers Workshop, 9331 Sister Lane, Mulberry, Ark., 72947.
Anglers Workshop
NIFE Marine, 6600 Murray St., Little Rock, will hold an anglers workshop 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 3, that will feature factory representatives from Lowrance, Humminbird, Minn-Kota, Motorguide and Mustad.
Gary Hubble, owner of NIFE Marine, said the annual workshop is a unique opportunity for anglers to learn from factory representatives how to maximize the utility and efficiency of their electronic graphs, GPS units and trolling motors.
The Minn-Kota representative will give hands-on demonstrations on how to maximize the potential of several new Minn-Kota trolling motors, Hubble said. These powerful electric motors automatically deploy, retract and stow on command. Their power-trim feature allows the user to electronically adjust the motor height/depth. Their Spot-Lock feature anchors tightly to a GPS coordinate, but its "jog" feature allows you to separate from the GPS coordinate in 5-foot increments.
Sidescan imaging is the latest and most important development in electronic graphs. Their complexity so overwhelms some anglers that they only use their basic features and ignore their potential.
Visiting with the Lowrance and Humminbird reps will unlock all these mysteries and give anglers the tools to find fish more efficiently, Hubble said.
If you fish often -- and especially if you want to fish professionally -- sidescan imaging is worth the money. It provides a much more comprehensive and accurate view of what's between your boat and the bottom than traditional sonar or even downscan imaging.
Ross Spurlock, an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife officer serving Pulaski County, said sidescan imaging makes certain aspects of his job easier, like finding drowning victims. Sidescan graphs eliminate the guesswork and risks associated with diving or dragging.
He showed me a photo image of a body he helped recover with sidescan. It's one of those images you don't forget.
Other indelible images are seemingly mythical roadbeds and bridge abutments in popular reservoirs, like Lake Maumelle, that are lost to memory.
Mark Hedrick of Little Rock is a sidescan disciple. We've spent hours on Lake Maumelle idling around and looking at obscure rockpiles, brushpiles and other subtle features that attract fish at different times.
I'm a recent convert to downscan, and my gear is already obsolete. I can't keep up with it all.
The good news is that the technology changes so fast that units costing $700-$800 today will cost $300 next year.
Sports on 10/20/2016