By Shannon Bohle - [email protected]

The National Trappers Association teaches children about the importance of trapping in farming and survival settings, as well as trapping safety, like in this photo from the 2021 National Trappers Association Convention.

Photo courtesy of National Trappers Association

LIMA — The 63rd Annual National Trappers Association Convention will host three days of outdoor activities (Thursday, July 28 through Saturday, July 30) at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima.

“We’re excited because we’re expecting about 8,000 people to come through our fairgrounds over these three days,” said Troy Elwer, promotions and operations manager at the Allen County Fairgrounds. “It will have a great impact, not only on our fairgrounds as a venue, but, I believe, it will be a great economic boost for the Lima community. A few of the hotels we are working with are already sold out during the convention.”

Trapping: A history of livestock preservation

Holding a trappers’ convention in this venue is a natural extension of the fair’s activities in terms of its relationship to animal husbandry, farming, animals and the outdoors.

“At the fairgrounds, we have over 1,400 junior fair exhibitors each year. The large majority of those kids are livestock exhibitors. A large portion of their project is how to safely handle and take care of their animals, and this is a similar activity in terms of lessons about safety around animals (in this case wild animals) and the outdoors,” said Elwer. “When trapping or hunting, it is also important to focus on animal welfare, so that they do it safely, correctly, and humanely.”

Some of the animals that are trapped include predators with a history of killing farmer’s livestock and chickens, like the well-known parable of the fox in the hen house, or coyotes, bobcats and foxes killing lambs and sheep.

“It’s a perfect example of an issue that affects farmers who have large pastures with livestock like cattle or chickens in a chicken coop. That’s a lot of area to manage. Being informed of how to properly keep these predators from harming your farm animals, it’s all directly related to the projects that the kids are showing at the fairgrounds,” Elwer explained.

Members from The Ohio State Trappers Association will be staffing the event, said Elwer. The experts on-hand will be a great benefit for the youth to become involved and informed about the safety issues surrounding trapping activities when interacting with wildlife, as well as learning how to humanely trap and hunt an animal that is in season, and, if they somehow end up on their own in nature, how to survive a dangerous situation using a survival kit.

This year there will be double the number of activities, demonstrations, workshops and how-to seminars, like building trapping equipment and bird houses, drawing animals, making and using a survival kit, fishing, an archery range, BB guns, laser guns, bug safari, identifying animals by their pelts and more. Additionally, there will be a number of vendors selling trapping-related goods.

Thursday’s demonstrations and activities include land trapping bobcat (10:30 a.m.), water trapping mink and muskrat (11:30 a.m.), a fireside chat (12:30 p.m.), skinning fox (1:30 p.m.) and a hands-on activity sewing a fur drink coozie (2:30 p.m.).

Friday’s lineup begins with land trapping fox (9:30 a.m.) followed by water trapping raccoon (10:30 a.m.), snaring coyote (11:30 a.m.), a fireside chat (12:30 p.m.), skinning bobcat (1:30 p.m.) and a hands-on activity sewing a fur hair scrunchies (2:30 p.m.).

Saturday’s events include land trapping coyote (9:30 a.m.), water trapping beaver (10:30 a.m.), snaring coyote (11:30 a.m.), a fireside chat (12:30 p.m.), skinning skunk (1:30 p.m.), and a hands-on activity sewing a fur pillow (2:30 p.m.).

Entrance fees are $10 for a one-day pass or $20 for a three-day pass. Kids 12 and under are free.

Reach Shannon Bohle at 567-242-0399, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @Bohle_LimaNews.

Reach Shannon Bohle at 567-242-0399, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @Bohle_LimaNews.

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