by Gerry Williamson

On March 2-4 the Moncton & Area Trappers Council in cooperation with the Department of Energy & Resource Development held a trapper eduction course at the DERD facilities in Dieppe. There were 15 students who took the course. Tickets were handed out to the students for a trap draw and the two winners were Matthew Graham and Jonathan Roy. We also had a 330 to award to the student with the highest mark. As it turned out, three students were tied with marks of 98, Shawn Arsenault, Jonathan Roy and Troy Vautour. So another draw was held with Troy Vautour being the winner.

 

Thanks go out to DERD instructors Moncton's own Burton Murray and Rod MacEachern who travelled down from Miramichi. And special thanks go out to all the Moncton & Area Trappers Council volunteer instructors who helped with the course, namely, Jim Marriner, Kevin White, Troy Moss, Craig Smith, James Ritchie, Charles LeBlanc, Oswald McFadden, Arnold Colpitts and Gerry Williamson. We were also graced with Renous Council instructor, Yvon Morais, who came down on Sunday to watch and learn.
 

 

Instructor Oswald McFadden skins a fox as his students look on.

Instructor Charles LeBlanc demos how to skin a raccoon.

Instructor Arnold Colpitts demos how to skin a beaver

Instructor James Ritchie helping his student, Sarah Hendricks, skin a muskrat

Students working on muskrats under James Ritchie's watchful eye

Instructor Arnold Colpitts nailing out a beaver

Instructor Charles LeBlanc with student Tyler Martin

Trap draw winner, Matthew Graham

Trap draw winner, Jonathan Roy

Students Tyler Martin and his father under the watchful eye of Instructor Craig Smith

Instructor Craig Smith showing the students how to skin a bobcat

Instructor Craig Smith fleshing a bobcat

Instructor Craig Smith boarding the bobcat

Group photo of the students