Former Ontario Fur Managers Federation President, John Fitchett of Shamrock, holding up the pelt of a
fisher while the incumbent, Ray Gall of Parry Sound, looks on.

---

Dacre – Hundreds of curious outdoors enthusiasts took to the Dacre and Area Community Association (DACA) Centre not long ago to check out the first trapping workshop in years.

The Renfrew Fur Council (RFC) recently hosted an informative afternoon of ancient knowledge on Feb 22. The first event of its kind in over a decade, it was geared to everyone from seasoned bush-craft experts to eager newcomers looking to try something on the weekend.

Over 400 people were on hand to learn about the trapping industry, see demonstrations and patronize over a dozen vendors. The event also featured live skinning and fur handling, information seminars, presentations and raffle draws.

Despite being an activity as old as time, it reminded visitors how the art form is far from lost and continues to evolve as time goes on. Looking to build on its success, the RFC will decide at its meeting in March whether or not to continue the event annually.

Several special guests attended, including two conservation officers, Ontario Fur Managers Federation (OFMF) executives and Renfrew-Nipissing Pembroke MP Cheryl Gallant. President of the OFMF, Ray Gall, drove three and a half hours from Parry Sound for the big day.

“It’s a celebration of conservation and sustainable harvest of the available resources we have,” he remarked. “Some people fish, some people hunt, some people do both, but trappers trap, hunt and fish.

“We’re the eyes and ears of what’s happening in the forest. If there’s a sick animal, we would know about it; distemper in racoons, mange in wolves and coyotes, CWD (chronic wasting disease) in deer, anything that’s out of the ordinary, we’re the ones who know about it first.”

He was joined by former OFMF President John Fitchett, hailing from “off the beaten path of Shamrock.” He said it’s the county’s first trapping workshop in the past 15 years.

“You’re probably in the most heavily involved hunting, fishing and trapping county in Ontario,” he said.

While many lost interest in outdoor activities like trapping, hunting and fishing during the global pandemic, they’re by no means a thing of the past. Mr. Fitchett hoped the workshop was the push the county needed to get the industry back into the limelight.

Despite the workshop being a big success, the pair highlighted some room for growth. They said it would have been hugely beneficial to see support from the local ministry and voiced their disappointment in the Pembroke District Ministry of Natural Resources office for its lack of representation.

Sustainability

Mr. Gall stressed the importance of knowing trapping is more than meets the eye. He explained how methods trappers use are ethical and must adhere to specific rules set by the Agreement on International Human Trapping Standards (AIHTS).

“There are some animals out there like the muskrat, over the winter they lose 80 percent of their population,” he said. “We’re taking the surplus animals that would typically die in the winter anyway and we’re making use of them. Without sustainable harvest there would be no animals left. Mother Nature isn’t as nice as people like to think.”

“Every trapper in Canada has to use certified humane dispatch devices. Every one of them has been tested and does no damage to the animal. If you catch a dog, for instance, in your coyote or wolf set, it will hold it there and we can release it without doing any damage to the paw.”