The purpose of this program is to provide professional recognition to individual trappers. It is designed to recognize the sustained effort of a trapper to both become a more successful trapper and to participate in the training and education of future generations of trappers.
There are three levels of achievement possible in this program for which a Virginia trapper may receive recognition from the Training Program to denote levels of accomplishment. They are called: Apprentice Trapper, Journeyman Trapper, and Master Trapper. Additionally, there are patches (rockers) available with the name of each of the eleven Virginia Furbearers which can be caught by a trapper during a legal furbearer trapping season.
Patches available: otter, beaver, muskrat, mink, raccoon, opossum, skunk, coyote, red fox, gray fox, and bobcat. (Nutria is not included due to the small region of the state in which they are found.) The appropriate patch and rockers will be awarded at each level. No duplicates will be awarded. (This patch is in addition to the already provided Trapper Education patch earned at the successful completion of the Virginia Trappers Association Basic Trapper Training class.)
Each applicant will submit an application documenting his or her completion of the requirements for that level, including a catch history of furbearers and a record of time spent afield, during the regular trapping season for furbearers in Virginia. Upon submission and approval of the appropriate information, case-by-case a certificate and a sew-on/iron-on patch will be awarded to the applicant.
There are some issues with availability and accessibility to certain furbearers by those in far eastern parts of the state. These issues will be addressed on a case-by-case, basis.
Only one award may be applied for in a calendar year.
First Catch (Beginner) Award Program:
The purpose of this program is to provide individual recognition to beginning junior trappers. Each participant will submit a form documenting their first ever catch of a furbearer during a legal trapping season for furbearers in Virginia.
Upon submission of the appropriate information, a sew-on/iron-on patch will be provided to the applicant. This patch (rocker) is an accompaniment to the already provided Trapper Education Patch earned by someone who successfully completes the Virginia Trappers Association Basic Trapper Training class.
Each patch shall document the first-ever catch of a specific Virginia Furbearer by a youth trapper during the regular trapping season. There are eleven different patches available: otter, beaver, muskrat, mink, raccoon, opossum, skunk, coyote, red fox, gray fox, and bobcat. (Nutria is not included due to the small region of the state in which they are found.)
Print out and save VTA First Catch (beginner) Award Program Application for submission.
MASTER TRAPPER PROGRAM APPRENTICESHIP MODEL:
APPRENTICE TRAPPER PROGRAM
To earn the Apprentice Trapper Award the applicant must:
1. Be a resident of the state of Virginia
2. Be a current member of the Virginia Trappers Association.
3. Have attended the Basic Trapper Training Course within three years of the application date.
4. Have attended the VTA Annual convention within three years of the application date.
Provide documentation of thirty (30) or more trapping days within the most recent licensed furbearer season and a record of catch providing documentation to show the legal catch of at least six (6) different species of furbearer taken within the most recent licensed furbearer season (copy of trapping log or diary for that year). (No animals caught outside the licensed trapping season, i.e. early live fox catch period or Damage Control, may count towards this award.)
JOURNEYMAN TRAPPER PROGRAM
To earn the Journeyman Trapper Award the applicant must:
1. Be a resident of the state of Virginia
2. Be a current member of the Virginia Trappers Association.
3. Have earned the Apprentice Trapper Award.
4. Have attended the Advanced Trapper Training Course, Part One (land trapping) or Part Two (water trapping).
5. Assisted in the teaching of a Basic Trapper Training Course, either classroom (podium) or trap setting section.
Provide documentation of forty-five (45) or more trapping days within the most recent licensed furbearer season and a record of catch providing documentation to show the legal catch of at least eight (8) different species of furbearer taken within the most recent licensed furbearer season including two of the following: bobcat*, coyote*, mink*, or otter* (copy of trapping log or diary for that year). (No animals caught outside the licensed furbearer trapping season, i.e. early live fox catch period or Damage Control, may count towards this award.)
MASTER TRAPPER PROGRAM
To earn the Master Trapper Award the applicant must:
1. Be a resident of the state of Virginia
2. Be a current member of the Virginia Trappers Association.
3. Have earned the Journeyman Trapper award.
4. Have attended the Advanced Trapper Training Course, part one (land trapping) and part two (water trapping) within the last three years. (One of these requirements will have been met under the Journeyman Award and is not included in this time requirement.)
5. Mentor one beginning trapper for one trapping season. This shall be done within the last three years. Documentation of this shall be maintained in a diary or trapping log and a copy provided upon request.
6. Conduct one training demonstration (trap-setting) and one classroom section at a Basic Trapper Training Course within the previous three years.
Provide documentation of sixty (60) or more trapping days within the most recent licensed furbearer season and a record of catch providing documentation to show the legal catch of at least ten (10) different species of furbearer taken within the most recent licensed furbearer season including three of the following: bobcat*, coyote*, mink*, or otter* (copy of trapping log or diary for that year). (No animals caught outside the licensed trapping season, i.e. early live fox catch period or Damage Control, may count towards this award.)
First Catch (Beginner) Award Program RULES: To participate an applicant must have taken the Basic Trapper Training Course within three calendar years of his/her first submission if under the age of eighteen. If eighteen years or older the applicant must have taken the Basic Trapper Training Course within two calendar years of his/her first submission.
For the purposes of this event, all years of participation are determined from the last day of the month of March of the furbearer trapping season year of entry submission. An applicant’s age is measured from his/her actual age on November 15 of the furbearer trapping season. (If a submission is made during the 2020-2021 furbearer trapping season it is considered to be submitted before March 31, 2021, and the applicant’s age is considered to be that which it was on 15 November 2020.)
All application submissions will be made on the form provided below and submitted to the individual’s District Director who will forward the application to his Regional Training Coordinator. All applications must be received by the District Directors no later than April 15, of the application year.
Regional Training Coordinators will evaluate the application and if approved, provide the award to the District Director, and forward the Application to the State Training Coordinator for file. District Directors will present the applicant with his or her award at an appropriate occasion.
The State Training Coordinator will advise the Web Master who will list the awardees on the appropriate web page. He will also keep an electronic file of all awardees for five years from the date of the applicants award.
All application submissions will be maintained by the VTA Training Coordinator for a period of three years for historical purposes. REMEMBER: Junior applicants must be age 11 through 15 to apply for the award.
MASTER PROGRAM DETAILS:
All applications will be submitted through the trapper applicant’s District Director. The District Director is to ensure the proper and accurate completion of the application upon his receipt. The District Director shall then forward the application to the appropriate Regional Training Coordinator who shall recommend to the Training Coordinator the appropriate action:
1) issue the award
2) return the application for more information and resubmit.
Upon approval of the Award the Training Coordinator will notify the applicant, the District Director, the Regional Training Coordinator, and the President, VTA, to determine an appropriate occasion for presenting the award. All awards shall be read into the minutes of the ensuing general membership meeting.
A check made payable to the VTA in the amount of $10.00 for the Apprentice Trapper award, $15.00 for the Journeyman Trapper award, and $20.00 for the Master Trapper award shall accompany the application. If the award is not approved the fee will be returned to the applicant.
Any member of the VTA may purchase the rocker-style patches which accompany the award for his/her own use but the three program patches (one-time issue only) may only be earned through participation in the Awards Program.
All applications submitted to the program coordinator become the property of the VTA and shall remain on file for three years from the date of application.
An electronic file of all application information and awards shall be maintained for five years for historical purposes.
website.
The Training Coordinator shall, through the VTA webmaster, establish a web page on the VTA website listing all Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Trapper awardees.
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