Greetings all. On February 11th Jim Mesler of West Burlington passed away. Jim was our first ITA President from June of 1961 to October of 1962. After being president he took over as secretary/treasurer from October 1962 to September 1964. In 2002 he was inducted into the ITA Hall of Fame. I first met Jim in 2001 at the NTA National in Mason City. He was standing in the aisle of one of the dealer buildings flipping pennies in front of kids watching them chase them down. I had may conversations over the years with Jim as many on this Board has. He was a part of this association from almost its inception. He will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him. RIP Jim.
Season is over for another year, except for beaver which runs to April 15th. Season 51 was far better than last and memory fill as each season has been. My old trapline car, 98 Intrigue, has come to the end of its line. December 16th she hit 500k for miles, then on Feb 6th at 505k she decided it was enough and “herniated a disc” in the lower end. With only a couple major repairs ever and both in the last year, a head gasket and lower intake, other than normal maintenance and tires she caused no troubles. Only one time did she leave me detained in a field where I should not have drove. Between my 79 Cutlass and this Intrigue I have traveled many trapline miles. Who says you need a truck and 4wd to trap, plus saved a lot on fuel cost by doing so.
We had a few lifetime members join since my last report. Those lifetime members are Steve Griebel, John Nebel, Laurent Sarrazin, Tracey Rieks, Mark Norman, Matthew C. Alber, Glendon Mesch and Ben Deters. Thank you to all who have joined as new or have renewed their memberships. Your support is greatly appreciated.
March 1st to 3rd we had a booth at the Iowa Deer Classic for the first time. We had a display of pelts for all furbearers harvestable in Iowa as well as info. Conversations were with young, old, men, women, first time trapping this past season, those who had in the past to some that knew little to nothing about what we do. Allyson Oser brought her badger hat with claws that kids got to try on. The smiles on those kids faces when they put it on and the number of photos taken were far too many to count. Some of those people will probably never trap, but left with a memory and knowledge about what we do. During the weekend we also signed up 4 new members as well. Thank you to all who stopped by for conversations during the weekend. Our next event is the Legislative Breakfast March 21st at the Statehouse from 7-9 A.M.
Our 22nd annual FBU/ITA banquet will be held April 6, 2024 at Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel. This new location is located off I-80/I-35 near the west mixmaster at 1800 – 50th St in West Des Moines. EVERYTHING will be located in one big room which will be different than in the past. If you need any info or want to attend email me at hightoweria@aol.com and I will get you that info. All tickets need to be returned by March 25th and we do not allow walk-in’s.
The Spring ITA Board meeting will be held 10 A.M. April 7th at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel 1800 – 50th St West Des Moines. This is the same location as the banquet. I am planning June for the Summer meeting. As always, all current members are welcomed to attend.
That is about it for now. Til next time - Craig