Nope, my question was a serious one and not a statement about whether or not the Basic Trapping course was good or bad. However, since you brought it up......
$399 for a mandatory Basic Trapping Course!!!! Are you kidding me? Do you not think that the course is generating huge amounts of revenue while shutting people out who can't afford to take it? Is our future a bunch of yuppies trapping $1k worth of fur every year playing dress up and tossing skillets at picnics?
If you want to do some good for the future of trapping, lobby to make the Basic Trapping course affordable and get Trappers that NEED the income from trapping on traplines, not yuppies who don't need the income and are just looking for a weekend activity! Isn't that what we are fighting for to make sure that traplines are properly utilized? And we charge $399 for a trapping course.....absolutely brilliant!
We should be offering the course for the lowest cost possible, even at a loss if need be. The number one priority should be getting as many Trappers qualified and out trapping. There's strength in numbers but what are we doing........making it profitable by charging $399!
Maybe you should have a look at what other provinces are doing and the costs associated with it, THEN tell me how well AB is doing:
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...light=Trapping
As far as what you think people know after attending the Basic Trapping course.....Why is it that I have so many guys coming through my shack fresh off the course wanting to learn how to put up fur? You're only kidding yourself, or out of touch, if you think that they know how to do it after attending the 3 day $399 course for flips sakes! I've been fortunate to have had some very experienced Trappers mentor me and I never hesitate to help any Trapper that wants to learn......for FREE.....that's one thing that I do for trapping.
WRT this latest money generating endeavour, this is the first that I've heard about it but I have been told that a newsletter is coming out with the "highlights" of the President's meeting soon. Maybe it will be mentioned in there. Right now I don't understand how pooling Trapper's money to compensate Trapline lease holders for losses upon the sale of their Trapline is going to help anything. What is being proposed, that resident Trappers donate their fur money?