19th Annual Trappers Workshop 

Assembling weasel boxes at the 2020 Workshop. 

HERMANSVILLE – The Community Center in Hermansville will once again be filled with traps, trapping gear, the scent of lures, pelts, expert trappers, prizes and of course lots of youngsters eager to win prizes and learn how to be a trapper. This is the 19th year this event has been held. Two brothers from Hermansville, Gino and Rick Arduin were very active and instrumental in bringing this event about. Rick served as president and this workshop was his vision. Brother Gino who was fond of saying. “When this club started, I was the youngest member. Now I am the oldest.”  Gino built and donated 1,000 weasel boxes which are still given out to youngsters at this event. Sadly, we lost both men in the recent past, thus, U.P. Trappers proudly announce that this event be named in their memory: The Arduin Brothers Memorial Trappers Winter Workshop. 

Trevor Barnes of Barnes Hide and Fur Company will be on hand to buy fur and offer a large variety of traps and supplies. Each year, Trevor travels from lower Michigan for the workshop. He is a welcome addition to this event and can be counted on to offer fair prices for the furs the kids bring in, also fair prices on the supplies he sells. Barnes can be reached at 269-967-4475 if you need to request certain supplies from him.

Many local veteran trappers will be there to share trapping tales and offer tips and advice. “There are a lot of neat things which happen at this event,” stated Randy Johnsen, longtime member of U.P. Trappers. “Something I have noticed, and love is the way all kinds of information gets to the kids. There is a wealth of knowledge among all the old-timer members of District Three who always attend. Most trappers have a favorite animal that they target. Some are coyote guys, some are bobcat girls, some are beaver experts. I have seen it repeatedly where the presenter is asked a question, and the question is immediately referred to a trapper in the audience who is known to be an expert on that species, we all know each other well and know who is good on the species asked about. Questions are answered immediately or a personal visit with the expert can be arranged before they leave. This is a great network where years and years of trapping experience is shared with the youngsters” Johnsen added. 

Kids will be getting startup kits (younger kids a weasel trapping kit, and older kids a dog proof raccoon trap kit).
Doors open at 8 a.m. The agenda for the workshop is as follows, 9 a.m. mink/muskrat trapping by Roy Dahlgren, 10 a.m. Weasel/Ermine by Jimmy Fornetti, 11 a.m. Raccoon trapping by John Gunville, noon lunch break, 1 p.m. – “hands-on” activity – building mink boxes coached by District Three members, 2 p.m. door prize drawing (everyone wins a prize), 3 p.m. distribution of weasel boxes, traps and accessories to age 11 and under, and dog-proof raccoon traps to ages 12-17.
Date for the event is Feb. 3, hours are from 8 a.m. until approximately 4 p.m. (CST). The location is the Community Center in Hermansville. For directions or further information on this event, contact Mike Lewis at 906-774-3592.