What started as childhood curiosity for Chase Williams ( left ) quickly grew into many years of dedication to trapping . He is active in protecting the sport and introducing others , especially kids , to its rewards .
“ For $ 35 bucks to be a member , why wouldn ’ t you ? I think you guys do a great job keeping on top of things on different issues all over ,” he said , adding that the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance is first on his list because its inclusiveness of all sportsmen , including the more primitive , or what some would call more controversial , forms of conversation like trapping and dog work .
The Pennsylvania Trappers Association is robust enough to be broken down into different districts across the state to share information , put on events , trainings , fur sales and provide opportunities for trappers to share their knowledge and education with the public . It ’ s one of the biggest state trapper associations in the country .
When asked about the biggest threats sportsmen face today , Chase is quick to address the anti-hunting movement . He points out that in today ’ s Internet culture , a trapper must be careful not to fuel the anti fire . “ You have to be careful what you post ,” he warned . “ There ’ s some good content that is educational , and there ’ s some bad that can be used against us .”
Williams also acknowledges the importance of involving the next generation in order for the trapping heritage to continue . He has been involved in youth field days every year with the trappers association , educating kids as young as five years old .
“ Getting kids outside nowadays seems to be a challenge , let alone adding the responsibility of checking traps every day ,”
he said , adding that he brings friends and their kids along to check traps , and then , of course , shows them the fur shed and the different critters and traps . He believes that it ’ s an important and impactful step to educating those who would never have any knowledge of trapping other than what they ’ re told from the media .
That passion to protect trapping is deeply personal for Williams , who ranges far and wide in his pursuit of fur . Like many trappers , he sets a line close to home so he can check it on the way to or from work , but he also travels for other opportunities . Traveling to trap can be more intensive and time consuming than traveling for other types of hunting because of the length of time successful traps need to be set and checked . A trip that is only a couple hours away can quickly turn into days on the road . Williams has traveled throughout the state of Pennsylvania , Ohio and even to the Adirondack Mountains of New York for a couple of his favorite species , bobcat and otter .
His most memorable trip was the first bobcat he caught with his dad . A conservation success story itself , it was the first year over-the-counter tags were offered for bobcats in Pennsylvania . Williams and his dad set out for a different part of the state to fill their tag , staying at a hunting camp northeast of their home base and setting on the cat sign they came across . “ We never set for cat before , and we didn ’ t know much about it ,” he said .
With cats passing up their sets every day , frustration began to mount . It wasn ’ t until the second-to-last day of their trip that they finally found the missing puzzle piece and caught a cat . This roller-coaster pattern of emotions from frustration to success is what hooks a trapper for life .
Over the years , Williams has caught every type of game there is to legally catch in Pennsylvania and the surrounding area . Asking him his favorite animal to target was like asking a parent to pick a favorite child . He finally admitted his favorite traps to set are for beavers and otters in the spring . Otter , like the bobcat , is another animal he must travel for if he wants to set for more than the Pennsylvania harvest limit of one per year . For Williams the catch opportunity is worth the time of traveling to other states for an animal he doesn ’ t get to go after as often . Beavers are enjoyable to Williams because of the unique simplicity and opportunity to bring non-trappers along on what ’ s to likely be a successful outing , and the fur is straightforward to handle . Working beavers with others is an effective way to introduce and keep potential new trappers interested .
Williams reminds us that you don ’ t have to be flashy to support the sportsman ’ s way of life . “ Support , donate , do whatever you can . It ’ s very important not to give up ,” he said , adding that the ongoing fight is not new , but that we must perservere . “ It lights a fire in me that we have been fighting this forever .”
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