Gardner Camp’s Kid’s Trapping Camp Helps Ensure Trapping’s Future

by Tim Kelley | November 3, 2025 | Recreation

Under a bright blue sky, a group of people stand outside a red barn. A man presents to the group about fur handling while trapping. All are wearing warm sweatshirts or hoodies to stay warm in the chill fall air.

Fur handling instruction is identified as one of the favorite activities at the event. All photos courtesy of the Gardner Camp.

The sight of roughly 30 young people carrying stakes, traps, pack baskets and other trapping paraphernalia isn’t a common sight these days…unless one is visiting Gardner Camp near Hull in Pike County. Since 2017, a group of dedicated and passionate individuals have taken it upon themselves to share their knowledge and experience about trapping during a two-day camp at this beautiful 540-acre location. The tips, tricks and ethics taught are an invaluable resource in terms of helping to ensure the future of trapping.

Kicking Off Kid’s Trapping Camp

In a large conference room, a group of people sit at long tables and listen to a man giving a lecture. — Mike Vose instructing attendees in the IDNR Trapper Education course portion of the Gardner Camp’s youth trapping program.

One of the main engines behind Gardner Camp’s Kid’s Trapping Camp is Mike Vose of Perry. A retired employee (30+ years) of the University of Illinois’ Orr Ag Center, Vose is life-long trapper and a certified Trapper Safety Education Instructor for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). In 2016, the then-President of the Illinois Trappers Association (ITA), Neal Graves, and several ITA Directors from western Illinois (Kory and Kurt McCallister) recognized a lack of trapping instruction opportunities for youth in western Illinois. Knowing that many youngsters in that area are engaged in various outdoor pursuits, the ITA representatives asked Vose to contact Gardner Camp to see if holding a youth trapping camp there would be feasible. A partnership was formed and, since 2017, the Camp and various outdoor and industry groups have conducted a successful annual event.

At this point in the camp’s evolution, attendance for the March program is limited to 20 to 25 students. According to Lisa Pemberton, Gardner Camp’s outgoing Director, keeping the camp attendance to a manageable level helps to ensure a “quality over quantity” experience, a goal that Gardner Camp strives for in all its educational programs.

Vose pointed out that, “the camp usually fills up fast, sometimes in a matter of hours,” evidence that interest from the surrounding counties remains strong even nearly a decade into the program’s existence.

A Strong Instructor Team

Standing on the shoreline of a wetland, an instructor shows and demonstrates to group of young people how to set a metal trap called a Conibear. All individuals are wearing sweatshirts or hoodies to keep out the chill air during a late fall day. In the background is a few trees against a bright clear blue sky. — An instructor demonstrates a Conibear trap in the beaver/river otter/muskrat session of the 2025 Kid’s Trapping Camp.

Typically, each camp uses 8 to 10 volunteer instructors, pulling from the solid group of about 15 to 20 people who have participated over the years. Most instructors are members of the Illinois Trappers Association, although some come from other outdoor groups.

Lisa Pemberton added that, nearly 10 years into the program, several of the instructors are young people who once attended the camp themselves, a fact that gives immeasurable pride to the adult instructors and staff. Having instructors who once went through the camp also gives current campers a sense that the future of trapping is strong, as well as letting them know that they can become involved in future camps, if interested.

Each camp lasts two days for the attendees and 2 ½ days for the instructors, as there are some set-up and take-down activities that need to happen to make things run smoothly.

The Need for Trapping Camp

Dean Corgiat, a Site Superintendent for IDNR parks in western Illinois and a member of the Illinois Trappers Association, has been actively involved in the Trapping Camp since its inception.

A man sporting brown overalls stands at the front of the room and talks to a group of people. — Dean Corgiat addresses the attendees at the start of the 2025 camp.

For Corgiat and Vose, the main impetus for starting the camp was noticing a lack of such opportunities in their area. Both also noted, however, that their love for trapping and the chance to pass that along to a younger generation was the ultimate reason for instituting the event.

Mike Vose relayed that all of the camp instructors identify this as their main motivation, as well, noting that “Unless they have a prior commitment, the answer is always the same when folks are asked to help as instructors, ‘What time do you need me there?’”

Dean Corgiat went into some specific details that further fuel his motivation to be a camp instructor, quoting the results of two of the Illinois State Trappers surveys that IDNR has conducted over the years.

“In 2014-2015, the survey showed that the average age of an Illinois trapper was 46 years old,” Corgiat explained. “In the 2023-24 survey, the average age has risen to 54 years old.” Surmising that those figures don’t depict a great picture for continuing recruitment into the sport, he uses the interactions with youth that the camp provides to personally attempt to reverse those trends.

Structure of Trapping Camp

Corgiat noted that most of the young people who attend the camp have some exposure to trapping (none is required, however), and both gentlemen agreed that the hands-on experience gained throughout the camp is the most popular aspect with attendees. The campers receive the full, IDNR-sponsored Illinois Trapper Education course. That course allows attendees to complete the requirements needed to obtain an Illinois trapping license.

The camp also includes species-specific instruction periods in the field which is broken down into groupings (beaver/river otter, raccoon/muskrat/mink and coyote/fox/bobcat) that allow instructors to focus on trapping strategies and equipment for each group.

Under a bright clear blue sky, an instructor wades in a wetland and demonstrates how to set a trap to catch beavers to a group of young people. In the background is a grassy area with trees interspersed. — Demonstrating how to make a water set.

Vose and Corgiat strongly concurred that the campers really enjoy being outside, learning to look for and interpret animal sign, learning to understand proper set location, and most of all, getting to set and check various types of traps. The camp also includes some fur handling information and demonstrations, information about Best Management Practices for humane and ethical traps and trap selection, along with opportunities for the campers to prepare some pelts, a part of the camp that is extremely well received. Organizational and industry partners donate many “give-aways,” such as traps, lures, baits, instructional books and videos, so camp attendees (and parents) don’t go home empty-handed.

In terms of desired outcomes of the camp, both men identified very similar themes. Providing an opportunity for local youth to get outside and off screens (phones, monitors, TVs, etc.) was one main goal. In specific terms to trapping knowledge, both Vose and Corgiat strongly agreed that imparting lessons about the importance of being safe, ethical and respectful of the animals, environment and landowners involved is tantamount.

“Whether they end up trapping or not after they finish the camp, I really want them to come away with a better understanding and appreciation of trapping and animals,” Corgiat said.

Based on the continued popularity of the camp, it appears that the instructors are doing a fine job passing along these important tenets.

Expanding the Trapping Camp Concept

Both instructors count the Young Trappers Camp as one of the most important ventures they’ve ever been involved with concerning outdoor sports, as they consider educational efforts like the camp to be integral to the future of trapping and related pursuits.

A group of young people walk along the grassy edge of a tilled agricultural field. In the background is a woodland against a clear blue sky. — Getting youth outside is a major positive outcome of the camp.

As far as the future of the program is concerned, Vose says that the group intends to “stay the course” regarding how the Gardner Camp event will be structured and what topics will be covered. Corgiat agreed, stating that the program has been running long enough now that it is fine-tuned, but that they are seeking ways to expand the concept to other like-minded people and facilities across the state.

After attending several courses at Gardner Camp, IDNR Wildlife Diversity Program Manager Stan McTaggart said “I’d love to have this type of youth trapping program in every region of Illinois. The volunteer instructors and the facility are simply outstanding.”

Vose wrote an article for a national publication in 2020 that highlighted the camp and related that he has received numerous inquiries from individuals and organizations in other states about setting up similar camps of their own; I guess that shows that imitation is still the sincerest form of flattery!

Those of us who love animals, trapping and the outdoors hope that creative and collaborative efforts like the Gardner Camp’s Kid’s Trapping Camp will catch on across Illinois…and the country…helping to inspire the next generation of trappers.

For more information about the Kid’s Trapping Camp and Gardner Camp, contact Mike Vose buckfever.mikevose@gmail.com or Keaton Bartz, Director of Gardner Camp, keaton@gardnercamp.org.