JOHNSTOWN — Deborah Sedlmeyer has a deep affection for the outdoors.

The 45-year-old Croyle Township women exhibits a pioneer spirit in her pursuit of hunting and trapping.

But it’s a path that didn’t come easy.

Growing up in Ferndale Borough in a nonhunting family, she always had a desire to hunt.

About nine years ago, she was introduced to the sport by her husband, Bernard “Buzz" Sedlmeyer.

“I have been hooked ever since and harvested a nice 8-point buck this year,” she said.

It was during her pursuit of hunting last season that she became concerned about the lack of deer tracks.

“There were too many days hunting with no deer in sight and no deer tracks in the snow,” she said. “But yet, I saw coyote tracks daily along the trails where I walked to get to my deer stand.”

It was because of the increase of coyote tracks that she become a trapper.

She shared her frustration with her husband and informed him that she would like to trap to eliminate the predators that may be affecting the deer population.

“The more he laughed, the more determined I became to learn to trap,” she said.

Sedlmeyer, the mother of four children and three stepchildren, approached Game Commission Officer Bill McCombie about how she could get started.

He reported that the Pennsylvania Trappers Association Region 5 was hosting a four-day trapping school. She quickly contacted the organization and registered.

“I soon learned that regulated trapping has been used to protect many threatened or endangered species,” she said. “It has been used to enhance the survival rates of the young from depredation, but also used to reintroduce some species into favorable habitat to re-establish healthy populations.”

By trapping, she believes she is preserving a part of American history.

“Trapping was the earliest form of hunting and allowed for survival of the earliest settlers by providing food and clothing,” she said. “My tradition has just begun and my 13-year-old daughter checks the trap line with me on weekends. She does hunt and I hope that she will continue the tradition of trapping, too.”

If she does, she will be part of a small group of females who pursue the endeavor.

Only 3 percent of the PTA state members are female. Region 5 encompasses Somerset, Cambria, Bedford, Blair, Huntington, Fulton and Indiana counties.

Longtime trapper Brian Spory of Hollsopple, a past Region 5 director, said he has seen few people exhibit more enthusiasm about learning all aspects of trapping than Sedlmeyer.

“She showed up to our school and was the most attentive person there, taking notes, asking questions and dedicated to doing things the right way,” Spory said.

“She is a true asset to the sport."

Nothing irks Sedlmeyer more than hearing about someone not obeying trapping laws.

“It is upsetting when the public criticizes legal trapping because so many people are misinformed,” she said. “Regulated trapping is endorsed and used by many state and federal wildlife agencies worldwide as a tool to manage wildlife species.”

She is having a successful trapping season, although she hasn’t taken a coyote.

“I have trapped six red fox, seven racoons and one thumb,” she quipped.

Sedlmeyer’s love of the outdoors has carried over into most everything she does, including her job.

For the past nine years she has served as executive director of the Cambria County Sewage Enforcement Agency, serving 34 municipalities in Cambria and Somerset counties.

“Identifying corrective action plans to abate polluting, malfunctioning septic systems is the most challenging part of my job,” she said. “The agency also provides environmental education programs to school students and homeowners.”

For the past 23-years, she has celebrated Earth Day with her children and provided tree saplings for their classmates.

“With my youngest child now in junior high, she has outgrown the ‘taking trees to school.’ practice.” she said. “I have started a new tradition of celebrating Earth Day with the church youth and look forward to starting with grandchildren, too.”

Right now, she enjoys running a trap line and spending time outdoors.

“I continue to learn more about the environment and all the wildlife that I come in contact with.” she said. “It is inspiring to witness what wonders God has provided for us.”

She views trapping as a sport as well as a means of controlling the population of vermin species.

“Many of the neighbors in my rural community enlist nuisance trappers to control predators on their farms or in their barns,” she said. “Fox and coon are constant threats to domestic poultry, and coyotes can take a toll on newborn calves.”

Running a trap line isn’t easy.

State trapping laws require that all traps be checked at least once every 36 hours.

“All the trappers I know are out early every morning checking their lines,” she said.

While there is some money in fur, prices vary each year because of supply and demand.

“A grey fox two years ago averaged about $38 a pelt,” she said. “This year, because of the poor economy, a grey fox is worth about $14. Pelts are used for clothing, glands are used for lures, fats are used in cosmetics and skunk essence is used in perfumes.”

When it comes to trapping, Sedlmeyer is convinced that women have more patience than men.

“But women don’t have the body strength that men possess to carry the equipment to a site and set the traps,” she said. “Due to not enough hand strength, I often set traps with my feet, but I get it done.”

Sedlmeyer sometimes gets frustrated when positive aspects of trapping aren’t acknowledged. She is an advocate of managing wildlife using scientific facts, not public emotions.

“I have to agree with renowned conservationist John Muir that ‘Going to the woods is going home,’ ” she said.