sold fur yesterday

[trappnman]

About what we have been hearing

deer hides- $4-5

rats- I just had a few rats, $3 each. He had just bought 1700+ rats from a guy, and those were something like $3.45 average

mink- I sold no mink- and here's why mink are safe from me this year- $7 males, $4 females

coon- only had 4, all 3x and good color- green- $5 each. A VERY nice collection of 3x and up finished coon was $10 each
He's buying green coon like this- if its a coon he wants (2x and up, good color) it's $5- anything else, he doesn't want

On big coon collections, green, the average with all the no buys is going to be dismal- under $5 average

beaver- 30 or so nice finished beaver (not mine)- $10 average. green, looking at about $5

reds- I only had a doz, but all very nice, exceptional fox, late caught- $15 was told fox just are not moving, no one wants them. Take this price as a high average, and not typical.

Coyotes- holding pretty much the same- good color/fur did ok, bad color/flat took a big hit. Had a couple reds, a few rubbed, a few just brown ugly- $4-10. I had some decent colored paler coyotes- I was told that bunch would be considered a "pale coyote". All in all- my final average was $25.40.

[RdFx]

Thanks for posting, those prices are inline with what ive been hearing for the last two weeks.

[bblwi]

Good to see rats are salable even if they are not higher. Mink don't look to be selling well and coon are really still dragging in our current market. Was setup to do a later season canine run of about 20 locations but with 6-8 inches of snow today and the prices you quote I will abandon that line. Setting some rat traps in a big marsh. Lots of houses and not so many feeders.
We have been getting a few per day but it is pretty much a one and done on the feeders we find. Don't know how that few rats can build that many large houses.

Bryce

[trappnman]

[RdFx]

Y E S

[braveheart]

Nice pic. there Steve!!!

[trappnman]

all caught on your lures an baits Marty.

My favorites: LDC, Magnum Force and 8 ball

Baits: Kick Ass, Showtime, Red Eye

[bblwi]

This may be another thread Steve and you can start one or not depending if you want to disclose your methods.

Do you use bait at every set? If yes or no why or why not?
If bait is not at every set what determines you and Lori's decision to bait or not bait a certain set or location?
Do you use the same lure at each set for the duration of the line or do you change up lures?
You have roughly three runs or lines from what I have read. What determines which one you run first, 2nd or last?

I have not run a a canine line now for about 5 years and do note that if I plan to I need to do it soon as age is catching up and also be ready early. This waiting until after our deer season here in WI is not a good plan for me.
Bryce

[natedawg]

How does that compare to last years average?

What was he pricing your top pile at?

Do you run into very many coyotes with mites that have rubbed shoulders/necks?

That's all my questions for now.

[braveheart]

The new lure 8 -Ball is going to be a Great one. Had a guy call last night said it worked real good in cages.I have found for me the coyotes really worked the bait hard this year. Julie got my Kansas pic. off the camera I will try to post some. Deer season is over Sunday time to stretch out and get more coyotes.Fox always look real nice put up. Do you wash everything or just tumble them?

[trappnman]

bryce- I use bait at every set.In fact, I use 2 baits- a commercial bait, and a half of a frozen pocket gopher. The reason why is that I'm only going to be there a few days, and I don't want a coyote hemming and hawing deciding to work the set- I want it to grab his attention. I also use 2 lures at each set, and a good amount of urine.

We have 2 lures that are our main lures- LDC thats real skunky, and Magnum Force that is sweet, almost minty. One of these lures, goes at every set. We will start the day with say Lori using LDC at every set, me using MF- then we each add another lure from a choice of 5-6 other lures. That gives us a multitude of different combination out of random use on what we call "secondary lures"

We actually run 5 lines. The first and a couple of days on the 2nd, occur before coon/fox/badger open. So we run the first line first, because its my least populated with coyotes line therefore my % of early coyotes is lower, and has the fewest coon/fox. This year, had to release 1 badger and 1 fox, no coon on this first line. Its also the farthest line. It's my furthest west line

line 2 is next to line one- so we just slide over, leaving a couple locations from 1st line on 2nd.

this line 2 is then pulled, we skip all the territory in the middle, and we set up line 3, our furthest east line. Now we are getting some bad weather, and I want to finish and get closer to home.

We then pull and regroup for 2 days at the deer opener.

line 4 & 5 are my traditional lines, basically the middle of my territory, the area I've run since the beginning. What we do here, is set up and run line 4, then set up line 5 as we run line 4- so the last week is running both lines together. Far fewer big attractions on theses line, so it doesn't kill me too much to leave some traps in a bit longer

nate- Average was about $1 over last year. The top is holding quite well, but the bottom has dropped- last year got $7.50 for the rubs- this year $4. My top coyote was maybe $40, with the top average of $30- but that was over 50% of my coyotes. I had some good color this year

I usually get 1-2 with lice. Had 2 this year, but both were able to be cleaned up. I'm sure 2 of the rubbed, were these 2. Thank God we have pretty much zero mange- none this year or last year- in almost 30 years I've had maybe 5 coyotes and a couple of fox with mange.

marty- all washed and tumbled.


the last few years have been getting rubs early- probably had 4-5 this year

[musher]

Syeve: that last post of yours was one of the most informative I have read anywhere in a while. It got me thinking.

Wish I could get kegcreek lures here without the expense and hassle of the border/shipping. My goto luremaker didn't have any ready before the season and told me to wait a month which I did. And then zippo, I was left in the cold just before the season without any lure or answer to my emails. Didn't expect that and it hurt my fox trapping. Still don't know what the hell happened.

[natedawg]

Thanks for the info Steve. Lice/mites have been a big problem for coyotes in my area, the past couple years 40-50% are rubbed thin on the neck/shoulders even early on. Hopefully this year is better. Starting in a couple days.

Marty, the order came in today, thank you! I really like the smell of that 8 ball! Looking forward to trying it.

[bblwi]

Thanks Steve for the line and trapping answers to my questions. Good to have a plan and then stay with it, which is the hard part for me typically.

Bryce

[trappnman]

you hit the most stressful thing about a coyote line IMO- the plan.

the biggest worry is rain- setting up or pulling in the rain. not fun on either end, and we do have, to a degree, some flexibility in that part of the line. Lori works 2 days a week during coyotes, so we schedule her time so that we can be flexible on a day here and there.

second biggest stress is what farmers are doing in the field. We had guys cutting hay as late as mid Nov this year- and all stages of harvest from untouched to manured and plowed- often on same farms at the same time

One huge benefit of a weeks line, is you can get a pretty good handle on the forecast, and can plan accordingly. Access is big concern here- how far do I want to walk if conditions are such I can't drive in (answer not very far anymore).

[RdFx]

Steve your plan is similiar to mine and watch out for the weather . Im dont want to have to walk thru mud and slop and carry yotes or coon for long distance. Traps have to be checked every 24 hours so i always keep that in mind.

[jim]

Steve: Five coyote attracters at each set. Have you ever tested them individually to see how they work. I put in a row of holes about three feet apart and put a different attracter in each hole to see what ones they dig at the most.

Marty feel free to put in your thoughts.

[trappnman]

no, I do not test lures individually any more. Many years ago I did- I kept copious records of everything. Way back then, I found 2 lures came to the top of the ones I was using- Pikubua and Catchottier. And one day had the Eureka! moment where I put both lures into the same hole. and I found that the 2 together, outperformed each individually.

So we started testing combos of lures, and found that a sweet/sour effect, in other words 2 very contrasting lures, out performed randomly using 2 lures.

so over the years, we found that what worked best for us, was using a loud skunk lure as 1 primary lure, and a sweet type lure as our 2nd primary lure. What is added to that, is random insofar as it comes from a selected set of secondary lures. Not to say these lures are inferior, just that they aren't our first choice given one.

For many years, I used no bait. But slowly went back to it. Whether commercial bait adds to my catch I haven't tested, but obviously I believe it does.

the nest 2 things, I know add to my catch-

natural bait
urine

We have, on several occasions in the past, set up lines with one of us using the addition of a gopher, and the other not. the curve very much shifted towards the sets w/gopher. Have I tried gopher alone and not commercial? no

For decades I used lots of urine- I'm a firm believer. My change over the years came from using it almost 100% at remakes with misting, to using it the same on all sets remake or new.

I think one of the biggest mistakes in coyote trapping, is skimping on lure. The other, is thinking they are big fox.

[bblwi]

Your comment regarding thinking a coyote is a bid fox I fined revealing and very interesting and there could be some posts on the differences and I am not talking about the distances from the center of the hole to the pan and the offset. I am more interested in what are the differences that cause the animals to spend time working a set after they have been attracted to the set.

I still catch more fox than coyotes and this is an area where better canine trappers are catching more coyotes than reds.

Bryce

[braveheart]

I made a new lure about 3 yrs ago it is called 8 ball. This year in the snow if they can get over your set,The coyote will pull the lure stick scratch at it the roll all over it the run a ways the do it all over again. They can not quit playing with it.Even had a coyote in a trap level out the ground and now what I have seen in the snow he was rolling and playing with it.Then go back and try to get some more. The snow sure tells good stories and a pain in the butt. The snow came after rain and it has not blown clear but just blows enough to make you take a broom and sweep it every other check.
I am a firm believer 2 lure at every set be it bait and lure or 2 lure together like at a bone or flat set.And I am very heavy handed with lure or bait. Had a neat snow deal the coyote you can see his tracks cut the wind of the set stop him he mills around and goes straight in and their he sits.