Post by trappnman on Sept 29, 2022 7:42:24 GMT -6
As a fur trapper, with over 60 years of trapping and selling fur- I've never seen a market like this. Back "in the day" it was simple- either long hair (coon, canines) were in style and the "good money" or short hair (beaver, mink, muskrats) was.
Even the big coon crash in the 80s- other furs still had value, and even then in late December of that year coon started moving again.
But now....wow. I always assumed that when I hung up the traps, it would be because I couldn't do it anymore and I'm far from that point. I never guessed it would be the demise of the industry.
Coyotes- no value of typical coyotes
Fox- some value,but marginal
Coon- not buying, no value
Mink- in essence, no value cause try to find a buyer
Muskrats- $2 if top rats
Beaver- $5 to $10 finished
Badger- still have value if you live out west
Skunks- novelty trade still wants them but limited
So a bleak picture.
Is this, after centuries, the death of the fur trade?
So what to do......
As dismal as last year was- if a season is going to be my last, I want to know that before time. So after much thought, my plan is this:
1) Shorten season- go for quality not quantity. Normally I run 6-7 weeks depending on later weather- starting mid October. This year, I'll start about Nov 1 and go for 4 weeks. This will give me my best window, for the best fur.
2) Combine lines. Normally, I run 3 lines. In doing that, I ran east, west, in the middle. Doing that meant I passed by multiple farms on my middle line to get to the other 2 lines. So basically I'm culling locations, and dividing things down the middle into 2 lines- this, along with eliminating some spur stops, will considerably cut down my mileage costs.
3) I'll keep all skunks- we have a good skunk here, big with broad, long stripes- I'll take the time to process them and send them, along with any reds I catch, to get tanned. Tanned red fox seem to sell well, and I get lots of asks about skunks as well.
4) All my coyotes will be fleshed and froze- maybe, just maybe there will be a market in a year- I doubt it, but I'll cross that bridge next year.
Taking the advice of a friend- if this is going to be the last year I coyote trap, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it!
I'd like to hear thoughts from what others are thinking, and doing.
Even the big coon crash in the 80s- other furs still had value, and even then in late December of that year coon started moving again.
But now....wow. I always assumed that when I hung up the traps, it would be because I couldn't do it anymore and I'm far from that point. I never guessed it would be the demise of the industry.
Coyotes- no value of typical coyotes
Fox- some value,but marginal
Coon- not buying, no value
Mink- in essence, no value cause try to find a buyer
Muskrats- $2 if top rats
Beaver- $5 to $10 finished
Badger- still have value if you live out west
Skunks- novelty trade still wants them but limited
So a bleak picture.
Is this, after centuries, the death of the fur trade?
So what to do......
As dismal as last year was- if a season is going to be my last, I want to know that before time. So after much thought, my plan is this:
1) Shorten season- go for quality not quantity. Normally I run 6-7 weeks depending on later weather- starting mid October. This year, I'll start about Nov 1 and go for 4 weeks. This will give me my best window, for the best fur.
2) Combine lines. Normally, I run 3 lines. In doing that, I ran east, west, in the middle. Doing that meant I passed by multiple farms on my middle line to get to the other 2 lines. So basically I'm culling locations, and dividing things down the middle into 2 lines- this, along with eliminating some spur stops, will considerably cut down my mileage costs.
3) I'll keep all skunks- we have a good skunk here, big with broad, long stripes- I'll take the time to process them and send them, along with any reds I catch, to get tanned. Tanned red fox seem to sell well, and I get lots of asks about skunks as well.
4) All my coyotes will be fleshed and froze- maybe, just maybe there will be a market in a year- I doubt it, but I'll cross that bridge next year.
Taking the advice of a friend- if this is going to be the last year I coyote trap, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it!
I'd like to hear thoughts from what others are thinking, and doing.
