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Joined: Jan 2010
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Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 34 |
Can anyone advise me where I could locate current fur prices for the year? I am looking for what the fur buyers are paying for raw furs that a trapper brings in. It has been nearly 35 year since I left trapping and now since I am retired, looking to get back into the field.
" I will follow the path of others some of the time, but most of the time, I perfer to make my own path."
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 133
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 133 |
Check trapperman.com there are a couple listings of recent sales.
chris from nv.
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Joined: Feb 2010
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New Member
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All you got to do is go into nafa.ca then you will see their what everthing sold for
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 15,648
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 15,648 |
Fur-Fish-Game always has a current market report. If you squint, it appears to have improved a bit lately. The economy in China is evidently improving - cuz they have learned what we have forgotten.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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New Member
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New Member
Joined: Jul 2007
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The Idaho Trappers Association just had an auction this last weekend. Here are the tentative results. All of these were put up furs.
Species offered sold avg % sold
Beaver 193 193 15.52 100
Bobcat 138 131 307.01 95
Bobcat (tanned) 1 1 180.01 100
Mink 160 160 10.64 100
Muskrat 2291 2257 6.74 98.5
Coyote 299 297 26.17 99
Red Fox 121 121 17.82 100
Cross Fox 4 4 29.02 100
Raccoon 117 117 10.4 100
Marten 8 8 29.31 100
Badger 32 12 17.02 38
Otter 8 8 67.04 100
Skunk 26 26 7.43 100
Castor 38.21 38.21 41.05 100
PGH 18.4 18.4 17.39 100
Now that being said, what you get for your furs depends on what part of the country you are from AND how much you put into them. Catching and skinning are only part of the equasion. I mostly put up coyotes and fox and I spent a lot of time on them this year. After skinning I fleshed them if needed, washed them in cold water and dish soap, turned them wrong side out and rolled the hide in Borax, streched them right side out, blew the excess water out of the fur with compressed air and then brushed the fur backwards (toward the head) for it to completely dry. You can see that the average price for coyotes ran $26.71 - I got $38.55. The red fox average ran $17.82 - I got $22.91. You can bet that this summer I'll be studying on how to put up my furs the best that I can - it really puts more dollars in your pocket as well as showing of your pride in what you are doing.
Thanks,
Trapper Jack
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Joined: Nov 2003
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2003
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What is the reasoning behind rolling them in Borax??
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Joined: Jul 2007
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New Member
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New Member
Joined: Jul 2007
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Borax is a bacteria inhibitor and also with the Borax on the leather side of the hide, you don't have to put the hide on the streacher wrong side out and then turn after it has dried. You can put it on the streacher wet and it wont stick to the streacher. After the pelt has dried you can also rub Borax into the hair side and it will absorb a lot of any grease and dirt that may be left and brighten them up some. It will shake right out and if you finish them off with compressed air it really makes them look fluffy. ![[Linked Image]](http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg24/Trapper-Jack/2009-10/YearEnd022.jpg) I got $1149.95 at the auction for the fur pictured here.
Thanks,
Trapper Jack
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 7,187
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2006
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I have thinking about going after coyotes. Is there easily aquired info such as books that show how to properly skin and take care of the hide. I may have to save the info Jack Kelly has written too.
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Joined: Apr 2006
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2006
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Joined: Mar 2008
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2008
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They really look nice, Jack. We used to put borax on partridge skins we sold to fly tiers. That's what they wanted.
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,335
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2008
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The Idaho Trappers Association just had an auction this last weekend. Here are the tentative results. All of these were put up furs.
Species offered sold avg % sold
Beaver 193 193 15.52 100
Bobcat 138 131 307.01 95
Bobcat (tanned) 1 1 180.01 100
Mink 160 160 10.64 100
Muskrat 2291 2257 6.74 98.5
Coyote 299 297 26.17 99
Red Fox 121 121 17.82 100
Cross Fox 4 4 29.02 100
Raccoon 117 117 10.4 100
Marten 8 8 29.31 100
Badger 32 12 17.02 38
Otter 8 8 67.04 100
Skunk 26 26 7.43 100
Castor 38.21 38.21 41.05 100
PGH 18.4 18.4 17.39 100
Now that being said, what you get for your furs depends on what part of the country you are from AND how much you put into them. Catching and skinning are only part of the equasion. I mostly put up coyotes and fox and I spent a lot of time on them this year. After skinning I fleshed them if needed, washed them in cold water and dish soap, turned them wrong side out and rolled the hide in Borax, streched them right side out, blew the excess water out of the fur with compressed air and then brushed the fur backwards (toward the head) for it to completely dry. You can see that the average price for coyotes ran $26.71 - I got $38.55. The red fox average ran $17.82 - I got $22.91. You can bet that this summer I'll be studying on how to put up my furs the best that I can - it really puts more dollars in your pocket as well as showing of your pride in what you are doing. I missed this thread, but your right Jack, how the fur is put up weighs heavily on the price paid...I actually wash mine in an old washer i keep in the barn! I dont use borax, but a buddy of mine does. Another trick I use is pinning the ears forward, I use thread and needle to poke a hole in the tip of the ear, then string it forward and secure it with a thumbtack. For whatever reason the buyers like it, I think it just shows you take pride and care what your doing. Another problem you may not have cuz you use borax, that is caused by washing them ( is see you do that as well) is that the cropped leg area can slip easily, cuz thats where the water drains and stays wet the longest...I've found that placing a couple of straws in the leg hole prevents slipping, by allowing more air thru.
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,222 |
Would this process work on backskins from deer as I'd like to keep a couple from my Axis deer hunts? Thanks in advance!  Borax is a bacteria inhibitor and also with the Borax on the leather side of the hide, you don't have to put the hide on the streacher wrong side out and then turn after it has dried. You can put it on the streacher wet and it wont stick to the streacher. After the pelt has dried you can also rub Borax into the hair side and it will absorb a lot of any grease and dirt that may be left and brighten them up some. It will shake right out and if you finish them off with compressed air it really makes them look fluffy. I got $1149.95 at the auction for the fur pictured here.
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Joined: Mar 2008
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2008
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Not Jack...But I think you will want them tanned.The pix/process described above is just stretching and drying raw fur for the market...They will have a paper feel to them, not leather.
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Joined: Nov 2003
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2003
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And you will have insect problems with them if they are not tanned.
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,222 |
I appreciate the advice... ... it's just that I don't have a tannery here in the islands and was considering doing them myself to save a few dollars.... So these furs in essence are not a FINISHED product so to speak? Thanks!
Last edited by LateBloomer; 10/07/10.
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 4,579
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2003
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No not a finished product - Check out EZ 100 tanning products, if you can get the hide properly fleshed and salt dried you will get a nice finished product with it.
Last edited by ranger1; 10/07/10. Reason: spelling
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,222
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,222 |
No not a finished product - Check out EZ 100 tanning products, if you can get the hide properly fleshed and salt dried you will get a nice finished prodect with it. Thank you brother 
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,058
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Boy, prices sure have retreated from the many years ago when I was doing a lot of trapping.
I don't remember the exact year, but I do remember getting $75 apiece for some nice winter red fox caught in Minnesota, and $40 apiece for spring caught blanket beaver.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,964 Likes: 10
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,964 Likes: 10 |
As borax dries it forms very tiny crystals. To a toothy bug it's akin to eating glass and does not help at all with digestion processes. I have some boraxed guinea fowl hides for fly tying that have simply been in an open grocery bag for near 30 years in a closet. Absolutley untouched by the bugs. Alum is also a good product that will yield the same results.
Last edited by 1minute; 11/04/10.
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