I have been reading about the price of castor going up because of the low beaver take this year . Yesterday I found out it is even crazier than I had heard . I have a local dealer a few miles north of me in Ellsworth that has always been one of the bigger beaver buyers in northern Ohio . I took my meager beaver catch to him and he ask me about the castor . I told him him I only had maybe a pound an was going to save it to make some lure . He ask me how many bottles of lure I could buy for $80 , because that was what he was paying for a pound well handled castor . I said he would be snowed under with caster at that price ,but he said he could use all he could get . I wish I had put in a little effort with the beaver this year now , but then I seem to find myself behind the curve quite a lot . Edit: I was contacted about my fur dealers phone number . It is 330-547-7022 . Hope this doesn't get me in trouble with the anti advertising police .

I am glad to hear that castor is going up.

Me Also!

good to hear.

Now I might just hit the beavers hard next month

is the price going up because they are using it to flavor whiskey?

Awesome. I think I have 6 pounds already and spring beaver trapping is right around the corner!

Ten good spring beaver should net you about a pound of finished castor.

I feel bad for the lure makers when this happens. Then lure prices must rise accordingly. My guess is there are a few lures out there that won't have as much castor in them as well.

Time to invest in some good scales, seems a little on the low side there Beav's. 10-1 more like 5-1 maybe our are stored up being under the ice another 3 months more.

You have to remember that your going to catch some beaver that are lacking #1 castors there are bound to be some shells.

Worth more than the hide. I heard one guy who dropped off fur at my place mention that one fur buyer was buying finished hides by the pound.

This is what you want them to look like. My first 39 castors dried out to 9.65 lbs.

There was a season back in the late 80's where I got $90/lb for castor. Be nice to see that again.

Very nice!

Nice looking castor! ^^^^^^^

Chris

If I have to pay that much for castor, I won't be able to wholesale my lures to dealers at current prices. The vast majority of my lure sales are done at wholesale. I won't decrease the amount of castor I use in my lures. I'll cease making it before I weaken them by cutting back on the amount of castor in formulation.

I just called the guy I like to sell castor to and he said $70/lbs. Same as last year. Not bad just wish the hide was worth more.

Paul, you may recall last time castor really went sky high. (Late 80's???) I got $90 that year but heard of prices over $100 but it was all a flash in the pan and next season I think it dropped back down under $50. Heard that they went to synthetics.

I think I shipped my castor to Dominion Soudack that season which ended up being their last.

Its one they haven't been able to synthesize yet!!! Good for us

My understanding is that they do have synthetic castor which has always helped keep a cap on what natural castor can get on the international market.

But on the other hand, trying to get factual information on the international castor market (that is so darn secretive) is nigh on next to impossible. I assume that at least part of that is to keep the do-gooders out of the equation.

What drives the castor market? I know that its used in other things than just lure. Seems like that is the driving force behind the market price rather than lure makers but I could be wrong I guess.

Low prices on beaver and short catches drive up castor prices.

VERY nice job on those castors Beaverpeeler!

Sure glad to hear nothing will change with Backbreaker. I caught two using it this morning. Wish we had more beaver.

Thanks sniperbbb. That would make sense.

Beaverpeeler I bet that room smells good with all that castor drying in their.

I sold for 85 a lb. That still doesn't make beavers a big money item. And beaver you're number seems high here its about 6.5 to 7 beaver a pound 10 would be very small unhealthy beaver

Poor management probably.
I don't weigh my castors when I sell them-I count them.I let the buyer weigh them.I avg just over $10 cdn per beaver for castor.For example,I sold 120 castors a while back and received $1250

Me, too. I haven't used it yet but I intend to use it on cats next season. You need to be able to depend on some things in life.

I’m assuming those are dried castors?? Have you ever sold them green? How much weight will lose
in the drying process? I’ve only sold a few fresh frozen and I got a lot less than you guys.

You don't lose all that much weight drying castors. I squeeze out most of the liquid (which I use as lure) and then just dry for about 4-6 days with forced air and about 75F for temp. Make sure to flip them so there are no wet spots. I typically lose only 14 to 15% of the wet weight.

So you drain the castor gland then offer poundage?

I read once that the synthetic castor they have breaks down after a few years and the perfume is thus changed . The big perfume brands of course do not like that to happen . Good ingredients make good product , be it lure for us or perfume for the ladies .

That's the best method for quicker drying times. But do not put in Mountain Dew pop bottles ! Or you will have a rude awaking with a big swiggggggggggggggg. That fluid has to dry, so use it as lure.

Poor beaver management?

You go to the problem area you try to kill every beaver In the area then move on. That's beaver management around here.
Then next year you go back and kill the new beaver that move In.

Every beaver I catch Is worth $50.00 before I ever set a trap. I see nothing wrong with this style of beaver management.

But I'll still use the 10 beaver to a LB of castor figure and I'll be pretty close 9 times out of 10.
It may be different with trapping beaver under the ice and In different parts of the country but spring run and summer caught beaver around here fit the 10 to 1 figure.
I'm not ever going to trap beaver through the Ice It's just not practical and not worth my time.. LOL

That's too cheap for nuisance beav.I get 75 and even that is too cheap for summer trapping,but then there is the castor.
In a place with lots of roads everywhere I suppose extensive nuisance beaver removal will have a positive effect in maintaining healthy robust beaver populations even if it is reactive instead of proactive.However,good beaver management in season along with nuisance trapping out of season will actually knock back the beaver over time in localized areas on problem drainages.Strictly nuisance trapping alone wont do that long term.You are just clearing good real estate for the unmanaged populations to re-populate.(which will help keep the population at a maximum).
The best way to minimize nuisance beaver problems would be for the price of beaver pelts to avg in the $60-$70 dollar range on the fur market.

I forgot to mention I get $100.00 up front just to set up each job. I don't do any summer work I'm In Alaska living the dream. So most of my work Is done after break up so I'm harvesting decent hides decent castor and I have a market for the tails.

It took me 12 years to knock down the beaver population In the area I trapped In SC. But I was only there during Jan and Feb. Beaver management at It's best. LOL

I used to try to keep that liquid in there as I had been told that the end user wanted it that way. I have since been told otherwise, so I just squeeze it out so that it doesn't end up leaking out when shipped.

But, if I wasn't shipping and taking it in person to an association sale I would likely allow that liquid to remain in the castor pouches so that I get more weight.

My local buyer wants the liquid in it

You're a bit cheap Beav. When I'm not wrapped up with timber company work, I charge $250 setup fee and $100 per beaver with no guarantee against reinfestation. It's all in what the market in an area will bear.

Them Wisconsin folks are too cheap to pay them prices Paul. Beav don't charge enough for strawberries either I'll wager.

But like Paul said It's what the market will bare. We don't work for any million dollar timber companies. These are mostly townships and private land owners. Bigger money just Isn't there.

Beav when you consider that 10 acres of flooded timber worth ? 50 cord/ acre X 100$ cord with a replacement of 50 years down the line for the trees to regrow.

Sit at home and just collect your pension you are ahead with the prices you charge. Do you have insurance that cost 1000$ a year to cover off. What if one of those jobs goes south and say a beaver control structure breaks and floods out several roads down stream , that you are libel for.

Doesn't take 50 years to grow a tree down here, they get cut about every 15 years. All are shredded to make chip board and plywood so it doesn't matter the size of them, rest head to the paper mill so you yankee's will have something to wipe your rear end with, haha.

The provider in s niche market creates that market. I would rise prices and pressure the market till work quits coming. How long you wanna work Beav?

I'm going to hit 80 In May I'm pretty particular In what jobs I take and how many.
The Parks department wanted me to go In and do a beaver job the other day. I said there's 3' of snow on the ground and everything Is Iced over. So I told them the beaver will still be there In April. And that's how I left It.

How do you southerners wipe your arses J-Trap,just drag along the ground?

From pictures I've seen from the south the little ones just wear a t-shirt and nothing else. Maybe no need for paper?

It also helps with butt itch. During the summer, we have plenty of leaves. Winter time, pines needles work if your in a hurry. Sarge

Congrats, that works out to $19.79 per beaver just for the castor !!

I get 75.00 set up...and 75.00 per head.....might have to increase my price.....

just sittin back lettin them pile up here.soon i'll get my adc permit and find out just how big a problem these landowners really think they are.

How much does a ton of castor fetch pcr?

just enough.

Very few in my area would pay to get beaver removed . Everyone seems to have a backhoe and a shotgun . Most of the beaver around here are in small streams living in bank dens , and you can drive a tractor right up to the them . If they call the warden they are told to just shoot them . I get to trap the ones that manage to get out of reach .