Hello! I am a brand new trapper trying to learn the ropes. I caught these two raccoons and saw distinct color differences. In person, the one on the right is very dark compared to any other raccoon I've caught/seen. Also much bigger (17lbs) than the one on the left. Is this color variation normal? Will it effect value? I've looked around for similar posts, but wanted more information. I am very new, so any ideas and help will be much appreciated.

size will make a price different , color will too ,also how well they are skinned an put up will affect price , do the best job you can

Color variation in Raccoon is very common. Blonde, cinnamon, Amber, almost pure black. Genetics.

I wouldn't call it a fisher coon and I'd say the color variation is pretty normal

Those both look good to my inexperienced eye. Some of our coons here are so yellow they look like a mini school bus.

GFW video on coon grading
https://youtu.be/w1UrDGhXLeY

Some color variation is normal. Nice looking coons - keep after them!

Nice looking coons! You are well on your way to paying for a gallon of gas. But then if money was the only reason we trap, we would have quit long ago.
Keep up the good work.

5 different colored coons, all within 15 miles of each other, 4 from last year, 1 from today.

It used to be that lighter, "silvery" flanks was highly desired along with size and fur density. The 2nd one has little frost on it but still a lighter colored but not a "blonde" coon.




This one more of an overall brown color with black guard hair



A more typical color, boars often have a lighter color across their shoulders.


This one was my largest (length wise 5x) coon from last year. I don't think the camera captures it well but it had a redder tint to it. I thought I would get dinged for a 5 for color but actually went 3-4. It went $26 at NAFA's first auction of 2019.




And then this morning, my friend from work said he had just picked up a fresh big road kill and asked if I wanted it. I said sure but almost actually groaned when he opened the trunk, the infamous "school bus", not too common around here but they do show up. Its a tubby but its probably going to go into my home tanning pile to sell as a wall hanger to someone who doesn't care what a coon's color is, just wants a larger skin for a decoration.

From the picture that school bus looks full body,I generally see it through the shoulders.

Yep they come in all shapes and colors around here. Dark, silver, gray, brown, gold, etc.

Thank you everyone for your comments! I appreciate it. I didn't know they'd range so distinctly in their pelt colors. That brown/black one in the third photo sure is pretty @NonPCfed. I'll have to pay more attention when deciding what to sell.

Some WI coon from a single 40 with varying colors
Dave

Nice haul off a single 40 acre piece Dave. Always interesting to see the color variances.

So the blackish one is what you guys WI and east call a "fisher coon" correct? I've never seen one around here, just like I've never seen a cross-fox in my part of SD. Perhaps some of these color variations have regional extents...?

i would call it a fisher,i got one just like that on my wall,very pretty

It'd be interesting to see if its a regional thing. Dave got a cool variety just off of one area, makes me wonder about the role of genetics on different sized properties when it comes to these kinds of things...

When I was buying coon in the midwest (north half Illinois, and Iowa primarily) I could always tell when a particular country dealer I bought from had just bought a bunch of coon in Indiana. He would try to pass them off as local coon. As I recall the Indiana coon had a much larger percentage (majority) of "school buses". In general the Illinois had much better color.

Hard to see, but the first guy has some red around his neck. Other guy was grey grey grey... old boy no doubt

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Nice haul off a single 40 acre piece Dave. Always interesting to see the color variances. [/quote]

Thanks Cameron. The spot had produced some darker coon in the past but this black one tops them all. On one corner of the 40 is a 4-6 acre marsh grass / cattail area and easy pickings with 160’s on the trails coming out to corn.

That picture was Thanksgiving day, didn’t catch anything the next two days so pulled and moved on.

Dave