Re: Any difference?
[Re: KeithC]
#6922775
07/07/20 02:14 PM
07/07/20 02:14 PM
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Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 862 Ohio
Gone Trappin.
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 862
Ohio
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At my local buyer I got 2bucks a rat and 1something or 2something a rubbed coon... is that good? (I’m pretty new to trapping and don’t know the “good” prices for fur)
Last edited by Mason Mayer; 07/07/20 02:15 PM.
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: KeithC]
#6922781
07/07/20 02:19 PM
07/07/20 02:19 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,848 Wisconsin
The Beav
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,848
Wisconsin
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There are thousands of trappers who wished they sold to a local buyer rather than having sold to NAFA.
Keith I made a ton of money over the years selling to NAFA. I would have never made that kind of money with a local buyer. I'm sorry to see them gone. The fur market Is In the crapper no matter where you sell your furs.
The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gone Trappin.]
#6922798
07/07/20 02:29 PM
07/07/20 02:29 PM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,709 The great cage state Colorado
Monster Toms
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,709
The great cage state Colorado
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To put up/stretch your fur you'll need a beam and fleshing knife plus multiple small items (pins, hangers, etc) plus hanging room above and beyond stretchers. In this market, if you have the money it's a good time to learn how to do it. Few of each stretcher plus the small items as money permits through out the season.
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gone Trappin.]
#6922818
07/07/20 02:47 PM
07/07/20 02:47 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 21,716 Sandhills Nebraska
Gary Benson
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 21,716
Sandhills Nebraska
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Part of that decision depends on you. How old are you? Girlfriend? What do you do at the end of the day? Finishing fur requires time and dedication, and forcing yourself to do it even if you're tired and don't feel like it. There is pride in seeing your finished fur, but it doesn't necessarily make you more money.
Life ain't supposed to be easy.
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gone Trappin.]
#6922852
07/07/20 03:13 PM
07/07/20 03:13 PM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 776 MN, USA
star flakes
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 776
MN, USA
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You do not stipulate what you are catching. Almost 100% of the rats trapped are stretched on wire stretchers. Mink were wood, but they are worthless. I personally use wire for almost everything, but if you are really new to this, you have to mostly dry fur side out fur with the fur inside first, or it will stick to the boards or wire and it will be a disaster.
I have sold to both local and national buyers. With local you have to dicker a little to get what you think you want. I will also tell you that my first fox was sold to a local buyer in West Central Minnesota. He lied to me and told me it was a sammy fox (sammy have no hair and look like a cotton ball). I was just starting trapping and as a young kid that really ruined things of a great memory in that horrid cheat. Unless it is NAFA problems in Canada of selling out to fur farms to cheat you, you are not going to be cheated on fur like I was as a kid. The big fur houses grade closer and in more categories. If you do a bad job on furs, you are going to get graded. You might also find out that you dislike fleshing coons as I do, so you may just skin them, freeze them, let them thaw and then take them to a local buyer for a sale.
Sit down and decide how much work you want and what is work to you, as some people like fleshing. I like skinning a great deal as I enjoy the process. You are not going to get rich doing this, so focus on what you enjoy and tailor what you are doing to give you the best experiences.
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gone Trappin.]
#6922881
07/07/20 03:41 PM
07/07/20 03:41 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,194 Eau Claire Wi
Trap Setter
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,194
Eau Claire Wi
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Might find some used from tailgaters at a decent price.
Life sure is tough when you don't learn from the mistakes of others.
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gone Trappin.]
#6922883
07/07/20 03:41 PM
07/07/20 03:41 PM
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 6,696 Newark, Ohio 83 years
Actor
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 6,696
Newark, Ohio 83 years
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Mason... What county do you live, in Ohio?
Garry-
“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”
Have been trapping 77 years…
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gone Trappin.]
#6922904
07/07/20 03:58 PM
07/07/20 03:58 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,174 Rochester, MN
Teacher
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,174
Rochester, MN
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Start with muskrats. Skin every day. If you get rushed for time, freeze them whole. And plan to thaw and skin when you have the time.
If you can’t skin coon daily, waiting a day is gonna get stinky fast. Sell on the carcass daily if you can. If you can skin daily, then freeze the skins and sell green later on. The difference in price is going to hurt but until you learn to scrape without a lot of holes, it’s going to hurt anyway.
Carcass coon (dead but not skinned) typically go for 50-60% of finished coon. Skinned only coon go for about 75% of finished coon. Finished without holes are at 100%
Okay, a $10 finished (Skinned, scraped and dried) Minnesota big prime coon is going to be at $7.50 skinned only and between $5 and $6 on the carcass. But if you’re from Ohio, a big coon isn’t nearly as big as they are here, so your top price is going to be $8. Now knock off 25% and you’re at $6. And if you knocked off 50% you’d be at $4.
On muskrats, if you just skin and freeze, then thaw and sell, the price differential is something like 25 cents. If you’ve got 100 two-dollar ‘rats, and some significant draws on your time, this might be the way to start.
Go buy Gary Schumann’s Welcome to the Rat Race video. He’ll get you started on doing ‘rats.
But if you want to scrape and dry, our upcoming $5 coon season wouldn’t be a bad place to learn the art of scraping and drying because even if you screw it up, you won’t be loosing much.
There really isn’t a market for mink or red fox though they’re interesting to skin, fleshing is minimal, and drying isn’t hard. Coyotes and 40 pound PRIME beaver and otters and bobcats have value but they present a lot of work. For any of these, I’d make friends with a local trapper who puts up his own fur and have him show you how to skin, scrape and dry.
Last edited by Teacher; 07/07/20 04:08 PM. Reason: Additional information
Never too old to learn
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gary Benson]
#6922909
07/07/20 04:00 PM
07/07/20 04:00 PM
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 6,696 Newark, Ohio 83 years
Actor
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 6,696
Newark, Ohio 83 years
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I made my own fleshing beam out of a 2x6 and a wood rasp. I did too Gary. I went to the mill and ordered a 2" x 6" x 4', clear number 1 grade basswood board. It was easy to work with, no knots and straight tight grain. Garry-
Last edited by Actor; 07/07/20 11:30 PM.
“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”
Have been trapping 77 years…
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gone Trappin.]
#6922918
07/07/20 04:04 PM
07/07/20 04:04 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,607 Oakland, MS
yotetrapper30
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,607
Oakland, MS
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If you're young and don't have a lot of money, I'd start with buying traps and supplies. You can learn fur handling next year, or the year after... If you have a good local place to sell fur, you'd be further ahead, imo, to spend more time trapping than to spend the time on putting everything up.
~~Proud Ultra MAGA~~
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: yotetrapper30]
#6923020
07/07/20 05:32 PM
07/07/20 05:32 PM
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Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 862 Ohio
Gone Trappin.
OP
trapper
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OP
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Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 862
Ohio
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If you're young and don't have a lot of money, I'd start with buying traps and supplies. You can learn fur handling next year, or the year after... If you have a good local place to sell fur, you'd be further ahead, imo, to spend more time trapping than to spend the time on putting everything up. Yes I am kinda young and barely got enough traps to even consider my “trap line” to be a line, more of a hiking trail lol. And I think I’ll do your idea and just get gut handling stuff it is a really good deal. I’m not too bad with skinning and fleshing because I’ve skinned a lot of animals as I love hunting and I have fleshed a muskrat and squirrel here and there. My biggest worry would be putting holes in my hide because I think I can skin well. I just don’t know about fleshing
Last edited by Mason Mayer; 07/07/20 05:32 PM.
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Re: Any difference?
[Re: Gone Trappin.]
#6923029
07/07/20 05:42 PM
07/07/20 05:42 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,848 Wisconsin
The Beav
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,848
Wisconsin
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It seems to me if you spend more time trapping your going to catch more fur then your going to have to deal with more fur.
Start out with rats and coon. Make positive drowning sets then you can do 2 or 3 day checks. If your checking daily you will have to skin your rats that same day. But once they are skinned you can leave them lay around for a few days before boarding. Just turn them fur out and roll them up so they don't dry out. With coon you can leave them un skinned for several days as long as they are kept In cool shaded area. Then once you skin them you can leave those hides lay around for a few more days before boarding them. Just turn them fur out and roll them up so they don't dry out. Freezing whole carcasses takes more time to thaw but It doesn't matter the end results are the same. Take them out of the freezer let them thaw and that gives you more space for more critters In the freezer.
Last edited by The Beav; 07/07/20 05:44 PM.
The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
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