1st few were blue.. I'm thinking a couple more weeks. What are you guys seeing ?

Usually coon 2 more week. Boar's may have white leather but females will be a while

iv caught a couple females the last few days that were nice and prime here. iv only got 2 sets out for fun till I start water trapping. I'm not a coon trapper by any means but I saw a video on fur grading and the grader said they're paying for the fur not the leather. so blue wasn't the biggest concern. what's an experienced coon trappers opinion on this?

Just because the leather Is still a bit blue doesn't mean the fur Isn't prime.

If a sow coon whelped early, they will be your best coon, and will be totally white skinned. If she whelped later in the year, and the young have her sucked down, she will be your worst....and not worth catching. The fur will look dull and lifeless, with a kinky look. Learn to cull these as you waste your time and effort dragging them home. Early like now, the 1,2, and 3X are the young of the year and will almost always have a bit of light blue caste to the flesh side, but still sell okay, known as a number II normally in the trade.

I've never seen a coon with any blue in the skin that will grade select. They sell well as a I-II or a II, but won't bring the "big bucks"! lol. The worst old blue sows, that the skin is black instead of really being blue, are a IV or a V, not worth processing, as I mentioned above.

My buyer this year is asking us to wait. Season opened today but he pleaded to wait to thanksgiving and dec 1st would be better. He is not interested in blue anything.
Jim

Any updates in the past week ?

I started November 6th and they're a little slatey, but not bad.

Thanks loosegoose. Sounds like they are getting close now for our neck of the woods.
I may start with a few sets this weekend. Got some spots with not much cover (flat picked bean fields with small weedy ditches through them) and shouldn't have issues with deer hunters on those locations this Saturday, its also opening day of rifle deer. These couple farms are good coyote producers but always give up a few jumbo coon too.
Guess I'd better get my skinning area ready this week.
Jim

10 Nov is my magic date for starting on coon. Some of the big whoppers prime up a little earlier, but only a few days.

Just started last few days and as mentioned above big ones just fine.

Strike that loosegoose, with groeny shutting down today all US routes now I will just do coyote trapping and will finish all of those out. And, maybe will run some fun little side line for weasel to see if there are any around.

In the current market having a $0 dollar coon instead of a $3 coon is not something I get too excited about.

Bryce

Bryce I agree. My coons are my gas money. I usually put up 100 or so. I need to trap a couple yards and 20 corn bags but I’m starting to loose my enthusiasm.

I started last night with 1 set. Just as a test. Coon was definitely nice. But I'm going to wait until after deer season slows down.

I grade them as JUNE-UARY

Loosegoose, this big old tail-less boar we got yesterday was about as prime as it could get. Very good shape when we peeled it.
I wasn't planning on bringing many coon home this season unless they were jumbo and fully prime. This was our first check, and I only put 7 traps out Saturday, all coyote sets only. Around here as you know, you can't trap coyotes without a few coon visitors to the sets. But the ones we do get way out away from traditional coon locations tend to be whoppers.
Hope your season is going well sir!
Jim

Seasons going well so far. I'm no coyote trapper, but I've always found that the coons I catch in/by water are smaller, and the big boys are almost always caught away from water.

That's a cool catch circle !!