No Profanity *** No Flaming *** No Advertising *** No Anti Trappers ***NO POLITICS
No Non-Target Catches *** No Links to Anti-trapping Sites *** No Avoiding Profanity Filter


Home~Trap Talk~ADC Forum~Trap Shed~Wilderness Trapping~International Trappers~Fur Handling

Auction Forum~Trapper Tips~Links~Gallery~Basic Sets~Convention Calendar~Chat~ Trap Collecting Forum

Trapper's Humor~Strictly Trapping~Fur Buyers Directory~Mugshots~Fur Sale Directory~Wildcrafting~The Pen and Quill

Trapper's Tales~Words From The Past~Legends~Archives~Kids Forum~Lure Formulators Forum~ Fermenter's Forum


~~~ Dobbins' Products Catalog ~~~


Minnesota Trapline Products
Please support our sponsor for the Trappers Talk Page - Minnesota Trapline Products


Print Thread
Hop To
Page 5 of 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427332
12/10/21 11:15 AM
12/10/21 11:15 AM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
W
waggler Offline
trapper
waggler  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
In the very near future, if not already now, trappers will not have the option to sell in the round. With the near extinction of country fur buyers, the only way trappers will be able to sell their furs is through the auction houses.


"My life is better than your vacation"
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: waggler] #7427344
12/10/21 11:35 AM
12/10/21 11:35 AM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,452
MN
W
walleye101 Offline
trapper
walleye101  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,452
MN
Originally Posted by waggler
In the very near future, if not already now, trappers will not have the option to sell in the round. With the near extinction of country fur buyers, the only way trappers will be able to sell their furs is through the auction houses.


More likely the opposite may happen if FHA cannot hang on through this drought. Then we may be left with one major buyer totally controlling prices.

Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: walleye101] #7427354
12/10/21 11:49 AM
12/10/21 11:49 AM
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 17,458
Wheaton Ks
L
lee steinmeyer Offline
trapper
lee steinmeyer  Offline
trapper
L

Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 17,458
Wheaton Ks
Originally Posted by walleye101
Originally Posted by waggler
In the very near future, if not already now, trappers will not have the option to sell in the round. With the near extinction of country fur buyers, the only way trappers will be able to sell their furs is through the auction houses.


More likely the opposite may happen if FHA cannot hang on through this drought. Then we may be left with one major buyer totally controlling prices.

That is what already happened with the coyote market. A chinaman was the money man for all the buyers actively pursuing coyotes, now he killed the market because he doesn't want anything but the best of the best. That is what happens with selling to the chinese, get you to selling to them, pay your prices for a few years, then start telling you what they will pay....and no more. Then what they will buy.


YOU CAN IGNORE REALITY, BUT YOU CANNOT IGNORE THE CONSEQUENCES OF IGNORING REALITY.

http://www.lptraplinesupply.com
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427360
12/10/21 12:01 PM
12/10/21 12:01 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,088
Cheyenne Wyoming
C
Castormound Offline
trapper
Castormound  Offline
trapper
C

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,088
Cheyenne Wyoming
Space, cracass removal, time, smelly garage/shed, ect. I never put up fur until I started trapping in Wyoming. In iowa (back then), there were numerous fur buyer in the area and we always had a place to take them. Out here, it was hours to the closest buyer and we also deal with warm spells from the southwest chinooks. Now, I can't even fathom not putting up my own stuff, it's just the last step of the process.


Antelope, the original fast food!!
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427367
12/10/21 12:21 PM
12/10/21 12:21 PM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 478
Wyoming
wytex Offline
trapper
wytex  Offline
trapper

Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 478
Wyoming
Castormound are you looking for any beaver trapping areas? I know of some need here in SE Wyoming.
We have quite a few buyers come through Laramie and they all prefer put up fur and pay well for it when done right. Our buyer told me how much difference in price for green and put up and it was a no brainer after that. I also enjoy part of the work, spouse does the fleshing though.
I find it satisfying to have buyers tell you your put up is first rate.

Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: jbyrd63] #7427368
12/10/21 12:21 PM
12/10/21 12:21 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,135
Armpit, ak
D
Dirt Offline
trapper
Dirt  Offline
trapper
D

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,135
Armpit, ak
Originally Posted by jbyrd63
One reason could be the trappers hands won't allow it. arthritis can stop one from being able to skinn and flesh but not inhibit the ability to still set traps. Pulling the tail out of 3-4 coon in one morning is all I could manage without severe pain. But with our coon worthless it's even more reason not to trap them let alone process.


This is close to the reason I will be quitting soon. Throw in reading glasses, allergies to some pelts now. Getting old sucks!


Who is John Galt?
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427369
12/10/21 12:23 PM
12/10/21 12:23 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
I never understood the idea that you can trap more if you dont put up fur,unless you are hindered by restrictive trap check laws or dont use lethal sets or trap in warm weather.
Traps are out working 24/7 when you are in the furshed or at the hotel.Gang setting means you always have traps working when others hold fur.

When I was younger I ran 3 longlines and two shorter lines every week,I always took a day to skin and put up some fur,.The rest was done after trapping wound down when landfur season closed and before the spring under ice beaver run,and there was plenty to put up.I also worked full time back then.

Last edited by Boco; 12/10/21 12:26 PM.

Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Boco] #7427375
12/10/21 12:37 PM
12/10/21 12:37 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 17,550
Rodney,Ohio
SNIPERBBB Online happy
trapper
SNIPERBBB  Online Happy
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 17,550
Rodney,Ohio
Originally Posted by Boco
I never understood the idea that you can trap more if you dont put up fur,unless you are hindered by restrictive trap check laws or dont use lethal sets or trap in warm weather.
Traps are out working 24/7 when you are in the furshed or at the hotel.Gang setting means you always have traps working when others hold fur.

When I was younger I ran 3 longlines and two shorter lines every week,I always took a day to skin and put up some fur,.The rest was done after trapping wound down when landfur season closed and before the spring under ice beaver run,and there was plenty to put up.I also worked full time back then.

The idea is you can run a longer line. Drop off the catch to a buyer or freezer end of the day, sleep a few hours and do it again tomorrow.

Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Boco] #7427380
12/10/21 12:46 PM
12/10/21 12:46 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,135
Armpit, ak
D
Dirt Offline
trapper
Dirt  Offline
trapper
D

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,135
Armpit, ak
Originally Posted by Boco
I never understood the idea that you can trap more if you dont put up fur,unless you are hindered by restrictive trap check laws or dont use lethal sets or trap in warm weather.
Traps are out working 24/7 when you are in the furshed or at the hotel.Gang setting means you always have traps working when others hold fur.

When I was younger I ran 3 longlines and two shorter lines every week,I always took a day to skin and put up some fur,.The rest was done after trapping wound down when landfur season closed and before the spring under ice beaver run,and there was plenty to put up.I also worked full time back then.


Yes there are 24 hour check laws .I'll try to explain how it used to go for me. Coon and rat trapping was done in a time window. Once things froze up it was over. You had to keep pulling and resetting new locations to keep catch rates up. If you had the freezer space, which is a lot of freezer space for frozen coon, I suppose one could put up the fur after the window, if it was worth it. I think many trappers skinned coon just to keep the freezer space open. Back in those days the buyers actually preferred ( I believe ) to put up the catch. It could be done more uniform and relatively cheap compared to the value of those pelts. The pay difference between put up and in the round was not much. There was no real incentive to put up fur.

Last edited by Dirt; 12/10/21 12:47 PM.

Who is John Galt?
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427382
12/10/21 12:48 PM
12/10/21 12:48 PM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 725
western Oklahoma
D
Davisfur Offline
trapper
Davisfur  Offline
trapper
D

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 725
western Oklahoma
In my area as a buyer if I didn't buy on the carcass I would not get anything bought. The main excuse I hear is "I'm not skinning that stinking thing it was all I wanted to carry it to the pickup". My family has bought fur for many years and in the 70s we bought a lot of put up fur but in the 20+ years I've been involved in the business I can count the number of put up and skinned hides I've bought on my hands and won't need all my fingers to do it and most of that fur looked like it was skinned with a chainsaw. Most of it was guys who thought they wanted to skin or put up thier own fur until they tried one and after that they decided it was more fun killing than skinning. The majority of people I buy from will put what they kill in the ditch or on the fence before they put a knife to it regardless of price because "its nasty". Most of the same people would do the same thing with deer if they had to butcher it themselves instead of letting a locker do it.

Last edited by Davisfur; 12/10/21 12:57 PM.
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427428
12/10/21 01:56 PM
12/10/21 01:56 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
W
waggler Offline
trapper
waggler  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
I'm sure the antis would love to take credit for poor fur prices, but I think they have very little to do with this situation of poor demand.

People's tastes are changing in many regards. For example; up until about 1997 the Japanese would pay very high prices for certain high quality Douglas fir, western hemlock, and Alaska yellow cedar logs. They wanted large diameter, clear, old-growth (high ring count) logs. Just as an example, a 30 Inch diameter, high ring count (#1 Peeler) Doug fir log was bring $3200 per thousand board feet. That same log today is nearly unmarketable. The Japanese no longer have the desire or taste for high quality lumber, they have moved away from traditional, esthetic construction, and have adopted western style tastes.

If a person has some high quality logs they now want to market, they have to find niche markets such a wooden boat builders, or timber frame home builders. Then they need to arrange for a custom sawmill to manufacture the lumber.

This is very similar to what I see happening in the fur industry. The fur industry is not as dead as the high-end softwood lumber market, but it might be on it's way there.


"My life is better than your vacation"
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427466
12/10/21 02:35 PM
12/10/21 02:35 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,005
Oregon
beaverpeeler Offline
trapper
beaverpeeler  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,005
Oregon
Good posts Waggler.

I got my start selling nutria in the round, but when I moved off to college there weren't any local fur buyers so I had to learn to put up all my own stuff....(much to the chagrin of my fraternity brothers)! I hated catching beaver in those days( in my nutria sets) because it took me so long to process them. As time went on and I needed my trapping income to keep me afloat in the winter months when I wasn't farming. I started catching a lot of beaver and little by little got efficient at putting them up. At some point my bigger than average lots of beaver started getting noticed at the OTC sales in our state and I was asked to give some skinning and put up demos.

The 1975 me never would have guessed that 15-20 years later I would be giving beaver skinning demos! I would have said NO way, impossible.

But trust me, if I could get there, surely anybody can.


My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427478
12/10/21 02:42 PM
12/10/21 02:42 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
Spot on BP-once you start skinning large amounts of fur on a regular basis you get good and fast.
Even if I take a couple months off with not skinning beaver,it takes about 4 or 5 to get back in the groove.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: waggler] #7427488
12/10/21 02:56 PM
12/10/21 02:56 PM
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 10,473
Iowa
T
trapdog1 Online content
trapper
trapdog1  Online Content
trapper
T

Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 10,473
Iowa
Originally Posted by waggler
I'm sure the antis would love to take credit for poor fur prices, but I think they have very little to do with this situation of poor demand.

People's tastes are changing in many regards. For example; up until about 1997 the Japanese would pay very high prices for certain high quality Douglas fir, western hemlock, and Alaska yellow cedar logs. They wanted large diameter, clear, old-growth (high ring count) logs. Just as an example, a 30 Inch diameter, high ring count (#1 Peeler) Doug fir log was bring $3200 per thousand board feet. That same log today is nearly unmarketable. The Japanese no longer have the desire or taste for high quality lumber, they have moved away from traditional, esthetic construction, and have adopted western style tastes.

If a person has some high quality logs they now want to market, they have to find niche markets such a wooden boat builders, or timber frame home builders. Then they need to arrange for a custom sawmill to manufacture the lumber.

This is very similar to what I see happening in the fur industry. The fur industry is not as dead as the high-end softwood lumber market, but it might be on it's way there.

And it can also recover and take off again. Something as simple as a new fashion trend can breathe new life into the industry. It's happened many times before and probably will again.

Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427499
12/10/21 03:08 PM
12/10/21 03:08 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,135
Armpit, ak
D
Dirt Offline
trapper
Dirt  Offline
trapper
D

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,135
Armpit, ak
I'm sure the anti's have had no affect on the European or North American market. What are you guy's smokin? crazy


Who is John Galt?
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427503
12/10/21 03:12 PM
12/10/21 03:12 PM
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,324
AK
F
FairbanksLS Offline
trapper
FairbanksLS  Offline
trapper
F

Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,324
AK
Corn silk


formerly posting as white dog
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427517
12/10/21 03:28 PM
12/10/21 03:28 PM
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 218
South Dakota
M
M.S. Pickins Offline
trapper
M.S. Pickins  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 218
South Dakota
Originally Posted by Larry Bowden
I am curious as to why some trappers, game callers and hound hunters don't learn to finish their furs?
Our local fur buyer is overwhelmed with critters brought in to his shop in carcass form. Help is hard enough to find for other jobs but try hiring skinners and fur finishers!
I enjoy finishing fur and take pride in doing a good job. I consider it as finishing the last step in the harvesting process.
Well handled fur brings a better return as the buyers can judge the finished product better.

What is he paying? Im in the area.

Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427541
12/10/21 04:01 PM
12/10/21 04:01 PM
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 7,217
W NY
Turtledale Offline
trapper
Turtledale  Offline
trapper

Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 7,217
W NY
When I was 11 or 12 me and my buddy took our fur in the round to a buyer. After that I taught myself to skin flesh and put up all my fur. Never thought about someone else fleshing or skinning my catch. Many long nights have been spent putting up fur. Even when I was young burning the candle at both ends I wouldn't trade those times for all the tea in China. For the last couple decades I've skinned and frozen my fur then thawed and put up fur in the deep of winter at my own leisure. A few pelts a day. That way my beat up body doesn't have to push itself. Hopefully I will continue to put up my fur, it's very enjoyable to me.


NYSTA, NTA, FTA, life member Erie county trappers assn.,life member Catt.county trappers
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Dirt] #7427653
12/10/21 06:21 PM
12/10/21 06:21 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
W
waggler Offline
trapper
waggler  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
Originally Posted by Dirt
I'm sure the anti's have had no affect on the European or North American market. What are you guy's smokin? crazy

I agree to a point, but that happened years ago and has been cooked into the market for quite a while.


"My life is better than your vacation"
Re: Why people don't learn to finish fur? [Re: Larry Bowden] #7427676
12/10/21 06:37 PM
12/10/21 06:37 PM
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,324
AK
F
FairbanksLS Offline
trapper
FairbanksLS  Offline
trapper
F

Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,324
AK

When I started trapping putting up fur was an important part of trapping. It's part of what trappers have historically done. I enjoy seeing well handled fur. I enjoy it more when it's fur I have caught that I am looking at. I get as much out of a fur handling demo as I do most how to catch'em demos.


formerly posting as white dog
Page 5 of 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread