Just wondering about a couple things. Can a person get Top Dog or Top Cat if that dog or Cat is not isolated in its own lot ? Or will the buyers single it out from a Lot of 10 or 20 ? Another question, can a person get the “Fur Handler Award” if he or she has their furs in little Lots of 2 or 3 instead of 1 Lot of 10 or 20 ? Thanks for any thoughts.

Which sale are you referring too?

Since lots are sold on the average or total price, no. If you have an absolute bomber cat/coyote the only way to know what it brought is to sell it as a single.

The cats will stand out regardless, in my experience, but like MT said, unless you lot it singly it's unlikely the buyer will buy 3 at the same price to get the top lot "honor".

Depending on the sale, the fur handling is given based on overall goods. Interestingly, the grease fur usually tips the scales as the superiorly handled stuff really shows. Not as easy to tell in the fur room. Folks will look at lot numbers and check to see what someone brought in deciding.

Top lot cat or top lot coyote is a single pelt offered by itself. Many trappers pull out their best pelts and offer them singly. Buyers pick out the very best single pelts and “blow their brains out”. To buy those pelts.

A top lot cat that brings $1,450.00 is NOT worth any way near that much. It is an ego trip for the buyer, plain and simply. That cat will go in that buyers collection of better pelts and be sold for what ever that lot sells for. If you were to single out that fourteen hundred dollar pelt, the buyer could easily lose $600.00 or more on that specific pelt.

Fur handling awards vary by association. Most usually require a certain number of pelts to be considered for a handling award. At OTC, it is a minimum of 3 pelts. To judge fur handling on only one pelt isn’t fair.

Thanks for the replies, that’s kind of what I thought. I just know with time constraints and all, most associations frown on or discourage the single lots or a bunch of small lots. No particular sale in mind, just curious if they’ve ever drug the Top Dog or Top Cat out of a multiple lot.

I recieved best handled coyote 2 years in a row a few years ago
I was not trying for that but realized that if you take your time on putting up your fur that the buyer's like to see well handled fur
It was a good learning experience for me and I take pride in putting up my fur and sometimes you get a little appreciation

I have won the Fallon, NV. "Fur Handler Award" for fox, coyote, and bobcat with as many as 30 in a lot all the way down to 1 in a lot.

Fallons fur manager picks out 5 individuals with years of experience in trapping/fur handling to pick out 5 lots per species. Then the the individuals compare lot numbers. Lot number with the most votes wins, in the event of a tie the individuals re-evaluate the lots to pick a winner.

Each sale has different criteria for fur handling awards. Fallon, NV takes the award pretty seriously and TRAPPERKRIS has his fur room wallpapered with those awards. Top lots are tough to come by.

Well as long as the check clears you fur buyers feel free to do that more often