Lol… wait until you sell your rats- this is the big money talk right here

Not for long hopefully. Nobody should board and put up fur how "industry" says to do it for how low of prices they are paying.

Hmph

When I measure my coon, I use the old NAFA measurement standards. So, my idea of a 3x may be different than Groeny.

That said, I had a request for coon meat for a fundraiser that needed to be filled by the first weekend in November, so I started as soon as the season opened. So, yes, there were blue coon in the mix.

Also, I am outside of the "golden triangle" for coon. Good color coon really don't exist where I am trapping. Add all these factors together, and it might explain the discrepancy.

For you western guys, our coyotes are junk in general. Coarse fur and usually poor colors, off-colored bellies.

And the mink wasn't blue. It was a roadkill, so at least I could salvage something.

Just trying to give everyone all the info I have. I'm glad that someone is buying/moving fur. It could be sitting in a warehouse for years with no end in sight. At least I got paid.

Good point- not sure what standard Groeny buys at
The sizes I listed are the NAFA specification also- width fluctuates with section
Canadian= 8"-8-1/2" @ 30"
Western, Northern & North Central US= 7-1/2"-8" @30"
Eastern Us & Semi-Heavy Section= 7"-7-1/2" @30"

Not that a 1/2" on width makes a difference in this market

What do you suggest?

No way, Jose'

30 pounds like this one.

You got a wolf or a "more wolf hybrid" in the middle there.

I recommend every trapper putting up fur what's easiest, fastest and most convenient for them. If flat boarding a coon is where it's at for you, that's what a trapper should do, if case skinning a coon is where it's at, he should do it. If not fleshing coons and keeping em green and frozen is the way, then go for it. If we want to band together once and for all and actually get paid the right way, then we all need to create a standard that trappers decide, tell the fur buyers the minimums for fur and that's how we will put fur up from that point forward. I don't know all the trappers, but I do know that each and every one of their time for skinning and fleshing a marvelous raccoon is worth way more than $1 or even $3. It's not about just getting paid, there are plenty of people buying fur, we don't need to scalp ourselves because we think "this is what the market will bear". The market will bear the price we tell them as a minimum as long as we are being reasonable, I just don't know how else to say to stop being willing slaves, because that's literally what's happening.

The reason there is an industry standard for putting up the raw fur resource is so the pelts can be graded,sized and evaluated, so the end user knows he is getting consistent grades and sizes of product in an intersorted lot.
Pelts have to be intersorted and put up in lots somewhere along the line no matter who you sell to if the final destination is the international raw fur market,so there has to be an industry standard for put up,otherwise evaluating the resource would be a guessing game,and you can bet the graders/buyers will err on the side of caution if there is any question where a pelt belongs.And that will cost the producer.

A 7 1/2” board at 30” gives you a 8” wide pelt after stretch/dry.

Yes! They have to have a standard. Can you imagine how long it would take to check all that fur. If it wouldn’t be.

Do you think the market will become favorable again? I don't. Not in the short to midterm timeframe anyway.

Thats exactly my point. They the end users want things dress right dress in the way they want it, they want it easiest for them. I have no problems with that as long as they are willing to pay, but as of now we got people selling fur for slave labor rates. Also I always hear they only use this part or that part of the fur. We the trappers need to know what parts they use and what parts they dont use, so these guys can save their time on the skinning and fleshing times. Just stuff like that is what we as a community are missing in my opinion.

There you go again with the "we". How is it that a newbie has all this wonderful insight but doesn't answer on other threads?

I had a fur buyer this summer tell me not to waist my time fleshing and drying. That they would be able to do it faster than the average trapper and their wasn't that much more money in it for the trapper. So he said, do what you do best, trap quality animals, and leave the finish to us!

Cool. I like that thought process.

There is a atremendous amount of subjectivity involved in pricing fur. By putting fur up on standard size boards one of the many aspects of subjectivity is eliminated or minimized. The grading changes as the market moves and right now in a horribly diminished market the grading as to size, grade, color, clarity, damage etc. is extremely rigid.
There is no upward movement in fur when prices are posted.They are always for the very best, biggest, primest etc. and everything beyond that is a down grade or discount. Posting high prices in a tight market like this never costs a buyer much as the vast majority of fur never comes close to those prices. Even though rats are low the $3 top and the $1.40 average is not really that wide of a spread. $17 for a top put up coon with $4.50 averages is a very wide spread. We can tell there is an extremely limited market as now they don't even want us to bring any small, early or damaged stuff to them. In the past they would ask if you wanted them back. If not they would take them.

Bryce

Why would you bother to even sell carcass coons right now? Your just making things worse by selling. Groney is running a route with a truck. I hate to even guess his expenses to do that. Yet he is still making money. So the value of your fur is lots higher.

Don't let somebody else make money on your fur if your not making any.

Why in the world are you willing to spend money so someone else can show a profit on your investment and hard work while you lose money?

Just send me that money and I will send you pictures to enjoy. No need to get wet cold muddy and greasy.

By all means trap if your a mind too. go have fun. JUST DONT SELL