How common are they? Are they worth more?

I have old game commission reports from the 40's stating that the Oregon black beaver (Castor canadensis idoneus) was worth 20-30% more on the fur market. These days it would be the specialty craft market that would likely pay better for black beavers.

XD beaver pelts are 1% of the total North American harvest. DK-21,Ordinary(brown)71%,Pale-7%
XD are worth more on the fur market.

When I trapped N Wisc I consistently had 10% all out of the same drainage running into L Superior. 40+ years ago : ) Used to get $1 more for them

1-2% of our catch here. But many especially spring caught are pretty beat up. Seems like the fur breaks down quicker in the spring than a regular brown beaver.

Costs $20-25 to get a brown one tanned black, and I think the natural black ones are much better looking.

Randy, this one of the nicest examples of ones I have caught. We get a few here in MN more in certain areas.

About the same percentage here.
And I agree, they do start going downhill faster come spring than our brown/pale beaver.

Steven 49r , that is really cool

They make really pretty trooper style hat.

Mac

Ive caught 1 that I remember. out of around 100. NE iowa. Its been tanned and hooped by Muskrat :-)

I've caught 9 in 37 years Trapping beaver.
6 in Wisconsin 3 in MN.

*** Only got more money from selling them to Taxidermist not the Fur buyers

Thanks for all the replys. Nice looking beaver Steven.

Caught 4 this week.

I find the black beaver are more scarred up than normal beaver.
Must be tough living in the beaver "Hood" and being discriminated against all their lives.

Well when you have 5 other black beavers beating you up to make you comply, that'll break down the fur.....

Caught a few around Boulder Junction , Wis. Im sure there are more there !

I'm not sure how many beaver I have caught in Oregon, but it's close to 2000. I have never caught a black one. A friend had a damage control job in a remote area of W. Oregon, and caught all the beaver in a colony, five or six, and everyone was black. I believe those are the only one's he ever caught too.

Actual black beaver are all black,no brown on the cheeks.
Lots of DK beaver look black but have a little brown on the cheeks.

I got a couple all blacks

That one on the right is definitely a black.

Paul, those black beaver were mostly found in tidewater on the lower Columbia according to the game commission reports. About 90 were live caught and transplanted to other coastal locations in the early 40's.
(I've caught over 7000 beaver in Oregon and have yet to catch a black one....someday!)