That should increase the competition at auction for the fuller pelts.Might see guys get back into the high production under ice March beaver runs here in the north again.

Only if the hatter market holds up. Admit it...market don't have a big enough demand for your northern beavers either. When the felt market tanks those dark heavy northerns will bottom out again too. At least my castor will go up.

Not a soul on this site, or anyone else for that matter, is not annoyed at getting less for what we pay for, and we all want good value. Folks making Fedora's, Resistol's, Stetson's, or any other beaver felt product surely feel the same. Take it from there. Just extra validated your post Carl!!

Groenewold's felt customers are not getting less than what they pay for. He's selling already baled felt to clients. So if the change you speak of occurs it will be mostly at the auction level and beaver trappers/shippers will be the ones that are adjusted.

For argument sake (all bonified T man members love arguments, LOL) let's say 100 northern beaver pelts average out in weight at 170 lbs of which 70 lbs is pure felt. The end user paid an average of $33 per pelt so he's got $3300 plus broker and FHA expenses added on. He may have $57/lb invested in that raw felt. Now let's say he buys 100 southern beaver at that same average but only yield half as much felt. 35 lbs. Now is raw felt is costing mebbe a little north of $100 lb.

People who push pencils in these companies will soon figure out that not all beavers pelts are equal and they'll demand getting what they pay for.

Plus the hats will fall apart when made from short felt fibres.

Agree^^^

But I've yet to hear an explanation as to how or why GFW purchased beaver as they did last spring.. According to the above synopsis ofthe felt market....GFW lost money.....but I'd bet my fur check that they did not. Time will tell.

And Canadians will still buy them.

Just the wannabe yankee Canadians in Alberta.

Now felt is sold in bales?

My argument has nothing to do with Groenwold or his buying practices. I'm focused on how FHA sorts and sells gd dmg beaver. Not to beat a dead horse (or beaver) but changes are coming and southern beaver will not be valued as high as they are under the the current scarcity of beaver. IMHO

There is a scarcity of beaver in the lower 48? I thought there was so many people paid to have them killed?

Has the hatter market ever adjusted like this? ^^^^^^

That's affirmative cage traps only although for beaver, otter and rats can be swim through drowning traps.

This market is not like the coyote market, where there was a natural limit of supply of GOOD coyotes. There is no natural limit to the supply of low quality beaver, or beaver that people can make low quality or can catch when of low quality, if the current price excites them.

Low numbers of pelts offered into the market is what I meant.

No, I don't think I've seen that. But when felters could buy hatter type beaver for around $9-10 avg I don't think there was much concern about the differences.

The title is will the beaver market hold? No it will fluctuate.

The market still sucks guys, the top price did not go up at all, the bottom came up and increased the averages a bit is all. So was it nice to get paid more for LM SLT DMG beaver sure but my 3X select HVY, still sold for the same average which sucks. Unless the "whole" market improves would not say the Beaver market is hot.

Think it was Beaverpeeler who said his DMG sold more than his SLT's in the same size. So why not throw the crap into the market if that's what they are paying for, they certainly did not reward the higher grade pelts.

^^^^Yup!

A very good description of what has occurred...^^^^^

Is there any indication that the HVY beaver pelt market will improve? If not, then very soon, I'm betting the overall market falls back to where we were b4 this hatter craze.