Was making a hat and I took a pic of a piece of hide to show what goes into making felt.
An avg late winter beaver from here.Underfur is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches deep.

Looks very warm!

Chris

Southern beaver underfur on the coldest January day isn't close to that quality.

You yanks are getting ripped off with the current beaver market.

You wish.
I supply quite a few local fur sewers with good quality pre blocked skins to work with.
I just send poor quality and smalls to the hatter market.
But the long underfur makes the strongest felt.

You bite your nails?

No,trim them with a Victorinox beaver skinner,lol.

Trappers in the north could supply lots of pelts of that quality again if they wanted to pay for it.
Until then you wont see many pelts with winter underfur like that going to the raw fur market..
They seem happy with fall beaver and springy goods.

And thank God for that! LOL

Do you store them in a freezer or just hit them in fall & spring until the market changes? I know I’ll be setting this winter, got some new tricks I wanna try.
I’m dropping off some fur tomorrow instead of buying another freezer or rolling the dice with them until next winter. The smalls I might just call FGW Dave if he’s interested.

That's mighty clean fingers for a trapper...

But all those other northern beaver trappers ain't doing what you're doing. They're selling high quality beaver (like in your picture) for the same price I'm getting for sub-tropical beaver.

Swamp, now you're just being mean! LOL

Canadian’s should not sell their fur to Groeny.

Yeah ok. Good luck with that

You dont see winter beaver on any raw fur market anymore.
The price has to come up if they want trappers to trap numbers in winter in the north.
Trappers in the north trap beaver in the fall since last 10 years or so.The ones that do have alternative markets.
The fur sewers prefer the long underfur winter beaver for their mitt trim and moosehide hats for the northern markets so some trappers like myself will supply that market.
But like I said,no winter beaver from the north on the raw fur market anymore.
Nobody will supply primo goods for the same price as inferior goods.

If he paid as much as FHA Canadians would sell to him,but his price is too low.
For those hard up for ready cash for a couple bottles of wine, he will get some fur.

I do this thing called washing hands before sewing tanned fur.

The bottom line is the beaver fur market stinks still, as Boco is claiming. The trinket trade has nothing to do with the fur market.

But the last couple FH auction avgs (after deductions) were comparatively similar to lower 48 avgs (with no labor, other than skinning, involved.)

Those wino/alcoholic trappers got gouged!!

I need some of the hand cleaner you use...lol