Hi everyone, i’m a new trapper and recently started water trapping rather than dry land trapping.
I’m trying to understand how grading works and have an honest question about how muskrat pelts are graded.

Understanding that rats get their backs bit up during mating in the spring, leading to scars there.
This causes the pelts to be graded as damaged which results in a lower grade and lower price. I get that.

However, i recently watched a gfw video that explained the belly of the rat is where the value is and the back has negligable value, if any.
So, if this is the case, why does a rat with damage to its back but perfectly fine belly generate fewer $$ ?

What am i missing.

Both the back and belly have value.

The only time the back of a rat would have little or no value is if it is underprime or overprime.(shedder)
The bellys on unprime muskrats might have a use for some kind of lining.
On prime skins the back has the most value.

Doesnt take much for a tear in a rat to widen during the dressing process.

Ok, now i’m confused.
Some say the back has value, but as stated here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meSWP0feNRw&t=185s, at around the 2:15 to 3:15 area he talks about it and says it does not. In fact he says the back is not saleable in their business.

That video is 5 years old. Trends change. You should call them and ask if it's still the same. He does explain why the belly is being used then in the video. If you've ever sold to GFW he only tosses fur in piles when he buys and grades them by size mostly.
If you sell to an auction house like FHA they will grade every one to the max.
Two different "buyers" two different ways of grading.
GFW has big orders to fill sometimes for a specific buyer and they want those furs a certain way.
Auction house have to have them graded out for an untold number of buyers that use them in many different applications

Edit: this video was from 5 years ago so take what's considered "no value" with a few shakers of salt first.


You might want to re-watch the part where it talks about where the belly fur ends.Basically theres a wedge along the spine of the rat that is considered the "back fur". As fur fashion demands change, different things come back in and go out of value. Right now, at least when that video was made, says that ranch mink are too cheap which is where muskrat was used as a replacement so they're just rotting away in some chinese warehouse right now.

Thanks for the info guys. I really appreciate the feedback.
I agree the video is 5 years old and trends change. i can also see how every buyer could have a different perspective based on who they are selling to.

Thanks again.

Lots of those private buyers will feed you a line as an excuse to get your fur cheaper.

GFW had a Youtube market update on this forum late last year. They were stating a $5 top on rats but Guy stated that was for a large winter rat, so to me that means that backs have value. The backs have always had value. It is in the later years when fur usage is down and the garment portion of the industry is more to the more expensive cats, fisher, sable etc. Many of those are lined with plates made in China for rat bellies and say lower quality brown ranch mink etc. The bellies now make up a higher percentage of the value of a rat pelt but certainly not the only part. Bellies can be damaged easily with holes etc. so damaging bellies puts rats in slights at the least and maybe damage good or bad. Good bellies help larger fall grade rats sell for a higher value.

Bryce

Exactly. I remember when I was a teenager and beavers were worth good money, if you had a hole (cut or bite) anywhere inside the square made by the leg holes they would dock you around 75%. At that time almost all of my beaver were going to be cut into 1-2 inch wide strips after tanning to make those garments that look like they are corrugated (can't remember what the style is called). Even if the hole ruined that strip (unlikely) it was only 5% of the beaver but they would dock you 75% because they could easily see a hole to point out to you.

Now I see beavers at the auction with multiple holes in them that would have made them almost valueless years ago, going for the same price as well put up, perfect hides. I expect a lot of country buyers would still try to dock for any holes, though.

Yesterdays GFW live he explains towards the end when he is buying some of this years rats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYpTnyhVsX0&t=6s

times change so does the market so it is best to keep up
prices are also quoted current conditions rates

about the 20 min time
prices 28 min

That’s the thing, what do the buyers want it for? I was told for fisher, a nice clear female fisher was where it’s at. That went out the window last auction.

Which auction?

FHA

Did they sell for more or did they have a limit of the top female fisher that the buyers wouldn't meet? Seen that many times in nafa sales

I’m not sure. A few months ago I just scrolled through the fisher to kinda compare.

what you saw was the FHA Limbo dance movement well know to come back to bite the trapper

Female fisher are used much more for garments than males.
Big males go to the trim trade mostly.