Wish they would set the Prineville sale back into March a ways. The way it is you aren't done trapping yet and don't have the later fur put up

I sure get that.

A lot of competition out west for sale dates. K. Falls is not on an ideal date either the last couple of years since it falls on the same weekend that FHA has their March auction. I have heard that George Kortum will be in North Bay---not K. Falls. (He will no doubt have representation at K. Falls though).

Johnny Carson had Ed MCmann, Nancy has Carl. ONLY you old guys will understand that one

I don't recall Washington ever seperating eastern and western cats, they were all tagged with the same CITES tag. Of course I was born in 79 so I wasn't tagging many cats in the early 80s. I used to sell cats and other furs to Roger at Pacific Hide and Fur in the 90s. I don't know when I first went there, but I remember the first brand new traps I ever owned I bought a dozen Victor 110s from him when I was about 10-12. It was kind of a big deal, because it was 7-8 hour trip from the coast over to Spokane that dad would make once a year for quite a few years.

They upped that limit to seven for a couple years and then dropped it to five. I don't recall when that was, but I remember it was right when cat prices went up.

Now they have changed it so that instead of an Eastern or Western record card you can get a Western (unlimited) or Statewide (limit 5) so you can take some poorer quality coastal cats on your "Eastern" card.

Idaho is currently collecting lower jaws also, but it isn't mandatory here, they pay you for each jaw you turn in. Whereas Oregon will absolutely not tag a cat without a jawbone. I recall turning in an upper jaw, in Oregon, once (chopped off with a machete, and never bothered to mention it was an upper jaw when I turned it in) because I set the lower jaw down and one of my dogs grabbed it and ate it. lol

They had two different color metal CITES tags and one said E Washington and the other W Washington. We were buying a fair number of cats at the time. It made the eastern Washington cats about worthless. It seems like it was a short lived thing. We had a guy that drove down into NV and bought cats and sold to us. He bought in WA, OR, ID and NV. His name was Tolly Roberts. He would come in about once every two weeks with a hundred cats or so. He would have coyotes, fox beaver and rats too.

I wonder how many of those cats had the nonexportable Eastern tags cut off them and were taken in somewhere else and tagged again?

I buy raw bobcat skulls. My no1 supplier traps Arizona. One of several state's he traps. From the Arizona cats I get the top of the skull. Get lots as he catches lots. Only thing Arizona and Oregon really want are two canines from each cat. They section them and count rings like a tree to age the cat. They do two just to double check.

The tops still have good value and at least for me sell quite well.

Western oregon red backs can still have decent value if you can find the right crafter or taxidermist. I'm a crafter so that part I know. Put up for crafting or taxidermy needs to be very good. Better then fur market put and normally different. The Nevada stretch doe not work for me.

Haven't been to an auction in several years as I don't sell my catch to the fur market any more. Also it always seems that the roads to both sells in Oregon are iced up every year. I'm getting a ride this year and that makes it a bit easier.

MJM - you’ve been around a long time if you remember Tollie Roberts! Bet you remember Jerry Campbell, bought for Goldberg. Who else is there, while we are reliving the “good old days”. LOL

And don't forget Jerry's sidekick Dick Stewart. Both buyers for H.E. Goldberg over the years.

Tolly told Roger and I he over paid for a good cat right before pulling out of Elko. He said he had a pretty good crowd and said what he would give load enough for everyone to hear. He said he told everyone he would be back in two weeks, paid the guy and hit the road. He said they were standing in line when he got back in two weeks. Did you know Ron Rajeski (SP) He was a hoot. I saw him work Roger once with a bunch of beaver. When it was all over Ron gave me a wink and walked out with his check.

Is Dick still kicking? I know about a year ago his health was real bad, and I haven't heard anything lately. I think he was the first fur buyer I sold fur to, although it could have been an old guy down at Longview whose name I don't recall. Took some up and sold to Goldberg personally once and he took me back in his cold storage and showed me five years worth of cats he had been storing waiting on the market to go back up.

As far as I know Dick is still alive. He was at our fur auction year before last. See if he shows up this weekend. He quit buying a few years ago.

Before Dick Stewart worked for Goldberg, he was one of three people that were instrumental in starting OTC. Before that, he helped run the Washington State Trappers Association fur sales in Olympia. In those days, bid reading was always done verbally, which made it interesting on a couple of species (beaver and otter).

I talked to Dick about a year ago. He had been thinking about going too the K. Fall sales but ended up backing out. Too far..etc. He was always one of my favorite furbuyers. Chuck and I used to shag fur for him at the Goldberg buying stations

I'm not old and I understand.