My account isn't updated yet, but the castor prices are up.

"Castoreum West Select
$75.20/lb
Grade #1
$64.80/lb
Grade #2
$44.80/lb
Grade #3
$28.00/lb"

Source: March 2025 FHA

Mine will stay in the freezer.

It looks like as the season went on the price went up on the leftover #2 castor. Started out at the $44 valuation and increased $4 over time. Big difference in the #3 grade. Up $10 since last June.

I'm told that the #1 grades go immediately every time. Very little difference from last June until now, but that could be because it sold so fast.

Will be interesting to see castor prices on the June sale.

It's the Gr 1 & 2 that got my attention. They hung onto my Gr2 for quite a while until a couple auctions ago. But about 80% of mine is Western Select. Should tack on another grand or so to the check. Not bad for an extra couple minutes while skinning.

When I say "up".........I mean posted....lol. Lower grades moved.

There’s such a thing as western select? Hmmm, I’m keeping a little Lake of the Woods stuff close to home, even though I have enough lure made for the rest of my life

Show us a pic when you can of your "western select" Shakey. I was told it was the well filled light colored castor. I have a lot like that and was surprised (that's the Canadian vernacular for miffed) that not one ounce of 13 lbs graded that way for me last year. When I trap the big river near home most of it is that kind imho.

I ain’t no grader, but these are just over a pound together. Taken over the last couple weeks, hung to dry for 1-2 days and into the freezer. I’m guessing these will be western selects except the greyish one, but not 100% sure.

Jim Gibb has a good video for the trappers that don’t cut out the castors or don’t really care about em. It’s older but still applied. Unfortunately he mentions Western Select but doesn’t show any. I chose to sell at this auction. Dirt is hanging onto his, he figures he’ll do better and I think he’s right. I’ll be freezing mine for probably a couple seasons. Wait until the beaver market tanks then maybe send em in a 1-2 years later? Who knows…..lol

I turned down $40 a pound, all in and my weight. Probably should have took it.

I’ve never had any luck shipping our type castor. Their weight and my weight were always a long ways apart lol.

The shrinkage that they apply has always been the rub. The last time I shipped I got docked for 17% which is the lowest shrinkage they've ever hit me with. Usually it's been in the low 20's. Now, if'm I had got a bunch of western select at $100/lb in there I wouldn't have cared diddly about the dang shrinkage.

Working with castor shrinkage is always a big issue.

I buy it all the time and you have it either to dry or to wet.

The worse is when guys tie strings to each pod and trap the liquid inside.

Follow my video and it works for both the seller and buyer.

40 a lb, clay did you not sell castor back when it was 3.00 a lb? lol. I remember when it got to 20 a lb that was a BIG deal.