SLT and Damaged Explanations

Can someone give me a bit more information about what causes a grading of a pelt to have a SLT or a DGD grade?
We've been doing this for awhile, might get one here or there, but not like this time. We were shocked to see these grades. First time sending in coyote and they got dinged pretty good. We thought our pelts were handled well and had no glaring issues.
Just trying to get some input so we can do a better job going forward, but its a bit difficult when you're not really sure what are the causes of these marks.

When prices get this cheap the grades get very tough, just the way it is.

Rubs.

That seems to send the wrong message to trappers and those putting up fur then, because based upon this grading, we need to change something...

Depending on what that change is (fleshing harder or less, pulling vs skinning, etc) we may go to "worse" from "not a problem"...

Confusing

Those grades have little to do with fur handling in most cases.

"When prices get this cheap the grades get very tough, just the way it is."





True but it shouldn't be that way. I wouldn't think buyers would be too happy about grades changing as well.

Nature of the game. You can hide a hide or two in a bundle and not get much flack for it in good years. In bad years, that gets called out. Also there's usually less fur to go through so the big houses can get pickier. In good years they're too busy to get to spend much time on each hide.

This has been a practice for a lot longer then the recent past so buyers that come know the drill and probably are well informed prior to attending. New buyers? well that may be part of the learning curve. I was told a few years ago that slt is a first grade or select grade with some damage, still a good fur. When they have sold they typically have sold for more than the average grades but less then the top, but then you need to add in all the other factors of size, color etc.

Bryce

Probably has nothing to do with your put up. You cant make silk out of a pigs ear. Probably a small spot someplace with broke off guard hairs. Pretty easy to miss when your looking at it.

No foreign buyers are allowed into Canada. Zombie virus. So I assume the graders want to be as accurate as they can for the few sales they are getting from buyers buying sight unseen.

Tick bites will do it too.

I appreciate all of the input. Just insult to injury when the prices are so bad, and then you get slapped with a grade that makes you feel like you did not do good effort in stewardship of preparing the pelts.
The market is what the market will be, but I take it real personal when the quality of work is in question.

Thanks again for the input.

Educate yourself on grading and grading terminology.
There has been tons of info published by both auction houses for grading on each and every species.
Check the fur pelt handling manuals on line put out by the auction houses.Dont know if the NAFA one is still out there but FHA is,although some of the terminology is different the grading is the same.
And its BS that the grading changes(a pelt is what it is,cant change it).The grading does not change-the intersort (in different markets different grades may have the same pelt value so they are intersorted since they are the same value) does change to give the buyers what they want in different markets.
Some of your grades have nothing to do with pelt handling-your reg,II and III are all unprime fur-caught too early or late.

Some damage can be remedied with a needle and thread. Small bald spots, damaged spots, pitch spots etc can be cut out and the leather stitched back together. Fur out skins like coyote and chances are excellent the grade will not get dinged

I scoured the internet ( to the best of my ability) to try to learn what these designations specifically meant, and really did not find a suitable answer. Also, directly emailed FHA for some input, knowing they couldn't tell me about my fur individually, but looking for a more indepth description of each grade. Have not yet heard back.

Knowing a lot of posters here have greater experience and knowledge, I put the subject here for input. All part of the education process, I hope.

Thanks for your reply, and the replies of others. I've learned more already and a bit more optimistic going forward.

Here's a start: http://furharvesters.com/pdf/gradingterm.pdf

Trying to find the old nafa grading manuals.

General rule was slights are holes or snare/bad coni mark and damage was problems with the actual fur.

So I did download this previously and looked through it, but it did not help me in discerning what was "Damaged".


This tells me "imperfections" .. but not where they came from? Already in the pelt (non prime, ticks, rubs, etc) or fur handling caused (knife holes, over/under fleshed, not boarded correctly).
Hence my original post of what constitutes SLT and DGD. If it's inherent in the pelt, OK, I just have to accept that. But if I caused it, I need to change my procedures/process.

Just wish there was an add'l informational code such as T- trapper caused damaged, I- Inherent to pelt imperfection.

I've had other trappers look at my put up fur and comment on how nice it looked and well handled it appeared. Now, they aren't graders, and maybe they are just being nice, but I got real confused when I saw my grade slip.

Thanks again for the continued input

https://web.archive.org/web/20130815071709/http://www.nafa.ca/wild-fur/resources

I'm going to try a get these rehosted on my website

The grades don't change? I have sent thousands of coons to auction in my life. I had one, that is "1", grade "coat" in all that time. I sent 42 that I caught coyote trapping this year and had 4 that made that grade. I waited 10 days after opening day to start and didn't target coon. The grade might not change, but you can't tell me that the graders don't get a little more particular in a down market.

When fur is cheap grading gets much more stringent.