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Wondering what you guys are getting for furs. I sold a yote today. The buyer told me the very best coyotes will bring up to $100 while the fox market is way down this year maybe $15.
Don't kill fox. They have a rough life out here with all the coyotes. Best coyote prices so far, $110. $70 average.
I used to sell my stuff to NAFA. North American Fur Auction.
I always got good prices even after the commission
"Continuing at its high point in the fur market, coyote sold well again. 100% of the heavy western coyotes sold at an average of just over $100! Semi heavies averaged $55, eastern coyotes averaged $44, and Section III, which are mainly unprime and low quality fur sold for around $15."
ND String Puller - Curious why Eastern coyotes sell for less than half the price as Western coyotes??? Would figure Easterns being bigger, would bring more???
Are you getting those prices for finished fur, or on the carcass?
Zbone...my guess would be they usually seem to be more pale in coloration with a more clear belly. Just a guess on my part, though.
Zbone. The western heavies bring top dollar because of the clear white bellies.
The fur trim trade uses the bellies and dyes spots on them and sells them for spotted fur.
cnelk - Ah, cool, did not know that, thanks for sharing...
Here are they prices from a year ago. See link.
Top coyote. Western heavy brought $610. Average $105
Coyote market is currently driven by the trim market in fashion. Fur prices have been pretty weak for a few years now. Need more people to wear fur again.
"Top coyote. Western heavy brought $610"... Holy Moly, I had no idea...
Screwball - Personally, I think wearing fur is making a comeback, see it more and more on TV and in the real world, and down coats trimmed in fur are hot fashion items right now...
Pic was Several years ago. I averaged over $150 for each coyote.
All called in or sniped. Not too bad for 3-4 times out calling and just having fun on weekends.
Colorado high country. Not from the eastern plains
Love that pic.
Lots of faux fur around, but most people in the US still won't wear it. Go to AK and everyone wears fur. Winter mammalian fur is the ultimate in warmth for extreme cold. Fur mittens, fur hats, fur mukluks, etc, are life-savers and it's not only beautiful, it works and has been since humans have been venturing into cold places - something the urbanites have forgotten due to their disconnect with the past.
I used to work for Judd Cooney, and handled a lot of fur. Western coys are more heavily furred then eastern coys, and pale coys sell for more then a dark coy. The 80's and early 90's were the hay day for the fur market, with big heavy bobcats brings 500.00 to 600.00. Coyotes were always an iffy thing. Some fur auctions bought more coys for better prices then others. A top coy bringing 150.00 was heavily furred and lite colored, western pale. Muskrats were my money maker, bringing 8 to 15.00, depending on the size.
The NAFA used to be a blast. Furs were in bundles, buyers would offer you so much per bundle, ten coys to a bundle, ten beaver per bundle, cats sold individually. Blue fox usually bought good money for the small hides, and coon was another money maker.
Today, look for places offering bounties. Four years ago, the Jicarilla reservation gave you 40.00 for a pair of ears, Utah 50.00. A weekend of killing coys usually filled your pocket with 200.00. But now a days, a coy isn't worth the time of skinning, walking, sewing, fleshing and drying. Most guys out here are leaving em lay.
Thanks guys, great information. LKH I leave the fox alone too, they are pretty rare in our area. I always wondered how much the middleman made off these coyotes if he’s willing to pay $100 for one. His pickup box with topper was so full you couldn’t get another dog in there then his trailer was half full, should have took a picture. Feel sorry for the dude skinning all those bastards. Especially the gut shot ones!
If you had a western and eastern side by side you would see why westerns typically sell for more. A good western heavy will almost make your hand disappear when you run your fingers through it, not gonna get that on an eastern
Informative thread, thanks for sharing all...
If you want go 'WOW', read the report above, you will see what western 'lynx cat' [bobcat] sell for.
"Lynx Cats sold 75% of the fresh goods with better qualities and colors achieving strong price advances over 2017. The average for Western Lynx Cats was $378.99 with a top price of $2,400.00."
I got $550 for this western bobcat back in '06
Here are prices from a recent auction in PA.
I tried Googling western vs eastern coyote but couldn't find an explanation. What delineates a western vs eastern? Is it the Mississippi river? Or something else?
Vogie
The Trapper Predator Caller magazine used to have a map that showed regions of how fur was categorized by zones. I'll see if I can dig one up and get a pic
Wow that PA chart is pretty depressing.
I'm not sure of the fur price situation in MN but I suspect it's similar. I used to trap in the 80s and a guy could make some decent money then.
Our group of have killed about 40 coyotes so far this winter with our hounds. The guy usually that handles our hides says they aren’t worth the effort, don’t bother dropping them off unless you want to shoot the shit and have drink.
I shot a coyote in northern MN a couple years back. Was prime and my niece wanted it. Personally I wouldn't put it on the wall.
I've got a pair across the deep creek that I've seen a couple times. So white they almost disappear against the snow.
The buyer who we dealt with gave us some lessons on what's important and he said in our area for the most part color didn't matter and the belly was not important. For the most part it was the mane, hair density as you approach the hips, and if it was broken much.
Here's a pic of a couple 'Heavy Western' coyotes with white bellies
To get the best money for a coyote, they should be taken as early as they are prime
Think of it like this..... when you get a new pair of cowboy boots, they look all spiffy when you first get them - [i.e. early season pelts] then after you wear them for a few months, they have scuffs and not as shiny [i.e. late season pelts]
But no matter what season you shoot them, it sure is fun
Cnelk those are great looking yotes. Wow, very nice.
My hunting buddy trapped a Bobcat a couple years back in Utah. Took it to one of the local fur trades and got $650 for it, not bad.
Yup starting to get rough. Some very rough and full of burrs,even out here. Soon not worth dragging out. Especially a mile like today. This one shot about 90 minutes ago. When walked up I initially thought ‘mange’ but just rough.
cnek thanks and nice cat,,,,,, I get good money for fisher and otter, but it takes a few years to get the tags,,,,, I figured your yotes was out west.......
Has Colorado encouraged trapping? I heard that the state was down on it, for awhile, was just curious.......
Kodiak thanks. Was sleeping there.First saw at about 600 yds.Tried howling and best I could do was get her to raise her head.After 25 minutes snuck to 380 straight downwind and shot it across the bay of a big slough..Fairly easy when didn't have to factor any wind and I correctly surmised it hadn't been there long so hadn't 'melted down' 3 to 4 inches.Also knew the head would be uphill a bit so erred high.Bulged the eyes.Tail twitched twice but never moved out of it's bed.I pulled it out for pic.
Impressive finished product cnelk. Nice looking pelts.
I agree, that PA Fur Sale slip is very depressing. Barely 5.00 for coon, and especially depressing on mink prices. Let em grow for another day. It wont pay for your fuel, let alone supplies. The Fur Boom of the late 70's, early 80's were the days...used to avg. 90.00 on red fox, Mink, were always 45-60 bucks. It was fun then.
For those interested, white bellies on coys mean nothing. Most of the fur used from a coy is the back, just one third of the pelt. The pale, almost white looking back fur with long black guard hairs will bring the most money. I used to skin, sew and was wash fur for Cooney. 20 bucks a coy, and he paid me to skin my pelts as well. I'd handle 15 to 20 coys a day. Back in the 80's, that was good money for a 16 year old kid. And once I learned how bleach will lighten up a coy, I sold some very pretty dogs!! And then I discovered the laundry mats, where I could wash 6 pelts at a time... Coys that were rifle shot was bought at a lower price then one caught in a trap, usually more fur damage to the ones that were shot. Fur buyers today have quotas to fill a month. They are obligated to produce x amount of fur to a company a season. Just watch out for fleas while handle coyotes. We put coys in big trash bags, spray Raid inside the bags and seal them for a day. Just a precaution used against getting bit by a flea.
Ouch, that PA list is sad...
BTW, I know fox are mating this time of year and start rubbing and loose fur while inspecting dens for new pups, I assume coyotes do the same?
I remember getting $150 for a fisher and $125 for an otter. I still trap beaver but nuisance now. A lot of work skinning and fleshing for 8-10 bucks.
CNELK that is a supper nice cat. Tons's of spots what did that cat weigh?
So I take it, the more spots the higher the quality?
Here is a tech manual from NAFA regarding coyotes - sorted by region [Sections] , type, color, weights, definition, and even 'clear white bellies'
When NAFA mentions the under side of a coyote, Im listening. See link
Here is the NAFA tech manual for Lynx Cat [Bobcat] - See link
"CNELK that is a supper nice cat. Tons's of spots what did that cat weigh?"
Thanks - Not sure what he weighed. 30lbs?
I got lucky with him. I happened to see him walking up a ravine off the road a ways. I pulled over, grabbed my 22 pistol and stalked up along side him and shot him at 15yds thru the brush.
I kinda wish now I wouldve got it mounted.
If anyone is interested, here is the NAFA pelt handing manual.
It gives stretcher dimensions, pelt sizes for grading, even covers bear feet and head prep and drying, timber wolf feet, lots of info....
Anyone that puts up fur should have this manual to get the most out of your efforts - See Link
This is the 1st coyote I called in and shot with my 22mag back up in Minnesota - 40yrs ago.
That’s the one that started it all. :)
Thanks CNELK. Stalking and killing a bobcat with a .22, pistol no less, now that is something!
One time I went with my neighbor to check his snares and traps. He had a cubby and trap set way down in the bottom of a draw that you could check from a trail on top the ridge. We glassed down at the cubby and seen it was knocked over! Awesome, we hiked down in there hoping to claim his first bobcat... only on the way down we cut some big tracks? At about 50 yards we glassed again realizing he had caught a lion cub! And mom was probably not far away watching! We went back to the pickup for a shotgun just incase. I pinned the kittens neck down with a Y shaped branch and threw my coat over his head. The little bastard was pissed making all kinds of noise. All the while we are wondering where mom was. We got the trap off and turned him loose no worse for wear. We never did see the mother but looking at the tracks she had been pacing around that trap along with at least one other kitten. So now I can say I “counted coup” on a mountain lion lol !
If I recall Fur Fish and Game magazine has a pelt price section in the back. Probably my favorite magazine with trap sets and all.
Most eastern coyotes are ugly critters compared to those big pale fluffballs from the dakotas and Alberta.
Easterns are course. And the color on them is just ugly a lot of the time. Red. Brown. Just kind of funky looking compared to a nice one.
The mid-late 70s were pretty dang good years for fur prices too. I remember getting $40+ for jumbo coon, $7-9 for rats, $120+ for good cherry red fox, and I’m thinking up to $60 for mink. Had a buddy that skinned skunks for Ludy Sheda. (Big fur buyer in Iowa). Paid him a buck apiece and got to keep all of the essence as well. He would skin between 500-1,000 per week, plus he sold another $1,000+ per week of the essence. Dang good wages for an 18 year old kid. Sheda was even buying house cats for a few years.
Bet the girls really loved his "essence"....
We don't bother skinning the chin of the coyotes. Just cut the last 3" or so off. Same with lower part of the legs.
Wow, lots of good memories reading this thread. I also trapped in high school in the late 70s. Never trapped again after graduating in '81 and going off to college. Used to have to run the line every morning before school. Needless to say, my sex life in high school was nothing to brag about :).
The kitty’s bring the big bucks
My brother with a nice cat
300 rats from a morning "before work" line I ran for a few weeks. This was 2015. Even with some Top Lot awards at NAFA, only averaged $7, compared to $12 the year before. Would happily take $7 now, compared to the $3 currently offered,
Nice haul of rats! No better way for a youngster to get introduced to trapping and the outdoors by walking along creeks and checking traps. I am always grateful to have had an uncle in OH who took time to show me how during Xmas break one year.
Too bad they have been on the decline in a lot of areas? Grew up in PA and in 1980, when I was a HS Junior, the harvest was over 600,000. In 2015, it had dropped down to only 66,000.
Nice haul Big Fin, still looking for a NAFA top lot award in any species!
Sure nice to make a little, but true trappers, imo, do it for the love of being out after em!
Kinda have a stupid question - Do fur buyers still buy unstretched pelts? When I was a kid couldn't afford stretchers so we skinned and froze pelts in the freezer after rolling nose to tail and plastic bagging, and then thawed before selling... Killed a bunch of coon and opossum and a few foxes back in the day and buyers, although they would dock you a little they would accept them that way...
Actually, a few of the buyers liked them that way, they could stretch them how they liked... Remember once after selling, a buyer turned my large coon into a jumbo before my very eyes...8^)
Zbone yes they do, that is what I still do if I know I can’t get them sold on the carcass right away and it’s too warm out side to stay frozen whole. Most of all of the coyotes bought around here are frozen on the carcass.
Yes they do but they dock the hell out of you. Auction prices are generally better than what a local fur buying will give.
There is a still a good market for quality and unique furs for taxidermy. Some big western trappers don`t even sell to furbuyers anymore.
My buyer pays a a few dollars more for them being skinned. But I suppose it depends on the buyer, just give them a call.
