Yankees,
Welcome to trapping. HW is a great place to learn but nothing beats getting out and learning from hands on experience. I will try to answer some of your questions and give you some resources to take a look at.
Where do you sell your fur?
(Although there are a few different options the main two are NAFA “North American Fur Auctions” and FHA “Fur Harvester’s Auction” both of these auction house have receiving agents in State. The receiving agents will post dates, times and locations throughout the state where you can meet them and give them your fur. Your fur is then shipped to the auction house where buyers from all over the world come to bid on your fur.)
What kind of prices should I expect for Coon,Rats,Bobcat,and Beaver?
(No real way to give you an answer on this one. Until the day of the sale everything is speculation. Beaver and coons have very, very poor demand and unless they are perfect in many ways you can count on single digits and/or no sale. Last I heard we will be very lucky to get 5$ averages on rats. Cats will still sell but the prices are expected to be poor again this year. There are a lot of variables to consider with all fur, such as size, clarity, color and how prime the fur is. A general rule is that west side cats grade lower than east side cats but again, overall prices are expected to be poor. What may have been a 200$ cat a few years ago may be a 75$ cat this year.)
When you guys talk about your fur being "not bought" what do you mean and if it doesn't get bought do you get it back?
(When your fur gets to the auction house it is separated by graders into lots. All furs that grade similarly will be put into the same lot. “not bought” just means that buyers did not bid on that lot. You furs will be held over until it sells.)
Do you guys make your own drying and stretching boards or where do you buy them?
(You can buy all of your stretchers from places like F&T supply, Minnesota Trap Line, Snare Shop. There are a few local guys that I THINK sale stretchers as well. I think George Brady and Ted Cantrell both sale trapping supplies and MAY have what you need. Personally I make all of my stretchers except rat stretchers. I buy most of my trapping supplies from F&T. I have attached some links to some resources you will want to read before you start making your own stretchers. Over stretching will thin the density and you will graded down at auction. Having and using the correct stretcher is very important.)
When are the best times ( prime time ) for Fur?
(If you search HW you will find prior threads discussing the times animals prime. It is sometimes a matter of opinion and geography. Prime fur relates to several factors like the density of the underfur. You will hear the term “blue” used to refer to a fur that is not primed. A blue fur is called that because the leather side of the fur will change colors as it progresses towards primeness. As a fur primes the leather side will go from a blueish tint (no prime) to grey and sometimes a smoky white color. The whiter the leather the primer the fur.)
What size of trap for bobcat?
(You will probably get a variety of answers on this one. Most will agree (I think) that it is more important to have the correct height than width. You will probably be surprised at how small a cat trap needs to be. I will let the more experienced cat trappers give you there opinions)
What kind of sets do you use for beaver?
(I am a big fan of swim-throughs for beaver. I exclusively set their runs into feed areas or huts. Some have had great success set dry-lands sets baited and/or castor mound sets. There have been some great topics on this in the past.)
Does it matter the size of your fleshing beam for different animals or can you use the same one for all animals?
(Yes it does matter. Rats won’t fit on a big beam and if you’re using a small beam for larger pelts then you will be fighting the pelt as you flesh it. I have two beams and that seems to be all I have every needed. Fleshing beams are also a matter of personal preference based upon what you are used to using and comfort. I made both of mine. I have one that I patterned from the dimensions of a male mink stretcher and one patterned using the dimensions of a coon stretcher. Make sure you use a good hard wood if you make your own. Use a good soft wood for your stretchers.)
http://www.furharvesters.com/pelthandling.htmlhttp://www.nafa.ca/wild-fur/resourceshttp://www.fntpost.com/Trapperman.com is also a great resource for trapping. Start small and work your way into it. Maybe a few rat and some mink the first year. You will learn a lot and the there is less risk of lose when you make mistakes. It is easier to deal with mistakes on a 5$ rat or a 10$ mink than it is to make a mistake on a 75$ cat.
