Nice Color

[boneaddict]

About 15 feet.   Older pic.  I think that was from my old point and shoot.   

[Humptulips]

That one is closer on color but I think a long way from heavy.
Need to send you to Alberta, those yotes would get everybody salivating.
I caught two years ago before I packed a camera that would knock your socks off but those kind are as rare in WA as bigfoot.

[boneaddict]

So less red the better, size does matter, I don’t care what they say... time of year of course?  When does prime usually start?

Speaking of color, what about the ones that are black?  I know they are worth more to hunters, but how about to fur traders?

[Humptulips]

Here is a couple pictures that might give you a better idea what the best coyotes will look like.

[Humptulips]

They have a certain shine, just really bright and beyond that there is the loft ( best word I can think of) that probably can't be described through a picture.
Like I said  I caught a couple that I think would compare and the fur was like 5 inches thick. Hard to appreciate until you run your hand through it.
Light almost shiny are the best,
Darker they get the worse grade you will have but it is not just the back. Top lot stuff needs a full and very white belly,
Yellowish is considerably less valuable and reds are the pits.
A solid black would be valuable for taxidermy but the fur market would turn their nose up because there are not enough of them to add up to anything.

You asked about primeness. I'm  going to say Nov 1st to ? W WA they go out earlier because of the rain. Drier it is the longer they last but even in the best areas they are going out by February. Here in the rain forest I always figured they would be at an end by Christmas. Outliers exist though. I have caught an occasional good one in March but that is probably 1 in a 100.
It is possible to get a very good coyote from almost everywhere but mostly they are oddities in WA. The best come from the coldest snowiest plains type areas. That is why I mentioned Alberta. I'm sure there are some pretty good ones running around in NE WA though.

[boneaddict]

Thanks for your time answering that.   I’ve seen some good ones in the Methow.  Probably tend to run bigger and more white.   Bobcats are usually more white, with better spots, but that’s a whole nother topic.

[Boss .300 winmag]

@Humptulips don’t they put on fur for the potential winter temps?

Wa. could never see long term Canadian temps.

[Humptulips]

I don't think there is anyplace in WA that would see the long term very cold temps of Alberta or some parts of MT.
That being said I don't think the color is determined by the cold. It is a hereditary adaptation to their environment. Certain areas produce those top lot coyotes where that gene is more prevalent.

[Skyvalhunter]

Correction the Methow still quite often has temps in the single digits for extended periods of 2 + weeks

[pianoman9701]

Great pics, Doug.

[huntingfool7]

How's the color on these? 

[Humptulips]

They look pretty good to me especially the two on the right.
I'll ignore the one laying under the others tails.
Always a pleasure to see well handled furs.

[huntingfool7]

Thanks Bruce.  The one under the tails is plain ugly to me.  Kind of a dirty red head.

[AL WORRELLS KID]

So less red the better, size does matter, I don’t care what they say... time of year of course?  When does prime usually start?

Speaking of color, what about the ones that are black?  I know they are worth more to hunters, but how about to fur traders?

boneaddict, I did pretty good back in the 70's trapping coyotes in the Potholes Area in Grant County a week before Hunting Season opened. I had to get in and out before the place was swarming with Black Labs, (back when foothold traps were the order of the day).

 The nape was of course shorter, but it didn't matter to Fur Buyers at the time, (seemed to like a full coat on an early caught coyote compared to patches of fur missing on one caught late in the season). This was back when long haired fur was in style and I was getting $125. for my large Western Washington coyotes with white bellies. The dark colored ones were worth less than the heavy coated ones from the Dakotas (some about the size of wolves) but what they wanted then were the ones with White bellies to use for trim on coats. Whatever is popular at the time brings the most money. Doug

[WA hunter14]

The way I've been told buy the local fur buyer here is that prime is Oct -nov . They start rubbing in late Dec and he says they pull the long guard hairs out when they lay in the snow and their hair freezes to their bed.