Fur Market Takes a Turn for the Better
February 24, 2010
It looks like the fur market is finally back! This past weekend was a huge one for fur auctions, and the results are very encouraging.
First off was the Fur Harvesters Auction February 19th sale in Seattle. Essentially every item offered for sale at the auction showed significant price advances from the previous auction. Most notably, muskrats averaged $8.50, and western bobcats averaged $420. Coyote, raccoon, mink, fox and beaver prices were significantly higher as well.
Click here to see the February FHA Auction Results.
In addition to the big FHA sale, several local auctions solidified the idea that the fur market is back from its recent lows.
The Utah Trappers Association fur sale averaged $263 on bobcats and $5.59 on muskrats last weekend. Click here for results.
I was fortunate enough to be involved with the Western States Fur Auction held in Columbus, Montana this past weekend as well. Despite a small offering, fur prices at this auction were extremely encouraging. Bobcats averaged $353, muskrats were at $5.46, coyotes averaged over $34, and and western marten averaged over $30.
Overall, the recent fur auction results are a good indicator that the fur market has experienced a very significant recovery. Sure, some fur prices can’t compare to the high levels they were at several years ago. For instance, beaver prices are still quite low. Still, most items have seen huge advances. I think it’s safe to say that the fur market has bounced off of the lows we had to deal with over the past year, and future fur prices should be encouraging. It’s almost a certainty that higher prices will encourage more trapping activity, particularly for muskrats and the other high priced items. Only time will tell whether this increase in supply will saturate the market and depress fur prices in the coming months.
The bottom line is that fur prices have bounced back. The fur market has turned for the better, and we trappers can only take advantage of this opportunity and hope that prices remain at an acceptable level.
Keep trapping!
The Attempt to Ban Trapping in New Hampshire
February 15, 2010
A new bill introduced to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, is yet another backdoor attempt by animal rights activists to ban trapping.
HB 1514 would essentially eliminate fur trapping by making it illegal to sell the fur of any trapped wild animal in the state. The bill was introduced after an outright trapping ban failed in the 2007 legislative session.
Aside from the New Hampshire trappers the bill would directly impact, many residents are concerned that they will be faced with mounting overpopulation and animal damage problems similar to those experienced by nearby Massachusetts ever since trapping was banned there in 1996.
Let’s hope the “Live Free or Die” state lives up to its name and rejects another animal rights bid.
Read the full Concord Monitor story here.
River Otters Making a Comeback in Texas
February 15, 2010
Once a very rare sight, river otters are starting to appear more and more frequently in areas of Texas.
DALLAS — River otters are popping up in Texas waterways where they haven’t been seen in decades, giving wildlife officials hope that the rarely seen critter is on the comeback.
The animals were believed to have been restricted to the Piney Woods of east Texas because of habitat loss and trapping. But people have been spotting them outside Austin and as far away as Wichita Falls, northwest of Fort Worth near the Oklahoma line.
“This tells us that this species has made a huge recovery in the state,” said Gary Calkins, a biologist with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Jasper office who has been studying the semiaquatic mammals for three years.
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