Last summer, we covered a story about New Mexico governor Bill Richardson banning trapping in New Mexico's Gray Wolf Recovery Area. Then, we noted in November that research was underway to determine the affect of trapping on wolves. Results of that research don't seem to have surfaced yet, but with a new governor and legislature in the state, Richardson's ruling could … [Read more...]
2011 Western States Fur Auction Brings Positive Results
The Montana Trappers Association held the Western States Fur Auction in Columbus, Montana this past weekend with extremely positive results. The quantity of fur brought in for sale this year was much greater than that of the past two years, and almost everything sold at or near 100%. Rumor has it that availability of fur in the country is down, leading to high demand. … [Read more...]
The Accomplished Muskrat Trapper
The Accomplished Muskrat Trapper was written by A.E. Schmidt in 1922. Because of its age, the book's copyright has expired and it is available for reading in the public domain. Much of the information in this book is dated, but it can still provide some great insight into muskrat trapping in the past, and may include some valuable information for muskrat trappers today. … [Read more...]
Reynolds on Lynx and the ESA
V. Paul Reynolds, outdoors columnist with Maine's Lewiston Sun Journal, and editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, wrote an engaging column about how the U.S. Endangered Species Act can make criminals of average folks. William McCoy of Pennsylvania was sentenced to jail time for accidentally killing a Canada lynx in northern Maine and then, out of panic, attempting to … [Read more...]
Trappers Misunderstood
James Foster of New Brunswick, Canada's Times & Transcript newspaper wrote an excellent article on trapping after taking the Province's sponsored trapping course for the first time himself. Like James said, taking a trapping course can be a real eye opener to folks who otherwise aren't familiar with the sport. The course was more than informative - it was downright … [Read more...]
What’s New on the Anti-Fur Front
As trappers, we should take the occasional time out to catch up on what's happening in the fur industry. Sure, the majority of trappers may not be in it for the money, but the reality is that without a market to sell our fur, it would be very difficult to keep trapping. This is evidenced by the fact that lower fur prices lead to decreased trapping pressure on certain … [Read more...]
Winter 2011 Fur Market Report
The January fur sales at Fur Harvesters Auctions and North American Fur Auctions are completed and have provided valuable information going forward in this year's fur market. FHA held the first major auction of the year on January 7. Prices were encouraging for most items, but the majority did not sell at 100%. The hottest items at the FHA sale appeared to be bobcat (lynx … [Read more...]
Bobcat Comeback in New Hampshire
Bobcats are making a comeback in New Hampshire. After their pronounced decline into the 1980's, the state placed protections on the once-common species that had then become rare. Two decades of protection apparently helped the cat population, which seems to have made a great comeback. In recent years, reports of bobcat sightings from all over the state seem to indicate that … [Read more...]