How many of us actually sell fur?

6

6724

New member
Just out of curiosity, wondering how many people on the forum actually sell fur. Not, how many hope to, or think they will, or might, but have actually received money for hides. I know many people talk about selling them in the round, I have never done that. I often wonder about the hides being any good after rolling around in the bed of a truck for a few days.

So, how many actually SELL hides? and How many sell in the "round"?

Last year I killed 32 coyotes and 1 fox from October through February, I usually stop shooting them about the end of February as the fur is not often good after that. Of those 32 hides, I fleshed, salted and tanned 18 that I sold for $115 each. The other 14 hides were not of good enough quality to spend the time skinning, fleshing, salting, shipping, and tanning. 2 were too small to bother, a couple were shot angling away or towards and had huge gashes in the hide from a glancing bullet, a few later season ones were rubbed.

So far this year I have 8 hides in the freezer, a couple more and I will get them salted and ready to ship. The 17-223 so far has not cost me any damage to fur.
 
I've sold a lot of fur over the years and never heard of salting them, just stretch and dry.. Right now I tan them and sell occasionally to other hunters for decoration and to make stuff for myself and to sell.

Got it, you salt and tan them yourself. I ship them out for tanning, at $20. ea. it isn't worth my time or have the mess here. Plus I get a nice garment tan that is easy to sew with.
 
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I do. Just depends on what it is and how much it's worth if I'm gonna skin it or not. Beavers,badgers and bobcats I was told to sell the carcass. I'll skin the coyotes out once I start running out of room in the freezer. I used to skin out everything except bobcats because every fur buyer I've known didn't want them skinned. But there wasn't a noticeable amount of price increase for me to waste my time skinning stuff out in the freezing cold. I also get more for badgers that ain't shot in the head.

If I can get by without it I'll just play Tetris with frozen animals in the freezer until the fur buyer comes to town or I absolutely have to skin something. One year I skinned raccoons when the prices on them were up. The past few years I haven't even froze any. They ain't worth anything.
 
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Originally Posted By: 6724Just out of curiosity, wondering how many people on the forum actually sell fur. Not, how many hope to, or think they will, or might, but have actually received money for hides. I know many people talk about selling them in the round, I have never done that. I often wonder about the hides being any good after rolling around in the bed of a truck for a few days.

So, how many actually SELL hides? and How many sell in the "round"?

Last year I killed 32 coyotes and 1 fox from October through February, I usually stop shooting them about the end of February as the fur is not often good after that. Of those 32 hides, I fleshed, salted and tanned 18 that I sold for $115 each. The other 14 hides were not of good enough quality to spend the time skinning, fleshing, salting, shipping, and tanning. 2 were too small to bother, a couple were shot angling away or towards and had huge gashes in the hide from a glancing bullet, a few later season ones were rubbed.

So far this year I have 8 hides in the freezer, a couple more and I will get them salted and ready to ship. The 17-223 so far has not cost me any damage to fur.

i dont do what you do, but i skin, wash, stretch and brush every coyote i kill that is worth putting up and sell them to the buyer when he comes through town. last year i killed several that had mange or other fur problems but ended up with 24 good sellable coyote hides.

last year the only thing the buyer was interested in was the backs of the coyotes. he said the long fur in the middle of the back is very much in demand and being used in the trim market. he could of cared less what the belly looed like. in fact he never looked at the bellies. been selling coyotes for close to 40 years. never seen a market where only the backs were being considered. kind of weird.
 
I don't tan. Tannery takes only salted dry hides. Fleshing if skinned well is pretty much not required, but I clean them up a little bit. It only takes a few minutes a piece.
 
I have sold a few and have questioned the dollar earned for the amount of work.
Maybe tanning them is a better route? Never done that and wouldn't even know where to go.
 
I haven't sold a coyote since the 80's.. pretty much not worth the time unless I plan to tan and make something myself. One local was skinning and saving his bobcats and made the most beautiful coat i have ever seen.
 
My friend and I froze a couple whole last year, gabve them to another friend who coon hunts. He said he got $3 each for them.
I don't know if we'll save any or not this year. It's hard to pay for the gas to get them to the buyer, let alone time skinning, which neither of us has done.
 
Shipped 24 coyote to NAFA last season, all sold well,sold poor colors locally. Also sent 68 raccoon,those were the best 1/3 of couples weeks catch,all sold. Rest were sold locally. Soft items were a couple Red Fox, they were shot and sewed.
 
I sell frozen, in the round. Sold 69 of the 95 I shot last year. hey don't ride around in my truck more than the day they were shot. If I'm out for more than a day, I'll hang them to keep them cool enough until I make it home to the freezer. I bag each so they don't freeze together, and the fur buyer comes every two weeks.
 
I skin, flesh, board and sell the majority of my coyotes. Those that won't fetch much money don't get fleshed or boarded and are sold to local buyers in the grease. Skinning a coyote takes very little time and I figure if I can get $20 for them it will pay for half of a days gas.
 
The guy that works for me (seasonal job) is big in the fur business and gets most of his winter income (not saying much he lives cheaper than anyone I've ever known) from shooting/trapping and selling furs. Usually I give mine to him, its a nice little kick in on his pocket book. Allegedly the market is gonna be pretty good this year.
 
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I try and sell everything i can minus the mangey ones. I sell all my fur on the the carcass and the the top coyote brought $70
 
I have sold a few frozen hides, not fleshed or stretched, and a lot more in the round the last few years. Not any kind of a big money maker by any means, but it has been worth doing. Buyer comes through the area every week.
 
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