# Fur Trapping



## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I hardly got out last year to set traps. Waisted cat tags I had purchased.:x

I'm not sure what the price will be on fur this year, but I'm about to gather up the steel, prep it all and head out after the Deer hunt ends. 

Found a boat load of Yotes during the Elk hunt, and I figure I'll only have a couple weeks to get it done before the area gates are closed to vehicle traffic. 

Anyone have any information on fur prices for this year?


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## SwedishCowboy (Sep 25, 2017)

Just got my fur trapping license this summer. Going to give it a try this season. Good luck!


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

best of luck to you S Cowboy.


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

March 2019 auction:

Western Coyote $88.00
Bobcat $416.00
Muskrat $3.80
Red Fox $24.00
Good Beaver $14.00 most $8.00
Raccoon $4-$12.00
Skunk $3.90
Badger $26.00
Mink $0.00 no one wants mink right now

These are averages. Last year 2018 coyote was going for $100.00

Feral cats can be trapped, skinned and sold to Chinese. Not sure what the going price is.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

HighNDry said:


> March 2019 auction:
> 
> Western Coyote $88.00
> Bobcat $416.00
> ...


I saw that as well. It looked like 100% of the Coyotes sold. Good news they sold, so hopefully the market this year will be looking for them. I was surprised the going average for rats! When I was young feller, (35+ years ago) I averaged $8.00 a rat. Wish those days would come back.


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## SwedishCowboy (Sep 25, 2017)

How bad is it if I don't use wax and dye on my traps? Will they stand no chance?


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Wax and die will help protect the steel from rusting as quick. It also helps to eliminate odor that a canine will pick up on and avoid your set. 


Wax, (a light coating) helps the trap from freezing down in the dirt and fires faster than a non waxed trap. When you make a catch, most all the wax and die disappears from the animal dragging it around in the dirt.


I modify all my land use traps with 4 coils, welded base plates, laminated jaws, double swivels, and a chain spring. I use waxed dirt when it gets wet and freezing weather.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

taxidermist said:


> When I was young feller, (35+ years ago) I averaged $8.00 a rat. Wish those days would come back.


My wife's grandfather has been an avid journal writer since his childhood. It's fun to read his entries from the 50's and 60's about his trapping endeavors in West Point, UT. prior to all the homes being built in that area. He had a concrete laying company and during the slower construction months (winter time) he'd focus his time and attention on trapping. There were some winters where he made as much money trapping as he did doing concrete work during the summer!

Using a simple inflation calculator, those $8.00 rats in 1984 were worth $19.77 in today's world - not too shabby!


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

As a kid I started trapping 'rats around 1970 and as I recall I used to average about $1.75/pelt. At 12 years old I got my first job as a ranch hand bedding cows, hauling rocks, and fixing fence at $.75/hour. So ya, picking up 3 or 4 'rats a night after school payed as much as a full day of farm labor!


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

CPAjeff said:


> My wife's grandfather has been an avid journal writer since his childhood. It's fun to read his entries from the 50's and 60's about his trapping endeavors in West Point, UT. prior to all the homes being built in that area. He had a concrete laying company and during the slower construction months (winter time) he'd focus his time and attention on trapping. There were some winters where he made as much money trapping as he did doing concrete work during the summer!
> 
> Using a simple inflation calculator, those $8.00 rats in 1984 were worth $19.77 in today's world - not too shabby!


I kept a ledger on my trapping activities as to what I got and what I sold them for. Now I wish I had those to look back on. When de-cluttering, you toss some things away you later wish you'd have kept. I remember being a very "rich kid" and the money I made I bought me a 78 Toyota FJ-40 Landcruiser. Another item I wish I still had.


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## Tabswan (Jan 3, 2018)

*Hows the season going?*

Just wanted to pop in and see how the season has been so far for everyone?
It has been an odd year for trapping, no beavers for me yet but muskrats have been good. looking forward to trapping some coyotes in the spring. Hope everyone is having a good year!


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## Dquinn (Sep 23, 2017)

I have done a great deal of wildlife trapping. The type of trap that I use for raccoon removal in Long Island is contingent upon what time of the year it is.


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