Fur Market Report February 2025: Selling Season on the Horizon

February has arrived and by now, most of the wild fur that will hit the market in early 2025 has already been harvested. Trappers down South can still operate in snow-free environments, but in the North, deep snow and cold have put an end to many trapping activities. Up in the far north areas, trapping in winter is a quality activity, but definitely not a quantity activity. Just like catching beaver under the ice — it is fun, the fur is beautiful, but do not expect to fill the back of your truck with your catch. By the end of February some seasons are closed, and even if the season is still open, I would venture that most animals that were suitable for harvest are already in somebody’s fur shed by now.

The Trapper’s Fur Market expert Serge Lariviére.

The good news is that we are entering into the official selling season, and everyone hopes for the best. Hot items at this point remain as forecasted: martens, fishers, lynx and bobcats, along with taxidermy items like wolves, wolverines and skunks. Most commercial species, such as muskrats and raccoons, are not expected to move much.

The beaver market is expected to continue its slow decline. Time will tell how this goes, but the hatter market has softened up and the price of beaver has not only stopped increasing, but is expected to decline in the coming year. If you have beavers, sell them fast as the price may decline even further as spring approaches and orders are filled. I continue to advise beaver trappers to be creative, find an outlet for the meat/carcass, and handle those castoreum glands very well. That market also has mellowed, but all in all, contribute to getting an overall value of $20-40 or more per beaver. In my neighborhood, a growing number of trappers are being hired to trap beavers along roadsides by municipalities, and forestry, mining or hydro companies. If you love beaver trapping, these options are worth exploring.

There is always a bit of an idle period between the end of harvest season and the beginning of selling season. This year, the first big international fur sale will be at Fur Harvesters Auction on March 19-21, 2025, in North Bay, Ontario (www.furharvesters.com). It is often at these sales that we know the official trends of the year. Auction sales attract buyers from around the world, and many local buyers wait for these sales to set up their own price structure.

This year again, the contingent of Russian buyers is expected to be limited because of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The 2024 elections in the United States may cause some movement, especially when the new President Donald Trump of the Republican Party takes office. At this point, it is too early to tell what the impacts will be. If you must now forecast your trapping income, I would say it is safe to use 2023 numbers as your baseline, with 10-20% increase for marten, fisher and lynx, and 10-15% decrease for beaver. Other species should be on par with last year’s prices.

On the bad news front, another company has officially dropped fur from its lineup. Indeed, musician Drake’s brand, October’s Very Own (OVO) has announced it will drop all real fur from its line of merchandise and clothing, and this decision was a direct consequence of pressures from PETA. For us trappers, the main species affected by this announcement is coyote (their website says mostly rabbit and coyote fur).

The price of coyote continues to struggle ever since Canada Goose announced it would no longer use coyote fur. The only positive counterpart to this is that Groenewold Fur and Wool Company announced a new line of winter parkas using coyote fur for trim on the hoods. This initiative is fantastic, and all trappers should hope it takes off, just like the Canada Goose parkas in the days of coyote glory (2013 to 2019). There is still a large inventory of really good coyote skins that have not been transformed into garments, and anything that can help sell fur and get it out of storage is great. Locally, coyote fur still is a tough sell and I doubt you will find any local buyer really eager to pay big bucks for coyote fur, especially low grades, odd colors or poor sections. For sure, if you harvested nice Western coyotes that were fully prime, you should be able to sell them. But oddities (red coyotes), uglies (dark and coarse Eastern coyotes) and mangy animals are best kept out of the market. If you catch unusual animals, skin them for taxidermy and call your local taxidermists — they might be able to mount and sell it if the animal is truly exceptional.

Taxidermy goods continue to rock the market, especially as supply decreases. Without active raccoon trappers, there are very few striped skunks entering the market and the good ones sell very well. Again, prime is key. In my area of Canada, most big longliners that I know waited two or even three weeks after the official opening before setting their first traps (I did the same). Prime fur is our salvation in these tough markets.

As the New Year begins, continue to enjoy trapping for what it brings into your life other than just the money.

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