By Serge Lariviére
As summer turns to fall, trappers and hunters start looking ahead at the upcoming harvesting season. Everyone is watching the news and the Russia vs. Ukraine conflict continues to rage on. We also watch as gas prices rise, and I have never before heard so many trappers discuss fuel prices more than fur prices.
Gas is key, and probably the number one expense on most, if not all traplines. Most longlines are run by large, four-wheel drive trucks suitable for hauling lots of gear (and hopefully lots of fur), and allowing trappers to get into remote areas where “normal” people go less and fur animals are more abundant. In farm country, gas allows trappers to move across fields, pastures and to space locations out enough so that sets are laid out for new family groups. Up north in the deep woods, gas is also essential, one way or another, to run not only trucks, but also snowmobiles, four-wheelers, side-by-sides and often generators at the camp. Long story short — most of the trappers reading this now have gasoline as their number one trapping expense every year. The sad news is — not only trappers use gasoline — almost every industry uses energy in their production, transport, etc. In the end, everything costs more.
Many industries now charge additional fees for “fuel extra” to cover over and above the regular invoice to protect themselves from the unpredictability of fuel or gasoline costs. Us trappers, we fill our trucks, head out, refill, go out again, and only when fur starts coming in do we see income. Not surprisingly, more and more trappers take to the field for passion only. Like you and me, many trappers count fuel costs very rarely, not because they do not care, but because they do not want to know!
The taxidermy trade often pays top dollar for furs that are in high demand for displays. Photo credit Jason Houser.
I trap because I enjoy it — the learning, the fresh air, the beauty of the places, the feel of fur in my hands, and the amazement I get from the animals I catch. But we have to be honest, money from trapping is becoming harder and harder to find, and the only way to make real money in trapping now, is either to get paid for what you are doing by someone or some agency that wants animals gone, or be creative in how you sell what you catch. In other words, seek unusual markets for taxidermy, wallhangers for tourist shops, etc. If you plan on catching 300 raccoons while driving your four-wheel drive truck and still make a profit — this year will be no different than last year — it simply will not happen.
That brings us to what to expect at this time. Nothing has changed for the better since the close of last season. Yes, there is some fur moving, but small quantities, local needs or unusual top-quality goods. Commercial-grade skins, otherwise known as average fur, will sell for basically the same prices as last year.
Ranch mink sales struggle just the same. Yes, some skins continue to sell, but often at levels much below value, simply because companies need to put some cash in the bank to pay bills. Coronavirus restrictions in China continue to force closures of factories, and entire cities are shut down when virus outbreaks happen. Some company owners choose to shut down operations as a precautionary measure, while others have no choice to wait for shopping malls to reopen. The virus threat still has a huge impact on normal life and operations in China, and much of the normal economic activity is postponed for now.
Fur Harvesters hosted a sale June 23-27, 2022, in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, and at the time of this writing results were not yet available online (www.furharvesters.com). However, wild fur sales overall continued to reflect the slow economic confidence caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the COVID restriction still in effect in China. The appetite for wild fur seems to remain there, but the hunger is slowed by the economic uncertainty that exists in the two top markets, Russia and China.
The Trapper’s Fur Market expert Serge Lariviére.
Undoubtedly, there will be some private sales following the auction as buyers who need fur right now are in no rush to get it, supplies are abundant, unsold fur exists everywhere, and there is no urgency to buy unless you need the product immediately. When this happens, many buyers choose to let the fur go unsold at the auction, think things over, know exactly what their profit margin will be, then call and make an offer for certain lots that were offered at the auction. This is what auction houses call private sales. Most often, lots are offered and sold privately at prices asked during the auction, so there may not be a huge discount for the buyer, but the main advantage is being able to wait, recalculate profit margins, seek new clients, knowing exactly what the price will be. Time is therefore the most important advantage, but this can only happen when there is no competition in the buying room.
For trappers, I will be blunt: At this point, any sale is better than no sale, and many trappers who have had skins remain unsold for several consecutive sales know the frustration of having to wait for their money. Personally, my advice has always been to sell what you catch yearly, and right now, even at levels that will probably go down in history as “rock-bottom,” there are still no suggestions that the market will catch on fire and start rising anytime soon.
So my advice remains threefold: Wait until fur is prime since prime fur almost always finds a buyer; trap animals you enjoy catching and handling; and finally, take pictures, try new sets, and enjoy it!
The fall of 2022 will likely be another autumn to take family members and friends along, slow down, and enjoy trapping for all it has to offer.
The Wolf’s Place in Wildlife Management
