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Wow, serious echos in that room during the first half of the coon sales. I had 26 lots in the W. Northern and W. North-Centrals ans sold one of the 2 XL Sel* 1 for $21. What I've sold during the 3 2015 auctions, including pt, still have over a $15 average (kicking out 1 hold over dink) but have only sold 9 total. Nice to see NAFA holding the line but market conditions have to change before things will probably move unless they totally gut prices. Wonder if any country buyers will offer to buy coon this coming season...???

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"And God said, Let us make man in our image …and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …the fowl of the air…and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26

Sold a couple masked bandits pt so 3 coon for a $17.33 average. I'll take that this year!!

Somebody over on tman said he's basically has started a "NAFA savings account". If there is a dramatic reduction in coon taken this coming season and market conditions do change in a year or so (Russian start buying again, etc...) maybe a guy will end up with some money. I know there are those on tman who claim dried skins go "stale" within the year and lose their value but I would think a probably put up skin with no fat left on and kept in the right environmental conditions should stay good for a couple of years. Or, I'm I just whistling by the graveyard...???

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"And God said, Let us make man in our image …and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …the fowl of the air…and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26

I am glad some of you fellas are happy. I averaged $7.25 on my rats and I'm ok with that. Wish I had more there. Coons and fox were a disaster. Maybe next year. I am also pleased that they are holding the line with prices. I hope it's that they are holding the line and it's not zero interest lol

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NYSTA member

Live Free or Die

I wouldn't say I'm happy. I'd trade a bit of a drop in prices for more clearance but what can I guy do but ride the storm out.

Just checked my sales summary and the 2 pt coon have been taken back and I've also lost a buck on the one I did sell. Go figure...

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"And God said, Let us make man in our image …and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …the fowl of the air…and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26

Well, my 2 pt coon sales are back but for different amounts but between the 3 out of 31 that I've sold, the average is $15.67. I also sold my single NC female mink for $4 (just have to think mink as just another muskrat until the prices go back up, if they ever will with so much ranched mink).

To celebrate the basic non-event coon auction, I cooked up some back legs of a younger one by using the recipe found in the "Raccoon" thread originally posted 2-11-2008 in the "game fare" board by "moparmanpete". I modified the recipe by using Cookie's plain BBQ sauce instead of ketchup. Excellent stuff as long as you trim off the fat before grilling and avoid fatty pieces within the leg when carving up to eat. Its been a long time since I've had raccoon. To me, it was sort of cross between pork and lamb. I suspect a person could come up with a funky name and say its some sort of exotic diminutive sheep and have people gobbling it up in fine places for nice coin without them being any the wiser. I have a couple more packages in the freezer and will take more with further coon catches...

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"And God said, Let us make man in our image …and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …the fowl of the air…and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26

[quote="NonPCfed"]Richard- Congrats on those yotes!! I certainly wish you could have some of tt's Alberta types running around down there in n. KS but we work with what we got. I'm sure your put up makes up for having mostly semis (I suspect). Typically, I think we have mostly semis around here as well. We'll have to see if Fish comments on his doggies (if he had any in there). He usually has a number of heavies up there.
PC, everbody I have talked to around here their yotes grade is eastern except for Amak. Amak's and mine grade semi heavy's. I had one heavy, one eastern and the rest were simi's. Yes, I to am convinced it is put up issues. Have seen other put up with my own eyes. It would make since tha Amak and mine grade the same considering Amak was my teacher on put up and I listened with open ears. It pays greatly to listen to the guys who know what they are talkin about.

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A WISE MAN PROFITS BY THE MISTAKES HE MAKES.
A FOOL NEVER SEES THE ONE HE MAKES. (Harold Warp)

I know very little about long-lining or country fur buying but when you see something like this, it just makes a guy wonder. Now, he may be in an area or get/buy most of his coon in a non-desired area but a 0.25 of 1% clearance?? I wonder what it was in the "good days"??

Fellas I had 1500 coon on that sale and sold 4 coon for 9.00 each. I doubt anybody will have to worry about any amt. of fresh coon going on any sales next year. I just don't see trappers being stupid enough to keep trapping coons when they can't sell this years harvest at any kind of level. I also think you will see a big reduction in rats, beaver, otter etc. The price of fur is way below production cost. The rat market and beaver market is poor at best. Shure they sold all the rats that was offered but they just got a bit to cheap to even think about harvesting any kinds of numbers next year. You of course noticed they offered about half as many rats this year that they offered last year. Lets see what they think about 1/4 as many rats next year as this year. The Vultures are circling.

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"And God said, Let us make man in our image …and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …the fowl of the air…and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26

overall the Nafa sale was poor. Many buy backs. One reason the sale was to late in the season. Richard you did very well on your yotes, plus I might add you caught some very nice ones. Proper fur put up and making a pelt look fantastic does not really contribute to higher prices. Even though I pursue to do my best at fur handling and present some high quality fur for sale, it all boils down to what the animal grew for a pelt and what the buyers are looking for That we have no control over. I just wonder what you would have gotten for your yotes in the previous sale. Anyway you are one happy camper and you deserve to be with your hard work. Your bobcats are coming up and I all hope you do well. David never sold one cat yet, not even his select.

So how many are trapping coon next year

I ain't.

Wolf, the guys I am talking about live in my area with the same quality of yotes, no difference. I would bet that if I took two yotes of the same quality in my area and use boards on both that if I pulled one really tight and the other loose for better condenseing, that the tight one would get an eastern grading and the loose one would grade semi heavy. This year I made sure that I left them floppin before pinning, unlike last year when I had them a little tighter. Only one this year was graded eastern. I don't believe I was taught wrong. I respect you very much and don't mean this to sound disrespectful. I'm still learning with open ears.

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A WISE MAN PROFITS BY THE MISTAKES HE MAKES.
A FOOL NEVER SEES THE ONE HE MAKES. (Harold Warp)

Wolf I haven't targeted coons in several seasons now but I seem to always catch a few, those that aren't released will most like not be sent to NAFA.

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words

I sold another skunk today for $10. I can't seem to find the catalog for them though. Skunks are hot right now.

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NYSTA member

Live Free or Die

WCS- Congrats on a nice pepe. I wish you had a few more. I just have a beat up one up this go around and no pt interest in it.

Will I target coons next season? I probably won't put out any dps in the fall but will probably drag all my cubbie boxes out and take whatever comes by; coon, stinkers, grinners, "other" nest robbers and song bird killers. I figure I like to see more game birds around and the above critters thrive in our altered edge environment. Just trying to play predator besides with a car. My cubbies are easier to deploy and maintain and may make some gas money while I try to go after k-9s with my legholds. I'd really like to improve my snare setting because our leghold season without much pain is rather short lived most years.

I blessed to live in an area where we have more sought after coon in recent year by the buyers and figure big, decent coon will eventually bring money even if they have to sit in "fur jail" for a while. After 3 auctions in 2015, I'm sitting with a 30% clearance and a $14.50 average. There's a lot of guys that are in a lot tougher spot than I'm this year. My 2-3 dozen coon next year (if I catch that many) isn't going to turn the tide one way or another.

And some of them are sort of tasty

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"And God said, Let us make man in our image …and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …the fowl of the air…and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26

The last guy's post that I copied from tman is indeed a long time country buyer. You read his last couple posts and sort of breaks your heart. In the end, buying and selling fur is a business but a guy establishes a lot of relationships and experiences over time. Just wonder how many country buyers will survive a tough series of years...

... I did not sell all my rats on the auction. I still had over 60 rats in one acct. that had 1400 rats in it, that did sell PT. In 3 other accts. I had another 300 rats that sold about 90 percent at auction time and the rest sold PT. I do not own a single rat. I think I made 3 cents apiece on all rats sold. Shure makes me want to buy rats again next year. All I had to go on was what NAFA posted on rat prices on the march sale I think it was. They posted prices for each individual size on rats and I tried to figure out a price I could live with. I deducted commission plus 15 percent for profit and tightened the grade down on rats until they squeaked. I had about a 4.03 average in rats. Now mind you, I have big rats in my country.
Coon was the same way .I have a 5.50 average in coon, but won't make any money on the coon when they sell. Otter was another big problem. I tried to buy Otter for less than a 30 dollar average. It did not make me one red cent.
I don't really care much one way or the other. My fur buying days will be coming to a stopping point in the foreseeable future.
As most of you know my wife passed away june 1st. I have a lot of soul searching to do to continue on the path.
... as you know, I have bought fur for around 40 years, and I think this sale was nothing but a slap in the face to trappers.

A little later on...

..., thank you. Not my first Rodeo. The money means nothing to me, you can believe that. For the last 15 years I have bought fur because I love fur,. I just can't make myself feel good for my trappers sake. I have fellas that depend on some of the money from their fur sales to help their families, especially for Christmas.

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"And God said, Let us make man in our image …and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …the fowl of the air…and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26

Any of you guys have cats up for auction today? I briefly checked the catalogs and saw a lot of buy backs. Even cats are not moving well. What Is a trapper to do

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NYSTA member

Live Free or Die

I've heard being a Gigolo ain't bad with a good supply of paper sacks.

Sold one cat for 130 and the small female bought back. Average on 3 cats that sold this year was 123.33. Considering how the sales went, I am happy except for the few coon I had up there.

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A WISE MAN PROFITS BY THE MISTAKES HE MAKES.
A FOOL NEVER SEES THE ONE HE MAKES. (Harold Warp)

Checked David's account sold 2 lynx poor quality ones. One for $26.00 and one for $6.00. The other 2 good lynx were bought back. Now that I have another line again in my name and with very poor fur prices this year, not sure what will happen this fall. Marten seem to be doing decent.

Were they that poor to get that poor of a price?

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A WISE MAN PROFITS BY THE MISTAKES HE MAKES.
A FOOL NEVER SEES THE ONE HE MAKES. (Harold Warp)

Does anyone know the prompt payment date for this auction?

Sorry brother, payments were bought back like everything else! NAFA considered most furs were donations!

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A WISE MAN PROFITS BY THE MISTAKES HE MAKES.
A FOOL NEVER SEES THE ONE HE MAKES. (Harold Warp)

3 weeks after the last day of sale which is the 3rd. So around the 24th of July.

They were poor grade for both of those but lynx average was only $50.00. Far cry from the norm. Such is life and can only hope that things will improve next year for his good cats.

I had one cat go for $105.00, and two bought back.

Now that the summer sale is over and the checks are being printed, is everyone's totals coming up the way they had it figured?

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words