Fellow Outdoorsman,


What a difference a couple of weeks make. Fall is clearly here. The leaves are falling and by the end of the day it will feel like a blustery fall day!
Today we are releasing Episode 5 of Hoosier Trapper Outdoors - Season 3. This episode features the Hoosier Trapper Boys on their Arkansas trapline for check day 6, two product highlights, a trapline tip, and fur grading/handling on coyotes.
To watch the show go to www.hoosiertrappersupply.com and you can watch the show on our homepage. You can also click on the Hoosier Trapper Outdoors logo and that will take you to our Youtube page which has all the past and present shows. Hope you enjoy the show!
This season, one of the most common concerns is how to market fur. Certainly, when the market is in good shape it is pretty much a "no worries" situation. What a difference an unsettled market makes, leaving more questions than answers. Some have said that this is similar to the crash of the late 1980's. I personally experienced "the crash" of the late '80's and I can assure you this is not even close. The difference between now and then is that fur is still in fashion. Cold weather in the fur consuming nations will go a long way in "fixing" the fur market.
Here are a few suggestions for this season:
1. Don't start trapping until fur is prime. Quality is always important even more important in an unsettled market.
2. Wait to sell! Most country buyers took a pretty big loss last year. At minimum they will have a wait and see attitude.
3. Watch how things develop as the season progresses. Check the weather in Moscow and Beijing. If the weather is cold and seasonable that will be the first indication that we are headed in the right direction.
4. Put up your skins, meaning skin, flesh, stretch and dry. If you don't know how you can learn. If you don't have the time or a place to do it you can pay someone to "put up your fur". A good finished product has a lot more value and bargaining power than a carcass animal or something that has just been skinned.
5. Many trappers are hesitant to ship to an International Auction. Quite frankly, this is the year to consider just that. You really don't have anything to lose. Whatever you receive will be the true value of the skin at the time it was sold.
Lastly, as I have said in the past, " We are trappers, it is our lifestyle, our passion, it is what we do - we will trap no matter what the fur prices are!"

What a Great time of year! Bow hunting season is in for many of us, trapping has started in some of the northern states - make some memories and take a young person with you!

Until next time….
Charlie Masheck
www.hoosiertrappersupply.com
317-881-3075

I know a lot of us trap for predator/varmint control. However, Charlie is correct in saying to hold off trapping until later until the fur primes up. With the market like it is, stuff is not going to bring top dollar the way it is now. Even medium quality fur that sells well on a good market may not be worth skinning and putting it up this season.

the other side of that coin is that during early season, trapping is easier due to the nice weather and catch percentages tend to be higher.

I am going after coyotes after Nov 8 so I can keep all the coons in my coyote sets. Coons DP traps will go in Nov 8 also. I am trying some bait stations this year and will get those out a couple weeks before then.

I trap for the memories and for fun, any money made is just a bonus. I will say it is way more fun for taking kids trapping when the weather is nice

I agree Chevy, it would be nice to make money to offset the cost, but it's not like we make money off of all our hunting and fishing excursions either. It's just another sickness we all get and can't help it.