One of our regular buyers at the fur sale did a Facebook live market report while ago. It sounded more bleak than I hoped. I was convinced beaver would come around but it doesn’t look like it as of now. Gonna be some sad beaver trappers thinking they’ll average close to last year. I’ll link his talk if I can to our Facebook page and bulletin board. Another Indiana buyer quoted me the same price structure right now and we all know him.
That’s beyond Sad for sure
On all fur
With the market getting flooded the last 2 years, I expected a drop. I was thinking 25-30%. 50% hurts a little.
I was listening to it as I was skinning beaver. It didn’t speed me up any!
I’m glad he said that about throwing fur in piles. I’m gonna shake his hand at the sale!
I’ve been saying that for years
I caught that too and that what I commented on that I agreed with him there.
Well, wasn’t that just a bright and cheery video, I appreciate him letting everyone know though.
I’m actually surprised on the beaver. I distinctly remember last year the market was predicted to be fairly strong for five years. I suppose they bought a lot of slightly higher priced beaver late than they immediately needed and so many are out there catching them now they think there will be plenty to be had. BUT, buyers can only buy where they can turn some sort of understandable profit.
I was also disappointed in the coon comments. Otter too I thought we’re on the upswing.
We will see a return on other furs when the world gets somewhat straightened back out, the Ukraine mess has a pipeline blockage right now.
I’d say what few new trappers, that are putting up fur, will largely fall away like in 2014 and it’ll take a while to regain any. This further setting back when the market starts recovering. About the time fur handlers get back in the swing it’ll turn down again.
This will also encourage more of what I think was his cautioning of setting traps for nothing, wasting fur.
The market has always ebbed and flowed. I’m afraid the negativity, very short term negativity, will damage what little spark may have been flickering, AS OF NOW.
But, who knows, by the March sale things could be totally different. One thing is for sure, you can’t sell ‘em if you don’t get out and collect ‘em.
In my older age I may look at things at a different angle. There’s no big money to be made putting up fur in Kentucky. I do it because I love it, always loved it and will always do it. I think it’s good for my health both mentally and physically to get out there.
Last point I think……I’m afraid this will just further encourage and in their minds justify killing and tossing and fur trapping will somehow further devolve into obscurity in our lifetime. The weaker the market the easier it is to justify killing and tossing fur.
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All of his thoughts just further bolsters my thought that we will continue to see the micro booms. It will happen fast short lived and unpredictable,he never said there as no market he said nobody is saying. This is another instance where are late sale may be the saving grace by March somebody somewhere will be saying something we may not like it but they’ll be saying something.
As for the beaver market it honestly sounded like gorenwold was leading the charge on it.
And that’s an old trick they use. They pay allot up front to create harvest and then buy at what they really want I thank it just got bigger than them. They have bought beaver for the haberdashers for a long time. I heard Guy say that the hat makers came to them and said they needed more beaver as the harvest was down and ask them what to do and they told them to pay more and theyll catch more.
Back during the last boom I would watch gorenwold buy coon at the beginning of season in Iowa for 30 dollars green (that’s coon that according to them are blue and worthless today) then by Christmas the harvest would be through the roof and prices would settle back to what they actually wanted to pay. Not to mention Iowa has the best coon in the world so they would loose a little up front but it would average out cause the pipe line was full!
I personally believe the beaver thang just got allot bigger then it was ever meant too. And I would not necessarily expect the beaver to go crazy again but as the beaver currently in circulation is used up I’d expect to see a modest increase. That will last minute and then fall back off.
Colt
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I’d say Groeny is first in line driving and determining the market as they are very active with the end users. I don’t care for their bedside manner in their fur pick ups. Our sale has been very good for us in many ways. I hope Kentucky trappers bring the goods once again.
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I have a sneaky feeling the beaver fur harvest won’t be as high as some think and prices may reflect that by March. A lot of people catch 4-5 beaver and put their catch pictures up on social media. Probably half of those never lay a knife to one. They effectively aren’t even a part of the fur market conversation even though catching them some.
So many things are uncertain in this fur game anymore.
I’m sure not an economist, and don’t know much about anything for that matter, But if the beaver market drops back this year to 50% of last year’s prices and stays that way for say the next 5 years, No one will get rich beaver trapping that still traps, but it will knock back the jump in and get rich quick guys; and beaver populations might not get hammered as badly as they may if prices stayed where they were last year.
Looks like beaver averaged 25 at this sale.
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More would be better of course; but I think most folks could pay their expenses at least with similar prices here. Lets hope we can top those prices at our fur sale this year, so that UTK members can show a profit !
Well if we thank back a 25 dollar average ain’t real far from where we started that crazy beaver money stuff to begin with.
If you got beaver and can’t make a little at 25 your doin something wrong.
Colt
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25 average would be what they suggested at 25% less than last year, about. New York has a nice black beaver that may bring a premium our red rims won’t for hatters.
$25 average on beaver is about what I expected this year. Mine averaged $34.40 last year.