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#16143 - 09/18/08 01:21 AM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
2870express Offline
Member

Registered: 03/09/08
Posts: 73
Loc: New Mexico
First let me say that I can only comment about non water fur bears. I will use coyotes as an example. As the daylight hours shorten,tempertures lower, and several other factors, the circlatory system in the animals skin starts to change the amount and routing of blood flow.When this transformation is complete the hair shedding is very little,and if the hide was tanned at this stage the hair will stay on.But the winter hair growth is not complete and not at its most attractive stage.Later when the hair growth is complete and before the animal starts to rub is when it is prime.

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#16144 - 09/18/08 04:50 AM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
Letart Trapper Offline
Member

Registered: 12/30/07
Posts: 87
Loc: WV Mason Co.
Here in WV trapping season opens November 1st and runs through the last day of Feb. except for beaver which runs through the end of Mar. My question is which of the fur bearers should be prime at this time? One coon i caught last year toward the end of Nov. looked fully furred but when skinned the leather side was kinda blue. Does the weather have a lot to do with this or is it mostly length of daylight? Or both?

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#16145 - 09/18/08 06:58 PM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
2870express Offline
Member

Registered: 03/09/08
Posts: 73
Loc: New Mexico
I have never trapped except in the west, so I am not comfortable answering your question. Maybe you Should post it on the Help Forum.

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#16146 - 09/18/08 07:55 PM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
Ric Offline


Registered: 07/22/00
Posts: 3695
Loc: Wellington,OH=USA
Most of your furbearers will be "prime" at some point durring the season dates you indicated.K-9's will be first followed by coon and mink.Muskrats and Beaver will be last.

The term prime in itself is a very subjective as it is commonly used.I use it when talking about the apearence of the leather side of a skin.A prime leather side is a indication that the underfur and guard hair has reached its maximum potential growth for that particular animal.The fur quality of the animal may be poor no matter what the skin looks like

If you are looking to trap only when the fur is prime(peak condition).Don't expect to make large catches because in reality your window of opportunity is not very long.

Myself I start trapping before the animals are "prime" through the period they are "prime".Once an animal is past the "prime" period it will degrade rather rapidly both in quality and price.

I'll stop trapping once I notice a degradeing of the fur unless other factors warrent it

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#16147 - 09/18/08 10:43 PM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
Alabamatrapper Offline
Member

Registered: 02/13/08
Posts: 104
Loc: Hueytown,Alabama
Do most states run their season with fur condition in mind? Here in Alabama our season opens Nov.15. The trappers I have spoke with are split about 50/50 on when they start. Some start at the beginning and others wait untill about Dec 1.

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#16148 - 09/19/08 04:34 PM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
walleye Offline
Member

Registered: 10/15/07
Posts: 98
Loc: Lawrence, KS
Here in KS I start hitting the coyotes the last week in October (they are open year round). Nov. 15 I add in my coon sets and hit them hard until Thanksgiving weekend. I usually pull most of my sets at this time because of all of the hunters. I still run a few sets, but only where there is no chance of theft, dogs, tampering etc. Around the middle of December (when firearms deer season ends) I start cat trapping too. This schedule seems to work well with the "primeness" of the respective animal's fur.

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#16149 - 09/22/08 05:41 PM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
PeaRidgeTrapper Offline
Member

Registered: 09/11/08
Posts: 132
Loc: Missouri
Thanks to all of you. Your comments are very helpful. I will benefit from these answers.

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#16150 - 09/24/08 03:54 AM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
bblwi Offline
Member

Registered: 07/31/00
Posts: 288
Loc: Kiel, WI
I think that it is important for all of us to realize that "prime" when it comes to a pelt is a continually moving target and never static. If one is looking to harvest animals in their highest value range then one must decide what days within the legal harvest season those days would be and how that fits with one's schedule and the environment. Animals don't get prime and then stay prime for x amount of time. Say WI adult coons. They may have a 40 day high value window that finds them prime say only a fraction of that time. We need to remember that buyers buy fur, not hide. The condition of a hide can have a high correlation to fur value but that is only one of many factors.

Bryce

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#16151 - 09/24/08 04:42 PM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
henry fitzgerald Offline
Member

Registered: 01/25/06
Posts: 72
Loc: Quakertown, Pa.
A fur buyer I know whos' father and himself have bought furs for over 60 years told me and showed me that skunks prime up first.

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#16152 - 09/26/08 03:09 AM Re: Which furbearer has a "mature" coat the soonest
northern trapper Offline
Member

Registered: 10/05/00
Posts: 274
Loc: Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada
Skunks are definately prime before anything else(likely because they semi-hibernate), then ermine, then marten and fisher, mink and otter are prime about the end of November followed by fox and coyote. Lynx are prime in December along with beaver, wolves in January and muskrat in late February to early March then badger. I have not caught enough coons to render an opinion.

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