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Old 11-04-2022, 08:06 AM
Marty S Marty S is offline
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Default Beaver Effort 2022-23

So an uptick in beaver price and sharp increase in demand. I was told by a random guy with a medium size business that some Australian hatter outfit bought up most all the beaver on the June sale, aside from the handful of high end goods purchased by the high enders. Hopefully for the trappers this is the start of good times for beaver price, tho i doubt it cuz i think the hatter market is very limited on the price it can/will pay…. I mean the price they want to pay!

Heard that some guys were averaging around the $20 mark. I see a number of GFW videos with Guy and Gary actively promoting beaver harvest, a very easy sell for them at this juncture. My understanding is that this Australian hat company processes hats and felt in the same plant thereby putting their competition at a disadvantage, but the others must have their felt! When things get expensive at auction, it creates an instant desire of buyers to gonto the country to secure the goods they need. Ive had several people ask me to buy beaver for them, but i tell them i suspect it wont pay to drive around collecting beavers unless you are buying coyotes etc (if you had a market for them) unless beaver price goes to $50 or even more. Surely at $100 a beaver there would be mountains of beavers to buy. Obvously $20 a beaver are dirt cheap and $30 would still be as well. At $40 i think the CDN trapper will maybe go locate his traps and at $50 be willing to go trap a bunch. At $70 i think guys woukd be getting excited. Question, where are you at regarding effort per price?

Ok, at $40, there will be some production and at $50 maybe serious effort???

So in light of the increase in beaver price and demand, will you target beaver and produce them? Or still too low of price?

In the spare parts category, castor price is down some from what i hear, to sell carcasses you either need a walk in freezer like trapper mikey or you target in spring???

Side question…. what are the outfitters willing to pay for beaver carcasses? Perhaps deals could surely be made where you promise outfitter X fall/winter carcasses and X buys them as you produce and freezes them hisself???

There are other folks interested in beaver carcass, might be willing to pay more than the outfitters??? And other goodies to sell if you have the market. One guy i talked to is happily done with coyotes and is making $100 a beaver on his big beavers, spare parts all in.

Anyways, the big question… are you going to increase your beaver production over potentially a $5 ave increase? Will there be beaver to buy this year for the travelling buyers that like packing beaver?
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Old 11-04-2022, 08:48 PM
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3blade 3blade is offline
 
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$50 US, maybe think about it close to home

I think with gas prices today it would be more like $75 US to see real effort though. A day with no catches that uses $100 or more in fuel plus all the other costs, makes it tough to gamble on prices a few months from now. Everyone I know has already shut down the idea of trapping this year and found other things to do.

Carcasses were (IIRC) $10-20 last year. Confirmed season for outfitters this spring so that’s better. But I dunno how many bear hunters are still buying carcasses. Lot of guys are doing honey burns and popcorn, lighter and cheaper.
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Old 11-08-2022, 02:21 PM
Trapperdylan Trapperdylan is offline
 
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Default My expirence

I have found that it is difficult to look at trapping beaver strictly from an effort to financial reward perspective at the prices we have been seeing when just selling whole or putting the fur up and sending them to auction. I have only been in this trapping game for 6years now but I have been digging into finding ways to make it pay as just sending to auction you have zero control and I have seen pelts go for as little as 50c which is a waste IMO. (October baby beaver)

I've resorted to making mittens out of prime beaver and selling whole tanned pelts. This way I can control the price to what I deem worth my effort. I enjoy being a part of the process and seeing people realize the value of a good pair of fur mitts. I have other plans as time goes on for making hats and also mukluks but want to master one article first. Its a slow process at first but I have been enjoying it and the money side is starting to show. Also adding in catching prime beaver and then finishing the rest come summer for a price from the land owner helps. Its a process, its a grind and its not low effort/high paying. There is much easier ways to make money. Thankfully I have enough interest from people who want mittens and pelts that I am way behind and these people are patient enough to wait.

IMO a price per pelt at auction would need to hit about 50-75CAD average (about 100CAD for good quality prime beaver) for me to consider sending any into auction anymore. Selling them whole Id like to see 40CAD. But I doubt I will have the surplus of good beaver, plus I personally enjoy the process of making something and seeing it go to a good home who will enjoy it.
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Old 11-10-2022, 09:11 AM
kingrat kingrat is offline
 
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A 50 us ave I would giver. Maybe even 40.
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Old 11-10-2022, 09:54 PM
Marty S Marty S is offline
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Yup. Id rather skin 30-40$ coyotes all day long than drag beaver around and put up, but im no jackie wurz or Phil patchin or marvin fluth. Fluth eh? 5 beaver an hour all day long.anybody ever watch his video? Air stapler w spacer, pull staples w fur comb, skin w tarp straps instead of cradle. Patchin, i loved watching patchin too, so smooth, so perfect. Jackie was fun to watch, crazy fast with a blade but patchin so methodical and exact, his skins board readyno need for stirrup scraper.

My hat off to the man that can board a beaver every 12 minutes.

Anyone ever seen Clarence Anderson skin beaver on his beaver skinning “machine”?
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Old 11-19-2022, 08:42 PM
pikeman06 pikeman06 is offline
 
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Yeah right. Go trap beavers and work your bag off and burn 150 a day on fuel and sell them for 10 bux a piece after auctions get delayed and postponed because someone said there's demand for them...be careful boys. If there's demand it'll last. I'd wait till I see some proof not a fur buyer telling you what you want to hear and pick em apart at point of sale because they are speculating a price jump. I don't care if you cam put a beaver up in 10 minutes or not it's the half hour of driving to the next colony to get 3 smalls a couple medium large 2 year olds and maybe an adult. Then it's another tank of gas...
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