# Headed to F&T (pic)



## target-panic (Jan 9, 2006)

Awesome load of furs!!!! Congrats!!!!


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## Crowhunter (Aug 27, 2005)

Does it affect the price to sell in the round ? nice catch.Bud


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## Dave Lyons (Jun 28, 2002)

Nice catch NC also like the avg. prices.

Dave


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

NC - Nice haul.

The prices you listed were all similar or higher than what the "going" prices that were paid at the auction held at Jays on Saturday.


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## FMann (May 12, 2007)

Nice job Bill, man I can hardly wait for the water traping pictures. I'm still hopeing for my first mink of the year. I have high hopes with this snow I can realy find their trails and what not. I currently have 12 traps out for them all in blind sets.


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## Liv4Trappin (Feb 22, 2006)

Thanks for posting up your avg.'s from F&T Bill.

Mike


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

Thanks everybody, for the kind words. 

I wanted to add a little bit of "educational content" to this thread before it disappears down the list, forever. I'm not a big fan of basic "tailgate pic" posts with nothing else to them, and thats about all this has been, so far.

Although I sell these animals in the round, this doesnt mean I just pull them out of the trap and throw them into a freezer. No, far from it.

Immediately after dispatch (.22 short between the eyes) the animal is carried out and placed in a box of straw, in the bed of my truck. The head is positioned low and away from other fur.

When I get home, the catch is inspected for blood. If it is excessive then I hang the catch upside down, outside, and spray off the head with a garden hose. After it drains awhile, I'll towel it off real good with clean rags. (notice in my "truckload" pic that none of the coyotes have bloody heads, yet all were dispatched with a .22 short between the eyes)

Then this animal will join the others, hanging in the barn. All catches get gently combed, all burrs and dried mud are removed. _Combing is not done excessively or aggressively_, you dont want to get into the underfur...just get the knots and burrs out of the guard hairs, thats it! Be careful pulling out cockleburrs. _Pull da burr, not da fur. _

OK, once I'm sure that the fur is totally dry (usually overnight) then each catch gets layed on a grate/rack in a chest freezer. I have 3 chest freezers (each 25 cu ft) and thats plenty of room to freeze a days catch without stacking them on each other. Like anything else, you want to allow air to circulate all around the carcass so it freezes quickly and doesnt spoil. Fur is an amazing insulator (duh!) and if you pile several unfrozen animals on each other, it may take several days until they actually freeze. No good.

Once frozen rock solid, the animals are taken off the racks and then just stacked on each other.

OK, so I just wrote several paragraphs to explain how to prepare and freeze your catch.

Why?

a) it maximizes and preserves the market value of the hide and fur
b) it demonstrates respect for the animals and your own pride
c) it presents a positive image of trapping to non-trappers who may view the catch
d) it will help you get the maximum bid for your furs

Hope this helps.


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

Good info.

Thanks.

You do the same with beavers? I saw you at F&T last year and you had a ton of them in the round and they all looked great.


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

Rustyaxecamp said:


> You do the same with beavers?


Yes, but beaver are easier than coyotes. They dont have the blood to deal with and no burrs, either


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

thanks.


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## muskrat (Oct 21, 2005)

WOW, only two weeks:lol:. Nice catch.
Matt


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## Krackerracing (Apr 1, 2003)

Good work, gives me sothing to look up too.


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## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

Now thats as close to a mountain man as you will see in michigan.... Look at that hard work... all those beaver and a mountain of wood.... many hours and a proud man right there


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## Yoopertrapper (Jan 24, 2006)

Great Batch Of Fur,nc
Way To Go!


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## bglong (Nov 6, 2006)

Wow is all I can say!

I'd be afraid to dive that truck here in my part of West Virginia.... we are close to Washington/Baltimore . Those earth muffin peaceful violent vegans might decide I don't deserve to wait for the next reincarnation to reap all that bad karma for that pile of poor, fellow planetary citizens.

Great job. And no, I don't believe in karma of reincarnation .


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

bglong said:


> I'd be afraid to dive that truck here in my part of West Virginia....


I close the tail gate and dont advertise the load of fur....but I dont hide it, either. Same with transporting a deer, pile of beavers, etc.

Funny thing is, I have NEVER had a negative comment or gesture from any passerby...actually quite the opposite. While gassing up, nearly every person who spots the load will come over and want to talk...very friendly and complimentary...especially women. They'll talk about how they have seen coyotes, how they are chasing game off their land...and sometimes invite me to trap for them.


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## bglong (Nov 6, 2006)

Yeah, North I would have some of the "locals " here do that. But we have so many transplants fron DC and Northern Virginia who are as anti as you can get. I throw my deer in the back of the truck as well, and they are used to seeing deer like that. They do give you dirty looks. But I am afraid a sight like what you had there would send some of them over the edge.

It sends me over the edge as well. I want a truck like that!:lol:


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