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Been watching T-man today, and the buzz seems to be that the FHA auction isn't doing all that great on yotes and coons. Don't have access to any FHA results so I can't say for certain. Anyone here got access to any results?

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"The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten" ----Benjamin Franklin on duke traps

Just spent about a half an hour on Trapperman reading about the FHA auction. Reminds me why I don't do Trapperman, just too many posts to read...

Ok, what do you veteran auction guys think about the coon results at FHA? What you expected? Sounds like guys thought the number of buyers were lower than the NAFA sale (and I know this Feb. NAFA sale was the "perfect storm" that was not a typical auction). And the trapperman guys generally didn't like the auctioneers. Isn't FHA just sort of second fiddle to NAFA anyway??

There was a guy from my part of SD on Trapperman that commented on his coon results. He sounds little like my situation, not a lot of skins and the first year he put them up seriously. He seemed pretty contented with the results. I think he ave. in the low 30s on his less than a dozen coon if I remember right.

Because I'll be an auction newbie at NAFA's May sale, I have a few questions. So, I'll be sending 8 coon. Say they are graded 5 different ways with size, color, and condition, would they go into 5 different lots? Typically how many critters are in a lot (say if they 200 coon with the same overall grades, would they all go in one lot or are lots broken up into similar numbers??).

I read a lot of "buy backs" with the FHA auction. Does that mean that the minimum bid wasn't meet and FHA will then hold onto these hides and try selling them at another auction?

The spring NAFA sale will be a learning lesson for sure for me !!

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"And God said, Let us make man in our image …and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, …the fowl of the air…and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26

A buddy of mine sent his 12 coon to the FHA auction they had in January and averaged around $28.00 on his then. I'll ask him today if he has anything there at this auction.

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trapperrick@comcast.net

According to what the guys on T-man were saying, there was a butt load of buy backs in coons and yotes. FHA also didn't average near what NAFA did. There are select guys that did at least get close (within a few dollars of NAFA), but for the most part, people from the same region seemed to get about 2/3 or worse of what NAFA got in this last sale. I know that that is kind of "circumstantial" because I didn't see anyone elses coons so I don't know the gradings and such. I kind of expected this to happen. If it didn't happen in this FHA auction, it was going to very likely happen in the next NAFA sale. Not that the prices were going to plummet, but they are down. Prices for an item like coon can't stay up high like that. There are just too many of them out there on the market. FHA just tried to make the same amount of cash that NAFA did, but the buyers weren't willing to pay those prices again. That is what led to the buy backs. Typically the auction houses would hold private treaty sales of the hides right after all the coon hides were offered, and would start wheeling and dealing on a price. BUT, for this sale, FHA said they would not be offering private treaty sales for coons ( I think they were trying to pressure the buyers into thinking they would not get a second chance on the hides to fill what orders they had, so they'd be more willing to pay higher prices). So, I would think FHA is going to hold all the coons that didn't sell, till the next auction, unless the go ahead and sell private treaty, or do an internet auction.

Like sizes, leather grades, and colors will all be in the same lot or string of lots. They don't typically mix the hides with different gradings (although there are some lots where they do but they denote those 1-4 or 2-5 colors so you know). With coons being so numerous, their lot sizes often get up to 4-6 hundred skins.

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"The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten" ----Benjamin Franklin on duke traps

Well, beavers seemed to do fairly well. Seemed to be right along with what NAFA got, but I've not seen the final numbers. Mink seem to be down.

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"The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten" ----Benjamin Franklin on duke traps

Do you guys think muskrats will hold up this spring?

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13/14 hunt/trap season
Geese-13
Grouse-1
Squirrel-6
Coon-4
Muskrat-8 (1 eaten)
Mink-1 (ranched)



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Rats seemed to do pretty well at FHA this morning. I don't know that I would look for them to stay at the higher prices they are now, but i don't see them going down all that much either (barring some unforeseen market crash). I greatly imagine they are going to continue to be a hot item. The chinese like them way too much as a cheap alternative to the ranch furs. There is just too much demand for them, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. A good article to try and put up in big numbers if you can.

I said earlier that mink seemed to be down, but they picked up later. Averages were real close to NAFA's.

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"The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten" ----Benjamin Franklin on duke traps

I sent a text to my buddy to find out if he had anything at the auction. He said he had a couple of coon but wasn't able to see how he did until he gets home from work. I was looking on the mink trapping website and those guys were saying the mink and muskrat prices were outstanding. One guy mentioned he sold a few rats at $19.50 each! Another guy mentioned he averaged close to $40.00 on 20 mink.

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trapperrick@comcast.net

Reading this thread kinda hurts my heart. I was hoping since NAFA sold 100% of their fur in February that prices would hold up, and the June auction would be a good one.

Shannon and I took our hides to the NAFA pick-up spot this morning, and got the privilege and honor of meeting Swamp Rat and his lovely wife. Meeting him in person confirmed my opinion of him I had formed from reading his post on WAT, a class act! He seems to be a top notch feller!

Yes wannab He is a class act. Also a very nice person The 2 weeks that we spent together was pure joy for myself. One very intelligent man and trapper. Glad you had the opportunity to meet him. I have never met his better half though. Maybe someday.

Thanks for the nice kudos guys. I did enjoy talking with Mark, Shannon and the other trappers at the fur drop. One pair of fellas had two sacks loaded down with otter and bobcats! Wannab and Shannon had a bag full of nicely handled beaver plews. I did get a glimpse of their fox but they wouldn't let me really see all that was in the "other" bag! As always it was good to meet other WAT members face to face. Now that I know they come to Lufkin from time to time, I am sure we'll meet up again soon.

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Jase if your in doubt on the June sale just right on your fur slip that you want those furs held over till the next feb sale. They will do that for you.

Swamp we weren’t trying to hide them from ya, you should have said “what you got n dat bag?” and we would have pulled the out. Sorry about that……now that I think about it, you had yours all bagged up also..lol

Take everything with a grain of salt, like Jase said FHA usually averages less on coons and yotes, the rest or there articles werent bad. Nafa and everyone thought the coon market was suposed to be pretty sub par and it was a great sale, so who knows trap it put it well and send it and see what happens you or i really cant control it bout all we can do is crack open a beer and a speculate.

My buddy got back to me last night and he sold one coon for $32.00 and the other went for $5.00. That one hurt his average a little.

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trapperrick@comcast.net

This is what another guy I know received for his fur at the FHA auction.

The coon price was OK but the coyote, red fox and fisher prices were outstanding!
Coon $22
Coyote $55
mink $25
rats $11.73
grey fox $36
red fox $63
fisher $212.50

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trapperrick@comcast.net

I seen my friend Bill today at the lumber yard in Palmer, Ks, which he owns. He's also a trapper. He also sold to FHA. He showed me his print out of his coon prices, which was roughly about 70 to 80 coon, I didn't count them, but his average was 34.50. Pretty darn good!

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A WISE MAN PROFITS BY THE MISTAKES HE MAKES.
A FOOL NEVER SEES THE ONE HE MAKES. (Harold Warp)