End of December....shipping to auction:



Rest of my fur at the end of the season:



Most of my trapping was in NC with no fox season so didn't full much with predator sets. Here's a few more pics from the year.

I caught these to coon together around Christmas in Bedford. The one on the right is the biggest I've ever weighed at 20#.....the other was 12 or 13.



grey on a field edge


grey on a pond dam


Noticed some otter tracks in a creek bottom while coon trapping, so I blocked off the channel and set a 330:


Here's the result, hard to tell but it's an otter:

Caught another otter with a foot trap in a beaver slide but no pic of that.

This was my first year beaver trapping and it's a lot of fun. I trapped a few problem areas on Camp Lejeune. Coincidentally we have a pond on our farm in Bedford. Had a beaver problem in 1988 but none since. I was back home to plant trees in March right after the season ended, and some beavers had just moved in. Can't wait to go for them next fall Neighbor told me there's a huge dam on a river less than mile away. Anybody with problem beaver in Bedford or Rockbridge let me know and I'll see if I can get to them next winter (or coyote or fox, raccoon, etc).

Here's a castor mound set on a creek below a dam. The trap is out of the bed and a 44# beaver at the end of the drowning rod (you can see the top of the rod going into the water on the left):



And here's the rod pulled up with the beaver on the end:



Beaver trapping is a lot of fun, but when there's beaver in an area it's obivious due to the sign they leave. And that led to my first encounter with trap theives. Got cleaned out of several expensive traps at one location and that hurt both the pride and the pocketbook. All in all I had a lot of fun and looking forward to next year!

Almost like I was there.

You do a good job on your put up. Those otters are very clean. You can tell the lot was put up by the same person. Very uniform.

That will help the finacial return.

Coalman I appreciate the compliment. My furhandling as come a long way since I started. And there is a big difference in the return when it's done right. I enjoy it too.

A couple friends asked to buy a fox and a beaver. So I sent them off for a professional tan. Came back really nice. Should have sent off more because I got a lot of requests just from the people who saw those. May be the way to go with more furs in the future.

How much are they charging you to tan a hide. I got a fox for the Mrs. and they wanted $75 to tan it. I thought that was a little high.

Vic

Here is a sample of tanning prices for the making of fur garments. Remember a taxidermist tan is a little different as they take great care to leave lips, eyelids and ears etc, intact for show.

http://usafoxx.com/fur-tanning-pricelist.htm

I have used the company below with great results. You send your fur. When it is complete they call you and you send payment. When they receive payment they send you your fur.

Gorlics Trading
Waterburry Road
Warwick, NY 10990
Phone:(845) 986-8484

Remember sending a damaged skin for tanning is what you will get back...a damaged skin.

After looking at Neill's fur I'd trust him to skin and flesh my pelts any day.

Thanks Coalman!

Vic I would expect with shipping to and from, if you sent a fox already skinned, fleshed and dried, it would cost you close to $50, based on what I paid (shipping being about $30). I highy recommend Moyles Mink in ID. What I got back was much better than what I was expecting.

If you paid $75 and delivered a fox on the carcass, that is very reasonable even a bargain (assuming they do a good job).

I wonder how many beaver hides it takes to make a coat? My wife tried on a beaver coat in Alaska and loved it. I liked it too, but the price was high. Now that I look at prices and would guess it would take about 10 to make the coat maybe they weren't so bad. My wife use to make her own clothes and could probably sew together a coat but with lining and all it could be difficult.

I thought about getting a nice red done up and making a stoll out of it. With that all you have to do is put some padding in it and sew closed the opennings. Have either of you got experience with this?

Vic

I'm not a trapper but I have the utmost respect for you guys, and those are some kick-butt pics. Maybe someday, I often thought about it, I'm going to try. alot like turkey hunting though, alot easier if you find a teacher I imagine.