I take a lot of pride in my fur put up, and IMO it is an important part of the trapper's ethic to make sure the resource doesn't go to waste. I get a level of enjoyment out of putting fur up, although at times it definitely feels like a chore. It is something that has to be kept up with on a daily basis if you are a decent sized line or you will get buried.
The market has been down the last couple of years. But that is ideal for learning to put up fur....mistakes are not so expensive. The market will eventually pick back up. Just 3 years ago fur prices were through the roof. I averaged $60-70 on reds, greys $50, coyotes $45, muskrat $12, beaver $50, otter $100, raccoon close to $20, possums $5, etc. Nobody complains about putting up fur when the prices are good. Now I'm not trapping so much do to life circumstances and the market. Last year I found alternative market for all my pelts and will do the same for what I caught this year.
This the equipment that I have:
-Knecker fleshing knife. Also have a sheffield knife but never have used it yet. And I have a one handed griz getter for beaver.
- fleshing beam
-I built a skinning machine to pull the hides of yotes and coon. It as a winch mounted on the bottom and extends up to 12' high. Also have a frame that fits in my truck hitch with no winch. I use that just as much, can skin in the field.
-Several skinning knives.
-I use bass wood boards to stretch. Very important that they are cut exactly right to auciton specs. Coon and fox boards from MTP. A few otter boards. Stretch beaver on 4x8 plywood with the pattern marked on. Coyote boards. Possum and skunk stretched on fox boards. Make sure to use belly wedges for all boards.
-A few hundred push pins. Plastic is fine.
-I built a beaver trow.
-tail striper and tail splitter.
-fur brush. Always dry critters and brush them out before skinning.
-Borax. I use borax to clean mud/blood out of the fur, usually after skinning but before fleshing. You can also rub it on the leather side to prevent tainting if there is a concern.
-nitrile gloves
When the market is good I ship fur right after Christmas and then again in March. You can also look into to state association auctions. Otter and cats always need CITES tags.
These coyotes brought top dollar:
so did these beavers:
