Price of coon hides

[Scott K]

Has the price of hides gone up any? Is now a good time to bring them in, how much are coon hides going for?

[coonchaser]

Price is not great, depends on when your hides were taken etc....nothing better than ten goin on right now, the auction is the best bet, i've got a big bunch i'll probably ship or hold over etc....

[johnsd16]

On 11 bigger coons I avg $14 green yesterday. 5@ $10, 3@ $15, and 3@ $20. I had two little guys I didn't even bother brining, probably would have been $3-$8 for those. I sell green but I comb suff out and have it nice and clean and dry on the fur side. How you bring it in even if its green will get you a couple buck per hide. Grading is real tough this year on size, color and quality. Good coon are still decent, but small, early, damaged or dirty coon will bring little.

Like said above, if you finish, ship. Don't expect to sell everything, but you'll get good money for the big better coons.

[lovfs]

i have a coon that i have half skinned. my fingers went numb and cold, so i folded the skin back and figured i would finish later.

do they still buy them half skinned?

[rattlem'up]

how are you skinning them? I'm a newbie at trapping and i can skin a coon in less than 5 min. Are you skinning it on the ground or do you have it hanging? Then best way i was taught was to hang it by one foot cut around each foot by the pad. Then on the inside of the leg cut down to the privates and up the same area to the other side of the leg. Take the tail about 1/4 way and slice down and around the privates. then start pulling down. Once you get to where you sliced the tail take a pliers (or make a jig out of some flat iron and bolt together at one end and notch a v in the middle of the jig on both sides) put it around the flesh part of the tail and push down till the rest of the tail comes out. then just keep pulling down to the legs. then pull each leg out. Pull down to the ears and cut them off at the base and cut the membrane of the eyes and the sides of the mouth down to the nose and cut off. and your done! try it that way. thats the best way to do it if you dont have a skinning jig set up or made.

The coons selling whole(not skun) have been going for $13 for large $7 for med. and $3 for small. You will get couple bucks more for skun out coon.

[jigginjim]

I have not skun any of my furs this year. I just sold them green, don't have the equipment for it yet. Would rather not wreck a fur just practicing, would like to find someplace, somebody willing to teach a fellow trrapper.

[SapperACE]

Join the MTA, check out one of the trapper's conventions, or attend one of the regonal meetings. They love to see new faces and some are very eager to teach the tricks of the trade.

There's a big difference between skinning stuff and "putting it up". If you're not gonna put it up you might as well just sell it green. A buyer won't give you very much more just because you skinned it. He will still have to flesh it, strech it, set it, and dry it. Skinning them is the easy part.