Best place to shoot a fur bearer

[Woodjr55]

If you had an ideal situation where you could pick you shot on a fox or coyote where is the best place for pelt preservation or to get the best price?

[HOUNDS77]

Depends on what you are shooting for a gun. Through the lungs or heart with a smaller caliber.

[EspressoBuzz]

ideally i'd shoot em in my back yard but im sure the town has something to say about that!

 

[BizCT]

between the eyes with a 22 if you only care about the fur.

[Woodjr55]

I don't care all that much about the fur was just wondering if given the opportunity if head or body matter

[shawnhu]

between the eyes with a 22 if you only care about the fur.

I'll one up that with a 17HMR in FMJ or Game Point. Both 20 gr.

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[shawnhu]

I don't care all that much about the fur was just wondering if given the opportunity if head or body matter

Given ideal situations, headshots is always better if you can pull it off. DRT.

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[growalot]

I prefer a head shot  if it's right...I've shot them behind there shoulders and they spin like a top biting at them selves...before running and then rolling to a stop...a 22 to the head is quick ...they tumble around a in the skull from what I'm told......

[HOUNDS77]

I skin, so I do not do any head shots. If you dont skin then maybe

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I skin, so I do not do any head shots. If you dont skin then maybe

I am new to this so explain that to me. I would think the valuable fir in on the body. No?

[Water Rat]

On a trap line , an ideal shot for me is in the ear .

[BizCT]

I skin, so I do not do any head shots. If you dont skin then maybe

 

I don't hunt furbearers for fur, so I'm not expert.

 

However, every trapper I ever talked to in Canada (Alberta and B.C.) shoot their furbearers (Yotes, Cross Fox, Red Fox, Lynx, Otter, Fisher, Wolverine, etc.) with a 22 between the eyes. They told me this was to minimize fur damage. The exception being wolves which are shot in the lungs with a 22.

[Csk21]

Are we talking in a trap?

[Woodjr55]

Are we talking in a trap?

no I was just wondering where is the best place if you had the opportunity to choose

[verminater71]

well, everyone who wants to head shoot a coyote, let me know how that works out for you

 

once you shoot a few you'll understand, they don't ever stand still, especially when your calling

 

every shot opertunity is different, you might get 2 out of 50 that you can head shoot, the rest body shots

 

don't worry about it now, when they come in you'll know what he's going to give you, and take what he gives, head, neck, shoulder or ribs your only going to get a few seconds,

[silent death]

Right behind the front shoulder is where I shoot them with the 223... But if he is facing you and that's the only shot :pending what caliber: you are shooting I would shoot them right in the neck . just make sure if you shoot behind the front shoulder you don't hit bone I did that with my 22-250 with a 45jhp what a mess that was.

[Doc]

I am no expert, but I would assume that it would depend on circumstances. A critter coming in in a hurry, the head shot might not be all that reliable. After all least fur damage doesn't really matter if you don't get the animal. Distance probably would factor into that decision too, for the same reasons.

 

A fox or coyote in a trap opens up a lot of opportunities to do the job with whatever finesse that you want to use. I would think that in the ear would the location that would be the least damaging.

 

This is a real good question and probably the answer is determined by each situation.

[HOUNDS77]

I do not like the blood in the head area. It is harder to clean off the fur and you get bone fragments. But I am talking trapping and a close shot thru the lungs ends it without the blood mess. When we are calling or running them with hounds, any shot I can get works.

[phade]

Ever wap a yote over the bridge of the nose with a whooping stick while in a trap? Yeah, that'll make you pucker the first time.

 

I prefer a .22 short or subsonic in the head. I also despise skinning/processing yotes for the cash you get from the work, so  don't often target them.

 

As far as predator hunting...headshots are the holy grail of opportunity, but it doesn't come often at all...heck, most times you are lucky if one stops still for a full second.

[HOUNDS77]

They are a little work, but for $30-50 yotes, I will skin them!!

[BizCT]

I don't trap, but I am curious as to what the market prices are? When I was recently in British Columbia, I heard the following approximations if I remember correctly:

 

Muskrats = $11

Otter = $100

Marten = $100-$200 depending on color

Lynx = $250

Silver Fox = not much because they can be produced on farms

Cross Fox & Red Fox = $70-$100

 

It was a crazy process if I remember correctly. Furs are driven 3 1/2 hours and then put on a bus for an 11 hour trip to Vancouver and then flown to Montreal and then part of an auction.

[phade]

Pelt pricing varies greatly from locale, fur grading, processing, and market demands. Also depends on how/where the fur is sold within the market chain.

 

 

[HOUNDS77]

Here is an idea of what is being paid.

Furharvester last week

 

 

Species Offered % Sold Section Average Top 

Beaver 20,299 

85% 

34% 

 

1st Section 

3rd Section 

Overall 

$35.66 

$7.10 

$32.79 

$74.00 

Castoreum Grade #1 $50.00/lb Grade #2 $40.00/lb Grade #3 $30.00/lb 

Wild Mink 2,920 50% Overall $17.61 $24.00 

Otter 904 85% Overall $60.33 $110.00 

Muskrat 36,950 99% 

Eastern 

NWT 

$10.11 

$9.34 

$16.50 

$10.00 

Raccoon 30,551 

35% 

65% 

45% 

40% 

 

Canadian 

Minn./Wisc. 

Iowa 

East USA 

Bigger sizes unsold. 

$11.78 

$31.47 

$19.33 

$10.26 

 

$33.00 

$62.00 

$24.00 

$12.00 

 

Red Fox 1,199 

100% 

100% 

25% 

Eastern 

Northern 

Central - Mainly Unsold 

$59.26 

$86.94 

$21.84 

$110.00 

$105.00 

$30.00 

Cross Fox 67 100% Overall $61.62 $78.00 

Arctic Fox 633 100% Overall $50.82 $72.00 

Grey Fox 470 80% Overall $28.65 $35.00 

Coyote 3,263 24% Overall $56.90 $78.00 

Timber Wolf 201 

76% 

55% 

Arctic 

Eastern 

$281.04 

$100.91 

$540.00 

$200.00 

Wolverine 52 54% Overall $259.23 $370.00 

Black Bear 21 81% Overall $110.29 $290.00 

Seal 1,078 42% Overall $37.92 $66.00 

Weasel 9,395 Mainly Unsold $8.00 

Squirrel 918 100% Overall $0.95 $1.80 

 

[HOUNDS77]

Pa sale.

 

Species Quantity Sold $ High $ Low $ Average

 

Red Fox 711 65.00 3.00 43.63

 

Gray Fox 17 35.00 27.00 30.29

 

Opossum 154 8.25 1.00 5.29

 

Raccoon 1258 44.50 1.00 17.09

 

Muskrat 790 17.20 2.25 14.03

 

Skunks 17 9.00 2.00 4.81

 

Male Mink 108 26.50 7.00 20.90

 

Female Mink 44 17.00 10.00 13.57

 

Beaver 2 29.00 25.00 27.00

 

Coyote 6 30.00 12.00 24.50

 

Deer Hides 24 8.50 2.00 6.33

 

Squirrel Tails 22 .25 .25 .25

[BizCT]

500 Wolverines pelts would make for a nice check lol