What Are You Going To Do?

​ I guess to put it more bluntly, are you a trapper or not?
Of course this question is based on the current situation with the fur market.  This blog is not a market report; it is my take on trapping during rough market conditions.
     My personal perspective is that consistency is very important. Over the 40+ years I have been around trapping and the fur industry, I can assure you that the most successful trappers are the ones that trap every season.  Jumping in and out of the game has never resulted in consistent success no matter what you do. 
     If you decide to sit out a season, or longer, and then decide to trap again, you will find that not only permissions have been lost, but need to be reestablished.  You will also find that it will take a while to get back into the swing of things. The cycle of seasonal experience and continuing education has been broken.   If you think about it, even for those of us that trap every year, the first day or two may be a little rough and then things will fall into place and become much more familiar.
    Because of the way fur is marketed, the majority of market establishing sales is not until after most everyone is done trapping.
Basically, the information or results are a season behind.  You cannot redirect or regroup during the season because of a market change.  If the market takes a major upswing as it did a couple of years ago, and you did not have fur on an international auction, you wouldn't have been able to reap the benefits of the sale.   So, the word gets out, new trappers jump in and established trappers gear up, only to find out that the bubble burst and fur doesn't have the value it did just 12 months prior.   A lot can be said for the consistent trapper; while he saw the decline in price he also was able to take advantage of the windfall.  It can also be said that a trapper that is a consistent shipper (to an international auction) comes out ahead on the average as well.
    This season, I will trap as I always do and I will "hit it" as hard as I always do.  I may not walk across a muddy, chisel plowed field to catch a few coons. I will take that same time and effort and direct my attention towards catching what I want to catch.   I will put up all my fur, ship it to NAFA and let it ride until it sells.  Remember the year behind idea.  I will have fur on the market when it comes back, and some will not.  Of course, the inconsistent trapper will jump back in and will find himself left with wherever the market goes at that point.  Even for the trappers that hold their fur until the market comes back, it is my opinion that they will fall into the year behind effect (their fur is not in a marketable position until after the fact).
    As I have said many times: "Trapping is more than a fur check, it is a lifestyle and it is engrained in us.   It is what we do!"
 
Until next time….

Charlie Masheck
 
P.S. My apologies to all the lady trappers for using the words he and himself!