Top lot fur auction
 

I trap and snare a few coyotes every year but I sell them whole frozen, so I don't know much about sending them to the fur auction, but I read here about some guys selling a coyote in the auction and getting best price in the top lot, can some one describe how the top lot works at the fur auctions?

when you send furs to auction they are graded on size, color, fur thinkness, handed correctly etc
every species have different grades and traits that make them more desirable then others

the furs are grouped together by these common traits by the graders and then sold all together as a lot

top lot means for that species they are the most desirable graded furs that sell for the most money

example would be a female xl size uniform dark color marten caught in prime fur trapping season could make it into the top lot because that is the most desirable type of martin fur by fur buyers

here is some handling info from nafa

http://www.nafa.ca/wp-content/upload...al_2012-02.pdf

here is how coyote are graded, the ones with pure white bellies and pale backs are the most desirable

http://www.nafa.ca/wp-content/upload...009_Coyote.pdf

Top lot
 

Thanks for the reply, All that info is good to know for next year I will be skinning the pale white bellied coyotes and stretching for the auction I appreciate the info.

If your going to do that you mise well skin them all and see how it gos. You might be surprised by what you get.

You missed one very important point from D413 post. Half the value of a good coyote is made by an experienced trapper in his fur shed.

I've heard from several people that after seeing the auction prices they had some regret about selling their coyotes whole instead of putting them up themselves. The reality is that there a ton of -$100 pelts in comparison to high quality ones.....even lots of $20 to $40 ones. I buy whole coyotes and sometimes I just break even after putting the work into putting them up, particularly with shot dogs. Other times I do well.

The top lot coyotes in the last auction totaled 10 out of 32,271 so it's kind of like winning the lottery. First you have to catch the right coyote and then you have to put the fur up perfectly. I'd say go for it but chances of turning the $30 coyote that you sold into a $460 coyote are very slim. If you want to put in the work of putting up your own fur you'll end up with a whole bunch of $80 coyotes before ever hitting the jackpot. Maybe finding a good custom skinner to put up your fur for you is the way to go.

Top lot
 

I agree with what you are saying Dave because when I talk to other guys that are putting there fur up on stretchers they said they went thru all the work and got $5 for a coyote but it's all related to a bunch of different variables I guess I just am not set up for all the work presently maybe later.

If they only got $5 for the pelt they probably shouldn't have put it up anyway as it likely had mange or shoulder mites.....lol. Of course, it's possible that they could have also turned a $100 pelt into a $5 one because of poor fur handling.

Davey, Davey, Davey... you should be gettin' toplots every sale with th time you spend on yer kiyutes, not? Spend an hour a kiyute and ya should get yerself top lots all th time, no?

You should be getting 10 to my one, my goal is about 10 minutes a coyote. Ya ever git a top lot before?

Maybe ya just gotta skin em a little faster? Then maybe you'd get a few? Oh wait, all that time must mean you git top lots all the time.

Me sooo mean!

Here's how the top lot thingy works.

The best of the best of the best coyotes are supposed to get into the top lot. Usually that's is the case, sometimes they put really nice coyotes in there that are a little darker than the best, but they do what they do.

To get a top lot, you need to begin with a very high quality coyote. That means it has a stunning hair grade, it is just how the coyote is made. Next it needs to not have gotten its brains blown out of it, nor its feces. No 7mm mag, 300 mag coyote is going to get there. Same goes for them .224" frangible bullets travelling at 3800+ ft/s that exit! Say yes to the hard low expansion bullets or if you are calling, choose your shot carefully... nothing better than a face front body shot into th brisket and no exit with a frangible bullet, but otherwise the frangibles are not to be trusted!

Oh yes, it also has to be very large! I kid you not. I never see little coyotes in the top lot, nor medium size coyotes for that matter. Don fret, skin them anyways, most all coyotes grade LG - XL and high quality brings good money, whether it is gargantuous or barely makes 42" (to the base of th pelt/tail)

Then it has to be clean, clean fur all spiffy, it is a presentation market and to get a coyote into the top lot, it better look really good, no coyotes dried twisted on the stretcher, no blood mats or even dirt, zero burrs, it better have a tail, no coyote that was plumb full of burrs either.

Tainted coyotes out of the question too. Anyways, you get the picture.

But the big one... genetics! The top lot coyote will consistently have superior genetics. It is rare when dark coyotes are selected for the top lot, they never belong there, so your coyote better be pale in order to get there.

So pale, large, undamaged... and fully prime, without flaws, without rubs, mats or any sort of hair weakness. Next problem, there could be 50 of them for a particular sale, there could be 100 of them, but only 10 or 12 or 8 get selected for the top lot. That is when Daves time that he spends can help, having perfectly pinned legs, perfectly pinned ears, etc can play into your pelt being selected for the top lot. I don't pin perfect, but I do a commercial job, all the things that are important are done and done well, and there are th tricks of the trade that can and will put my pelt over there top even tho the other guy pinned his ars and crossed his eyes and dotted his tees! Oh ya, when there's 50 in the top selling lot, it's not really a top lot... sorry for raining on your parade... Best explanation of this, the words of Syndrome, the villain in "The Incrdibles"; "when everyone's super... well nobody is!"

So then you go up against folks of my put up caliber harvesting coyotes with potentially superior genetics! It can be a tough game to get in the top lot!

But don't fret, learn to put them up anyways, even without getting a top lot, if you have decent quality fur, you will consistently win in the auction vs selling whole.

Learn to skin them, it's easy, Probably lots of youtube videos, often it is the blind leading the blind on the Internet, happens daily but you will still learn much of value. A lot easier to teach a guy coyotes than beaver, that's for certain. And do ship to NAFA, that is where the big dollars are paid. Huge international auction in Toronto, a recognized world business centre. It all helps.

For the learner, make your knife cuts and use the knife no more. Peel the coyote, do not knife them off, knifing coyotes screws up the leather and makes many holes... DONT MAKE HOLES!!! These people need to cut your coyote up into these perfect little pieces, it is a fabric, a material. Imagine what your jeans would look like if the material got hacked full of holes and "repaired" and your jeans had all these nasty sew jobs in them. You'd pay top dollar for jeans that were full of sew jobs wouldn't you? Your jeans are $50 and a coat is $1000.

And many do try the custom skinners, many are excellent, however, if you follow all the rules and you have the perfect coyote at the custom skinner , you still haven't necessarily won, you have to get your own coyote back, buy security seals and tag your coyote with these nearly indestructible plastic seals, protect yourself and it protects the custom skinner from false accusations too.

Oh ya, one more thing, I am an agent for North American Fur Auctions, I could be biased? You may need to take what I say with a grain of salt?!! Many new people seem to!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...psmpojejbn.jpg

Note... Very large, very clear. No amount of pinning and brushing a lesser quality and colour coyote will turn one into one of these.

Well said Marty , excellent post . This is what we all need to know if we are to get as much coin as possible from our catch .One thing you mentioned is cleaning , is it advisable to wash all coyotes , not just the soiled and bloody ones ? Genetics is something like being tall for basketball .. its something you can't teach ..lol .Luck of the draw so to speak . Some parts of the province are more gifted in this category than others . I know this for a fact , I have a fair number of light colored dogs in my area but it is nothing like a buddy who lives 40 miles to the east . Thanx again for all the info , best of luck to all in the upcoming sale .:sHa_shakeshout:

Top lot
 

Thanks for the informative write up Marty one of the reasons I asked this question was when I watched your snareing video you showed one of your yotes that you snared, and mentioned how it got into the top lot at the fur auction, that was a big dog, oh and by the way that was a very informative and interesting DVD and I thank you for your contribution to the coyote business I didn't know much about snareing until then but I used your techniques and caught more coyotes then I expected to thanks again.

Thanks for the compliment. Pretty coyotes in hand, we can hope all we want but really have zero control over where they ultimately end up

Very interesting Marty, thanks.

I'm not in a speed contest, or any other contest, with anyone. :lol:

I've never had a coyote grade pale yet let alone get a top lot. No bragging rights for me. :(

I've had many labeled coyotes right behind top lot, I just can't find one that'll grade pale. Maybe one day.....maybe never. I'm okay with that. :)

PS. May I share your "work" and copy your picture?

Marty, so is it fair to say they would have to size at XXL or XXXL?

There are no XXL - XXXL grades in the Western Coyote section. That is an Eastern Section size category, so the top coyotes will be from the XL-LG size and big ones hand picked, to the best of my knowledge. I am making some assumptions.

Washing can be a good thing. Back to the washing threads... gentle soaps, no enzyme soaps, and soak, agitate for a short time like 5 minutes max, to prevent the underfur from beginning the felt making process. Washing too long will cause the underfur to "felt". I don't wash coyotes unless shot and bloody or for other obvious reasons, but I do other things to bring them up to snuff and beyond. Some of the best handled goods that I see in the depot are machine washed and brushed up real nice.

Feel free to quote Dave. Also, the pict... I sure would have liked to have such a picture years ago, had to wait to take my own pict to get one. Enjoy! As long as I can keep bugging you on here once and a while?

Marty those pale coyotes in the picture sure look like the ones I sold frozen to the fur buyer LOL.

marty, were those pale dogs in ur pics the best of the best? (I'm trying to get a handle on where some of mine might fit in)

If they are, I think I may have half a dozen or so that should be close. as you say though, we ultimately have no say in where ours end up.

what say you, cam?

First off I think you are very close..and if u are I want a commission for sharing my skinner . [emoji41]

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......maybe you two long legged boogers should come over and help this old guy out! the snow and old age are slowing me down! maybe an agreement?

we are certainly going to see how it all shakes out aren't we? would sure be nice to see some labelled pelts, even if they don't make top lot. you better keep that skinner a secret or he'll be charging more next year.:sHa_shakeshout:

Shhh.. he reads this and doesn't need any incentive..lol . Be glad to help you out , just call .

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ed84e3fa52.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0294916fd0.jpghere's are some of spoileds dogs he sent .

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MY FIVE - top lot, hopefully
 

I'm proud of these five taken at one location with the wolfmaster.
Hopefully they get classiffied in the top lot and bring the highest price to make up for the reduced numbers taken this season.

http://i64.tinypic.com/6pxj7p.jpg
http://i63.tinypic.com/2uo2brb.jpg

Nice group of hides.

those are purdy!!

Very nice indeed , gonna be a loooong wait til May . :angry3: