Quote:
Originally Posted by northbuck
Thanks for the info Red Bullets. You confirmed many of the things I suspected regarding southern yotes compared to northerns. What I didn't know was that colour starts to progressively go darker/off colour starting late November...interesting. I tend to concentrate my efforts from Dec. 1st thru January...thinking they would all be decent grades. But from what you have explained...not necessarily the case.
Thanks again.
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The colours start to go off colour in later december.
Not November. Mid November coyotes are coming into their best colour and full prime (
in Alberta). Coyotes are still in prime into january as far as skin primeness. Just the fur starts getting tired, or springy for lack of a better word, by late december. Less natural damages to a pelt when there is good snow cover.
I should explain what I meant by off colour too. When a pelt is in full prime and there is no fur damage or blue skin(early).The colours show their best. All guard hairs are intact and pup and belly fur thick and full. By late December a coyotes fur may have been damaged, having some flat spots or guard hair loss, which does effect colour. Diet plays a role in a healthy lustrous pelt with good colour too. Summer and fall yappers are omnivores, winter more carnivorous. Different nutrition from summer to winter. Nutritionally, as the coyote goes through winter depleting fat stores, the guard hairs and pup fur becomes weaker too.
boy, my fingers are long winded. Sorry for being so wordy. I am trying to be accurate in my info.
give this a read when you have a few minutes. I posted it earlier in the thread and am only repeating because it is relates to primeness, colour and grades through the eyes of a fur grader. There are several little tidbits of information relating to early and late fur, for each furbearer including bears.
https://archive.org/stream/howtograd...0rutt_djvu.txt