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Old 04-02-2017, 08:16 PM
pikeman06 pikeman06 is offline
 
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Default Summer fur auctions? ?

Hey guys just a quick question to run by my fellow trappers. What are your opinions on the summer sales. Always shipped my stuff to the first two sales and n.a.f.a exclusively. Busy with work so I couldn't make the receiving dates this winter. Got a couple hundred rats and 20 beavers and a few canines to sell. Nice fur but not top lot stuff in general. Thanks for any replies got lots of freezer space if the prices and buyer attendance are poor for those particular auctions.
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Old 04-02-2017, 08:58 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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I send all of my fur to NAFA so I don't know much about FHA. I don't store any of my fur but I find the prices a little lower in June and September. What I do is wait until NAFA announces the next season's auction dates and then I take it in and tell them that I want it in the first winter auction in February. That way NAFA stores my fur for me.
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Old 04-02-2017, 09:18 PM
sourdough doug sourdough doug is offline
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Don't think it will work that way with the ATA...Have to have a receiving date first to drop fur off....then you can specify which sale.....I think.
Maybe Halford does it different but I wouldn't want my furs laying around their place until they had a box to ship....not
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Old 04-02-2017, 11:13 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough doug View Post
Don't think it will work that way with the ATA...Have to have a receiving date first to drop fur off....then you can specify which sale.....I think.
Maybe Halford does it different but I wouldn't want my furs laying around their place until they had a box to ship....not
I went through it at the ATA a couple of years ago. I didn't want to put my Spring rats and beaver into the September auction so I took them in and told them that I wanted them in the February auction. I'm not sure if they held them at the ATA or shipped them to NAFA but they ended up on the right auction.

As long as the auction dates are posted you can take your fur in anytime and request which auction you want them in. For example, you can take fur in in November and request that they go in the second auction instead of the February one. I actually considered doing that this season because the May auction is supposed to be the big wild fur auction with the most buyers this year.

If it were me, I'd wait and see what the demand is like in the May auction. If demand for muskrats is high then I would consider putting them in the July auction. The last receiving date for it is May 8 though and I don't think that there's a September auction this year. I guess that any fur brought in after May 8 will go in the first auction next season.

That's my take but I'd call the ATA to confirm. Maybe Marty will chime in.
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  #5  
Old 04-03-2017, 10:05 AM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is offline
 
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Guys, I believe you can choose which auction you want your furs sold. AtA/Halfords does not store, they send to NAFA who have lots of cold storage space.
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  #6  
Old 04-03-2017, 09:28 PM
pikeman06 pikeman06 is offline
 
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Thanks for the replies guys, appreciate it. Were you happy with what you got for November fur sold in the July sale? Just asking ballpark figures. Like I said it's just nice fur anyway if I had supreme select kinda stuff I would defiantly play the market but as long as I ain't getting fractions of the price I would have got in a may sale which is usually the one I sell my fur in I would probably run these hides through for what it's worth.
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  #7  
Old 04-04-2017, 08:13 AM
Marty S Marty S is offline
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Which sale to sell in often depends upon the health of the market, plus when it comes to muskrats, what goes on in the ranch mink world has a huge bearing. When the ranch mink world is plugged, rat prices fall; when its going bonkers, the rat prices can get stupid, like we just witnessed a few seasons ago.

Currently the ranch mink world is in a state of becoming unplugged, There has been a glut caused by numerous factors. The good news is that the fur is moving and the levels seem to be picking up somewhat, and increases always are a result of increased competition for goods. However, there is supposed to be a large number of female breeder mink laying around either not finding homes or competition, and it is these breeder female mink that directly impact the rat prices.

Obviously the hard rule of thumb is the large winter/spring sales bring the best money, but a late sale can bring good money if the demand for the goods is there.

My crystal ball tells me that next winter/spring, we are going to see a significant increase in the rat prices. Unfortunately for me, I suspect we will lose our rats before then as it seems like our irrigation water rats are on a regular tuleremia cycle of 4 years +/- and I should be out there right now while we have the rats, which I am not this year.
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