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Old 02-14-2019, 10:54 PM
Marty S Marty S is offline
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Default Current Coyote Market Rant

Yes on the other thread I was playing around/toying with some! What can I say?

So anyways... on a more serious note! Yes there has been plenty of low quality goods at least it was so in Southern Alberta. Tough season on the quality, lots and lots of yucky Ave/Lo II's. If there is truly a shortage of quality western heavy coyotes this season, then people will buy the next step down all over the board. It was advertised that the anticipated coyote offering was to be 70,000 skins, however the next estimation was at 60,000 skins, and last I heard the actual offering on the Feb sale is going to be 55,000 skins.

So it sounds like a serious shortage, but is it really going to be??? Numerous serious trappers are reporting substantial collections. Meanwhile the carcass dealers that generally service a very large portion of the shot coyotes in Alberta claim that goods are scarce and hard to find collections.

What will the May sale coyote offering be? That is the question!

So if there's a shortage of skins, we should rub our hands together rapidly in glee of the anticipated price increase, right?

Not necessarily. I have talked to some big players across the continent and there has been a sharp rise in the price paid for coyotes, yes, however not in the Canadian Western Heavy. What is happening is the USA goods are being sought after heavily to make up for the anticipated shortfall. One heavy hitter explained that with contracts signed back in the fall, end users are at the end of their buying rope, they are only able to pay so much and that if they are forced to pay higher, they won't. They are seeking inferior skins to make up for their needs, a means to an end, the obligations are met, the strippers can build their stripes and they get thru a difficult year, do what you have to do.

What this means, I believe is that this year's inferior goods are going to have a home and will be sought after, the grade will slide and those lesser goods will bring the bucks.

Upside potential on the extra heavy goods remains a possibility tho, it only takes two people to fight in the high end and the increase. So the big question will be, is anybody going to challenge the coyote king further? Its is possible! I do believe the coyote king would pay more if he had to, but it would take somebody else to also be equally willing to challenge that extra 20 bucks.

One more factor... when goods get too expensive then profit margins fall. Joe Blow on Center Street in every city is only going to pay so much for his winter parka. So if buyer Bob wants to make money, he might use the option to switch to lower priced goods. There is much talk and excitement on the larger sizes of heavy section coon, the pipeline is moving some of this item, maybe more than some. Then when you go to the sales and see racks and racks of stunning beautiful ranch silver fox, ranch cross fox, blue fox, and others and see that you can buy for the whopping sum of 40 US dollars a skin, well you do the speculation! Furriers love the uniformity and size of the ranch goods and the ease of which it is to work with coupled with it being stunning in appearance...

One veteran Western USA dealer that I got to know 25 years ago from selling coyotes to has this to say about a market whereby fashion has put coyote at the top in the utility style goods class: "...One day the ladies are going to wake up and look around and see that everybody is wearing the same thing, and have a sudden and burning desire to look different..."

The same western USA dealer claims there are a ton of American skins out there, and he feels when all's said and done, the market will be satisfied.

One more piece of American wisdom... "...when something has reached the highest point in it's cycle, there's is only one direction left for it to go!..."

Buyers eh? Always raining on the parade!
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Old 02-14-2019, 11:03 PM
Marty S Marty S is offline
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Dang... I'd sure like to know if these are knock offs! I was told by a bigshot dealer that they were.
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Old 02-15-2019, 01:19 AM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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I don’t think that anyone will be shocked to hear that the number of pelts will be lower this auction. With the exception of Marty reporting that he was hammering them, virtually everyone that I talked to all over AB and SK reported that they were catching fewer coyotes this year. As far as the quality of the fur, this is the first time that I heard of lower than normal grades from anyone. Personally, although I caught fewer, my grades look at least as good as last year if not better. Exactly one mange pup in November and very few shoulder mites or even red bellies. The vast majority have had great fur with full, white bellies.

CG isn’t going to sacrifice their trademark long haired western coyote parka trim and start putting on Eastern coyote or raccoon I can guarantee you that. Why would they chance turning a hugely popular garment into a substandard garment? Not Happening and if it costs them $20 more per parka they’ll take that hit. That’s peanuts vs what is at stake changing the quality of their product.

I’d be curious to know what grade CG is most interested in. From what I’ve seen it’s certainly not high grade stuff. To me it looks average quality at best.
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Old 02-15-2019, 06:05 AM
kingrat kingrat is offline
 
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I'm with dave on this one, the Chinese knock offs might try it but even that I doubt. They'll just buy cheaper eastern stuff. And the numbers aren't surprising to anyone except you Marty, lice has done a number that's for sure.

Last edited by kingrat; 02-15-2019 at 06:17 AM.
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Old 02-15-2019, 06:42 AM
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We had a good year this year , catches were up 15% but quality on first sale coyotes was lower than last year , I blame the warm start to the season . Second sale offering is much better quality .. time will tell how it all shakes out .
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Old 02-16-2019, 12:06 AM
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Red Bullets Red Bullets is offline
 
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I bought a like brand new Canada Goose parka at a second hand store for 15 bucks because the coyote trim fell apart. I think it was a mangy coyote for the way it fell apart. I took it off the parka and replaced it with silver fox. I then sold the parka for a huge profit.

The parka was a good example of low grade coyotes being used for trim.

If there is a coyote shortage maybe some of the other long hair pelts will go up in value.
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Old 02-16-2019, 07:49 AM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is online now
 
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Red, agree with your thinking, when we get $20 for a beautiful fox, makes no sense to use a mangy eastern coyote for the trim of $1000 parka.
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Old 02-16-2019, 08:22 AM
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tikka250 tikka250 is offline
 
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Compared to a lot of you guys I'm fairly new to the coyote game so take my opinion for what it's worth.
From what I have experienced and seen talking to all the coyote hunters/trappers and ranchers is that anyone who is just a casual coyote hunter is having a terrible year. Baits set out the back door for easy shooting are not getting hit and shooting one from the tractor is a rare thing.
Guys actually going out calling and working hard trapping are having a fair year with some good and bad on either side of the spectrum.
I think that is why Marty is seeing a good year and buyers are not. Experienced trappers and callers who are actually doing good are not the type to go to the country buyer.
As for the demand of fur I think you have to be pretty dense to not believe that prices could go down very soon.
The way the fashion market is I'm just glad CG has held on this long. Pretty soon the supply of coyote that is needed will not be able to meet the demand and they will start to push the trend towards fox,coon,mink,nutria or something else entirely that can meet the demand while still making a profit.
Nothing good lasts forever and like all fur booms there will be an end to it and we just have to be aware of it and watch for the signs.
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Old 02-16-2019, 08:37 AM
spoiledsaskhunter spoiledsaskhunter is offline
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not ready to quit hunting them yet, but agree that there are ebbs and flows in every market.........this great run we've had with coyotes will be no different.

hasn't been many years since we could hardly give them away. enjoy the good times.
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Old 02-16-2019, 12:32 PM
AlbertaAl AlbertaAl is offline
 
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Speaking as a farmland coyote trapper... if the coyote fur prices were to drop to say...half of todays returns... then I'd be selling off my equipment and doing something else.
The cost of a fuel and vehicle expenses...wouldn't justify it.
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Old 02-16-2019, 12:35 PM
gman1978 gman1978 is offline
 
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Numbers are down in my neck of the woods but nothing I haven’t seen before. Two big number full time guys I know are way down. When I say way down I mean half as many as they usually get and they are running more baits this year. Some areas have lots of coyotes some areas are down. That’s the way it goes.
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Old 02-16-2019, 03:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlbertaAl View Post
Speaking as a farmland coyote trapper... if the coyote fur prices were to drop to say...half of todays returns... then I'd be selling off my equipment and doing something else.

The cost of a fuel and vehicle expenses...wouldn't justify it.
I believe half the problem with low numbers in some places is the current hi price ,it makes everyone with a call and a rifle a dog hunter. Like you say the price is bound to drop eventually...I've sold lots of coyotes in years past for 40-50 $.. I'm not looking forward to that again but if and when it happens I'll still be putting them up and selling .

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Old 02-16-2019, 04:30 PM
Marty S Marty S is offline
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It’s that cursed, wretched, flipping AC Virus. I was never kidding about it. And I am still not kidding.... goes against my make-up/composition.

Dead serious

AC Virus
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Old 02-16-2019, 05:54 PM
spoiledsaskhunter spoiledsaskhunter is offline
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i'll be hunting dogs if the price goes to nothing......making expenses is really nice, but hunting them is where it's at.
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Old 02-17-2019, 10:33 AM
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One thing with low numbers is when coyotes are being hit hard they tend to have more pups.
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Old 02-17-2019, 10:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bullets View Post
One thing with low numbers is when coyotes are being hit hard they tend to have more pups.
Bonus ..

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Old 02-17-2019, 12:00 PM
bill9044 bill9044 is offline
 
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My numbers are up this year. So are my bros. But I will tell you 100% you don't see a coyote running across the field. They are laying low. To much "travelling" gun hunter pressure aside from the the usual trapping pressure (aka me). There are no gimmie road coyotes standing 50yards out couple years ago a guy could pick up a couple just driving around. There is a lot more pressure out there than a guy thinks. You just have to out smart the truck hunter.

Bill
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Old 02-17-2019, 12:24 PM
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My numbers are up this year but i give that to the cold weather and snow we finally got here in the past couple weeks... rivers are finally froze and the dogs can come and go as they please
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Old 02-17-2019, 08:04 PM
6.5swedeforelk 6.5swedeforelk is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty S View Post
...here is much talk and excitement on the larger sizes of heavy section coon, the pipeline is moving some of this item, maybe more than some...
Don't loose sight of what has put the coyote
at the peak of trim popularity among
the 'fornia airhead crowd...

it's certainly not the nicest all around trim fur...

It's to do with the Wile coyote - Roodrunner syndrome.

Marty, I suggest that if you hope to see the upward move
of raccoon, or other fur, you'll have to start weaning
them to a diet of manicured poodles.
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Old 02-17-2019, 08:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bill9044 View Post
My numbers are up this year. So are my bros. But I will tell you 100% you don't see a coyote running across the field. They are laying low. To much "travelling" gun hunter pressure aside from the the usual trapping pressure (aka me). There are no gimmie road coyotes standing 50yards out couple years ago a guy could pick up a couple just driving around. There is a lot more pressure out there than a guy thinks. You just have to out smart the truck hunter.



Bill
Exactly .. the windy warm weather of January down here worked in favour of the snareman down here, callers didnt have alot of success. I don't miss those guys at all ,a couple of my spots benefited by the lack of pressure from road warriors. And you are correct when you say the dogs arent close to the roads . We drove a 110km loop every other day for snare checks and we saw 3 dogs from the road in all that travel in 2 months .

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Old 02-23-2019, 11:03 AM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty S View Post
It was advertised that the anticipated coyote offering was to be 70,000 skins, however the next estimation was at 60,000 skins, and last I heard the actual offering on the Feb sale is going to be 55,000 skins.
It looks like you heard right. By my count I'm getting 51679 coyote pelts. I guess that I wasn't the only Trapper wondering where the coyotes were.
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