If you're looking at this thread as promoting fur, versus promoting trapping, I think you're wrong. This thread is primarily about promoting trapping, not fur. As was mentioned here before, handing out fur to homeless could possibly de-promote fur. But that's not what this was ever about. It was about promoting TRAPPING through handing out fur. To give the catchers of the fur a good name. TRAPPERS donated their hard work to those in need. This is ALL about promoting trapping.

I'm in as far as donating some fur I will be getting some back late summer

And I can paint some traps pink

I'm sorry my plate is too full to help in the organizing of this but will keep my ears/eyes on the progress
And will plan on sending some tanned fur

I really hope this goes somewhere

Great Idea.

But the first step Is to see if any or all of the tanneries would step up and tan your fur for free. With out free tanning your going to fail.

Maybe NAFA or FHA would donate fur to the cause? There already giving It away.

bump

I personally feel that giving away fur pieces is counter productive for fur producers. On this forum and others we read countless threads and posts about those getting a free deal or something for nothing and we are advocating that with our fur? If we are going to give fur away why not to 4 H groups, scout troops and or wildlife and biology class students as either tanned fur kits or raw and let them tan the furs as part of a project. It is the younger generation that may become fur buyers in the future those in the USA that are earning monies have already made their decisions on what is valuable to them and fur has not been part of the spending they have chosen.

Bryce

That is a good idea. But why can't your idea work along with giving a warm fur hat to a cancer survivor with a bald head? And, I do not believe it is counter productive for producers to give things away. Free samples are a time tested method for producers to make consumers aware of new products and ideas. I make a distinction between people who are truly in need and people who abuse the good intentions of others.

Our incidental fur program here in WI provides funds for Trapper Education and also fur kits etc. (up to 20 plus) that we can use in demos, booths, seminars and youth groups. Following your thoughts working with children's hospitals or even elder care centers would be a good way to funnel the pelts and not have to spend as much time searching out where they should go. I think finding groups that would be willing to tan them would be a great thing as that creates more ownership by our youth or who does that.

Bryce

I'm sure it's been mentioned but military families stationed in cold weather regions in us and internationally

We can never do enough for them as far as I am concerned

those in the USA that are earning monies have already made their decisions on what is valuable to them and fur has not been part of the spending they have chosen.

Mainly due to it not being available to them, line up the isle's in the dept. stores this fall with garments made with REAL fur trim not the fake stuff and see what happens. That 'style' has been in for several years now but sadly the general public has no idea what real fur looks like or feels like because it's never offered to them on a wide scale basis. Due mainly to large corporation's making the decision not to offend anyone and have protestor's outside their stores during the holiday season. The anti fur movement won that battle and fur producer's have suffered ever since.

Since no one is going to promote fur this idea would also help in that regard. Without a demand for fur trapping is dead!

So you don't think capitalism works? If there was a great market for those real furs I would believe the stores would have lots of them. Maybe we should do with fur like they do with autos and other larger purchases, offer 0% interest and payment plans. Kind of interesting that both our real fur and fake fur would be coming from the same places as garments.

Bryce

Has nothing to do with capitalism, has to do with DO YOU WANT the headache that will come from selling certain products. Why go through all that misery and bad publicity when you can just offer fake junk and customer's won't know the difference?

Have your wife a fur coat made and watch the reaction of her friends when they see and feel real fur for the first time!

Jackie hit the nail on the head. Fur is pretty much dead in this country because most retailers don't want 100 crazed and violent protesters outside their doors running off their customers.

Native American reservations in cold climates might need some hats and mitts.

We need a PR specialist to volunteer to maximize the mileage from an effort like this.

If there was a real profitable market for fur garment sales in the USA retailers and underground markets would find a way to provide what the market wants. That is capitalism, as you state most retailers feel they will lose more business than they would gain. The fur stores in our area have not had protester issues that I am aware of.

Bryce

Another good idea. The PR specialists are to be found in the state trappers associations.

The PR specialists are to be found in the state trappers associations

With a 10 percent at best participation rate in the trapping association's I don't think they are
a good bet for PR work! If you can't even sell a membership to your association how well are you
going to sell fur products to a skeptical public?

I know this is a little off topic from the original intent of the post, but I will ask it here anyways. I hear all the time how NAFA is promoting wild fur. Has NAFA ever approached a "STAR" and tried to hire them to endorse fur and fur products. I would think if there was enough money involved somebody would be interested. Nike does it all the time with their shoes as do other companys. I can't stand Justin Bieber but teenage girls go nuts over him. If he was wearing a raccoon vest, etc. I could see a big market possibility because all the little girls would want something similar. Does anyone know if NAFA has ever approached anyone about endorsing fur products?

NAFA don't make enough off of wild fur to invest that kind of money.

Hater a group called FICA use to do just that, I know they loaned fur coats/garments to J. Lo and Joan Rivers, one such garment appeared on the cover of a teeny bopper magazine J. Lo was featured on. Haven't kept up with FICA through the years so not sure if they are still around and doing such or not. They were heavily funded by the fur garment groups and organizations.

Another good idea. The PR specialists are to be found in the state trappers associations. [/quote

I hate to be that guy ...but , PR goldmine !!