NAFA auction

The auction at NAFA is underway, started a few minutes ago. Raccoon is the first item up and it is very quite. Mostly the auctioneer reading numbers.

It doesn't look like bringing those previous fire sale coon out of the coolers was that good of an idea. Of the 94 lots of the Western northerns, 4 sold. Sad.

Not what I wanted to hear starting off my morning but thanks for posting. Guess I better go to my real job.

Someone had a need for smaller trim or whatever. Down to the 2xl of WNC and most of them are moving. Its about the only interest in WNC coon today.

Need a skinning machine and robotic flesher at the prices given for 2xl WNC coon!

You all have the term "hatter beaver" for a base use of chisel tooth hides, is there some sort of term for smaller (2xl down) and cheap coon? Maybe "patch coon"...?? Seems that was the interest today.

I'm done playing this morning. Time to go to work...

Yeah..it’s called smaller junk!

disaster

I just check my acct, nothing sold or brought back, not updated yet ?

Satisfied with my central rats. All sold in $4.00 range with one top lot.

Coons have been done for a while. Not a lot sold. Easy enough to look at the catalogs to see what did sell.

I still think the country is the place to sell rats the past few years. Don't get a top lot but I get more money. I am glad to see there is interest in rats at this time.

I think marten must be the new coon.

Has anyone online acct been updated ? I can look catalogs an see what sold but my grading sale summary show nothing sold or brought back

Didn't a year ago happen the same way,nothing sold then Groney bought 160,000 or so for $6? Something to that effect.

Last season, all.mine were sold after summer auction pt an got check in early Jan, sold at decent prices. Last summer. I didn't have thing that sold, sold 1 coon , low grade all, 4 bucks. An 9 rats, I believe $4.60 top. Rats are down lil , from year ago, just wonder if anyone acct been updated ? Mine is not. I going check on mink now, all 14 leftover mink sold at low prices. Best mink brought $6, lm select. The xl gone in past sales, I see top mink was $13, coon didn't sell, hope for better coon prices in future.

There are better places to sell coon, it doesn't take 3 years to sell them either. Sold all mine last year and averaged $14 and change to a local buyer and money in hand as I walked out the door.

I haven't set a trap for 3 years. I, firmly, believe I have made the right decision.

The world is starting to worry about a recession perhaps. Not a good business environment right now don't know what will come next.

Oh come on, the stock market only dropped 600 points today,lol

What all sold today and where can I see it ?

All wild fur and all ranch fox were OFFERED today. Part lot muskrats sold almost 100%. Other than that, it was mostly an exercise in reading for the auctioneer.

The catalogs with prices are on the NAFA web site. www.nafa.ca

says the guy with the 1000 dollar cats.

I think that market may go soft this season also.
It's been good while it lasted though!!

i'm jealous but happy for all ya's out there.

yeah its going to be a rough ride for awhile!

So has anyone acct been updated with there online sales ?, I can see in catalogs what sold. But my online acct is not updated an show nothing sold or brought back. Yet I have sold ?

Most likely some one in Toronto forgot to push the account update button. I'm sure they will figure it out. If not, then it will be just like the old days when you wait 2—3 weeks for the check to arrive by the US Postal Service.

Coat coon is what they call the smaller, lighter furred southern coon.

They’re taking their time to be sure to get the wording twisted just right for a positive market sales report.

Can't blame them why bid and run the price up when you can just come in the back door pick what you want and buy it at a discount with no competition. I know it's been hashed a 1000 times but when has the private treaty benefited the trapper? I think I know the answer.

Or maybe the buyers changed their minds and told NAFA to take back their bids.

There were all sorts of raccoon selling for a buck or two. The small eastern beaver sold for a buck. Those are auction room prices, not PT room prices.

Next it will be a “Buy one, Get two free” sale.

I had cats sell for $210 to $350. Our better cats were bought back

Maybe so Nancy but that still doesn't answer my question. When has private treaty benefited the producer?

Does anyone have there lotting letter grade summaries updated on what they sold ?

In my way of thinking the auction house shouldn't charge a fee or at least a reduced one for selling outright without bidding? Then again, outright prices might have been as good or better? People are on here saying "its gonna be a long ride", or "the market may go soft" shucks I been riding these low/soft prices out for years now.

I take pride receiving top lot awards over the few lousy dollars received.

The accts have been updated, sold 9 remaining better rats for $4.27,- 14 mink for whopping $3.25, -2 out 17 coon sold for $9 an change average. Smaller low grade coon,were picked out 17 remaining, sold bigger best quality mink in Feb March sale for $12sometbing average, sold 2 best quality xl mink for $9 average in June, the 14 I had leftover were central mink, lm down to med- small, in select to no.1, to 1-11 to 11, select small mink went for $2.50, 1 mink went for $6, other better lm select an no. 1 mink went for $4-$5 bucks, couldn't expect to break even on gas if mink trapper, I heard they had better orders for mink in feb March sale, I am still thinking an hoping coon well be good at upcoming auctions for better brighter colors in bigger sizes, rats sold good at sale along with mink, but at cheaper prices than year ago, low grade coon sold well

I don't have exact dollar amount figgure in front me on mink from other sales, but guesstimating my take home after commision on mink sales after 9 per cent commision for season, was $6 bucks, I am sure better then in country, as I heard top price on mink was $6 to $8 bucks, was hearing country buyer cannot sell wild mink an really not want them ? Last year in July, I didn't sell 1 pelt of nothing leftover yet the remains stock was clean up good except on opposum an got check for it that was decent for what left back in mid Jan this year

Not sure if this would be considered a "benefit" but PT sales put money in the producers pocket.

Every lot that is sold PT has been through the auction room, at least once. There are several reasons to buy in the PT room in addition to supposedly getting bargain basement prices. Last minute order after that item was offered in the auction room. Buyer not getting enough in the auction room to fill his orders.

When the fur market is strong and pelts are selling with good prices, the PT person is like the Maytag repairman in those old TV commercials - he/she sits around with nothing to do. When the market is low (as it is now), any PT sales get the pelts moving rather than sitting in cold storage.

I thought NAFA went belly up, that just an ugly rumor?

Very ugly rumor. They are doing some restructuring but for the near future, it is business as usual for the most part.

Sorry Jtrapper, I know how much you wanted that rumor to be true.

I figgure that exactly right before when post on mink prices, $6 bucks take home, after commision, withing pennies $6 bucks, for all mink in 3 sales, the first sale brought$16-$15-$14 for some, $10 an change on averages, coon not all sold, I guesstimating between $14-$16 average

It's a good thing they got my WFSC money...us trappers will keep 'em in business.

Nah Nancy, need all the outlets possible to move fur not less but unless something drastic change's in the next few years
I imagine a lot of things are going to start folding up across the board in the fur trade. Can kind of read the writing on the wall
already.

Well you don't send fur to Nafa when it can't sell so I wish them luck this year. Colorado sale will be busy this year.

I believe a lot more fur will be sold through Groeny, country buyers, and state sales this coming season(s).
Colorado does a great job every year. But I’m sure they can only handle a certain amount?

I was only speaking for the ones that said they were switching.

I agree that the Colorado sale will be busy this year. I hope they are planning ahead. Their facility can only accommodate so much fur. And it isn't fair to sellers to be selling goods at one in the morning (just an example).

I think NAFA will still get a good number of coyotes. They will push for that item in their advertising.

With the building we have now and the experience, Colorado can handle 5000 coyotes, plus the regular amount of everything else, February 2020 will defiantly be an interesting time!!
We may have the move the bears, lions and antler auction to Tuesday to buy time for the coyotes. Not our first rodeo, we will make it happen!

Would that make it a 3 day sale? Bears, lions, antlers on day 1. Tanned goods and misc on day 2. Raw fur on day 3.

If so, that will make for an extremely long week for the volunteers. You may have to bring in extra help.

I know that Colorado runs a very efficient sale. I'm sure they can handle what ever they get. Just nice to know they are already thinking about it.

We are there for 7 days already. everything is cataloged by 2pm Monday. Inspection for bears, lions and antler could be Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning with the auction at 1:00pm done by 6pm. The folks that come for those goods normally buy and fly, they done stick around for much else.

GFW is a whole different story given their export business and producing some tanned fur, but do you think a majority of country buyers are going to offer higher prices than the crowds that NAFA or FHA can gather at their auctions? I'm talking mainly about coon here. I did nicely on my average on coon at the 1st 2019 NAFA auction, less at the second but I knew that because there were more smaller sizes sent. Its the last one where nothing sold. I know that I'm lucky (usually) to have my coon fall into the higher sought after regions.Some guys are lucky to have buyers outside of GFW that have also developed their own end-user connections and will get better pricing but I don't think that's a majority of the country. If you think you can, go for it. I think there will be more skinning machines sold or built and more fur sold green in-the-grease. Guys that have a skinning machine and don't finish fur are maybe happy with $5-7 averages. Not me.

With that said, given the amount of new water around here and probably visiting my kid's Army graduation, I'm going after mrats in early Nov and hopefully yotes after the main gun season here closes in early Dec. I can catch some coon for people after Christmas for a while and I'm sure I'll pick some up in yote sets come Dec. Maybe most of the newly appearing local "western semi-heavy" region coons will get distemper and I go back to my 65-30-5 percent region ratio (WNC, WN, WSH) that it has been in the past...

I couldn't make go trapping coons for $5-$7 average an wouldn't do it , 4-5 years back I sold finish coon to gfw for $7.50 average an rember the last time though he stop, in early Feb, big finish coon for $5 average, I went back nafa the next season

Go study the catalog and report back.The $2 and $3 coon sold. Those Chinese coats are only $200 so how much money do you think they will spend on coons?

What do you suppose will happen to the 10 thousand stale bobcats left up at Nafa? I'd really like to know. I've got a bad feeling they're just going to get staler.

Coonman220, you live in the golden triangle. Guess what us PA guys get about- half that (me anyhow) for my coon and I cherry picked.

Maybe I should send Alaska marten to Colorado.

Yep, feel for you eastern guys at those prices. Even a big catch, a skinning machine, and selling green isn't going to probably pay for input costs. Have to treat it as a recreational hobby that's going to cost you money to do (can't go to a movie without spending money but people still do it) or quit. Maybe coon has become the new nutria except for a few choice areas. From what I've read, the people who target nutes primarily do it for landowners (sort of adc service) or do it mostly for sport. A sad day for American historical culture if that happens but perhaps only a few select wild furs will make it very far into the geo-political-economic global market of the 21st century. Or we just make some sort of fertilizer out of them. I've bought fish-based garden fertilizer before. Its pretty expensive stuff compared to nitrogen derived from industrial chemical production but its more "natural"...

Nutes are $6 bucks a tail.

As a bounty? What state(s)? Coon may become that as well in some more populated states with lots of animals, lots of problem interactions with people, and no other value.

It's not looking good .
Might be the year to put cats in a freezer and store

https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_a5b2f5f6-99f4-11e9-8602-0bb16520c4f2.html

When is prompt date ? When is last day of sale ? I seen a nafa summary of sale over wkend but none yesterday , I am still thinking that heavy better section coon well sell good in upcoming sales

Go catch em up coonman.

The last day of the NAFA sale is tomorrow. Tuesday, August 27, 2019.

Prompt date will be 3 weeks from that day. Which puts it on September 17, 2019. If my figuring is correct.

That is going to be a long 3 weeks to wait for the big check you are getting from NAFA.

Not a big check

Idk ,I have a WNC 4x select #1 that hasn't sold all season. Selling good? Will be selective at best. Do you see a pattern of what just sold,cheap cheap cheap,just like the Chinese and their coats.

It was good in June, sold the better ones an low grade stuff in March, ya I got some big coon left but mostly all 3-4 color, I have a select 4xl, no. 1 color also unsold, I sold a 3xl select, 3 color for $15 an a xl for $4 bucks. I am thinking they well want buy big better coon upcoming, a year ago in July, I sold notjing them pt cleared them out an check early this year

You could have got more or at least the same from country buyers last December and not wait for a year or more to sell.

Sold all coon now pt but average dropped way down

Yep, they must have cleaned out all the coon again. Mine sold PT for 40% of pre-sale value.

Surprised they started the bonfire before the mink buyers were done!!

Wonder how many of these PT skins go right back on the next sale

Probably none. be hard to store things when the power is shut off!

Unbelievably they sold 17 3-4xl select coins for considerably less than they sold my same size SDA and 1-11 coons. Unreal. 6.47 avg on selects and 7.50 and 8.00 for sda and 1-11. Unreal.

Shoulda seen this coming fella's.

Sell in country on falling prices and auction on rising.

Nothing I have left up there sold this go around. I think all my fur is going to GFW this season. My average with GFW on beaver, rats, mink, otters and coons was better than I have been doing at NAFA and it is cash in hand.

Pretty good advice here. Yes, the Colorado sale is already preparing for a very big year!

I can see a large cloud of black smoke being carried by the

prevailing westerly winds from Toronto out over Lake Ontario.

Could It be Gibb and BOCO are tending the bonfire

of cheap, low grade United States wild fur condemned by WFSC ?

all IMHO, of course.

w

I have 1 coon left an am betting that it is the 4xl select, 1 color, 16 sold at $11.50 average. 1- dink, worthless. An few xl, maybe $4 bucks, an then mostly 3 xl to 5xl in select to no 1, had 1, SDA, most them were off an red color don't know what coon that did not sell, as went pt. Don't know if we'll be paperwork mail out an see or if it phased out, I get direct deposit, I got paperwork in June sale an heard it ending, coon weren't to bad for what I had leftover, went a lil cheap, I still think ok to good coon prices for what market is upcoming in future auctions on good big coon from good sections, only other item that good is coyote

I saw it coming. Sold 160k co on less than a year ago at what 6$. And they already have memberships paid for next couple years no matter if you ship or not.

I heard NAFA is bankrupt. This type of clearing out stuff sure could coincide with what I've heard.

I couldn't see how nafa be bankrupt an having auction, not if chapter 7 bankruptcy, unless some other type bankruptcy, I would think as a shipper that u be notified from a bank trustee about there bankruptcy an that u may not collect money from them or nafa would announce it

Nah, just another case of claiming inventory is sold going into another season then talk the market up. Not the first time. Maybe Nafa needs to do away with giving loans and be an auction company.

bankrunner- That $14 ave on your Iowa coon, that was all your sizes included or just 3xl and larger? I have my data that I'll share but just curious first if your average was based on your entire collection or was that what was cherry-picked to be brought in...?

I sold my Iowa coon for $10.50 average that was every coon including titty sows, dinks, larges, outs, bad backs etc etc. My average was a true average and I started on opener of Iowa season and had a large quantity.

I had 9 badgers from Kansas caught while trapping coyotes at the sale and all sold for a 28 dollar average.

Paul, Whose computer u on??

[quote]I had 9 badgers from Kansas caught while trapping coyotes at the sale and all sold for a 28 dollar average.[/quote

I'd take that any day. I like catching diggers except for some of the bomb craters they leave!!

1187 shooter- right there with you. My entire collection, which was 36% 2xl and smaller, had an ave through NAFA of $11.96 (all my skins sold this year). After commission, it drops to $10.88. If I kick out the 2xl and smaller, my av goes up to $15.06 (13.70 after commission, down around bankrunner's ave) My kid's mid Jan snared yote we sent in, a large but nothing really special semi-heavy, went for $80 through NAFA. I don't think I would have gotten that at a Groney van in Iowa unless I was faily well know to them.

As I said in an earlier post somewhere, the mrats are back in se SD and I think I'll have some fun going after them in early Nov. My kid is supposed to graduate from his Army training towards Thanksgiving so we're going down there and so I won't run a specific coon line this year. I plan to go after yotes after out main gun deer season ends in early Dec. Coyotes and me have a serious jinx relationship that I hope to break this year. I'm sure I'll pick up some coons in those sets. And there is always the farmsteads, on-the-way-to-work sets I can run almost all winter. Not high number any given week but they add up. Our coon generally don't "go bad" as early a other people's unless its a really unusual warm winter. We'll see...

That is encouraging to say the least.

I sold this mess of coon to GFW and averaged 13.90 last March with no conditions or commission. LLL

And that is even more encouraging.

Looks like a pile of 3 and 4x sel, nice coon. Sold my 3 and 4x at NAFA in June for 19.54 l-ll and slight damaged included. 17.79 after commission, no conditions that I know about. TP

Teepee I live in the land of big coon. If you think you don’t have IIs and outs in a pile like that well read the Book of Murphy’s law. I have sold thousands upon thousands at auctions and have done well. I really do not think that is the future however. GFW can give more for a large group of coon from one stop. He has less in the travel. He also can sell those coon dressed to customers in China than you can get a coon from NAFA at after all the fees. When coon are higher then that don’t play. Right now it is easier and safer for an end user to buy that dressed product. LLL

Looks like you have it all figured out. Carry on. TP

I been reading this for a while and come up with only one conclusion- It don't matter what you get for fur if you are selling below cost of production, only thing is Im selling at more of a loss than you guys......

How many coon in picture? 300? I could never get them prices from him, depends on seller an how many coon,etc

Dave there are over 800 coon in that pile. It is was taller than I am at 6'. When you start piling them like that they all flatten and weight of the pelts packs them in. They are brushed out and piled there. These are in my shop where he came and graded them and picked them up. LLL

Here are another bunch I sold to a dealer in MO. I like selling somethings at auction but it seems as though with all the fees and stuff I can usually do better in the country on coon in a down market. Obviously when the market is hot they grade a lot different than when it is like it is now. My sections go all over when like this. My section never changes. I guess that is another issue I have. When they are in front of a country buyer we can discuss the quality and section or damage on each piece. Once they are at auction you are at their mercy. If I don't like the price with my dealer I just say no. LLL

Looks like a good movin night...with that haze an all.

Lot coon! Man ! It hard tell in pic of how high pile is, I can see why country buyer would give u good price because quanity in 1 stop, wow , I wish could get half that many, not many do, it seems impossible to me, it would be impossible for me

Coonman, you have to have the coon, and the physical stamina, the rest takes care of itself.

Coon trappings not complicated once you figure out where the coon are gonna walk and why. There might not even be any visible sign but you gotta know where the coon are gonna move and why. Then just do the same thing over and over boring but effective.

We don't got quite as many coon but have lots, his area had more for sure, not to many can get big numbers. I couldn't if had to, I try, plan on try more traps in water under bridges , like try 4 traps instead 1 or 2, got know best spits to set for max catch, I know I as well others, miss lot coon, I was told that more coon around than u think , I don't trap the northern part this county I live in, lot more rough land an timber but row trapping in northern part is much more limted than other directions from me, even on private land, north of here would not turn out the best for other reasons alot placez

A lot of really good high number guys only set 2 traps per stop. Its all about setting the best spots and driving right by the mediocre ones. And the best spots can change from year to year depending on crop rotations, logging and development.

Coonman, if you are only trapping one county you'll never get big numbers.

Coon man I live in NE iowa. I always hear about driving past mediocre spots but the vast majority of my spots are good for 2-5 coon that's it. My good spots might get 6-8. I've trapped spots around the house for 60 days straight and could MAYBE catch 10 coon. You gotta drive coon man and hit lots of spots over lots of miles.

I trap 2 an 3 other counties. Mostly just 2, the 3 Rd 1, not much, lots other trappers an don't mess around in there turf, just mostly on main Rd there an other counties, just on edge them an mostly just certain spots, I pass up lots stuff. On land. Just good drowning set locations an then certain spots,

It takes discipline to not trap when you shouldn't. Only way to put out a fire is to stop feeding it combustibles. Yes, trapping can be fun, but so can drinking beer and drinking beer is more productive these days.