Pelts this winter

Predator Hunting for the purpose of the Commercial sale of the pelts is something which i have been doing for nearly 30 years now! I well remember the good years and the rock bottom Market years as well, yet through it all i have maintained an un-wavering respect for the resource. I hunt only when Fur is Prime, and use cartridges which allow me to get top dollar for my Fur, Over the long years of trial and error I have decided that the .17 cal is the way to go for calling Predators. I even employ my .14-221 Walker using 13gr hp bullets , at about 125yds or less it is very lethal and pelt damage is almost non-existant. In the .17cal I shoot the 25-30gr bullet weights, at high end velocity's 4000fps and higher, Currently i shoot the .17DT or .100"short .17ppc using the 30gr Kindler Boatail bullet, its velocity is just over 4000fps in the 24" barrel and it is Very Accurate. Other equiptment would include a dependable vehicle which gets good mileage and a skinning attachment for the vehicle, several pelting knives that are kept sharp with lanyards attached to the handles to speed up the skinning process. You will need a good fleshing beam and draw knife(fleshing knife) and some good wood stretchers. The use of a ringer washer is also a Big advantage in preparing pelts for the Market. The Video. Hunting and Skinning for Profit, which i produced goes into great length about Fur handling and the equiptment and tools needed to produce top dollar Fur for the Market, Tasunkawitko did a review on the Video a while back, perhaps he can give you some input on it as well. Good luck and Good Hunting.        Blaine

The Video in VHS format retails for $22.95 plus $4.95 S-H, Orders can be placed directly through me, To order from me direct, send check or money order to: Blaine Eddy 485 Fern Dr, Clearfield, UT 84015   Have you checked with Ron on his review of the Video?

One of the most impressive rounds I've seen for Closer range coyotes is the 17 Rem.  If they under 300 this thing has unbelievable terminal performance.  Best friends dad had one, and it would make a crow literally explode.  Now I don't shoot crows anymore, and currently I only have a hand lapped (experiement gun) 223 single shot that shoots close to a single hole at 100yds.  I don't make it a habbit to take coyote unless they become trouble (farm where we pheasant hunt, or the other farm where I turkey hunt) by gettin over populated.  I use to hunt the North East, then started hunting the New Mexico oil fields around Hobbs with a good friend.  Either way, if you want to sell the pelts get something that won't exit like the 17 rem, or use a 22-250 with light bullets, or maybe even a 223WSM.  If you have to put them down, do it hard, I'll either change that 223 barrel on the N.E.F. to a 243, or end up getting a Savage BVSS in 22-250, or a Winchester in a 223 WSSM (waiting to see how the WSSM fairs).   The savage is hard to beat at the price, and performance (don't look bad neither).

  Scope needs to be good, but distance your shootin will determine the power, if your workin under 150 yds you may wont to get a "reflection" screen for the front of the scope so the yotes don't see the sun reflecting off of it when you move it.  Best coyote calling tapes I've seen are Randy Anderson's, they carry them at Natchez shooters supply.  If you live around here I'd let you borrow mine. 

Spot 

blaine -

if i ever manage to get access to it again, i will re-post it and save it into a document. it still exists, but i got to get ahold of the guy, which is the hard part!

NHHunter

It sounds like from your posts that you've got a little of the Hair of the Bear in ya!  The NAFA sale that just took place showed a $43 average on Heavy Westerns and a $34 on semi heavies and a 100% sell, that is the great part, no holdover !that means there will be a strong demand into next Fur Season! You fellers up North with the heavy Pale Fur should have no problem pulling a $45- $50 average on your Dogs next season. I appreaciate your interest in my Video NHHunter and by the sound of your posts i think you'll like it, A review sounds great!  Thanks Jeff

NHHunter

Fur season is a long way off young man, save your hard earned money and go have fun this summer, And when you have a little extra $$ to invest in the Video? do it then. Hell i remember when i was your age, We used to go give blood over at the blood bank for gas money to go Coyote hunting. We could get $25 a pop, or a poke i should say. and gas was only .50 cents a gallon in them days!  Fur was way up and we could average $65 on our coyotes! Trouble was back in them days we always spent all our money on girls, beer, and rock and roll music.

Blaine

Blaine,

     What state(s) you shot yotes in?  Didn't know you had a tape you were sellin when I made my post.  I run into some of the fur guy's at a gun show last month, they told me yotes were only going $17 here in Kansas.  I use to trap muskrat, and coon when I was a kid.  Heck that was '79 and I was getting $14 fer a large prime rat.  Anyhoo, what kind of a rig do you use fer callin.  I decided to play around with it a bit last year to knock down a herd of them from a friends farm (tryin to get him not to poision them).  I have a red desert, a couple of austins, and a tweety.  I also have a electronic caller I more or less inherited, but I don't use it.

Spot

Hey Blaine, where do you sell your furs when your through preparing them? I have absolutely no clue of any places that would buy them, but they are definitley out there.

NH_Hunter

Blaine,

    I grew up around Rochester NY, but more twords Niagara falls, straight north of buffalo.  Trapped alot when I was a kid, think the best I ever did was around 240 rat's.  Had just over a 100 traps, and moved them around 4 or five creeks, went to mostly conibears with a dozen leg traps just fer I quit.  One day some WT individual checked my line fer me and didn't bother taken them out of the traps.  Just picked up the traps and all.  We had a real long season up there, and I had a 50 arce farm, and worked on another 500 acre farm.  Plenty of creeks to trap.  Hey, what type of toyota you got.  Originally, I'm a ford man but ran into a good deal on a yota.  Now I've got a T100 same stuff as yours, runs like a top.  Right now I'm in Kansas, North east corner.  See quite a few Bobby's round here, and man we're over run with yotes.  I just started playin with the calls, I don't plan to make a career of it, but it's fun callin them in. 

Spot