Messages from the Illinois Trappers Association

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Fur, trapping back in vogue

Prices per pelt on rise thanks to increased use by fashion designers

Published October 29, 2006

PONTIAC, Ill. -- Men walked the aisles examining the goods they needed to attract fur. It was all here: new traps, new lures, new oils. They exchanged goods and good wishes."

Beaver's gonna be good this year," one man said to a dealer."

Beaver's gonna be real good," a dealer said to another man."

Have a good season," another dealer said to a man walking away with a small brown paper bag full of equipment."

Have a good season."

Those were the watchwords at the Illinois Trappers Association state convention at the Livingston County 4-H Park, about 100 miles south of Chicago.

Fur was on the minds of the nearly 1,000 in attendance for the annual gathering in advance of the Nov. 5 season opening. The improved turnout can be linked to a resurgence in fur prices and the feeling that fur is back in vogue, ITA President Paul Kelley said."

In the last couple of years, a lot of designers have been using fur again," said Kelley, 65, of Hudson, Ill. "It's a natural resource, and it's a renewable resource. There are a lot more fur users in public."

Trappers love fur's pop-culture resurgence, including designs by Jennifer Lopez."

We've waited many, many years," said Tom Olson, an equipment dealer from Lakeland, Minn.

"Anything on TV or in the movies, if they're wearing fur, it helps."

Illinois' agrarian roots have been disrupted by urban sprawl. There are now subdivisions where farms thrived. But wildlife has adapted. Homeowners are surprised by the variety of animals they find in backyards."

A harvest is almost a necessity," said Kraig Kaatz, an urban trapper from Oak Forest.At the ITA convention, a daylong education program and demonstrations were sprinkled throughout.

Richard Thurman, 59, of Galesburg, Ill., demonstrated how to make a "trench" set, placing a trap in the ground, hidden from view. It might come in handy in your neighborhood."

I have trapped 40 to 60 [coyotes] within 10 miles of home," Thurman said. "There is an abundance of them in Illinois. Coyotes are out there digging rodents out of bean fields."

Thurman, dressed in a cowboy hat, blue work shirt, beige gloves and chaps over his jeans, said it is foolish to take their seeming availability for granted."

These are worthy adversaries," he said. "They will humble you. They'll make you look stupid. They'll teach you something every year. You never know it all."

Rick Candos, 47, a carpenter from Tinley Park, grew up fishing, became a hunter and evolved into a trapper. He was at the convention to hear Thurman.

Candos said he was attracted to trapping to learn animal habits. But many prospective trappers won't go to the trouble of planting traps, skinning animals and selling furs if the work won't pay off.

However, the market is improving. Prices for beaver, coyote, mink--and otter and bobcat in other states--are up, according to the ITA's Kelley.

Kaatz said muskrat had gone from $4.50 to $9 a pelt on average, with $13 for a high-end item.

Three years ago, coyote was $10 a pelt. Last year it was $30, Kaatz said.

Tim Marsh of Groenewold Fur and Wool Co. in Forreston, Ill., buys fur from "hundreds of regulars" trapping all over the U.S. and Canada. He said business is especially good overseas."

When you get over to Russia and Greece, they're making more fur coats," he said. "Sporting goods stores are buying fur for decorations. That's up. People are not afraid to see fur trim on a winter coat. It's a classy accessory.

Fur is real classy."

lfreedman@tribune.com