my Harford fox trapping off to a good start

[foxtrapper]

That seems like a lot of work for a little bit of money. How many hours do you put in for one fox?

It's put into the final charge for a mount. A properly tanned hide doesn't fade color, shrink and cause cracking, and is plain durable. I sell the tanned taxidermy grade pelts too and have been doing some soft mount commissions=good money. Working a trapper fur ( no feet, no special head prep) takes little time to put up, and isn't that hard to do the tanning process with. I do them in batches. Maybe 2 hours work per pelt till finished soft tan.

Pics of a soft mount. They are semi posable. Same fox in both pics.

 

[pleasant1911]

I dont know of any koreans eating coon, or any kinds of wild animals in general. We eat almost anything out of the ocean, but never seen any game meat recipes. Koreans dont hunt. Guns are not allowed there, and the country is so small there there is WMA for people to hunt on. There is a spicy noodle translated as raccoons.

 

[oupa]

I remember an article some time ago about coon meat for sale in an "oriental market," but lot's of people have discovered the variety and freshness of the fair at most such shops. Just saying....

It's been a couple years since I've paid attention, but in-season, Hunter's seafood in Stevensville always used to have them for sale. Korea is one of the main markets for north American fur. More as a processor than a consumer, but to that degree they are a major player in the N.A. fur trade.

Muskrats are a different matter! Muskrat of course is a huge regional food item. I've always heard stories about people who ate possums, but I've never actually known anyone who did. An old fur buyer friend who sold LOTS of game meat in the 60's & early 70's used to tell the story of the owner of a high-end Chinese restaurant in D.C. who had a standing order for two dressed skunk carcasses every Sunday from Sept. to Mar. The story was that there was some specialty dish made with some Chinese animal not available here, which the restaurateur determined skunk was the closest to in taste! He would make a limited number of the servings from the two skunks and sold it for a price commensurate with it's rarity! True or not, I heard Harold tell the story many times and each was the same as before. If it was fabricated, at least he was consistent.

I'm not aware of any other furbearer that is regularly eaten. Foxtrapper, that's a nice looking yote! Glad you have a market other than the regular fur market. The outlook from the auction houses sounds just like 86.

 

[44man]

I trapped a lot in the 70's and 80,s. muskrat, coon, possum and fox mainly but back then there was even a market for feral cat hides. I sold all the meats except for the cats. hell, possum hides paid $2 but I got $4 for the meat.

 

[oupa]

I trapped a lot in the 70's and 80,s. muskrat, coon, possum and fox mainly but back then there was even a market for feral cat hides. I sold all the meats except for the cats. hell, possum hides paid $2 but I got $4 for the meat.

Wild meat markets are definitely regional. Traditionally mostly "southern" - 44man, I see you're in S. MD. - but also where large populations of migrants from such regions have settled. The D.C. area had lots of 1st & 2nd generation (southern) migrants several decades ago. As well, due to the influence there was a sort of transplanting of those tastes even among longer residents as happens everywhere. The buyer mentioned above paid more for coons "in the round" (un-skinned) in the 70's than for prepared skins. At the risk of sounding raciest (but then what isn't today?) the black communities in larger cities were typically the largest markets for such meats back then. I had a conversation with a couple young black ladies in the eighties, one telling how her gandma cooked coon, muskrat and groundhog regularly - when she could get them - and the girl saying she ate it if it was all they had, but she thought it was... struggling for the right words here, uh..., well below her I suppose is the only way to describe it. The other girl spoke up and said, she didn't care "those things are good!" I used to Like Andrew Zimern's TV show. Now he eats some strange stuff, but goes to show how tastes differ and most influences are psychological biases rather than real.

Changing tastes and increased regulations have largely killed those late 20th century markets. I do remember an article IIRC in The Wall Street Journal a couple years ago about some NYC chef's who had "discovered" raccoon meat and were selling the dish at premium prices in some fancy restaurants there. The descriptions of it's "delicate flavor and texture" were pretty funny to an old country boy who's handled hundreds of them and never had the desire to eat even one.

I did try beaver once (careful now boys ) I made the mistake though of using the hind quarter of an old 50 pounder. That thing was like chewing a rubber band! Muskrat isn't bad, but I'm not one of those who's crazy about it. In the end, as I often say, just imagine what his buddies thought when the first guy pried open an oyster shell and said, "Hey, that looks like something good to eat!" I for one am glad he did.

 

[44man]

Wild meat markets are definitely regional. Traditionally mostly "southern" - 44man, I see you're in S. MD. - but also where large populations of migrants from such regions have settled. The D.C. area had lots of 1st & 2nd generation (southern) migrants several decades ago. As well, due to the influence there was a sort of transplanting of those tastes even among longer residents as happens everywhere. The buyer mentioned above paid more for coons "in the round" (un-skinned) in the 70's than for prepared skins. At the risk of sounding raciest (but then what isn't today?) the black communities in larger cities were typically the largest markets for such meats back then. I had a conversation with a couple young black ladies in the eighties, one telling how her gandma cooked coon, muskrat and groundhog regularly - when she could get them - and the girl saying she ate it if it was all they had, but she thought it was... struggling for the right words here, uh..., well below her I suppose is the only way to describe it. The other girl spoke up and said, she didn't care "those things are good!" I used to Like Andrew Zimern's TV show. Now he eats some strange stuff, but goes to show how tastes differ and most influences are psychological biases rather than real.

Changing tastes and increased regulations have largely killed those late 20th century markets. I do remember an article IIRC in The Wall Street Journal a couple years ago about some NYC chef's who had "discovered" raccoon meat and were selling the dish at premium prices in some fancy restaurants there. The descriptions of it's "delicate flavor and texture" were pretty funny to an old country boy who's handled hundreds of them and never had the desire to eat even one.

I did try beaver once (careful now boys ) I made the mistake though of using the hind quarter of an old 50 pounder. That thing was like chewing a rubber band! Muskrat isn't bad, but I'm not one of those who's crazy about it. In the end, as I often say, just imagine what his buddies thought when the first guy pried open an oyster shell and said, "Hey, that looks like something good to eat!" I for one am glad he did.

well, I must admit ( out load for the first time) I have tried everything I sold at one time or another. it would be rude to sell someone something and then when offered some of it cooked to say no and I don't like to be rude to those who are not rude to me.

rats a good meal when cooked correctly. groundhog is a bit better, imo but I only had it a couple of times. fox stinks and taste like it smells. possum is greasy but not that bad. coon , well , is neither delicate in texture or taste. they , to me, smell and taste like boiled dirty socks.

and yes, most of my meat clients back then were black folks. lots of times they didn't have the money for the meats so I would barter with them of if they had kids or were old I just gave it to them usually with a side of venison if they really needed it.

 

[BigDaddy]

I remember coons being sold at Faidley's in Lexington Market in the late 70's.

In recent memory it may be soul food, but if you go back not much further, it was just country food. I had a friend who would be 91 if he were still alive and as a doctors son in North Carolina he caught and ate coon and opossum. My father had a pet raccoon in the 30's and he never lived outside of Baltimore city.

I think I threw away his moldy 1930 Forest Park High School yearbook, but there was a "German" club and just about everyone was wearing a raccoon coat or a fur trimmed collar.

 

[44man]

I remember coons being sold at Faidley's in Lexington Market in the late 70's.

In recent memory it may be soul food, but if you go back not much further, it was just country food. I had a friend who would be 91 if he were still alive and as a doctors son in North Carolina he caught and ate coon and opossum. My father had a pet raccoon in the 30's and he never lived outside of Baltimore city.

I think I threw away his moldy 1930 Forest Park High School yearbook, but there was a "German" club and just about everyone was wearing a raccoon coat or a fur trimmed collar.

back when coon hunting was all the rage I knew dozens of folks that had rabbit hutches that they would keep all the possums they could catch alive and keep the dogs off of in. they would feed them turnip greens till they shit green to clean them out and then eat them. they also ate half the coons the caught, the other half were for the dogs when we got home.

I miss those days.

 

[madmantrapper]

oupa and 44man,
You guys are bringing back memories from when I was a kid. There was not much you could not find at Lexington Market.

 

[foxtrapper]

I remember seeing muskrat at Hollin's market maybe mid 80's. May have been raccoon there too.

 

[mka2278]

I hunt and understand that a animal will suffer a little before it dies but the way you guy do it does not seem fast enough. I always thought you shot it in the head

There are no animal retirement homes. Most animals don't die in their sleep of old age.

Nature is not kind. Starvation, disease, other hungry animals etc. are not so swift.

 

[Arcamm]

Ground hogs taste good? And I've been feeding them to the foxes and coyotes. Who knew!

What's a raccoon worth? I've got one that's been hitting my garbage can way to frequently. I'm about to invite him to a free meal at the Have-a-heart restaurant.

 

[wilcam47]

It's put into the final charge for a mount. A properly tanned hide doesn't fade color, shrink and cause cracking, and is plain durable. I sell the tanned taxidermy grade pelts too and have been doing some soft mount commissions=good money. Working a trapper fur ( no feet, no special head prep) takes little time to put up, and isn't that hard to do the tanning process with. I do them in batches. Maybe 2 hours work per pelt till finished soft tan.

Pics of a soft mount. They are semi posable. Same fox in both pics.

wow thats neat! Great job!

 

[mark71211]

There are no animal retirement homes. Most animals don't die in their sleep of old age.

Nature is not kind. Starvation, disease, other hungry animals etc. are not so swift.

I understand all of that but I always thought they were shot in the head to make it fast. But using a 222 would be pretty swift

 

[foxtrapper]

I understand all of that but I always thought they were shot in the head to make it fast. But using a 222 would be pretty swift

If you want the skulls, you don't shoot in the head. The method I use on fox is very fast.