Trapping demonstrations, fur auction announced
Trapper Education Instructors and the Intermountain Fur Harvesters Association will be holding trapper education demonstrations and a fur auction on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Panhandle Region office, 2885 W Kathleen Ave., Coeur d’Alene.
“How-to” trapping and fur handling seminars will be held hourly beginning at 10 am. Seminars include marten box sets, fur handling, coyote and bobcat trapping, and other topics.
Hunters and trappers wishing to sell in the fur auction can enter pelts in numbered lots from 8am until noon. To offer furs for sale, sellers will specify a minimum asking price for each lot. Licensed fur buyers from around the northwest will evaluate lots and submit closed bids with the high bids announced late-afternoon.
If the highest bid for a lot meets or exceeds the minimum asking price, the lot will automatically sell to the highest bidder. If the asking price is not met, the seller will briefly have the option to accept the highest offer or keep the lot.
Hunters and trappers who sell fur will be issued a check from the IFHA by mail within 14 days of the sale. A 5 percent seller premium will be deducted by the IFHA from the sales price of each lot sold.
IFHA members may offer lots at no charge. Non-members must pay a display fee equal to 2 percent of their minimum asking prices. IFHA memberships will be available at the sale for $15/year for individual memberships, family memberships are $20.
CITES tags are required for the sale of bobcat and otter pelts and will be available from Idaho Fish and Game at the sale from 8am until noon. Tags are $2 each, and there is a $1.75 fee per transaction, regardless of the number of bobcats or otters tagged. Payment may only be made by cash or check. No credit or debit cards can be accepted for tagging at the sale.
Items donated by trapping supply businesses and sporting goods stores will be raffled, and there will also be silent auctions for donated items.
In addition to the hourly demonstrations, educational videos will be shown for those interested in learning about trapping and fur handling. Experienced trappers and certified Trapper Education Instructors will be on hand to provide advice and share what they have learned in their years of experience in the field.
Phil Cooper is a wildlife conservation educator employed with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in the Panhandle District.