Bobcat harvest slid slightly in Illinois this season, but interest in the limited number of permits issued by DNR each fall continues to rise.
A record 9,700 trappers and hunters applied for the 2,000 bobcat permits available for the 2025-26 season, which ended Feb. 15. In all, 654 tags were filled.
Illinois bobcat hunters, trappers see a slight decrease in tags filled Read More »
Illinois trappers and hunters sold 374 raccoons, 250 muskrats, and 177 beavers during the annual Illinois Trappers Association Fur sale last month in Strasburg. The three species easily dominated the sale – at least when it comes to volume.
Only two bobcats were sold at the sale, but each went for $78, topping the field in the price category.
Bobcats, skunks biggest stars at Illinois fur sale Read More »
With the second half of the fur harvest season now in full swing, there are signs that many items will have a firm, or even improving market going into spring.
While it is certainly too early to say for sure, certain items such as, mink, muskrat, and red fox are beginning the season with a look toward improved prices.
Fur market report: Raccoons improve, bobcats hold and skunks don’t stink Read More »
Halfway through the 2026-26 bobcat season, the Illinois DNR has reported the harvest to be “uneventful,” with roughly one-third of the anticipated harvest tagged.
At the Jan. 1 mark, a total of 195 bobcats had been harvested, a number that puts trappers and hunters on pace to match or exceed last season’s record harvest of 649.
Bobcat take starts slow but expected to grow in Illinois Read More »
The Illinois Trappers Association will hold its annual convention at the Logan County Fairgrounds in Lincoln Oct. 3-4. Admission is free and vendor buildings and trapping demonstrations will open starting at 8 a.m. both days.
Illinois trappers to hold 63rd annual convention Read More »
The 10th Illinois bobcat season won’t see the changes previous seasons have, but interest in securing one of the 2,000 hunting and trapping permits distributed by DNR is expected to remain high.
The application period for 2025-26 permits opens Sept. 1 and runs through Sept. 30. According to DNR Furbearer Biologist Stan McTaggart, last year’s season ran smoothly with no hiccups and he sees no problems this year.
Illinois bobcat season again to max out at 2,000 permits Read More »
If you are a trapper in Illinois or basically the entire Midwest, the last couple of years is not what you want to see in the wild fur industry.
The collapse of the coyote market in 2021, followed by the rapid rise and equally sharp drop in the beaver market, leaves trappers without a viable wild fur market – at least nothing of a lot of consequence. Since the dismal results of the June 17-19 Fur Harvesters Auction, little has changed over the summer. But the big surprise of this year’s auction was skunks.
Skunks surprise trappers at fur auction Read More »
The DNR has records going back to the mid-1970s that show more than 10,000 gray fox marketed each season by hunters and trappers across Illinois.
In 2024, that number was zero – not a single gray fox pelt. The decline of the species led to legislation aimed at protecting the gray fox population that sailed through the General Assembly this spring. Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 3760 into law on June 30.
With population dwindling, gray foxes now under Illinois DNR control Read More »
If you are growing tired of the doom and gloom fur market reports, please be advised that it’s not that there is no interest in fur, it’s just that the universe seems to be doing everything in its power to keep prices down.
Armed conflicts, global economic downturns, trade wars, and everything in between are hindering any advances in the fur market.
Trappers face low prices for foreseeable future amid global conflicts, uncertainty Read More »
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