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Kent Weil

Nearly 1,000 raccoons at Illinois Trappers Association sale

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, News /

The Illinois Trappers Association held its annual fur auction at the Krile Auction House in Strasburg Feb. 17. While there we a limited number of lots offered, a robust nine individual buyers were present, which helped drive prices a bit higher than might have been expected.
State trapper association sales have shown remarkable resilience, with higher than expected prices throughout the entire marketing season so far.

Nearly 1,000 raccoons at Illinois Trappers Association sale Read More »

Commentary: Ups and downs of the fur market over the past decade

Featured, Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Opinion, Opinion, Opinion, Opinion, Opinion, Opinion, Opinion, Opinion, Opinion, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

Over the last 10 years or so, the wild fur market has certainly had a plethora of ups and downs – many more downs than ups it seems. Here’s a quick rundown of the last decade in the fur trade.

Commentary: Ups and downs of the fur market over the past decade Read More »

Trappers monitoring fur auctions with limited opportunities left this season in Illinois

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, News /

Aside from those who target river otters and beavers, Illinois trappers closed out the trapping season Feb. 15.
The otter and beaver seasons run through March 31. Overall, success was mixed this year, and Illinois Outdoor News will have a complete report once DNR and fur buyers can analyze the harvest. One really bright spot for trappers is the prices received for pelts at state association sales.

Trappers monitoring fur auctions with limited opportunities left this season in Illinois Read More »

Beavers, muskrats and otters show signs of life in fur market

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, News /

Early routes run by fur buyers in Illinois have shown prices to be stable on most items. A few others are doing a bit better than expected.
Early season prices started at roughly where they were at the end of the 2023 season, and signs in the market show little expectation of any kind of serious rally in 2024. As of this writing, most of the marketing season has yet to develop.

Beavers, muskrats and otters show signs of life in fur market Read More »

Kids Cave at National Trappers Association Convention educates youngsters on outdoor pursuits

Featured, Featured, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, National Fishing, National Hunting, Ohio /

A new activity premiered at the National Trappers Association Convention in Spencer, Iowa, a few years ago – the NTA Kids Cave. Born out of a desire to give kids at the NTA event a safe, fun, and informative place to learn more about the outdoors, this first Kids Cave was truly an experiment.
It was a huge success.

Kids Cave at National Trappers Association Convention educates youngsters on outdoor pursuits Read More »

Illinois bobcat harvest poised to change in 2024

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Positive changes to the number of permits Illinois DNR allots to bobcat trappers and hunters are likely next season.
Illinois’ harvest quota is certain to adjust higher, too. This expected dialing up the opportunity to harvest a bobcat in the state is due mostly to results of a multi-year study by Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Illinois bobcat harvest poised to change in 2024 Read More »

Kent Weil: Trapping the elusive mink requires scouting and strategy

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin /

The fact that I caught my first mink at the age of 12 in a set I specifically made for mink made me very proud.
It still does, because there is a lot of work and strategy involved for a kid to pull that off. Some scouting (sometimes a lot of scouting), recognizing the mink sign, choosing an appropriate trap, and most of all, the boundless enthusiasm of a novice trapper all came together for me to catch what was then – and mostly still is – my ultimate prize.

Kent Weil: Trapping the elusive mink requires scouting and strategy Read More »

Fur market slow to improve as 2023 trapping season opens in Illinois

Blogs, Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, Opinion /

By the time you read this the trapping season will have been open almost three weeks in Illinois. The first week at least was pretty mild, so I’m sure many trappers took advantage of this. Certainly, it will be easier to trap fall beaver without a lot of snow and ice.
The last couple of years has been pretty tough on wild fur.

Fur market slow to improve as 2023 trapping season opens in Illinois Read More »

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