Spring NAFA Auction. Photo courtesy of furtraders.ca
The price for fur in Saskatchewan is down anywhere from 27 per cent to 89 per cent since 2013, but the number of people getting fur licenses nearly doubled over the same period.
The province’s fur administrator says hobby hunters in the south are getting involved for a quick buck, while the long established trapper in the north is struggling to maintain a way of life.
Saskatchewan Environment’s fur administrator, Mike Gollop, has been watching the numbers and talking to trappers. He says most believe the worst is behind them, prices have bottomed out and that next year will be better.
“Well again, they think it has tanked, that it hit its bottom last trapping season,” he said.
Prices for wolf and coyote are still strong, but wolves are notoriously difficult to hunt or trap, while only the top quality coyote hides are worth anything.
Gollop says the number of people getting fur licenses went from 2,700 in 2013 to almost 5,000. He says the big increase was in the south for coyote hunters, who are in when prices are good and out when they fall.
“Some of them make a lot of money, going in or out, but it’s not a living,” he said. “If I had to guess, I would guess that there are fewer than 25 people in Saskatchewan who depend on fur for a living as trappers.”
Gollop also says there is an oversupply on the market right now that will take a couple of years to clear out. He says the big fur auctions are withholding inventory in an effort to prevent a further erosion of prices.