Barn Shot – Sort Of

I don’t have an old rustic barn to display this year’s efforts on so my old tin shop will have to do. Season total is 41 coyotes, 6 cats, 6 coon, 3 skunks and 8 porcupines. These will be going to the auction on the 17th. Thanks for looking.

You gotta love looking at fur displayed this way. Looks like you had a good day for picture. I have one of the side of a small barn with around 120 hides hanging on it. Took hours to set it up for the picture, so I know the effort that this took. That one coyote that is in the top row, fourth from the right looks like a big dog. Nice display, thanks for posting it.

Thats a good haul.......so what do you do with the porcupines?

Great picture! Thanks for sharing.

Rizzy wrote:

Thats a good haul.......so what do you do with the porcupines?

I pulled the guard hair and bundled it up. Indians use it to make their cerimonial head dress. Last year I got just over 22.00 an ounce for it. A porky will yield 3/4 to one ounce of hair.

Nice numbers and some well put up animals, Congrats on an outstanding season

Jkelley....so you just pull the gaurd hair out. I caught about 6 this year but didnt do anything with them..well I gave them to a guy from work and he ate them. Said they were really good. No thanks just the mess of there urine alone could be used as a LDC. Do you do anything with the quils. I have read that there is a market for them as well? Who do you sale the gaurd hair to? Thanks. Lance

NVsage, I'm from the walker river painted tribe over in Schurz and if used the guard hair and quills. The quills Can be used for jewelry. There are good uaeage for porcupines. Also good for LDC. If you happen to know of any powwow or tribal members they may have an interest

nvsage
The guard hair is quite easy to pluck. Just lay the porky on it's belly and begin by grabbing a few of the long guard hairs and giving them a yank. Depending on how many you grab at once, they will come out easily. Lay them together in the palm of your other hand and pluck some more. Dont go too deep as you don't want any of the under fur. Only the 4-5+ inch hair has a market for it. After you have the hair plucked, even it out so the white ends are even and tie the bundle up with a piece of thread or a rubber band. All the hair that I've sold is bid on by the ounce and usually a porky around here will yield 3/4 to one ounce each. It only takes 5 to 10 minutes to pluck a porky.
The quills also have a value to it but they are more work intense than the guard hair.
Jack

Cattrapper thats for the info and I will talk to the local tribe and see if I can find anyone interested in the hair for next year. I had no idea or I would have been keeping it the entire time. I caught come huge nice blinde colored porcupines.

jkelly thanks for the tips as well I appreciate the input guys! I will for sure find a market for them next year!

If you get a piece of styrofoam, after plucking the hairs, you can use the styrofoam to remove the quills. I got poked less using this method than any other I've tried. The only way I've ever sold these were to put them in quart jars (no pokes while transfering them from you to the buyer). The buyer I sold them to would pour them out on a scales he had with him. Don't know if the scales were acurate or not, but I do remember always being happy with what I got for them.

I sold guard hairs and quills 15 to 20 years ago, but not recently. Back then I got about 4 to 5 dollars an ounce for the hair and 1 to 2 dollars an ounce for the quills.

Only time I tried to eat porcupine, it ran me out of the cabin where I was trying to cook it, so didn't get it to my mouth.

I've also sold bobcat claws for .10 cents each and badger claws for .15 cents each in the past. Not real sure of a market out there for them now. On an exceptional sized cat, I used to skin it with the feet on. A lot more work, but every once in a while I would sell the hide to a taxidermist for more than I would get for just fur value. With the higher price on cats now, think no feet on is the way to go though.