
The Montgomery County Fairgrounds were dry, chilly, and sun beaten on the day of the Missouri Trappers Association 2024 Fur Auction. In fact, it was sunny enough that to look at the walls of the white corrugated metal building that housed the auction was painful.
Inside, there were tables lining the sides, as well as more tables set out in the middle. Piles of dried beaver pelts, whole frozen bobcats, bundles of coyote pelts, and even an albino raccoon waited to be set on a conveyor belt table that led to the auctioneer. One man brought a tub full of otter pelts to be tagged by MDC employees near one of the entrances.
To the uninitiated, the world of trapping may seem bizarre, but behind the initial impressions, you’ll find a rich history, one that many are concerned is dying out.
Trapping History
Fur has never been a stable commodity, but, at times, it has been lucrative. St. Louis and Kansas City were practically built on the fur trade. During the height of its power, the fur trade exported its product back to Europe and other metropolitan areas for the hatting industry. Companies invested big money into fur expeditions, such as the expedition described in the novel and movie The Revenant, which centers around trapper and explorer Hugh Glass.
Changes in fashion and overexploitation of the resource led to a collapse in the fur economy in the U.S. and in Missouri. We entered a dark age where many of the most important furbearers, notably beavers, were nearly extirpated from the state. Some, like the river otter, wouldn’t recover until the 1990s. Today, those populations have rebounded, and trapping remains an important cultural and economic practice for Missourians who enjoy the outdoors.
Trapping, while inexorably tied to the fur market, is more than a commercial trade. Ronald Pearl, a trapper out of North Kansas City, was exposed to trapping through his father, who primarily trapped raccoons and other furbearers for meat.
While the current culture and seasons around furbearers are typically set for the winter to match peak fur quality, Pearl’s father would trap raccoons and opossums for food earlier in the year and stop once winter set in.
“What he would do when he went trapping is catch stuff he could sell,” Pearl said. “He sold raccoons and opossums to people to eat.”
Today, Pearl has customers who seek out meat from animals that he’s trapped. He also sells the hides from animals he’s trapped at the fur market.
More Than Fur Prices
Participation in fur trapping has historically waxed and waned depending on fur prices, but for trappers like Pearl, the fur prices aren’t what drive his desire to go through all the work of making sets, putting up fur, and bringing it to market. There’s a connection to history and a level of intimacy with the land that trapping provides that very few other outdoor pursuits can match. The practice of reading signs and understanding animal behavior, which is necessary knowledge for any trapper, is something that can only be picked up in the field.
The culinary tradition around furbearers is a longstanding part of America’s tradition. Furbearers and other small game played an important role in the diet of many Americans. According to a Smithsonian Magazine article, archeological evidence of enslaved people has found traces of them stewing animals whole, a method that reflects the culinary traditions of West Africa. Raccoon in particular has a long culinary history. The first edition of The Joy of Cooking, released in 1931, even had a recipe for it.
Other furbearers, such as beavers, have also played a role in American food history. Beaver, reportedly a favorite amongst trappers and mountain men for its fat, may still be a niche item for hunters, but wild game chefs like Wade Truong and Rachel Owen of the website Elevated Wild have helped to revive and even innovate beaver preparations. It’s an open secret that beaver meat is great table fare. It can be used in stews, as shredded meat for tacos, smoked, braised, and more.
Even more unusual choices, such as bobcat, have a high culinary value and are surprisingly mild and easy to prepare. Other outdoors figures, such as Steven Rinella of the outdoors television series MeatEater and writer and chef Hank Shaw, have helped to popularize the good culinary reputation of furbearers and carry on this peculiarly American food culture.
A Resurgence
Until recently, it was taken for granted that trapping participation was on a steady decline. However, there seems to be an uptick, both in fur prices and trapper participation.
Trapping license sales have been on an upward trend since 2020, according to MDC Hunter and Angler Marketing Specialist Eric Edwards.
There is also significantly more access to information now about trapping than ever before. Through online and social media, particularly YouTube and Facebook, new trappers have the mentorship of seasoned trappers right at their fingertips. Being able to ask questions about gear choices, sell and trade traps, and talk about market trends online has opened a new world of exposure to trapping that previously didn’t exist.
In an odd turn of history, beaver prices have also started to rebound, primarily for the hatting industry for beaver felt hats. For several years beavers have not been worth much on the market, a significant irony given that beaver pelts were once the major driver in much of the North American fur market.
Some have anecdotally given credit to the popularity of the TV show Yellowstone for driving up demand for beaver felt hats again. Stetsons and other cowboy hats are likely the first thing that come to mind when someone says beaver felt hats, but beaver felt has also maintained a place in high fashion, with notable hatters such as Worth and Worth, a New York City-based designer whose hats have been worn by celebrities such as Sean Connery, David Bowie, Frank Sinatra, and others.
The last spike in fur prices, according to the 2022 Furbearer Report and published by MDC, was in 2013–2014, which was an all-time high in fur prices between 1994 and 2022. Fur prices this year were surprisingly strong, with beaver bringing in an average price of $30.50 for dry pelts and $22.89 for wet pelts. Compared with average prices in 2023 of $14.22 for dry pelts and $10.79 for wet, the demand for beaver took a significant jump from last year. Whether these trends continue will remain to be seen, but it’s reasonable to expect that if prices remain high, we may see increased participation in trapping.
Other standouts from this year’s auction include bobcats. While the average price of bobcats was slightly less than in 2023, $80.35 compared to $90.53 in 2023, the highest sold price for bobcats in 2024 was $290, a significant increase from last year’s highest price, which sat at $135. Fur sale records from 2014 until now show a definitive increase in market value for bobcat pelts. Dry raccoon pelts also saw a price jump, up to an $8.31 average as compared with an average price of $2.15 last year.
“The results (prices) at the auction were better than expected with most species up in price,” said Tom Westhoff, delegate for the Missouri Trappers Association to the Conservation Federation of Missouri. “This is due to several factors including the backlog of fur finally being used up. With the low prices the last five years, trappers have reduced their efforts, which resulted in fewer furbearers being harvested. As the backlog is getting used up, manufacturers want fresh goods. Fashion has also dictated a price increase, especially for beaver. Beaver felt cowboy style hats are in demand and manufacturers need more beaver fur to make the hats. While the overseas demand is still reduced, the people of Russia, Ukraine, China, and other countries still want our fur, but government sanctions have stopped most of the international trade. There is still a demand from a few other countries for some species, including bobcats.”
Westhoff also emphasized the importance of trappers maintaining a voice in Missouri through membership with the Missouri Trappers Association and participating on proposed regulatory changes regarding furbearers. The Missouri Trappers Association, through the fur sale and other work done throughout the state, has been a major factor in keeping trapping culture alive.
If you want to learn more about trapping or connect with other trappers, visit the Missouri Trappers Association online at missouritrappers.com. MDC also offers online resources on how to get started trapping, including gear recommendations and the necessary regulations that you need to know before pursuing furbearers. To learn more, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Zvx.
Gilbert Randolph is a writer and an avid outdoorsman. When he’s not creating stories in the digital space, he’s exploring nature and sharing it with people.
Whether it’s foxes, coyotes, skunks, or beavers, there’s a little bit of everything at the Missouri Fur Auction. The Missouri Trappers Association also hosts a yearly trappers rendezvous with workshops, vendors, and the opportunity to meet other trappers from around the state.




















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This Issue's Staff
Editor – Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor – Larry Archer
Photography Editor – Ben Nickelson
Staff Writer – Kristie Hilgedick
Staff Writer – Joe Jerek
Staff Writer – Dianne Van Dien
Designer – Marci Porter
Designer – Kate Morrow
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Circulation – Marcia Hale