Nipawin, Sask.-based fur buyer and trapper Don Gordon at one of his fur tables in March 2021.The market for most furs harvested in Saskatchewan has taken a big hit. The price of coyote, beaver and other pelts has plummeted, said Gordon, a Nipawin-based trapper and a fur buyer for Groenewold Fur and Wool Co., headquartered in Forreston, Illinois.
A few years ago, Saskatchewan shipped an annual harvest of 32,000 to 35,000 coyote skins to fur auctions. It is only a fraction of that now. “The goods were bought, but all of a sudden there was no one there to do any manufacturing, because of shutdowns and lockdowns. The whole market for furs fell flat.”
There is still a market for certain kinds of furs, including beaver, he said. As it was in the early years of the fur trade, beaver pelts today mostly go into the making of felt hats. But, again, the price for beaver is well below what it was just a few years ago.