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Show "Fur Business" Is Big Industry in Utah, Game Department Reports The fur "business", as far as iho Utah Fish and Game department depart-ment is concerned, is a big in' dustry in the state of Utah, and right now that industry is winding wind-ing up its trapping and sorting end of the business for the semiannual semi-annual fur sales - the payoff for the state and the trappers alike. With about 500 beaver hides in the game department valuts, appeal has been made for the state's trappers to turn in their remaining hides for the forthcoming forth-coming sales to be held sometime some-time after the first of the year. While figures on the 1948 fur industry are still being compiled, they are expected to compare favorably with those of 1946 and 1947, according to Henry Slaugh, state fur supervisor for the game department. 'Muskrats, bring the trappers the best payoff In total proceeds, and are expected to ring the till for about $100,000 this year. This I is in the face of a slow fur mar-I mar-I ket, Slaugh pointed out, a market i which has been bringing only from to two dollars a skin. In 1946 the state trappers sold to authorized fur dealers and agpnts 49.128 skins for an aver-age aver-age of $2.00, according to fur buyers reports. Last year the price dropped considerable closer to $1. The 1943 market Is still lean, the fur chief stated. Musk-rats Musk-rats are trapped by state license only, and anyone may purchase license to trap rats, mink or mar-tin mar-tin in season. The state does not share in the proceeds of these fur-bearers. Beaver market is also down, but should bring Utah and the trappers a combined payoff of about $40,000 this year, Slaugh said. This is based on 1947 prices and numbers, and may alter this year. In 1947 the state sold 2232 skins for a total of S43.3n&.9A about $21.50 each. The state receives half of the beaver money and the other half goes to the trapper, Slaugh said. The skins are sold in trapper's lots so that those trappers who took better care of the pelts will receive better pay for them. Beaver, unlike muskrats, are trapped only by special permit. Usually, the state spokesman pointed out, the permit is given to the land owner where beaver are doing serious damage, and then only after the state has investigated in-vestigated the situation thor-ouehlv. thor-ouehlv. If the landowner doesn't want to trap them, he joins with the state in selecting a suitable suita-ble trapper to get the beaver out of the critical area. It is up to the state game department de-partment to sell the skins and get the best price for them that is possible, Slaugh said. This is not only for the best interest of the state, but the man in the field who has worked hard to get the skins and then worked half a day on each skin getting them properly cleaned and stretched. Beaver season in Utah is anytime any-time the beaver are doing damage. dam-age. The muskrat, martin and mink spring season ends April 15 for 1943-49. Beaver are pelted only during those periods when the furs are. prime. In the summer months, beaver are live-trapped and, transported to more suitable areas. |